Chapter 8

Grace and Walter waved at their daughter as they drove off. They were going away for the weekend and Lydia had also taken the opportunity to leave town and go visit her kids and grand kids. Faith sighed as she looked at the enormous house where she would be completely alone for an entire weekend. Alone with my own thoughts... She was dreading the idea of being left alone with herself. Thinking about her life and her failures and her growing crush on the mysterious doctor that was working as a gardener. She grunted as she got ready to go back up the steps and into the house. All by myself... Don't wanna be all by myself anymore...

"Hey there, Rapunzel," Callum said, showing up behind her. "Running back up to your tower?"

"Hi, Doc." Faith turned around in an instant, spinning on her heels. "Yes, Yes I am," she sighed as she glanced again at the empty house in front of her. It was only when she was alone that she realized the enormity of the family property. Most days it was full of life and noise. People running around and workers on the grounds. But right now, the silence was deafening.

"No plans for the weekend? Are you going to be all alone in your castle?" Callum couldn't help to notice that Faith didn't tell him to stop with the princess jokes and that was starting to worry him a bit. There wasn't the usual back-and-forth bickering, which was concerning. Rapunzel isn't feeling like her usual self, I suppose...

"I guess so," she sighed. "Are you done with work?"

"Yes. Kade is waiting for me at home."

"Have a nice weekend." They waved goodbye at each other, and Faith sighed yet again, as she got ready to go inside and be with herself.

As Callum walked away, he couldn't help but think that he wished he could keep Faith some company, but that didn't seem appropriate. They barely knew each other after all. But the idea of her being all alone in such a huge estate did make him feel a little uneasy. And clearly Faith wasn't too excited about it either.

"Faith?" He called out.

"Did you forget something?"

"Why don't you have dinner with us tomorrow night?"

"What?"

"It's just a thought. That way, you spend less time alone here. You look like an abandoned pup right now." He chuckled.

"I do not." She glared at him.

"You do. Beady eyes and cute pout. Very pup like." He smirked.

Annoyed, she sighed. "Fine. You're right. I don't feel like spending the entire weekend alone, and Mira is too busy with work and the last details of the wedding."

"Then it's settled. I'll have a carriage pick you up tomorrow."

Faith rolled her eyes and smirked. "Thank you, sir. I'll put on my finest gown."

"And Faith."

"What?"

"Call me if you're lonely or if you hear a ghost. I'll come and rescue from your tower." He winked at her before walking away, and Faith felt her cheeks getting warmer.

***

After having some leftovers for dinner, Faith sat in her bed with her laptop in front of her, binge watching the cheesiest romcoms she could find from the early two thousands, preventing her from felling sorry about her own love life, or lack thereof... As she anxiously waited for the scene where the two leads finally say I love you at the airport, her phone started to buzz. Dr Gardener, said the notification on the screen, and she couldn't help but to stupidly smile at her phone.

Dr Gardener: Do you need to be rescued, Rapunzel?

Rapunzel: I'm fine. Worried about me, are you, Doc?

Dr Gardener: Just checking in.

Dr Gardener: My uncle wants to know if you like lamb.

Rapunzel: I do.

Rapunzel: Who's cooking? Please don't tell me it's you, Dr Grant.

Dr Gardener: Uncle Kade. He doesn't even want to let me in the kitchen. He's already making preparations for tomorrow.

Rapunzel: Please tell him to not worry too much. I don't want to be a bother.

Dr Gardener: Don't worry.

Dr Gardener: Any ghosts yet?

Rapunzel: No.

Dr Gardener: You sure?

Princess: Please don't make me pay attention to every single noise out there. I'll spook myself.

Dr Grant: Call me if you get scared. Good night, Faith.

Rapunzel: Good night.

Faith squealed as she held her phone. Why am I squealing? And was I just smiling at my phone? I'm watching too many romcoms. Faith thought as she closed her laptop and took a deep breath. She laid on her back and stared at the ceiling while she felt her smile grow again as she thought of Doctor Grant. You're delusional, Fay... She slapped herself and sat back up.

As she reopened her laptop and got ready to press play and finish the second romcom of the night, she heard a creaking noise coming from downstairs, right at the bottom of the steps. Her heart started thumping and without thinking, she called Callum.

