Lady and the Scamp Ch. 03

She got up and shuffled into the kitchen and put the kettle on. She opened the fridge and looked inside but there was absolutely nothing in there that appealed to her. Once the tea was ready she got herself a cup and went back into the lounge and grabbed her moby, hitting the speed dial for her mum's number, figuring she'd give her a ring and maybe see what she had to say about what was going on.

"Hello?"

"Hi Mum," Calli said quietly, almost coming to tears when she heard her mother's voice on the other end.

Sensing there was something wrong, her mother asked the first question that popped into her head, "Is everything okay with you and Andrew dear?"

Calli sobbed as tears started to slide down her cheeks, "I don't know Mum! I haven't seen him since Monday and every time I want to talk to him or see him he's got an excuse for it not to happen!"

"Oh dearest don't cry! I'm sure he's got a very good reason for not being around right now. Maybe this week's especially busy for him in his classes?" her mother said as she tried to console her.

"How should I know? He hasn't divulged that tidbit of information to me yet. All I know is after...after this weekend everything's seemed to change between us."

"Of course it has love! He's said he wants to marry you, the ring may not have been given yet but that's his intention."

"But what if he's having second thoughts Mum?" Calli asked through her sniffles.

Lady Anne shook her head, wondering what had happened to her strong-willed, independent daughter, this weepy little thing was not the Calandria she knew. "Calandria dear, tell me truthfully, when you make love what's it like?"

"MOTHER!" her daughter cried out.

"Calli, how does it make you feel when you and Andrew make love? I'm serious!" she asked insistently.

Calli blushed, not sure how she had gotten into this with her mother, but knowing the older woman wasn't going to let the subject die. "It's...it's incredible. I feel like I'm shattering into a million pieces and flying around. I just feel things..."

"Was it ever like that with Roger?" Lady Anne asked, suspecting what her daughter's answer would be but wanting her to confirm it.

"Never," Calli said. "Not once."

"You know why right love?"

"Because Roger was a piss poor excuse for a man!" Calli said heatedly.

Lady Anne laughed at that, "Aside from that fact, which is totally true, the reason Roger didn't make you feel that way was because you two weren't in love Calli."

"Then why the bloody hell is he avoiding me Mum?" Calli cried out.

"I don't know darling, but I think you should give him the benefit of the doubt. Andrew loves you, all it takes to know that is to see the way he looks at you. It wouldn't surprise me if he's got the jitters, your father was a nervous wreck before he proposed to me!"

"Seriously?"

"Yes dear, seriously. I thought he was going to faint at our engagement party he was so nervous." Her mum chuckled as she recalled that day.

Calli sighed heavily, "Okay Mum, I'll give him that. But I swear if he's gadding about with another girl I'll have his bollocks on a platter!"

"Oh my! Now that's the Calandria I know! Full of fire and ready for a fight," her mother laughed.

---

Andrew and Delia had spent well over two hours poring over the selection of engagement rings that were available. Never seeming to find one that she felt was 'just right'. He was starting to get frustrated and antsy because she didn't seem satisfied with the rings they were looking at. Then she turned to him and smiled.

"Andrew! Look at this one!" Delia said excitedly as she pointed to a ring in the display case.

He leaned forward and looked at the one she was gushing over and thought it looked rather simple. He looked up at Delia and she nodded so he asked the consultant if they could get a closer look at it.

Delia had the same ring size as Calli, so she slipped the ring on her finger and cooed over it, admiring how it looked on her hand, turning it this way and that to let the light hit it from several angles. "Ooh! This one's perfect luv! Elegant, classic, not too flashy but definitely something people will notice!"

The woman smiled at the couple, pleased that she would probably be making this sale. "That's a wonderful selection, it's a platinum solitaire princess cut with a 1.81ct diamond. The diamond's colour is an F and the clarity is SI. Very beautiful and it looks lovely on your hand!"

Andrew looked at Delia, still unsure as it was such a simple ring and Calli was a Lady after all. "Are you sure this is the one sweetie?" he asked.

Delia beamed at him and nodded eagerly, knowing that Calli would love the ring. If she knew anything about her friend she knew that she much preferred simple jewellery to overly elaborate and ornate pieces. "This is the one luv! It's absolutely perfect!"

Giving Delia a tight squeeze and a kiss on the cheek Andrew turned to the consultant, "Box it up please, we'll take it!"

