Taming the Author

29: Don't Lie

To those who saw this update and got irritated and confused about the content, my sincere apologies. I was having Internet connection issues that messed up the text I copy-pasted online, and kept the cleaned up version from showing up on the part. Please give this chapter a second chance...

I'm also having some issues with the dedication, but not a technical one. I'm trying to remember who voted for "Taming the Author" first, and it's quite difficult without a way to efficiently backtrack who's voted what and when. So please don't get mad at me if I dedicate chapters to someone who you think voted chapters after you did (do tell me if this happens so I can immediately dedicate the next chapters to you).

And with that done, I give you the real Chapter 29:

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I woke up curled on the couch with a glittery pink shawl over my shoulder.

The room was bright which meant it was morning and Calum greeted me with a cheeky grin and a steamy cup of coffee.

"Hey," he said, offering me the cup.

I yawned and slowly sat up, scratching my eyes. "What time is it?"

"Ten...twenty-three," Calum answered, glancing at his Hublot watch.

Why did Calum's good looks have to be accompanied by that much wealth?

I yawned again and grabbed the cup of coffee Calum was offering. I inhaled the bittersweet aroma of the macchiato and sighed.

"So what was sleeping with Loramina like?" Calum whispered as he excitedly took a seat beside me.

"What..?" I honestly had no idea what he was talking about. I just woke up! At least brief me of the gossip before--

--Oh.

I froze as the memory of eating the delivered savory noodles in a Chinese food box seeped into my consciousness. Loramina's head rested on my lap at the time. I tried to wake her up but she kept her eyes shut.

"Where's Loramina?" I asked, looking around the blinding white room which was not at all friendly with newly awakened people.

Damn hospitals!

"Oh now you remember," Calum said, rolling his eyes and leaning back against the wall. "She went outside to make a phone call."

I nodded and sipped the coffee, soothing my dry throat with the warm liquid.

"You haven't answered my question," Calum said.

"Thanks for the pink shawl," I said, giving him the glittery cloth back. I couldn't help but feel ashamed at the thought that the nurses saw me crawled up under a very girlie fabric.

"Oh that's not mine," Calum replied. "It's Lora's. You should give it to her."

I stiffly placed the cloth on my lap.

Loramina lent me her shawl?

"She's into pink?" I asked.

"No," he answered. "I gave her that to put a feminine touch in her wardrobe."

I looked at him. "And she wears this?"

"Of course!"

I sighed and sipped my macchiato again.

"Sometimes, yes," Calum said before frowning. "Why? Don't you like it for her?"

"It's not that," I said, sighing. "I just can't imagine her wearing a flashy pink anything."