"Calling me already. That was quick."

"Callum, I think I actually heard something."

"What do you mean? What type of noise?"

"Footsteps."

"Reading a ghost story before bed, were you?"

"No. Watching a rom com. But I'm serious. I heard something. Can you stay on the phone with me while I go downstairs?"

"Faith, just stay in your room. Either call the police or wait for me. Don't do anything."

"This is the safest town in the world. I'm sure it's nothing."

"Then why do you sound so scared?"

"I'm not."

"Liar. Just stay put."

"I'll just go and take a look. Just stay on the phone with me."

"Faith, don't. I'm on my way."

Faith slowly opened her bedroom door and looked for something she could defend herself with. Dad's golf clubs! She rushed to grab one as soon as she saw her dad's golfing gear in the corridor. With her phone on one hand and a golf club on the other, Faith went downstairs, one foot at a time, so that she wouldn't make the steps creak and risk letting the robber know her location.

"Ronnie?" she screamed, letting her phone fall as she got ready to hit her assailant, holding the golf club with both her hands.

"Were you going to kill me with a golf club?" He asked outraged, putting his hands up in the air as if he was a true assailant caught in the act by the police.

"What are you doing here? You almost gave me a heart attack."

"Your dad said I could go into his office to grab some papers we need for a meeting on Monday. It's for that new housing development."

"And neither of you thought about giving me a heads up?"

"He said he would. He probably just forgot to call you after I talked to him. Can you put that down? Now. Please. I'm not going to mug you. No one would mug you around here. Why are you so jumpy?"

Faith grunted. "Next time, a heads up would be nice."

"You could've made plans with me if you were that scared of being all alone. We could've ordered some dinner."

"Oh, please, Ronnie. Really?"

"What you mean, really?"

"We're not dating anymore."

"Aren't we friends?"

"Please. We agreed to stay friends, but let's not pretend nothing happened."

"I'm not pretending. I care about you."

Faith sighed. "Fine. Thank you. But I'm okay. Just a little jumpy. It's not like anyone likes to be alone in a huge house."

"Do you want me to stay?"

"No." She glared at him.

"Got it. I'm just getting what I need, and I'll be on my way."

As Faith's heart raced against her ribcage, she took deep breaths, trying to calm herself down while looking for her phone. Callum was still on the other side of the call.

"You don't need to come after all. I'm really sorry."

"Almost there. I'm parking."

Ronnie walked past her with a folder under his arm and she angrily stared at him as she was still recovering from the scare.

"Hey. Are you okay?" Callum asked as soon as he walked into the house. "Your mugger has a really expensive car, a tailored suit and glared at me on his way out."

"That was Ronnie. My ex."

"Oh."

"Don't oh me, Dr Grant. Ronnie just had some papers he needed to grab from my dad's office. Some business meeting Monday about a new housing development or something. And no one thought about letting me know he was stopping by."

"And he just happens to have a set of keys?" Callum didn't mean to sound jealous, but somehow, he couldn't help it. He couldn't help but to feel a little uneasy knowing that Faith was still so close with Ronnie. What's wrong with me? He thought to himself.

"Dammit. I should've asked him to give those back." Faith was passing back and forth while nibbling on the skin around her fingernails.

"Hey, what about I make you some tea before I leave?"

"There's no need, I'm fine."

"Sure... Come on, now. Let's go to the kitchen."

Faith sat by the kitchen island still picking on her nails and skin, while Callum prepared some camomile tea for her and some coffee for himself.

"Stop that," he said as he gently grabbed her hands.

"What?" Faith looked up and saw Callum right in front of her. They locked eyes. His hand was warm and big. With just one hand he was holding both hers. Her heart jumped as she realized it. I should ask Callum what these weird palpitations are. There must be something wrong with me... She thought. Tachycardia?

"Dermatillomania."

"What? You are talking gibberish, Dr Grant. Are you okay?"

He chuckled. "It's not gibberish. It's a skin picking disorder." Callum let go of Faith's hands and placed a warm cup of tea in front of her. Faith glanced at her the skin around her nails while she reached for the cup. "Do you do that often?" Callum asked as he sat beside her with his cup of coffee.