It only took a few moments for the clerk to box the ring and process the order, "Thank you very much for your patronage, and congratulations." She said as she handed Delia the small bag that contained the ring and it's certificate.

Once they were out of the store Delia started to giggle, which made Andrew look at her questioningly. The look on his face made her laugh even harder and he couldn't help but chuckle himself as her laugh was very infectious.

"What's so funny Del?" he asked with a smile.

"That girl in there! The way we were talking and acting I'm sure she thought it was us getting engaged!"

"Hey! Why the hell is that so funny?" he asked, a bit miffed.

Delia let out a peal of laughter and hugged him as they walked back to where they'd parked the motorcycle. "Really Andrew I know I'm not your cup of tea, but I knew by the way you and Calli were watching each other the night we met that she was, and the only way I could get you two together was to get you at each others' throats!"

"You scheming little wench!" Andrew laughed as he grabbed Delia and tickled her mercilessly for several minutes.

"Stop! Stop! Enough, please!" She begged as she gasped for air until he relented.

"Okay honey, no more tickling." He chuckled.

"Thank you, you big brute! Why Calli puts up with your behaviour I'll never know."

"It's probably because of my massive cock." Andrew deadpanned, shocking a woman who had been walking by just then.

"Ooh! You're a cheeky devil Andrew!" Delia replied as she went into another fit of giggles.

"That my dear Delia, is why she puts up with me!" Andrew answered with a grin as he handed her a helmet.

Once they were on the bike and closer to home, Delia suggested that they stop to get a bite to eat. They pulled up to a little Italian restaurant and went inside and found a seat. Once their food was ordered and drinks brought, Andrew gave Delia another look and grinned mischievously. She caught his look and gave him her own grin with a raised eyebrow as a question.

"What?"

"When we're done here I want to take you back to my place before I drop you off. You need to see something, but promise me now that you won't say a word to Calli about it."

"Um, OK. Mum's the word Andrew." she replied in confusion.

Their food came and they began to eat, Delia forgetting about the strange turn of the conversation that Andrew had made. She regaled him with stories of her's and Calli's younger days and the schemes she'd get her friend involved in. Andrew laughed and chuckled, hardly believing some of the things the two girls had gotten themselves into. He in turn told her of some of his own escapades, which made her giggle and laugh as well. Andrew now knew that Calli had caved almost instantly when she and Delia had been caught out smoking a joint behind the school gymnasium, and Delia almost passed a kidney when he'd told her about his rather 'explosive' attempt at making moonshine, which he had tried to palm off as a science project gone horribly wrong.

While they were laughing and chatting Andrew's phone rang, he looked at the screen and held his finger to his lips, mouthing 'Calli' to her before answering. "Hey sweetlips! How's my favourite girl in the world?"

"Where the bloody hell are you?" Calli snapped at him.

"What? Why?"

"Well I'm at your place and you're not here that's why!" she retorted.

"Jesus Calli, I told you I had stuff to do today." Andrew said as he tried to soothe his seething soon-to-be fiancee.

"You told me you had some studying to do so you'd be home. I came over to see you and you're not here. What is going on Andrew?"

Delia clapped her hands to her mouth as she saw the pained expression on Andrew's face, barely holding in her laughter as he spoke to her friend. She obviously failed to contain herself well enough because Calli heard her on the other end and bristled instantly.

"What was that?" she asked suspiciously.

Andrew threw Delia a sharp look, reminding her to keep silent. "It was nothing, just someone here laughing that's all baby."

"Who are you with?"

"I'm having some dinner with a friend of mine Calli." Andrew replied, knowing he had to tread carefully here.

Andrew could feel the air chill around him, "So, you don't have five minutes to spend with me in almost a week but you have time to go to dinner with a friend?"

"Listen sweetie, I had a project that I ended up having a lot less time to complete than I'd originally thought. She had expert knowledge of the subject so I asked her to help," he replied. Andrew had an 'oh shit' moment when he realized what he'd just said. The mood suddenly went arctic and he groaned.

"You're with a girl," Calli stated coldly.

"Uh yeah. We just got the job finished and grabbed a bite to eat, bun-buns. That's all."

"Don't you bun-buns me Andrew McCord! You've been avoiding me all week because of this 'mystery project'. Plus you're spending time with some strange girl AND having dinner with her instead of me. What am I supposed to think?" Calli raged.

