Page 18 of Heartstruck at Dawn
Those freaking lips…
Caleb took a few steps, our lips still locked, until he had me gently pinned against my door. His kiss intensified by the second, and it didn’t seem like we were saying goodbye.
“You have to,” Caleb said in between all the kissing, “make me stop at some point—you’re—God, please.”
I didn’t know how to stop either! I could’ve been there all night kissing him against my door if he didn’t break away from me. It seemed to me like we would go at it for a while, so I searched for my door handle and opened the door. “Do you want to come in?”
Caleb removed his lips brusquely away from mine. Took a step back. Stared at my lips.
“What’s wrong?”
“No, um”—he closed his eyes, tightened his mouth, ran a hand along the length of his face—“I should—it’s best if we stop. If I don’t—”
“It’s okay,” I said in a breath, still panting, heart racing, lips eager to carry on. But he was right. It was best to stop. We wouldn’t want to complicate things. I summoned a smile but deficiently accomplished drawing it on my face.
“You’re not expecting your father, are you?” He peeked over his shoulder.
Ohhhhhh.
Caleb told me before that he had a hard time pretending like sneaking around wasn’t awkward. And my father arriving when we were making out in my living room the other day had been unsettlingly scary.I could tell he was still affected. It’d beenunforgettableon the hair-rising spectrum.
But I got carried away and completely forgot about that ever happening, but no. I wasn’t expecting my father, and he never barged in unannounced. Not that it wasn’t a possibility. The last time I’d forgotten I was expecting him for dinner. That was totally on me—my fault.
“I’m not”—I took a step forward, but he took half a step back—“expecting him.” I was baffled because he kept staring at my lips like he wanted more, but his body kept shying away from me.
What’s it gonna be?
He finally closed the distance between us but totally curve-balled me with a hug as his last display of affection. And then a kiss, yes, a tender kiss on my cheek that lingered on for a few seconds.
“That was one hell of a last kiss.” He placed the words gently on my ear. I felt the heat rising to my cheeks, and I swore to myself it’d be the last time I’d blush for Caleb and probably anyone else for a while.
He caressed my cheek with his thumb, and I twitched my mouth into a smile. “I … agree.”
He took a few steps back and said, “I’ll see you tomorrow morning. I’m on duty. I’ll drive you to school, okay?”
I nodded.
Listening to Caleb say that was so meaningful to me. So helpful and necessary because Iwasstill going to see him every day.
I couldn’t help but feel like I would wake up to find that he was gone.
He shot one last smile at me and turned around to leave. I rushed inside my apartment and shut the door, pressing my back against it with a sigh. That’s when I realized my face was dripping wet with tears that’d come out involuntarily the moment I stepped into my apartment.
I brushed them off my cheeks with the back of my hand and dragged myself to my bedroom.
My phone buzzed inside my purse. I swore it’d be Caleb sending me a text just to seal our entire interaction.
W.S:Do you ever think of me?
W.S:When he kisses you?
What?I didn’t have the energy to deal with this shit right now.
I’d tried contacting William for days. Weeks! He blocked me, and now he was texting me? Asking me … that? He was dating Erin, so why did he care about my thoughts?
I looked behind my shoulder, feeling observed because the timing of his text was pristine. As if he’d seen me kiss Caleb a few minutes ago.
Too exact—precise.
