Callum blinked.
“A heads-up would’ve been fucking nice,” he muttered, still processing.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Alejandra already moving, grabbing her shoes, slipping them on quickly.
“I’m going after her,” she said. “She needs to talk, and clearly there’s more going on. Maybe she needs a girl to speak to.”
“Are you sure?” Callum asked. “She’s a demon when she’s angry.”
Alejandra snorted, grabbing her coat. “I’ve faced scarier situations than a London lawyer who’s angry and confused about her feelings.”
She leaned in, kissing him quickly but firmly.
“Let me do my job and be a girl’s girl. I shared my location with you, so you won’t worry.”
Callum smirked. “Thanks.”
She pulled back slightly, her expression shifting.
“Talk with him,” she nodded toward Leif. “And then we’ll talk about you being in burnout and never mentioning it to me.” She narrowed her eyes slightly. “I can’t believe you listened to me rant about my injury while you felt like shit.”
He cupped her cheeks gently. “I never feel horrible with you around.”
He kissed her—deeper this time—before letting her go.
As she reached the door, she turned briefly toward Leif.
“Did she respond to the kiss?”
Leif’s grin appeared instantly. “Very much.”
“Good.” Alejandra giggled, stepping out and closing the door behind her.
The silence that followed felt… different. Lighter. But tense in another way. Callum turned back to Leif, who was still grinning like an idiot.
“So?”
“As I told you,” Leif began, “she said she broke up with Omar. Then she hugged me. And before we pulled away, we just… looked at each other.”
He wiggled his eyebrows.
“I leaned down and kissed her. And she was very responsive.”
“Then why is she mad at you now?” Callum asked, genuinely confused.Women.He really didn’t understand them sometimes.
Leif shrugged. “Maybe because she doesn’t want to admit she liked it?” Then his expression shifted, something quieter slipping through. “Am I this ugly?”
Callum almost choked on his beer. “Where the fuck does that come from?”
Leif shrugged again, suddenly less sure.
“You’ve dated literal models,” Callum continued. “You’re one of the most handsome men I know.”
Leif laughed. “Thanks, man. Maybe I should’ve developed a crush on you.”
“Idiot,” Callum huffed, sitting beside him. “But seriously, why ask that?”
Leif stared at his bottle for a second.
