Page 23 of Catch Me If You Can

I take a long sip.

“Easy there, it’s not going anywhere,” Caleb chuckles, draping an arm across the back of the couch.

His tattoos from his chest stretch down and along his forearms, all the way to the little designs on his fingers—so many more than he had before. I glance at my own clean skin and roll my eyes. He’s just always been...more.Cooler. Louder. More intense.

No wonder Sarah did what she did. He drips sexual energy like it’s his day job.

I sigh, resting my head back on the couch.“Out of all places in the world. Why’d you have to be here?”

He smirks. “I could ask you the same thing, Nathaniel.”

I flinch. “Don’t call me that. Youknowthat’s not my name.”

“It is to me,” he says, low and quiet. My eyes shoot to him to see him watching me intentively. I glance away, annoyed at the way my pulse stutters. Fuck, I hate when it does that.

He shifts in his seat. “Look, I know you don’t want to hear it. But I’m here for Sarah.”

I let out a laugh—sharp and dry.

“What?”

“Of course it’s forher.” I take another sip.

He nods, unsurprised. “I’m guessing that’s why you’re here too.”

“Obviously.” I shrug simply. “It’s always been her,” I admit. The words leave a bad taste in my mouth.

He studies my face before looking down at his drink. “I’m not here to win.”

I raise a brow. “Good. Because I’m not losing to you. Not again.”

Caleb looks up, startled—but then smiles. “I wouldn’t want you to.”

A beat passes.

“Why’d you do it?” I ask. “Prom night.”

He doesn’t ask what I mean. We both are thinking about it so let’s just get it out in the open.

“Just like that, eh?” He shifts uncomfortably in his seat.

“Just like that,” I narrow my eyes.

“I thought… if Ishowedyou, maybe you’d finally see she wasn’t right for you.”

“You just had toshowme,” I say, shaking my head. “Why?”

“Because I knew Sarah wasn’t the type of girl to be serious. You were just bound to get hurt—”

“No, why didyouneed to be the one to show me that?” I ask again.

He pauses. “Because... if anyone was going to save you, I wanted it to be me…”

I stare at him. That might be the dumbest heroic fantasy I’ve ever heard. He was always…acting like he wanted to be my caretaker or something. Put me under his wing and protect me. Was this seriously just another one of his ways of trying to be there for me?

Honestly, it sounds like the impulsive dumbass thing he would do. Perfectly on brand for him.

“It’s getting late,” I mutter.

---