Chapter 7.2

"THIS isn't you, Clyde."

Callie secretly smiled after hearing Megan whisper to Clyde.

Clyde and his friends are in the library right now. They had no idea that even though they were far away from Callie's seat, she could still hear and see them even though they were all hiding their faces behind their books.

"I thought Callie was the one you'd get in a week? Look at you, it's not even a week and you've already fallen for her," Spencer said.

"It never occurred to me that Clyde Martin, who used to be chased by women, is now the one chasing a woman," Andrew joked. "What's wrong with you, Clyde? Are you under some sort of spell or something?"

"Let me straighten out those twisted thoughts of yours, okay?" Clyde said to his friends. "Listen, I'm not chasing Callie. We have a connection, and I can feel it."

"If you're not chasing her, why are we here right now?" Spencer asked with a sly grin on his face.

"I just need to tell her something," Clyde reasoned with his colleagues, "why did you guys follow me here in the first place? I can't approach her because of you."

"Then let's just invite her here," Megan proposed, which Clyde immediately rejected.

"So you can ruin my strategy? No thanks!" he mumbled. "I'll go ahead, and don't dare to follow me," he said as he stood up to approach Callie.

He heard his friends calling him, but he ignored them and walked straight to Callie's table.

Callie cast a glance in the direction of the approaching Clyde. She pretended to be reading the book she was holding.

"Hey," Clyde let out before taking a seat next to her.

"Hello," she said.

"What are you reading?" Clyde asked, sneaking a peek at what she was reading. "Werewolves!" he said, smiling.

Callie put the book down because nothing in it was true. They were all made up.

"I was bored and picked up the first book I saw on the shelf."

Clyde gave a nod. "Okay, hmmm... Since you mentioned being bored, do you want to come with me?"

Clyde's offer elicited a slight frown from her. "What are we going to do?"

Clyde stood up, smiling, and extended his hand to hers. "Let's take a look around Duncan Mills."

She paused, staring at Clyde's hand in front of her. If she took his hand, she would undoubtedly be able to persuade him that she was gradually developing feelings for him.

She grabbed Clyde's hand in an instant, brightening his face even more.

"Shall we?" She smiled.

*****

"WOOOOH! This is amazing!"

Clyde's yell made Callie laugh. They are currently riding together on Clyde's borrowed motorbike from Spencer.

She lifted the visor of her helmet and gazed at the green countryside by the side of the road. She closed her eyes and felt the strong wind brush against her face. It felt wonderful.

She can sense her inner wolf. It also appeared to be delighted with what was going on in that situation.

She allowed her gray eyes to slowly turn pure gold. She hadn't been able to shift in a long time, and it was the least she could do to appease her wolf.

She raised her arms sideways, mimicking a bird. Only now, after spending so much time at Duncan Mills, did she feel truly free.

"Are you all right, Callie?" Clyde inquired.

"Yes, why?"

"You're very quiet."

"Normally, I'm quiet," she replied, smiling.

Clyde burst out laughing. "Hold on tight."

Even though she was uncomfortable, she did as Clyde instructed. She wrapped her arms around his waist slowly.

Clyde purposefully increased the speed of the motorcycle.

"Wooohooo!"

*****

CALLIE looked over at the worker who was repairing the broken roof of the small center where she volunteered to teach street children. As he pounded the hammer, the old man was sweating profusely. She then turned to face the children she was watching as they played hide and seek.

"Teacher Callie, I'll be heading first, okay?" Odette, one of her coworkers who had also volunteered to teach at the center, approached her. She laughs shyly and pins strands of her short hair to her ear. "My boyfriend is expecting me."

Callie chuckled and brushed it aside. "All right, I'll look after the kids."

Odette was about to exit the small gate when she called her again. She smelled Clyde's scent as she was about to turn around.

"You silly Callie!" Odette laughed as she shot her a meaningful look.