"Calli, sweetie you're blowing things out of proportion. I needed to get this thing done and she was the only one who could help me. Tell you what, once we're done here I'll come by for a bit okay?" Andrew said calmly.

"No Andrew, don't bother."

"Aww sugar lips," he said cajolingly.

"Don't, just don't." Calli said as she cut him off.

"But ba..." Andrew said into dead air. "Fuck, she hung up. I doubt I'll survive to the engagement at this rate Delia."

"Oh Andrew things will be fine," the woman across from him said softly. "Let her cool off tonight and dine her up tomorrow like your Dad said you should."

Andrew gave her a rueful smile and chuckle, "Tomorrow's three months since we met you know. Judging from that call I don't even know if we'll make it that far."

"Well then you definitely have a reason to celebrate luv!" Delia beamed. "You make sure you get your arse to the Pony tomorrow night, and I'll make sure her Highness is there for seven okay?"

Andrew chuckle again and shook his head with a grin, not sure what the devious little blond had in mind. "Okay sweetie, whatever you say."

---

After dinner they headed to Andrew's flat, where he showed her in and got her settled with a glass of wine in the lounge/kitchen area before excusing himself briefly. Delia sipped her drink and let her nosey nature take over as she wandered around the room, looking at this and that on the shelves or tables. She hadn't been to his place, although Calli had and had given her a good idea of how he'd had it decorated and what-not. She was looking at one of the bookshelves when she noticed that there was a sketch-pad tucked in between a couple of large volumes on economics or some such. She pulled it out and leafed through a couple of drawings of landscapes and what were probably drawings of his sisters and his horse when she stopped dead on one particular drawing. It was a beautiful pastel of Calli, where she was smiling and looking off to the side, almost as if she were laughing at something someone off the page had said. Delia had to admit it was really quite good, and was impressed at just one more hidden talent that her friend's fiance had.

"You've found my sketchbook I see," Andrew said from the door, making her whip around with an embarrassed flush tingeing her fair cheeks.

"Um, yes I...I did. You drew these? You're really quite good, although I'm surprised Calli never mentioned that she'd sat for you."

"She's never sat for me Del. That's what I wanted to show you. You see, Calli doesn't even know that I've drawn her. That's kind of a secret right now honey." He replied with a hint of shame in his voice.

"Andrew why would you keep this a secret? Calli would be thrilled to see this drawing luv, you've captured her perfectly. When did you draw it?"

"Valentine's Day?" Andrew said as he dropped into a chair and ran a hand through his long hair, tousling it into an even more unruly shag.

Delia's eyes widened in surprise and a bit of fear, "But Andrew, we only met you at the end of August! How in the world did you draw a picture of Calli on Valentine's Day? You've not been stalking her have you?"

"Only if you think a twelve year-old boy can stalk an eight year-old girl from across a continent and ocean."

"What the devil is that supposed to mean Andrew? You've been drawing pictures of my best friend since she was a little girl? How on earth did you manage that?" The blond girl asked the much larger man sitting across from where she stood. 'Damn!' she thought, 'he's between me and the door.'

"I wish I knew Del, I wish I knew. I started drawing pictures of that girl when I was twelve, I even showed them to my family and said when I found her I'd marry her. I've got four more sketchbooks in my room back home with drawings of Calli, from when she was eight right up to about a week before I came to England."

"Bloody hell!" Delia exclaimed as she flopped onto the settee beside her. She gave Andrew a little smirk and let out a giggle before speaking again, "So, I guess you're finally going to marry your dream girl then hey love?"

"If she doesn't kill me before the engagement or wedding!" Andrew said as his own laughter bubbled out of his chest.

"Dear Lord, we'd better not let THAT happen." she responded through her giggles as she caught her breath. "So Calli has no idea about you drawing her for the past, oh, fifteen years?"

"None at all, and for the love of God please don't tell her!" He said firmly to his guest. "I'm going to have that drawing framed and send it to myself at her folks' place. I'm going to give it to her that night and tell her what you know now."

"Well I hope she takes it well, ducky. I'd hate to see all this effort you've gone to go to naught. I mean really, you've come half-way 'round the bleeding planet to meet and, hopefully, eventually marry your dream girl. It'd be terrible if it all became the dog's breakfast on you."

