The Innocent Unsuspecting Palm Tree

Callum's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You saw him doing what, now? How is that even possible? Did you just decide to stroll into their room and have a good look when you heard...sounds?" He couldn't hide his shock.

Lucia let out an exasperated sigh and lightly slapped Callum's chest. "What nonsense are you talking about? I didn't barge into their room intentionally. They left the door unlocked, and I was just passing by when I happened to witness it. That's when I ran into you."

Callum couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity of the situation. "Well, this just got interesting, didn't it?" He glanced back at the 'shirtless man,' who was oblivious to their conversation.

Lucia slapped him lightly on his arm and whispered, "Don't look. Come on, let's go quickly." She pulled him along, as if he was a child. 

Callum could only play along, as he allowed her to drag him. Who was he to complain, when a beautiful lady was seeking refuge in his arms, with her head buried in his chest? Callum looked over to the 'shirtless man,' who seemed to be watching them with interest. He raised his glass and offered a toast to Callum, as he gulped down the drink in his hand. A smile tugged on his lips, as if he was sharing a secret with Callum. Callum looked away in slight disgust. 

Finally, they made it down the stairs. They were back to the hall, where everything began. 

Lucia, completely oblivious to the short exchange between the two men, scanned the room and then, she found a hiding spot behind a potted palm tree. She yanked Callum along.

As they arrived at the "hiding" place, Callum couldn't contain his bewilderment. He looked at the palm tree, then down at his towering figure, and back at the palm tree. This plant, this innocent and unsuspecting palm tree, was apparently their shield from prying eyes.

Callum closed his eyes to suppress a laugh. He muttered to himself, "How on earth is this palm tree supposed to hide me? I mean, seriously! It's like trying to hide an elephant behind a blade of grass!"

Callum sighed, "Are you satisfied now?"

Lucia peeked through the plant like a spy on a top-secret mission and replied, "Yeah, I think the coast is clear." She let out a sigh of relief, not spotting the shirtless man anywhere.

"Oh, is that so? Then can you please let go of my arm?" 

Lucia turned to look at her hand, which had been gripping his arm tightly. She quickly released it, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. "I'm sorry," she mumbled, avoiding eye contact.

Callum couldn't help but tease her, "Are you really that scared of him?"

Lucia crossed her arms defensively and retorted, "Of course not! It's just...it would be embarrassing to run into him again after, you know, seeing his...thing." She said the last part in a hushed tone, making Callum burst into laughter.

Lucia looked at him with knotted brows, feeling annoyed by his laughter. "What's so funny? If you saw a lady in that position, wouldn't you do the same?" 

Callum fought back a fit of laughter, his shoulders shaking slightly. "Well," he managed to say between chuckles, "Now tell me, why would I do something like that, when clearly a blessing had fallen on my lap?" 

Lucia shot him a glare and said, "So you would have looked?"

"Didn't we just have a good time earlier? And did I look away?" He reminded him of their intimate moments earlier. 

Lucia's cheeks turned crimson as she realized what he had just said. She stuttered, "How could you say something like that out loud in public? And besides, the room was dark. Also, that was completely a different situation, with what we had going on," 

Callum's deep eyes couldn't help but look at her and ask, "And what did we have going on?" He wanted to hear her say it. 

Lucia pursed her lips and refused to speak about this matter. She moved her eyes to look at the people in the hall.

Lucia cleared her throat with an impatient "Ahem,"

"I don't think I see my friend here," she said quickly, attempting to change the subject. Callum's grin widened as he shifted his gaze away from her, wisely deciding not to bring up the previous topic.