Chapter 107

• Ayla POV
• I hated feeling so needy as I watched Callan leave the room, but I needed him more than I needed my next breath. The front door clicked shut, and as soon as I was alone, the walls around me began to close in. My breathing became laboured as all the air began to leave the room, and I found myself hyperventilating, desperately trying to suck air into my mouth. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath and began to count to 10 slowly in my head, but I became distracted by the mouthwatering smell of Callan’s aftershave that filled the air in his bedroom. I hadn’t noticed it before, but now the smell was overpowering and so calming. I knew I was safe in here, but I couldn’t help but feel safer when Callan was with me, when his hand was touching mine or when his arms were wrapped around me, shielding me from the world, his touch seemed to calm all the raging storms that flurried around inside my head.
• When my eyes fluttered open, they landed on his T-shirt, which was lying on the floor. I picked it up without a second thought and slipped it on over my clothes, pulling it tight around myself, holding it close to my nose, and inhaling deeply. If I couldn’t have Callan holding me, then at least I could imagine he was. I heard the front door open, and my eyes snapped up, afraid that Marcus had returned to finish what he had started. My heart fluttered as Callan walked in with a radiant smile. He placed his bag on the sofa, and I watched as he made his way toward me, his eyes flickering with excitement.