Second Chances Under the Tree

CALLIE

I gripped my phone tightly, pacing back and forth in my tiny living room. My heart was racing faster than the snowstorm brewing outside. This was it. Tonight was the night.

Without overthinking it, I hit Sophie’s name in my contacts and she picked up after the second ring.

“Callie?” she answered. “Do you know what time it is?”

“Sophie, I can’t wait anymore, and besides, it's just 9 p.m,” I blurted out. “Tonight is the night.”

“What are you even talking about?” Sophie asked with a groan.

“I’m confessing!” I replied, feeling a surge of excitement coursing through me. “I’m going to tell Ethan how I feel.”

There was a long pause on her end.

“What?” Sophie finally said.

“I’ve been holding it in for too long,” I explained, clutching the phone closer to my ear. “And I just know he feels the same way. He’s probably just scared I’ll turn him down or something. But I’ll make it easy for him. I’ll tell him first.”

Still no response from Sophie. The silence stretched awkwardly, and I frowned.

“Sophie?” I called out, glancing at the phone screen to make sure the call hadn’t dropped. “What’s with the weird vibe? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” she said quickly, though her voice sounded strained. “Are you… sure about this?”

“Of course I’m sure,” I said, walking toward the window. “I mean, why wouldn’t I be? This is Ethan we’re talking about. You know how long I’ve been crazy about him.”

Sophie sighed. “Well… good luck, I guess.”

“Guess?” I asked, narrowing my eyes. “That’s it? No pep talk? No ‘you’ve got this, Callie, you’re amazing, and Ethan would be lucky to have you’?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Sophie said, her tone lighter now. “You’re amazing, Ethan would be lucky to have you, blah, blah. Just don’t overthink it, okay? Go for it.”

“Thanks, Soph,” I said, grinning. “You’re the best. I’ll call you after and tell you how it went!”

I stood outside Ethan’s building and knocked on the door, my heart thudding loudly in my chest.

A moment later, Ethan’s maid opened the door. “Miss Callie,” she said. “Come in, it’s freezing out there.”

“Is Ethan here?” I asked as I stepped inside.

“Yes, he’s in the parlor,” she replied, gesturing down the hall.

“Callie,” Ethan called out, as he sighted me.

Without thinking, I crossed the room and hugged him tightly. “Hi,” I said, smiling up at him.

But something felt off. His arms felt hesitant around me, and when I pulled back, he wasn’t really smiling.

“Is everything okay?” I asked, tilting my head.

“Yeah, yeah,” he said quickly, gesturing for me to sit down. “What’s up?”

I hesitated, studying him for a moment before brushing aside my unease… “Actually, there’s something I wanted to tell you.”

“Oh?” he asked, sitting back and folding his arms. “What’s that?”

I opened my mouth to speak, but the words froze on my tongue as movement in the corner of my eye caught my attention. I turned, and my heart stopped.

Sophie stepped out of his bedroom.

She was dressed casually in one of Ethan’s oversized hoodies, her hair tied back.

“Sophie?”I asked, my voice trembling. I stood up, stumbling back. “What’s going on? What are you doing here?”

She looked at Ethan, then back at me, waiting for him to explain.

“Callie,” Ethan began. “We didn’t want you to find out like this, but…” He glanced at Sophie, who nodded slightly, encouraging him. “Sophie and I… we’ve been seeing each other. Secretly. For a while now.”

For a moment, I couldn’t breathe as the world spun around me.

“What?” I whispered, barely able to get the word out.

“We didn’t want to hurt you,” Sophie said softly, stepping forward. “But we felt it was time you knew.”

I shook my head, staggering back another step. “You… you’ve been seeing each other? Behind my back?”

“Callie, I’m sorry,” Ethan muttered. “We didn’t plan for this to happen, but…”

“Stop,” I snapped. “Just… stop.”

My eyes burned with tears as I looked at them. This wasn’t happening. This couldn’t be real.

“You’re heartless,” I spat at Sophie, as my voice trembled. She flinched, but I didn’t care. “You knew I was coming here tonight. I told you everything, and you still couldn’t warn me?”

“Callie…” she started, but I cut her off.

“No,” I snapped, shouting at the top of my voice. “Don’t even try to explain. I told you I was going to confess my feelings to Ethan. I told you how much he meant to me, and you sat there, quiet, pretending like you didn’t know anything. How could you?”

Tears were streaming down my face, but I didn’t bother wiping them away. I turned my gaze to Ethan. “And you,” I muttered. “I thought you liked me. The way you treated me so kind, so caring. I thought… I thought it meant something. I thought I meant something.”

Ethan’s brow furrowed as he took a step toward me. “Callie, wait. You’ve misunderstood.”

“Misunderstood what?” I demanded, throwing my arms up. “That all of this was just in my head? That I’m some pathetic girl who got it wrong?”

“No,” he said, his voice annoyingly calm. “That’s not what I mean. I care about you deeply, Callie. But not in the way you’re thinking. I’ve always seen you as a sister.”

His words hit me like a punch to the gut. A sister.

A bitter laugh escaped my lips. “A sister? Really? That’s why you were always checking in on me, making sure I was okay, being there when I needed someone? You don’t treat someone like that unless they mean more to you.”

“That’s exactly why I did all of that,” Ethan replied. “Because I care about you, Callie. You’re family to me.”

Family.

The word echoed in my mind, increasing the ache in my chest. I couldn’t breathe.

“You’re unbelievable,” I whispered. I looked back at Sophie, who stood rooted to a spot. “And you. You sat there, listening to me pour my heart out about Ethan over and over again. How many times did I tell you? How many? And not once, not once…did you tell me the truth.”

“I didn’t know how to…” Sophie began, but I cut her off with a bitter laugh.

“You didn’t know how to tell me?” I said, my voice rising. “You didn’t know how to be honest with me? That’s rich. Some friend you are.”

I felt like I was suffocating. My chest ached, my vision blurred with tears, and my legs felt weak.

“I can’t… I can’t do this,” I choked out, backing toward the door.

The freezing air hit my face as I stepped outside, but I barely felt it. I took a deep breath, inhaling the icy air until it burned in my lungs.

No. I wasn’t going to cry over them. Not anymore. They weren’t worth my tears.

I pulled my phone from my pocket, opened my browser, and typed into the search bar: Male escort services near me.

I hit enter and scrolled through the results until one caught my eye: “Discreet. Professional. Satisfaction Guaranteed.”

Perfect. Exactly what I needed.

Tonight, instead of drowning in heartbreak caused by people who didn’t care about me.

I was going to get fucked by a stranger.