My breath stuttered when I took in the raw pain on his face. I thought I would be unbreakable when I saw him again, but the sight of his handsome face and the wounded look in his eyes cut me deep.
Caleb always appeared put together, but as he stood in front of me, he looked rough. His clothes were disheveled, his hair tousled.
“I shouldn’t have let you leave,” he whispered.
I closed my eyes tightly for a moment, composing myself. I bit my lip as hard as I could. Maybe if I bit hard enough, that pain would eclipse what I was feeling in my heart.
“Please leave,” I choked out.
“Hear me out. Then I will,” he begged. “Please.”
“Do we have a problem here?” Damon interrupted, suddenly standing beside me.
Caleb’s eyes hardened as he glowered at him. “Back off, Damon.”
“Last time I checked, I don’t answer to you, Lockhart.”
My eyes widened in alarm as I watched Caleb take a threatening step toward Damon. Flexing his arms, Caleb curled his hands into fists, ready to hit Damon.
“You do now,” Caleb snapped. “Get away from her.”
I had never seen Caleb so hostile and angry toward another person.
“Stop!” I shouted, stepping between them and thrusting my palms against their chests. It felt like I was trying to stop two speeding trains about to collide.
“Stop!” I repeated, glaring at Caleb. “I’ll talk to you outside.”
“Damon!” Kara rushed in the kitchen, grabbed Damon’s arm and tugged. “Save your hero complex for another time and leave them alone. Let’s go. I forgot something at Dad’s.”
I threw Kara a grateful look. She mouthed Call me and then left, tugging Damon behind her.
Not waiting for Caleb to answer, I slammed open the screen door that led to Kara’s backyard and stepped out. I had walked a few steps when I felt Caleb behind me. I needed space away from him.
The sun was glaringly bright and high in the clear azure sky, the wind whooshing musically through the trees. Birds crooned their cheery tunes.
It seemed cruel that the world was moving on when I wasn’t ready. The world didn’t wait for anyone. Even when someone had fallen on their knees, screaming and hurting, it continued its course, unblinking and pitiless. It didn’t care.
I knew this. I knew this before I met Caleb. Whatever pain I felt was my fault. I should never have trusted him.
I stiffened when I heard his footsteps behind me. He stood close enough that I could feel the heat emanating from his body.
“I didn’t sleep with her last night, Red. I would never deliberately hurt you.”
I spun around to face him. “Then why didn’t you answer me when I asked you?”
“Because when I asked if you trusted me, you didn’t answer. And I knew by the look on your face that you didn’t… You don’t. And that fucking hurts.”
I looked away from his eyes. It hurt too much to look at him.
“I fell asleep. I didn’t mean to. I fucked up, but it’s not what you think.”
I didn’t know if I believed him. I wiped my face free of any emotion.
“She said she was your first.”
He sucked in a sharp breath. “Yes, that’s true.”
It felt like someone had punched me in the stomach. I wrapped my arms around myself, my shoulders hunching.