Page 60 of Catch Me If You Can

All or nothing.

And I don’t even know who the hell I’m doing this for anymore.

26

nathan

I bite my thumbnail between my teeth as we ride in the back of the Uber. The air is thick, and I can’t shake the obvious feeling that something feels... off.

Since we left the hotel, Caleb has barely looked at me. He just sat there, staring out the window like it’s suddenly the most interesting thing in the world. Not the fact that we’re both on our way to ambush the same girl.

Is this really it? Everything that happened between us this weekend, just... over? My stomach twists at the thought. I pushed us to go and see Sarah because I thought we both needed it to fully understand what was going on... but maybe that offended him? Maybe I was wrong...

I rub my palms against the thighs of my pants. Suddenly, it’s too hot in this car. Rolling down my window, I let the cold air rush by me to try and calm down.

For some reason, all I can think about is prom night. Flashes of that night pass through my mind like the cars driving pastus. The memory of it is all so warped now. All these years, I’ve been so angry at him and now I’m struggling to think if all that resentment was worth it. Granted, it was a really shitty thing for him to do. But... a part of me wishes I never found them that night. Maybe a part of me wishes I never dated Sarah at all. Where would Caleb and I be then?

As though he could hear my thoughts, his firm hand reaches out, lacing his fingers through mine, grounding me almost instantly.

My eyes flick open. I didn’t even realize I had closed them. Turning to him, we lock eyes. Comfortable silence passes between us.

Caleb sits back in his seat and closes his eyes. No words—just understanding.

It’s not long after that the car turns down a windy road. Driving up to the top of the hill, the car slows down once we get to the courtyard filled with other cars dropping guests off. Fancy dressed ushers greet guests coming in at the door. My eyes are fixated on the big fountain in the middle of the courtyard. Whoever’s reception this is, it’s clear that they’re rich rich.

“Oh damn.” I gasp, looking at the grand building. “Are you sure we can sneak into this thing?”

Caleb examines the scenery and lets out a small grunt. “Huh, well it’s worth a try.”

We both hold in a laugh as we awkwardly exit the car and make our way up the steps of the building.

Music thumps in the background the closer we get. Our shoulders constantly graze each other as though we’re bundling a secret only we know. It feels electric.

But I can’t deny the nerves creeping up my spine the more I think about what we’re about to do. It brings up flashes of this weekend and even memories farther back.

“Do you remember that one night we spent all night listening to your Gorillaz album?” I ask.

Caleb throws his head back and laughs, the sound waking me up and pulsing energy through me again. “Um, absolutely? We stayed up all night eating Oreos and drinking that Code Red Mountain Dew you love. Damn, we gotta play Clint Eastwood soon and just blast it. Miss those days.”

“Deal.” I sigh. That honestly sounds perfect. Things were so simple then.

The wedding is packed with so many people that it’s easy to blend in. Thank God we stopped for suits. There’s no way anyone would think we don’t belong here.

“Oh, yum!” Caleb gasps, snatching some sort of appetizer off of a servers platter as they passed by.

I shake my head and roll my eyes.

“What?” Caleb shrugs, swallowing it down.

“We’re supposed to be looking for Sarah.”

“And what, that means no snacks?” He smirks. “I’m starving.”

“Yeah I guess we were pretty busy. Really worked up the appetite.” I wink. Woah, where’d that come from? It’s too late. It’s already out in the air. I officially flirted out loud.

Caleb stops in his tracks, mouth open, clearly shocked by my flirtation too.

“Bringing that up here?Damn, Philips. You shock me more and more every day.” He shakes his head as he licks his thumb clean.

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