His eyes flashed with surprise, and I blushed, not having meant to tell him that. But it seemed like the night for confessions in the dark.
The truth was that I missed him. I felt the loss of his presence more evidently now that he was in front of me. It was harder to deny the truth, impossible even, when his complete attention was on me.
He smiled.
I rose from the seat, smiling back at him. “Pancakes?” I asked.
His eyes were tender as he looked at me. He unfolded his long body from the seat and stood facing me.
I held my breath, looking up at him as he stood close.
“Thank you, Red,” he whispered warmly. His voice felt like a caress.
I nodded. My chest felt tight, and I had no idea what my face was showing so I turned away, walking to the kitchen.
There was a hitch in my stride when I felt his hand reach for mine, interlacing my fingers with his. I looked down at our joined hands, my heart stuttering at the feel of his skin. I shifted my eyes to his, and he was smiling. His eyes soft and vulnerable.
“Don’t let go of my hand, Red,” he said as he walked us out of the apartment.
“What about pancakes?” I asked, confused.
“Pancakes means holding your hand and walking on the beach right now.”
There was another stutter in my heart, this time stronger.
He looked over his shoulder at me when I didn’t respond and grinned as we rode the elevator to the basement garage. Before I could reach for the car door, he was there, opening it for me.
“Ready?” he asked as we fastened our seat belts. The twinkle in his eyes was back.
“Ready,” I answered.
Without hesitation, he reached for my hand again and rested our intertwined hands on the middle console.
The beach was a good half-hour drive from Caleb’s place. We drove there with our windows open, the wind blowing my long hair. It was dark, the roads free of traffic.
I felt excited, energized, and at the same time Caleb’s hand in mine calmed my anxious mind.
He threw me a glance, his thumb stroking my palm.
“I’m glad you’re here with me, Red.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. No one had said that to me before. I turned my gaze out the window so he wouldn’t see how much his words had affected me.
Tonight I was seeing a side of Caleb I hadn’t encountered before. I didn’t know what to think of it, or maybe I did but refused to think about it.
All I knew was that I liked this boy as I had never liked anyone before.
He parked his car in front of the lakeside shops that had already closed for the night. We took off our shoes, then walked on the beach, the white sand cool as our feet dug into it.
The wind was a little chilly, and I wrapped my arms around my middle to ward off the cold. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Caleb shrug out of his jacket.
“Here,” he said, placing it on my shoulders.
“What about you?”
“Just hold my hand. You warm me up.”
But he was the one who warmed me up inside as his hand reached for mine again, pulling me close to his side as we walked.