"No kidding. I mean, I didn't intend on coming to England in search of her. Part of me being here was to get more education, and part was getting out and seeing something more than the mountains and cows for a while," Andrew said. "Then we were in line at the club and Calli rounded on me. The flash in her eyes, her voice, and the fiery temper shocked me almost as much as looking at the face that's haunted me for years. Finally meeting the girl that I'd been drawing and thinking about rattled me to the core honey."

"Oh Andrew, if it weren't so damned spooky that would be ever so romantic." Delia said softly as she moved over to him and took his hand in hers. "We'll make this work luv, somehow someone or something wants you and Calli together and I'll do everything I can to make it happen for you two. I promise."

"Thanks Delia, you're a good friend, to both Calli and I. We should get you home sweetie, I'm sure her Highness is fit to be tied right now and could probably use a friendly ear to rant into for a while." He replied with a knowing smirk.

"Cor don't remind me Andrew, she'll probably go on all night about the indignities you've rained down on her this week. But I think I have a way to shut her up, if you're willing to take a bit more abuse from her tomorrow that is."

"Dear I'm already in the dog house for the next year as it is, what's another few years!" Andrew joked as Delia told him her plan.

---

"Where the hell have you been?" Calli snapped when Delia entered their flat an hour later.

"I was out shopping and to dinner with a friend Calli, what's gotten into you?" The blond woman responded sweetly as she hung up her jacket. She knew just by the look in her friend's eyes that she was teetering on the edge of either bursting into tears or going off on a full rant. Delia had to play this just right to get Calli to react the way she wanted her to. Over the years she'd learned to read and play her friend pretty well, usually getting her to do what she wanted with little or no effort on her part. Sure Calli was strong willed and bull-headed, but if you knew her triggers she was as compliant as a lamb. Tonight she was going to have to use her triggers to get Calli worked up as much as she'd been on her's and Andrew's first date and meeting.

"You've been out shopping for close to five hours and you haven't a thing to show for it? Not bloody likely Delia, I know you and you can't shop without picking up at least one or two things for yourself." Calli said with slitted eyes, her guard up at Delia's lack of bargains that she always managed to find.

"Not one thing Calli, and really, when did I have to justify my shopping to you, your Highness!" Delia shot back with a smile, knowing that dig would cut Calli and make her pause.

"Oh hell, I'm sorry luv! I've had a terrible night and here I am taking it out on you. Forgive me?"

"Darling I'll always forgive you when you go into your full princess mode, The only time that side of you ever shows is when you're seriously distressed."

"You don't know the half of it Delia," Calli said with a bitter tone in her voice.

"Well let me get comfortable then you can tell me all about it okay luv?" Delia said off-handedly as she made her way to her room. She returned a few minutes later in her night clothes and dressing gown, flopping down on the sofa beside her friend.

"So seriously Del, all that time shopping and you didn't find one thing you liked?" Calli asked her friend.

Delia laughed and shrugged the question off easily, "Oh I saw lots of things that I liked but they were well out of my price range, and besides, we were looking for something specific for my friend. It wouldn't have been appropriate for me to buy myself something when they were so desperate to find the perfect item."

"What were you looking for that was so important you couldn't get yourself anything?"

"Oh, this and that, nothing special really." Calli's friend said with a sweet, syrupy smile.

"You're having me on Delia!" Calli said as her anger began to rise again, sending a flush to her cheeks.

"Dearheart believe me, what we were shopping for doesn't interest me in the least, I was just helping them find the perfect item as a gift really."

That piqued Calli's interest and she leaned forward with slightly widened eyes, "And did they find it?"

Delia gave her a conspiratorial grin, she knew she had Calli hooked and she was ready to push her friend over the edge with just a few more soft nudges. "Oh yes! Bloody expensive thing too! Whomever's getting this thing had better appreciate it, otherwise they're a selfish little git. But that's nothing really Calli, luv. I've been neglecting you and you're obviously upset about something. Come now, tell me what's got you in a tizzy tonight!"

Calli proceeded to tell her friend about the evening's goings on. Her conversation with her mother, how she'd gone to see Andrew only to find he wasn't home, then finding out he'd been out to dinner with a 'female friend', and how he'd brushed it all off like it had been nothing. Through it all Delia sat and nodded quietly, offering small words of encouragement and soothing comments while trying her best not to break out into laughter at how Calli was feeling so sorry for herself without knowing how much trouble she and Andrew had gone through to find her engagement ring. She held her cards close to her chest and waited until Calli had worn herself down before coming in with her coup de grace.