He pulled his head back, she glared at him and then turned to Waring. “I don’t think we’ll be going on campaign since there are so many things Callum’s going to be,” she lifted her hands and made quotation marks, “‘explaining later’ that it might take until the new millennium for him to do it.”
Both Callum and Waring laughed at that too.
Sonia decided not to inform them she wasn’t being funny.
Then she decided, since this was way too weird for words, not to object that Callum seemed perfectly happy chatting away with Waring while she sat in his lap. Something which she was not perfectly happy about.
When Waring finished his coffee, Callum stood, taking Sonia with him and placing her on her feet. Waring stood after him and Callum left them to go to the laptop.
“Take this data stick to Caleb, will you?” he asked, handing the stick to Waring who took it.
“You got a back up?” he enquired and then looked at Sonia and said preposterously, “Saliva. Probably not good for data sticks.”
“What?” Sonia breathed but Callum was pulling her medication from the satchel and she saw it was wrapped in brown paper and taped to oblivion.
When the satchel was empty, he tossed it to Waring.
“Good thinking,” Waring said to Callum and again turned to Sonia. “That’s why he’s king.”
“King?” Sonia whispered but Callum was beside her. His hand sliding along her shoulders, he tugged her against his side and together they walked Waring to the door just like they were an old married couple moving to wave away a party guest.
At the door, Waring turned and bowed his head to Sonia. “It was an honor to meet you, your grace.” Then he lifted his head and grinned yet again.
Before Sonia could say a word, Callum squeezed her shoulder. “I’ll be back in five minutes.”
Then he and Waring walked out the door.
Sonia stared at the door and she did this for a while.
Then she asked it, “What just happened?”
The door didn’t feel like sharing its secrets.
She and a sharp knife were in the kitchen wrestling with the tape on her medication when Callum came back, again carrying the clothes.
Sonia stopped dead, package in hand, knife point inserted in a miniscule area not taped where she hoped it might find purchase and watched as Callum walked to the closet, threw in the boots then walked to the bathroom and came out without the clothes.
He moved into the kitchen, stopped close to her, leaned a hip against the counter, reached out and pulled the knife from her frozen hand and set it aside. Then he took the package out of her hands.
Coming out of her stupor, Sonia asked, “Is it later?”
His eyes never leaving her, he brought the package up to his mouth and with his even, white teeth, he tore open a section of the tape. Then he ripped off the rest of the packaging, held both boxes in his hands and gazed at them.
Finally, his head came up. “You need to take this now?”
“I asked if it’s later,” she repeated.
“And I asked if my mate needs the medication that will stop her from dying an agonizing death,” Callum returned calmly. “As you can see, my question has priority.”
It was time for her to take her medication though she could wait. Any time in the late evening was okay.
She’d rather have a few answers.
She looked at him, saw the set of his face and gave in.
“I could take it.”
“Let’s go,” he said and started to the bathroom.