She noticed Clyde peering out the gate as Odette exited.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, surprised because she hadn't told him she was teaching there.

As he entered, Clyde scratched his head and looked around the small center compound. "So this is where you tutor?"

She gave a nod. "Yes, but only on Saturdays."

Clyde then turned to face the children. He smiled as he watched them run around.

"It's nice to be a kid, isn't it?" he asked, turning to face her.

In response, she simply nodded.

They sat quietly on a bench, watching the kids together.

"Would you like something to drink?" she asked Clyde.

"What do you have?" asked Clyde.

"Water."

Clyde went silent for a moment, then burst out laughing. She, too, cannot help but laugh.

"All we have is water," she explained.

Clyde nodded. "But I'm sure it tastes better because you're the one who gave it to me," he joked.

She smirked at his quotations, but she also laughed at the end. "Oh, there you go again."

She went inside their small classroom to get his drink. She also considered getting their laborer something to drink.

Clyde was no longer in his seat when Callie returned. He was already with the kids and playing with them.

As she watched him, Callie shook her head and smiled. Her gaze was fixed on Clyde's amused expression. He was already sweating, but he didn't seem to tire of playing with the kids.

Everything seemed to slow down, and all she could see and hear was Clyde. She patted her chest as she noticed her heartbeat gradually increasing in frequency and speed.

She quickly averted her gaze from Clyde and drank the water that was supposed to be for him. She ended up letting out an awkward laugh. "You stupid, don't be fooled by his actions, he's only doing that to make you fall for him," she chided herself.

When she heard the worker scream, she turned back toward Clyde.

As the laborer descended the roof, he accidentally dropped his bucket containing nails and a hammer.

They all shrieked when they saw the hammer falling on the little girl's spot.

"Macy!" she yelled as she rose from her seat.

She was surprised to see Clyde grab Macy and hug her to protect her. When the hammer struck Clyde on the head, he groaned in pain.

"Clyde!" She ran to him and immediately examined his head injury. Her eyes grew wide when she saw blood flowing on his jaw.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to!" the laborer apologized to Clyde.

"Are you okay?" Clyde worriedly asked Macy, still hugging her.

Macy tearfully nodded before sprinting to her friends.

"Look at me!" exclaimed Callie, cupping Clyde's face in her palms. "She's okay, you should worry about yourself! Look at you! You're bleeding! Did you bring your car? I'll take you to the hospital!" she said in a panic.

Clyde noticed Callie's hands on his cheek trembling, so he gripped them tightly. "Calm down, Callie. With just a kiss, I'm not in pain anymore."

Callie's worried expression was replaced by a dark one. Clyde's scream echoed as she hit him in an instant.

"Ouch!"

*****

"DON'T forget what the doctor told you. Take antibiotics so your wound doesn't become infected," Callie instructed Clyde after dropping her at her home. She was still in his car, reading the doctor's prescription that had been given to them. She took another look at the plaster on his head. "Does it still hurts?"

"Your hitting is a lot more painful than this," Clyde joked, but she simply frowned. He chuckled as he cleared his throat. "Why are you taking this so seriously? I was just joking."

"Fine, I'll go inside," she said before getting out of the car.

Clyde got out of the car as well, and it appears that he still intends to walk her to the other side of the road.

"Thank you," he said as they crossed the street.

She was perplexed. "For what?"

Clyde scratched his nape and bit his lower lip. "For being concerned about me."

She couldn't say anything. She is indeed really worried about him but that is not the reason for her silence. She didn't know what to say to him because she was so puzzled by the strange sensation she was experiencing at the time. Why is her heart racing so fast for him, even though everything she does is for a show?

"I used to think it was just me who cared about you, but after seeing what I saw this afternoon, I realized I was wrong, and now I finally know the answer," Clyde added.

"What do you mean?" she inquired, surprised.

Clyde paused in his sentence and gave her a brief smile. She was taken aback when he grabbed her by the waist and kissed her without saying anything.