Page 29 of Hidden Fates

“You and Cara talk?”

Nudging his hand so he’ll continue drawing patterns onto my skin, I nod. “And your mom.”

The Michaels have been a second family to me since elementary school. Does he think I cut them off just because we split up?

“They never told me.”

Lifting one shoulder, I don’t reply. I never asked them to keep our communication a secret.

After a short bout of silence, he whispers again, his tone lined with longing and regret. “I’m glad you kept in touch with them.”

Me too, I want to respond, but my eyes are heavy and he’s so warm, sleep reclaims me before I can push the words out.

Chapter Ten

Weight presses against my chest, threatening to pull me back into the depths of sleep. A leg falls over my hip, and my eyes fly open. Light blonde hair bunches against my neck, a face I recognize pressed against my collarbone.

It’s Skye.

Snoring softly on top of me.

We must have fallen asleep on the couch last night, and no one woke us so that she could move into her bed. Or she refused to leave me.

I immediately deny the thought. She might have wanted me to stay, but there’s no way she would choose to sleep on the couch with me over spending the night in her bed or nest. I’m just imagining a longing that isn’t there.

My thoughts drift to last night. The way tears shone in her eyes when I was going to leave. Her soft plea for me to stay. A night spent cuddling on this surprisingly comfortable couch with a movie playing in the background.

Hearing her admit she’s kept in touch with my family has shaken me. I hadn’t expected her to still care for them when I wasn’t in her life.

Though I suppose that was silly of me. They’re her family, too. In all the ways that count.

Long before we presented, my family adopted her as one of their own. Her parents were strict, religious assholes who judged everyone. Skye worst of all.

She hated being at home, so I invited her over a lot. Gave her a chance to have a normal childhood filled with fun and adventure. My parents assumed she was mine, and they were devastated when I left her to pursue a career in metal.

Shit, they’re going to flip when they find out they were right.

The scent of coffee has me shifting so I can slip from beneath her. Quentin sits at their dining table when I walk in. A laptop and a cup of steaming hot coffee before him. His head bobs. “There are mugs in the cabinet above the pot.”

Mumbling a quick ‘thank you,’ I pour myself a cup and lean against their counter to sip it.

“Tell me, Caleb, what are your plans now?”

Tilting my head, I explain, “I usually go to the gym on Sundays.”

He stares long enough to heat my face.

Oh, he meant in general.

“R-right, sorry. Um, I don’t know? Before last night, I thought she had moved on, and I was facing a future of rejection, but now…” I trail off, shoulder lifting in a shrug.

He hums and closes his laptop. Having his full attention on me makes me uneasy. I’m not used to being assessed like this. “What is Orbital Somatic’s schedule for the next several weeks? We have one charity show left, so we’ll be available to travel to support you if your band has other shows coming up.”

Scratching at the stubble growing along my jaw, I avoid his eyes. “I left the band.”

A sharp intake of breath drags my attention to the doorway to the family room, where Skye stands. Her lips parted and eyes wide as she stares at me. “You what?”

I swallow thickly, hating how out of my depth I feel. “My heart isn’t with them anymore, and it would be unfair to force myself to stick it out.”