Page 77 of Caleb
You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.The guy lives in New York?
He’s pulling out his phone to get her digits, I’m sure.
An ice-cold dread creeps up my spine because the bitter truth that I will not be there to follow up with thissituationand make sure that she’s safe from him or any other guy hits me hard in the face.
Red’s typing her number on his phone, and now I’m pacing on the sidewalk because I can’t stand the smug look on the guy’s face. She then hands him back his phone and offers him a ride back to wherever the hell he’s going, but thankfully he declines because that’s not going to happen, anyway. We’re not picking up a stranger from a bar and putting him in the same car as her, even if she thinks he’s cute or whatever.
He kisses her cheek, lingering too long, promising to see her soon, and I hope that never happens.
Once Red’s safely seated inside the car, I walk around it and sit beside her while Aaron jumps in the passenger seat. The vibe is awkward as fuck. She’s silent, withdrawn, her gaze glued to her phone’s screen. Thankfully we’re only a few blocks away from the Residence. I can’t stand the torture of having witnessed all of that and not being able to speak my mind or express the feelings that are bubbling in my chest, even if I can’t name them. All I know is they’re slowly taking shape and occupying more and more space inside me.
We approach the Residence’s front gate, and a cab parks behind us, too close for my liking.What the fuck?I jump out of the car, my hand moving to my holstered gun but not pulling it out. Not yet. But I will if I have to. I’m not in the mood for shit tonight.
Whiskey Guy comes out of the cab and saunters toward us. Aaron’s already standing beside me, but my hand is still on my gun. You never know who this guy is or his intentions, but I plan to find out.
“Good morning, sir,” I say with a tone designed for him to know he’s not welcome, and a reminder that it’s one thirty a.m. “Where are you headed?”
“I—” A deep crease forms between his brows, letting me know he’s confused. He’s looking at my hand and where it’s at. That’s right.This is a gun, and I will use it on you if you’re here on any funny business.“I’m Thomas Hill. My parents are inside with Ambassador Murphy. We are his guests tonight, and I just stepped out after dinner and came back to meet them. My father’s Senator Hill. Thomas Hill.”
He seems somewhat nervous, as he ought to be.
Good.
“I’m going to need to see some ID, please.” I release the hold on my gun. He seems to relax just a tad and pulls out his wallet. It’s nice to know he was afraid of my weapon because he should be.
He hands me over his driver’s license, and I pass it on to one of the officers posted at the entrance after briefly confirming a match on the name and photo, memorizing the rest of his information as best as I can.
A couple of minutes later, the officer gives Thomas his ID back and grants him access to the Residence. It makes me feel like he’s won this battle, and I hate him for it. Hate myself for caring this much.
Thomas approaches Red’s window and taps it. She slides it down with a smile. After a brief exchange, he gets in, and the driver pulls the car inside for the shortest and most pathetic ride anyone’s ever given someone in the history of rides. Like he can’t walk a few steps through the pedestrian access into the parking lot area.
Red’s barefoot, and I can see her grimacing from the pain her heels must’ve caused her as she tries to put them back on. But after a playful protest on Red’s part, Thomas lifts her off the floor and carries her up the stairs toward the front door.
Fuck my life. The night is getting worse by the second.
My mind goes down memory lane to that timeIcarried her when she was injured with a sprained ankle in Tuileries a few years ago and how now I’m not the only man who’s ever held her in his arms. Not anymore. She’s making new memories with new people coming into her life, and slowly, I will fade into becoming a memory of her past. The security agent she once knew in Paris.
They disappear inside the Residence and shut the door behind them while I’m left here standing like the lovelorn bodyguard that I should start acknowledging I am.
Once they’re gone, I rush to my room and tear off my suit, the pieces falling messily on the floor. I’m enraged. With that Thomas guy, with the situation in general, and with myself for caring as much as I do.
There’s a reason why Red’s acting this way. I know her. And my money’s on that kiss she witnessed between Noelle and me. I wonder if she would’ve just asked to be driven home after dinner instead of joining her friends for a bar night if she hadn’t seen us.
I throw on running shorts, a t-shirt, a hoodie, and a backward cap and head out for a run. I will put my fist through a wall if I don’t. But Aaron’s still outside in the parking lot talking to a few other security agents. It’s a busy night with the event at the Residence, and there are still a few guests inside, so I know he usually likes to wait it out before calling it a night. I would normally linger a while longer with him and grab something to eat afterward, but I can’t do any of those things. Not tonight.
“Where are you going?” Aaron asks in Hebrew as I dash past him without acknowledging him. “Caleb?”
“For a run,” I say. “I’ll see you later.”
“Caleb!”
I ignore him and pick up my pace to a comfortable jog. I need to warm up first. The night’s chilly, and I don’t want to pull a muscle when I intend to be out here for a while.
Instinctively, I take the usual route Red and I have followed for a few years toward Tuileries.
After a few minutes, I’m now running. And I don’t think I’ve ever felt like this before. My thoughts are jumbled up with my feelings, and it’s all too confusing to try to make sense of it, so I keep running. Now is not the time to analyze any of this, even if my brain insists. Even if my mind thinks I can handle it.
I can’t.
