Neither Callan nor Emily said a word to each other for the rest of the drive home. Instead of having dinner at the restaurant as Callan had planned, he got takeouts for them both instead.

While he was in the restaurant getting their dinner, Emily made a quick call to Mari to find out if she’d heard about Genevieve and then ended the call when she saw Callan returning.

The moment they got to the house, Callan dropped the takeout bag on the dining table and proceeded to his bedroom to freshen up.

He couldn’t help being annoyed by her unnecessary stubbornness. What was wrong with him saying she shouldn’t attend the party? Wasn’t she his girlfriend?

Couldn’t he have a say on what his girlfriend was doing, with whom, and when? He wondered.

Emily on the other hand was upset that Callan was being so controlling when until now he was the one who had been living recklessly.

Too hungry and tired to let her anger get in the way of dinner, Emily went to the takeout bags and took out her share of the food, then headed for her bedroom.

He could stay angry all night for all she cared.

As she sat to eat on her bed, after freshening up, she contemplated seeking another opinion on their conflict. After a moment’s hesitation she called Mari again.

"Did you fight with Cal?" Mari asked the moment she received the call. "

Emily frowned. "How did you know? Did he call you?"

Mari giggled. "Because this is the second time you’re calling me within an hour, and you ended the first call too quickly saying he was coming."

"He’s just so annoying," Emily muttered irritably.

"What did he do? Did another ex show up?" Mari asked with amusement when she heard the annoyance in Emily’s tone.

Emily was usually mild tempered and sweet and so if she was upset, that could only mean Callan had done something wrong.

Emily rolled her eyes. "First of all, I come out of the theater and see him talking with one Dr Loma..."

"Am I supposed to know what that is..." Mari trailed off, then asked, "Wait, isn’t that the female resident pretending to be you?"

"Yes. She was all over him flirting and giggling. And he just stood there and let her talk to him," Emily said bitterly, "then..."

"Callan just stood there and let her flirt with him? Did he smile back? Was he responding to her?" Mari asked with a frown.

Emily hesitated then sighed, "I don’t know. I didn’t exactly hear what they said. But when I joined them she said she wanted him to have a meal or something with her but he wasn’t budging. And then she wanted a lift and he said no..."

Mari’s frown deepened, "If Cal turned down her advances, what then did he do to annoy you exactly?"

"First of all he got upset that I got upset that he was talking to her. And then when we finally talked that over, I told him Dr Dan invited me to his birthday party and he said I’m not going."

Mari rubbed the furrows between her brows, wondering what the exact issue was with that. "And that’s what he did to upset you?"

"Yes. He said it as though I needed his permission. For someone who lived so recklessly and womanized the way he did, what makes him think I need his permission to do anything? Why does he think he has the right to tell me what to do or what not to do?" Emily asked irritably.

Outside her door, Callan who had been about to knock, froze when he heard what she said.

The words hit him.

His jaw tightened as he lowered his hand slowly.

He’d wanted them to talk over dinner, but had been surprised when he got to the dining and saw that part of the food was missing.

He’d come to get her so they could eat at the dining and straighten things out, only to hear her talking about him that way.

Now his ears rang as her words echoed in his head.

"For someone who lived so recklessly..."

He took a step back.

Then another. His steps were quiet.

Like the door itself had pushed him away.

His chest felt tight.

It wasn’t anger. Not exactly. It was deeper than that.

He turned slowly and walked away from the door to go put away what was left of dinner since he’d lost his appetite.

Inside the room, totally oblivious to what was going on at her door, Emily sat on the bed with her phone to her ear. Her food sat beside her, half eaten as she listened to Mari.

"Em..." she said gently. "First of all, I don’t think it’s about permission."

Emily frowned. "Then what is it about?"

Mari paused for a moment. "I think he’s just worried about you," she said.

"Worried about me?" Emily repeated.

"Yes," Mari said. "Last time didn’t you say he asked you to stay away from Dan because he thought Dan was a jerk? You both weren’t even dating when he said that."

Emily hesitated. "He didn’t have any right to tell me so back then, and he still doesn’t now whether or not we are dating," she said, but her voice was not very strong.

"Really?" Mari asked, raising an eyebrow. "So if Cal didn’t mind you going to the party did you actually plan to go?"

"No. I have no interest in that, and I told Dan so," Emily admitted.

Mari sighed softly on the other end. "So why make a big deal out of Cal’s position on the subject?"

"Because he has no right—"

"Em," Mari called, cutting her off, "Are you certain you want to be with Cal? You don’t sound much like it right now, especially when you keep saying he has no right. Relationship gives your partner rights over you, as it gives you right over him."

"Mari, whose side are you on?" Emily asked irritably.

"I’m on the side of your happiness. And I thought being with Callan is what makes you happy—"

"Being with him makes me happy," Emily cut in.

"Okay... listen to me," Mari said calmly. "Let me start by asking. When Callan said no, did he shout at you?"

"No," Emily said quietly.

"Did he insult you?"

"No."

"Did he say you’re not allowed to go anywhere without his permission?"

Emily shook her head, even though Mari couldn’t see her.

"No. He just sounded so... controlling," Emily said quietly. "It was annoying."

Mari sighed softly. "Then don’t you think he probably said it badly?" she said. "You know very well that communication is not Cal’s strongest points. You told me you were trying to get him to communicate more. Don’t you think you could have handled the situation better since you’re better at communicating?"

Emily was quiet as she replayed the argument in her head.

"Do you think I overreacted?" She asked after a moment.

Mari didn’t answer immediately.

"A little," she said honestly. "I don’t want you to think I’m taking Cal’s side. But I think you’re a lot more emotionally mature than he is. So, you should handle things more maturely."

Emily sighed. "I think so too," she whispered, then added, "I don’t even know what to say to him right now."

Mari chuckled lightly. "Start by saying you won’t attend the party and you’re sorry he overreacted. And then tell him you’ll kill him if he talks to you in such a tone ever again."

Emily was quiet again.

"Em..." Mari said softly.

"Hmm?"

"Maybe you should walk away from this relationship if you’re always going to judge him by his past. It didn’t sound nice hearing you refer to it just now. Cal is my friend too, you know? I know he messed up in the past, but his offense wasn’t cheating on you. It was being a coward and not pursuing his feelings for you. So, when analyzing your conflicts, you should put his past aside."

Emily bit her lip. Hearing Mari say that reminded her of what Stefan had said too.

Did reacting this way mean she couldn’t accept his past?

"Go talk to him," Mari said, cutting into her thoughts. "Make up before you go to bed."

Emily nodded slowly. "Okay."

"Let me know how it goes," Mari added.

"Okay."

The call ended.