Page 22 of Love By The Falls

I should say no since I have an early flight in the morning. I should let her sleep and get some rest after a day like today. But she scrapes her bottom lip with her teeth, and her freckles distract me.

I should leave, but I can’t.

Do I want to come in?

“Yeah, I do.”

6

Charlotte

I always have a plan, and I follow it, no matter how difficult it is. But, this time, I have no plan. I have no idea what these butterflies in my stomach mean.

Am I nauseous from the stress of the day, or even the bumpy car ride?

God knows, I nearly passed out from the fear of seeing Arturo’s organs splattered across the rocks, and then the frenzy of getting him out of the bush and to a hospital in time.

I rationalize that the tumultuous feelings racing through me are because of what I’ve been through today, and yet, when I realize Caleb is about to leave, I can’t let him go.

Why is that?

I have no clue.

But I want him to stay and place his hand over mine again. It feels so damn good to be comforted. I don’t remember the last time anyone did that for me.

“Would you like something to drink?” Caleb asks, standing in front of the minibar.

“Sure. I’ll have a bottle of water.”

He grabs one from the fridge and then pours himself a drink from one of the premium liquor bottles on the top shelf.

When he hands me the water, the coldness of the bottle seeps through me, and I shiver. Caleb notices and rubs the goosebumps along my arm. “Let’s sit outside. It’s beautiful tonight.”

There’s a circular daybed on the patio and pillows all around it. I exhale slowly as my body relaxes against the soft cushions. The pool is a neon shade of blue from the LED lights and there are several people walking around. Yet, it feels like it’s just the two of us in the resort.

I sip my water, but it only quenches my thirst, it does nothing to settle my nerves. Turning to Caleb, I nod toward his drink. “Does that help calm you down?”

He takes another sip. “It does for me.”

I stare at the amber liquid and wonder if it would help me as well. I haven’t had a drink since college. It’s not necessarily because of Charlie but I never enjoyed alcohol before. I only drank it to get drunk. But that was ten years ago.

“Would you like some?”

He moves his glass closer to my mouth. I consider taking a sip, but I shake my head, instead. “I don’t think I’ll like the taste of it.”

Caleb lowers the drink, but his eyes remain on my mouth. “There are other ways to taste it.”

My eyes fall to his lips and my heart speeds up. I turn away, trying to catch my breath and navigate the tension between us.

“My apologies,” he says.

He thinks his words offended me, but they’ve only opened a closet of feelings I’ve kept closed for many years. Caleb places his drink on the table next to the bed, then turns to stand up.

I panic.

I don’t want him to leave. Not yet. I grab his wrist and his muscles bunch at my touch. I don’t let go, even when his gaze drops to our hands, and my lungs tighten. It’s as though there’s hardly any air between us. The humidity and the electricity are thick, and it’s hard to breathe.

His rough stubble shouldn’t look inviting, but it does. I want to run my lips against his jaw. As I inch closer to his face, he turns and stares into my eyes. They’re as dark as the shadows lingering in the distance, and I get lost inside of them.

---