Dreams

To say Callum was astonished when he saw Calliope sitting beside Carina Marino would be an understatement. 

If not for his legendary poker face, he would have made a fool out of himself. He was continuously blinking his eyes as if he couldn't believe that she was here before his eyes. 

This had to be a dream. No, he refused to believe that it wasn't a dream. He saw her every day and every night in his dreams and thoughts. Only he knew how he spent the last six months without a glimpse of the real her. 

Today his brain was playing tricks on him again. 

This woman couldn't be his Cali. He had never seen Calliope in colour even in his dream. She always had that sombre face and every time she was dressed in black, talking to him softly and sweetly. 

Who was this woman in colour? 

If Cali in black was a good girl he had been craving to corrupt then this woman dressed in floral patterns and colours was a goddamned fairy. 

All he wanted was to run his fingers in her long curly locks. He wished to tuck those silky bangs that were falling on her face behind her ear. He wanted to just touch her for a moment. Because every time he would try to touch her, the dream would break like shattered glass. 

"Mr Facci," The woman smiled at her. A genuine smile was stretched on her pink coated lips. She shyly tucked a strand of her hair beside her ear and fanned those longest and darkest eyelashes at him. 

It wasn't just a visual hallucination but an auditory one too. 

Could fate be more cruel? 

The woman turned her gaze to stare at the toddler in his stiffened arms. Her face glowed under the sunlight and the wind blew her long dark tendrils as she extended her hand. "Hi, Eleanora. I'm Cali. I have been hearing many things about you." 

It wasn't just Callum who blinked but Eleanora too. However, seeing a warm smile on the stranger's face, Eleanora too extended her hand and giggled, showing her teeth. 

"Calli," Eleanora shouted and got out of Callum's arm to cling onto Cali. It was because Cali was wearing pearl earrings and the little girl liked pearls.

Calliope chuckled when Eleanora tried to yank her earrings and Callum came out of trance.  

His gaze veered from Calliope's beautiful face to Santiago's whose eyes were full of amusement. His friend seemed to be saying that he knew how well he was making a fool out of himself. Then, his eyes met Persephone's suspicious eyes. 

Romeo and Emmanuel were giving him looks that said he was screwed. 

"Hi," Callum whispered as he looked at Calliope, trying to itch her new image in his heart, mind and soul. Why did this woman always make him feel all these emotions he didn't want to feel? Why did she hold the power to bring him on his knees? Just why? 

Calliope smiled at his response and as she was about to say something, Persephone cut both of them off. 

"Do you guys know each other?" Persephone asked, looking between both of them. 

"We met twice," Calliope said in a soft voice. 

"She is the artist of the painting you all liked," Callum said, not at all wanting to give them any hopes that he was seeing this woman when it wasn't the case. 

"Really?" Persephone seemed excited. "How come I don't know you are an artist?"

"You never asked," Calliope answered. 

"You are very talented, Cali," Persephone genuinely praised the lady. "I loved the painting. It was a shame that Big bro couldn't buy more of your works."

Calliope didn't say anything because she didn't know what to say. She recalled her first meeting with Callum and how she expressed her anger at him. Then, she recalled the time when he unknowingly saved her life in the hospital. He might not know but he gave her a direction to life when she was lost in darkness. Unknowingly, this man had done more for her than anyone else. 

Currently, all of them are having lunch. The sun was shining but the wind was blowing. It was such a beautiful day with perfect weather. 

"Uncle Callum, would you take us to L-point tomorrow?" Emery aka Emy asked as they all were seated at the lunch table. 

"Yes, Uncle Callum. Percy is not going with us. We don't want to waste our vacation cooped inside our room. Emy came from Italy to enjoy herself here. Can we please take her to the L-point?" Santiago Reynolds aka Junior said.

"Hey, what do you mean by wasting time? Am I not playing with you guys?" Persephone asked the kids. 

Junior sighed as he looked at the adults. "My teacher asked me to write an essay on nature and its wonders. How am I supposed to write without experiencing it? Also, I'm supposed to learn a new hobby this summer. I don't even know what I will learn."

"My teacher asked me to learn a new hobby too," Emery chimed in. 

"What about reading books?" Callum suggested. 

Emery made a bad face. "Can we not do anything that involves reading and studying?"

"How about martial arts?" Someone suggested. 

"Salvatore will book the next plane if he gets to know Emy is learning something dangerous. You know how overprotective he gets," Carina said with a sigh. 

"What about painting?" Calliope ended up suggesting. 

Everyone fell silent at her suggestion. When she felt that they were looking down on painting as a hobby, she spoke in defence, "Painting is an outlet for toxic emotions. It helps children express the emotions that they can't through words. It relieves stress and builds self-confidence and self-esteem."

Emery and Junior looked at Calliope with stars in their eyes. "Miss Cali, will you teach us to paint? Please? We will be good students. Will you be our art teacher?" 

Everyone turned their eyes to stare at Calliope. They seemed to be asking the same question as to the two children. 

"Sure," Calliope didn't know what she had signed for this moment. Only if she knew how she was going to regret agreeing to this.