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That quick denial was honestly good for Callie. If Chandler needed to consider that, it might have been a different story. A little weight was lifted off her shoulders, but there was nothing much beyond it.
She didn't hold that against her. It was a hard conversation to have. Just giving genuine answers was more than Callie expected. She was pulling her weight just fine.
Pursing her lips, she tried her absolute best not to ask her anymore questions. The one that burned at her mind was a scary thought for herself. About herself. She didn't like the way it felt. Hands clasped together at her lap, her eyes trailing down to her thumbs as they crossed each other.
"Is it that I'm untrustworthy to you?" She asked finally, trying her best to find the solution to this situation; "Like, you think that if I could do that so easily to him, I'll just do the same thing to you?"
Calliope Gallo
Why don't we just go get naked; let's not make it complicated
As far as Callie was concerned, there was no room for negativity here. Those kinds of thoughts only dragged an entire situation down to that potential disaster. People always told her she was naïve about these kinds of things; was it really so wrong to look at the world so brightly?
She shook her head instinctively. Families always said things that their children carried, knowingly or not. Years of torment wore on Luca the second his choices came into question. There wasn't much either of them could do about that, but she could always try to build him up. "So prove him wrong. Easy." It was hardly easy, but again, she wore optimism in her tone like it was branded on her sleeve.
When he put it like that, Callie's teeth sunk into her lower lip in contemplation. She watched his eyes with a weary set. Here she was bolstering his ego, and now he was inflating hers. "Are you sure that's a good idea? It's you and me, Luca." She tried a smile, but it quickly faltered; "I know I put you through a lot."
Calliope Gallo
Why don't we just go get naked; let's not make it complicated
That sentiment only told Callie that they were in agreement about the friends frontier. At least they were on the same page about something; that had to be positive. Leave it to Callie to constantly look for the good in the worst situation.
"For me, it's like... I don't want to make you miserable. But I feel like me just existing makes you nothing but miserable." She explained, opting to sit on the floor opposite her. At least it would provide some proof that she wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.
Tilting her head to the side, she tried to get a glimpse of her face as her voice dropped; "Am I really that unforgivable?" She asked, immediately going inward at the thought. She only had herself to blame for that.
Calliope Gallo
Why don't we just go get naked; let's not make it complicated
She might have lost her gaze, but at least Callie knew she had her attention. At least she knew the conversation they both needed was something that was being aired to some degree. Still, she'd hoped for some guidance within reason. She got nothing, and that was okay. It wasn't Chandler's job to tell her what to do in this situation. Or was it?
"You spent the better part of a week without me, knowing I was hanging around." Callie pointed out, like that information could help her somehow. She'd managed to all-but avoid her for at least some period of time.
"We can't be friends." Callie pointed out. It was a harsh statement, but her tone didn't frame it that way. It was gentle. Reassuring, but a potentially bad fact all the same, "We can't just be friends because I'm a bad liar and that's not how I feel about you."
Calliope Gallo
Why don't we just go get naked; let's not make it complicated
Waiting in silence for the inevitable fall of this encounter was like its own kind of torture. Callie paid brief mind to the way her fall had rattled her phone body. Everything felt fine, now. At least she had one less thing to worry about. But denial of her own accusation had her turning back to look at her again. This, she had to see.
It wasn't what she expected to hear, but it didn't hurt any less. She may as well have been nothing to her at this point. On some level, it had to be better than nothing.
"I'm sorry." She offered, genuinely. She didn't like to be that person to anyone. Despite what she'd been told, she still closed the distance between them, but she made no move to reach out.
"I don't know hot to fix that." She continued, frowning at the thought that she couldn't help, "What do you want me to do?"
Calliope Gallo
Why don't we just go get naked; let's not make it complicated
Callie had always done her best to find peace in the worst situations. When it came to the animosity between them, she already knew she'd added to it only days ago. It took time and patience - the latter of which she'd clearly never been good at - but she did her best to find some kind of comfort in what definitely felt like the end of something that hadn't ever begun.
The last thing she expected was an apology. It forced her to look when she knew she shouldn't have.
"I know you don't." She replied almost immediately. "I'm sorry if I made it seem like I do." She was always so quick to apologise for her own part in the actions.
It was the closest that Chandler had come to actually referencing what had happened between them. Callie linked her hands together, drawing them up over her head. "I feel like I know you don't want anything to do with me at all. And I feel like I'm just waiting for you to say it." She explained, trying her absolute best to approach this situation with the delicacy she needed to use. Letting go of her intertwined hands, Callie very briefly pressed a palm to her shoulder before shifting away a fast step away from her. "So don't worry about like, hurting my feelings and stuff like that. Just say what you need to say. For you." Whatever it was, Callie was sure she could handle it.
But it was definitely a lot easier with her back to her instead.
Calliope Gallo
Why don't we just go get naked; let's not make it complicated
Callie felt the way he shrugged his shoulders beneath her hand as they moved. To an extent, she knew what it was like to have fathers dream the most for their children. It was her oldest brother's job to inherit the family business, but they were lucky that he was happy to do it. He wanted to, even. But her father had never been cruel. He was always kind and generous and giving to his children. Two out of three of them were interested in art over business, and he seemed to love them for following their passions.
"What's to regret? Sure, it'll be stressful." Owning a business would be absolutely make a person want to run themselves into the ground sometimes, "But when it gets off the ground, it'll be awesome. And everyone involved will have you to thank for it."