"I don't know. Never paid attention."

"Do you notice that you do it more when you're anxious?"

"I suppose. Yes, I do. Are you trying to diagnose me with something, Doc?"

"No. Not at all. I'm sorry. It's not my area of expertise, anyway. Just worried about you." Callum said hastily, and Faith blushed.

"Is it something I should worry about?" Faith glanced again at her fingers. Her nails were always short and broken, and she did pick the skin often. Looks ugly... She thought as pulled the sleeves of her cardigan, hiding her hands.

Callum noticed that she was hiding her hands, and the thought of grabbing them and interlacing his fingers with hers suddenly crossed his mind. What are you thinking about? He reprimanded himself as he went back to think about the subject at hand in a more clinical perspective. "Just start by trying to be more aware of when you do it. And what you're feeling in those moments."

Faith nodded. It was another little thing that made her feel inadequate. Being an anxious mess most of the time. A functional anxious mess that got things done, but nonetheless, an anxious mess that picked on the skin around her fingernails and looked far from pretty and polished most of the time.

"Still feeling jittery from you little jump scare?"

Faith took a sip of the tea. "Much better now. Thank you, Callum."

"Any time." He smiled.

"I guess I'm such a scaredy cat because I've never been on my own a lot. Lydia is always around, especially since her kids moved away. She started being around even more. She misses them and being busy helps. When I was young, and my parents would go away, Mira and I would have sleepovers." She took a sip of her tea. "I'm so stupid. This was really silly. I'm too old to be scared of being alone at home. Sorry that you had to come all the way here for nothing."

"I was the one who offered to help."

"Well, I'm sorry anyway."

"Why don't you get a dog?"

"What?"

"Would keep you some company when you are on your own. And a dog would love to live here. Running around the property. Could take it with you on your runs too." Not only can dogs keep you safer and warn you about dangers, keep you company and give you cuddles, but they can also help with anxiety. And maybe you can train them to keep exes away too... Callum played with that idea in his head for a bit. A big dog chasing Ronnie around while he ran for his life in an expensive tailored suit. Callum didn't even know the guy, but for some reason he didn't like him already. It's not jealousy. He told himself. He just looked like a bit of a prick, that's all.

"I'm a walking disaster that barely knows how to take care of herself. Do you really think that me taking care of another living being is a good idea?"

Callum chuckled. "You're not that bad, Faith. I'm sure you could take care of a dog."

"Did you ever have one?"

"Yes. We had a family dog. My parents got him when my brother and I were still kids."

"Would you help me if I decide to get one? I don't know the first thing about having pets."

"Of course."

"Really? Do you want to do shared custody of a dog?" Faith smiled playfully.

Callum laughed. "No. Shared custody implies splitting time, and a broken home. That's a terrible idea. How about co-parenting a dog?"

"What's the difference?"

"Co-parenting means doing it together."

"How would we do that?"

"Why don't you sleep on it? Think about it for a while."

Faith nodded. "I will." For a few seconds, Faith entertained the idea of having a dog. She imagined what it would be like. See certainly loved animals but didn't trust herself to be responsible for one. I'm too much of a mess. And the more she thought about it, the more she saw herself fall and trip while trying to train a pup and walk them on a leash. She pictured herself falling on her ass on a puddle of mud while the dog looked at her with disappointment. Terrible idea... I already fall a lot on my own, let alone if I get an energetic puppy. Dogs might be adorable, but they're a menace to my already clumsy self.

"It's late. I should go."

They got up and Faith walked Callum to the door. "Again. I'm really sorry for making you come all this way for nothing."

On a whim, Callum hugged Faith tightly. "No need to apologize. But next time, don't leave your room before I get here. And please do not drop your phone. You scared me."

Faith's heart was pounding against her rib cage. Callum was warm and smelled good, and she felt safe. She hugged him back before they both let go of each other and exchanged embarrassed looks and cute smirks.

"Good night, princess."

"Thank you for coming to my rescue. Good night, my brave knight." Callum laughed and he couldn't help but to have a stupid smile on his face while he walked back to his car.