I was going to find Caleb and celebrate with him—comfort him, give him what he needed—it was me he needed. No one else.
But the bitch was smart. How the fuck did she know I was faking it? Who did she think she was, acting all righteous? She was nothing.
When she slapped me, I wanted to drag her to the toilet and drown her, but I couldn’t let her see the real me. I had to be very careful with this game, especially when it came to my Caleb, so I let her go.
I followed her out of the bathroom and when I saw Caleb waiting by the door, I nearly had a heart attack.
When did he get here? Did he hear me?
Shit.
I ducked back into the washroom and took deep breaths to calm myself, thinking carefully about what I should do next. When I finally came out, I heard Veronica shout, “Stop them!”
It sounded like a fight down the hallway, and when I heard Caleb’s name, I ran. I reached them just as the fight was over. Cameron was holding Caleb back. I went to him, ready to give comfort.
My baby needed me.
But he didn’t even look at me. Instead, he walked past me and went to her.
Her!
A blade sliced through my heart as I watched him go to her, begging her. The desperation in his voice, the look of love in his eyes made me want to throw up.
Caleb! You’re mine!
“Red,” he whispered.
But she ignored him and walked away with some hot guy.
Caleb stood there for a moment, then stormed off down the stairs.
I followed him outside to the parking lot. “Caleb, please talk to me,” I begged, trying to keep up with his angry strides.
Everyone has cracks and fissures inside them, and no one had fixed mine like Caleb did. No one understood me like he did; no one appreciated me and showed me love like he did. I needed Caleb almost as much as I needed air to breathe. I would not give up now.
His long legs ate up the asphalt with confidence, but there was an edge to his movements—an anger, a danger that turned me on every time I saw him move. I caught the glint of his bronze hair in the sunlight, his sweater stretched across his broad back and wide shoulders.
He was so beautiful. Everything about Caleb was sex and charm. The way he moved with style and purpose, the way he smiled, the way he looked at someone like they could light up his world. When he spoke, his deep voice made people want to shiver in pleasure. And the way he fucked made his partner forget her name.
I knew he was mad, still shaken from the fight. I was uncertain if he had overheard me in the washroom. I hoped he hadn’t.
“I kept calling you last night, but you weren’t answering my calls.” He continued walking, ignoring me. “Cal, please, wait. Let’s talk.”
I stayed calm. Caleb always forgave me, even when we were kids. He always protected me, took care of me. And there was no reason for him to not do the same thing now.
When he reached his car and opened the door, I realized he was really going to leave without talking to me. I grabbed his arm.
“Cal, we need to—”
“Get away from me.” He jerked his arm away.
He had never pulled away from me with anger before, had never spoken like this to me before. His voice was so cold. At first I wondered if he was being playful, but then I saw that his hands were curled into angry fists, his veins standing out on his forearms. My heart started to pound, and with a deep sense of foreboding, I slowly lifted my eyes to his.
I stopped breathing.
He was furious. The look of hate and disgust in his eyes was nearly paralyzing. I reached for him for reassurance, to make sense of it all, but he backed away.
No…