Sunday was fast approaching and Ariana was starting to doubt her decision to go see Calhoun's family. A thousand questions kept rolling in her head. She was totally confused.
What if they were going too fast just like Zion had said?
What if he was only into her for the sex?
What if she didn't truly love him?
"Ariana?"
Calhoun had stepped into her office for their usual lunch together and he was leaning by the door for a while now but Ariana hadn't even seen him. She was staring at a document with the end of the pencil between her lips but her eyes didn't look like they were focusing on the paper in front of her at all. She seemed lost in a world of her own.
"Ariana?" Calhoun called for the second time but Ariana didn't move.
He frowned in concern. This was unlike the bubbly young woman he knew. What was wrong with her?
He took steps towards her and placed his hand on her right shoulder ever so gently.
"Ariana?"
This time, Ariana jumped out of her thoughts and blinked up at Calhoun.
"Huh?" She blurted in confusion. She had been hearing a whisper of her name but it sounded so distant, she thought she had imagined it.
Calhoun pulled a chair closer to her and sat himself down. "Ariana is something wrong?" He asked.
Ariana wanted to brush off her worries but when she returned her eyes to his, she couldn't bring herself to do it. Calhoun's usually strong features were altered with worry. His bright eyes looked dull as they focused on her.
She couldn't lie to him when he looked like this.
"Carl, I want us to do this right..." She said causing the frown on Calhoun's face to deepen even more but he didn't speak.
"Let's get to know each other and then we can decide if we really want to do this..." Ariana said.
The frown left Calhoun's face as he finally understood what she was trying to say to him. His signature grin replaced his frown as he took her hands in his.
"Ariana, How many times do I have to tell you that I want you?" He asked with a voice so gentle, it caused shivers to spurt down Ariana's toes.
She made to respond but he brought two of his fingers to her soft lips.
"I want you Ariana and I know that you want me too... But I understand what you are trying to say." Calhoun slowly started caressing the contours of her lips as he tried to focus on the discussion.
"You can ask me about anything you want and I'll tell you. As for you, I already know everything there is to know Ariana."
This time Ariana found the strength to speak despite the effect of his fingers on her lips.
"Through a detective?" She asked waving his fingers off her face. "Calhoun I want us to get to know each other better... By ourselves. Not through the files a detective sent to you. I don't want that!" She whispered to him.
Calhoun closed his eyes and inhaled the air. Ariana just watched him. Sometimes she found him really strange.
His fingers returned to her lips and he opened his eyes, they were clouded with so much intensity, Ariana felt the effect between her legs. It was like he could see through her very soul.
"Fine, we will do as you say..." He said as his eyes moved down to her lips.
This was going to be the hardest part to talk about. Sex.
They had met through sex and their relationship was almost based on just sex. Stopping it was going to stir up a lot of trouble.
"Calhoun..." Ariana whispered shifting her chair away from him. "We can't do this here..." she warned.
His fingers had now left her lips and he was taking them slowly down her neck. She didn't know how long she could last but she would rather not take any chances.
"We can go to my house," Calhoun blurted completely intoxicated by the feel of her skin under his fingers.
"No, I am sorry. We can't." Ariana got up from the chair and walked to her window. Sitting down so close to him was starting to make the hair on her skin erect.
Calhoun's darkened as he watched her move away from him. He could pin her to the desk and take her as he wished but this was Ariana. His heart couldn't permit such an action. If she wanted to stay away then he would for her sake.
He got up and walked to her. "We are going to my grandparents on Sunday, hope you haven't forgotten?" The sooner he married her the more confident she would feel about them.
Ariana felt a sharp pain in her heart. She was certain Calhoun would take everything aside this. She didn't want to go see his grandparents this soon. She wasn't ready yet.
"Do we really have to do that? I don't even know you that well. What am I supposed to say when they ask about your favourite color?" She asked turning to him.
"Blue," he said with a shrug.
It took Ariana about two seconds to realize he had just told her his favourite color. But this wasn't enough.
"What about if they ask us where we met? I don't think your grandparents will be happy to know we met in a bar and I thought you were sex worker... They will never like me!"
Ariana was about to resume pacing when Calhoun held her still.
"When they ask you that, you don't have to reply. I will answer it. Beside there is nothing wrong with meeting a girl in a bar." He said and Ariana raised her brows in alarm.
"You think it isn't?" She cried out. "I don't think your grandma will think the sane! They will all think I am a gold digger and that I am not good for you!"
Calhoun pulled her closer. His arms went around her and he looked in her eyes. "Ariana, their opinions doesn't matter."
She wanted to hold on to what he said. She wanted to believe it. But she couldn't. Deep down, she knew Sunday was going to be a disaster and she wasn't prepared for the impact.