She couldn't help but smile then. She genuinely had the greatest faith in him. "That's pretty cool." She added instinctively. At the very least, it was a great feat to know what he wanted in life. Most people in this town were completely confused.
Calliope Gallo
Why don't we just go get naked; let's not make it complicated
Callie was happy not to live on campus anymore. She liked the idea of being able to separate herself from the potential drama that always coincided with living in campus dorms.
As she made her way towards the door, she could hear a familiar voice on the other side. Her feet dragged her a little quicker. She dragged it back and her eyes immediately lit up. Finally, something that wasn't so complicated. Something easy. Someone who wouldn't look at her like she ruined their life.
"April?" She asked. She was sure she hadn't hadn't made any plans with her, but that was the beauty of some friendships. She stood aside immediately; "Come in."
Calliope Gallo
Why don't we just go get naked; let's not make it complicated
Callie could immediately see the way his mind was working. She could feel the way he counted in his movements, like learning the steps for the first time. She knew she was supposed to look away, but she couldn't. She didn't want to, and surely it wouldn't make that much of a difference if she didn't.
It was easy to follow his direction; the shift in his hands told her about the turn so his words didn't have to. That was the point of it all, and it was a testament to how much he still remembered.
"It's like, ingrained in you forever I think. When you start young, I mean." She replied, in exactly the same boat as he was. She was by no means a highly experienced ballroom dancer. She was as adept as he was; functions for families with their own ballrooms called for the only daughter of her own family to be able to dance and be lead with ease. Already, he didn't seem as stressed. She could tell just by the way he moved, like he was easing into the situation.
"I bet your dad wasn't happy when you got a place like this." Callie mused. Then again, he probably wasn't happy Luca moved away again.
Calliope Gallo
Why don't we just go get naked; let's not make it complicated
Shoulders rolled back as Callie briefly dropped her head. Tension rose so heavily in her neck that it felt overbearing to even glance in her direction. She was an overbearing person to be around.
And when she talked about leaving, it felt so typical. Her heartbeat raced like she'd been physically poisoned. She felt better for not looking then. Underneath those eyes, it was way too easy to crumble.
"You're not here to stop. I know that." Callie said, but she kept her tone light. It was safer that way. There couldn't be any hard feelings for the fact.
Calliope Gallo
Why don't we just go get naked; let's not make it complicated
"Oh, I know." Callie declared quickly. This stage mightn't ever be used again for a dance so formal and so pure. But there she stood, ready to go for it all the same.
She felt the way his eyes were on her. His attention was held with the usual laser focus. Neither of them looked the part; not just for waltzing but for dancing in general, but perhaps that was what made it so perfect.
"You won't. But you're totally leading." She said, taking his hand like no time had passed as she raised it to shoulder level. Eyes locked with his as her other hand fell to his shoulder. All the while, she couldn't help the smile she wore.
"Whenever you're ready."
Calliope Gallo
Why don't we just go get naked; let's not make it complicated
He sounded completely unsure, and somehow, that was appealing to her. Callie knew he'd never had the best confidence in himself, but he was the boss now. He didn't have a choice in the matter. Did it seem like she was giving him one?
"Come on, it doesn't have to be anything special. What are you good at?" She asked him, tilting her head to the side like it would help her dig through the archives of information he had on him. "You've gotta have the waltz stored somewhere in your bones."
He'd always been the type. She'd learned how to dance on the same essentials. Without another word, she was tossing her back on a nearby chair and taking steps up to the stage; "Sure, it's probably not what you're looking for here, but it'll show you that I haven't given up on dancing." And surely for someone who knew her so well, that'd be enough.
Calliope Gallo
Why don't we just go get naked; let's not make it complicated
It was hard not to feel a little sad in current company. Callie very easily harboured the weight of breaking the heart of the person who tried their best to help her. Her eyes felt safer on herself than on anyone else, but a vote of thanks deserved eye contact. She glanced back down again the second she was done with it, dropping her smile with the motion.
"It's okay." She said with the slightest wince. The drop of blonde locks at either side worked wonders to keep her expression hidden.
A second later and she was reaching back to hold the back of her chair as she eased herself back up again. Tentative toes touched the surface of the stage before she bothered to put any weight on it. She closed her eyes and forced an exhale, then a step. "I don't have time to stop." She offered honestly, rolling her shoulders back.
Calliope Gallo
Why don't we just go get naked; let's not make it complicated
It was as if Chandler knew that Callie was already considering the next reason why she might have fallen. The harsh words forced her mouth to shut tightly before she dug herself in further. So silently, she followed along until she was sitting.
Immediately she drew her foot up, thumbs working their way against the skin as if she hoped to fix the joint so easily.
"Thanks." She said then, looking up and offering a weary smile. She really meant it, too. She didn't have to stop, but she chose to, and that was nice enough for Callie.
Calliope Gallo
Why don't we just go get naked; let's not make it complicated
Caught in a moment fuelled by pure contact, Callie was completely caught off guard when she was lifted.
"You don't have to-" She tried, but it was no use. She was up in a matter of seconds, body weight carried by the person who had been so determined to help her. She didn't try to fight her in the end. Why would she? She didn't want to be left alone, but she didn't want to be helped out of pure pity.
She barely let her other foot touch the ground. It hurt, but it always did when a limb gave out on her. "I put a lot of pressure on myself today. That's all it is." She explained, like that could make any sense to someone living outside her own head.
