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“You’re drunk as shit,” Caleb said. “Get the fuck out of here before I kick your ass.”
“The lady can make up her own mind,” Tyler said, wrapping his arm around me and grinning. I could smell the booze on his breath, and it made my stomach roll.
“The lady says to get your hands off her before she’s forced to do something you’ll regret,” I said, glaring at him.
“Don’t be like that, darlin’,” Tyler said.
“Leave.” Caleb’s voice was deep and dangerous. “Now.”
“All right, all right,” Tyler said, sighing and dropping his hand from my shoulders and stumbling away from us.
When I turned back to face Caleb, his face was red with rage. I frowned but didn’t speak. I had no idea where Caleb’s anger came from. We hadn’t been together in ten years and yet, watching his buddy hit on me, made him downright murderous. That, plus my picture in his wallet, had my head spinning.
Did he still have feelings for me? He hit on me in the hospital, but that didn’t mean anything. Caleb was a flirt. He always had been. He could blink and have any woman he wanted. It wasn’t anything new for him to proposition someone, that much I knew. Still, why would he keep my picture for ten years if he didn’t care about me? And, why would he get so angry with Tyler for hitting on me? And, how exactly did I feel about all of that?
The party slowly began to thin, and soon, Caleb and I were the only ones left. I finished my beer and sat closer to him on the couch, the evening air fueling my attraction to him. It was hard to resist when I had alcohol coursing through my veins and Caleb’s jealous streak was still fresh in my mind.
The only thing that kept me somewhat focused was my building headache. It started in my temples five minutes after Tyler left, but it had grown in strength as the night wore on. I sat beside Caleb, talking and laughing and trying to ignore the pain.
“I still can’t believe we did that,” I said, laughing as Caleb reminded me of the time we snuck into our high school gym at midnight. “We wer
e idiots.”
“That wasn’t even the worst thing I ever did,” Caleb said. “That was so fucking tame compared to everything else.”
“It was a big deal for me,” I said. “That was the first time I ever broke the rules.”
“You were such a good girl back then,” Caleb said smirking. “What the hell happened to you?”
“You.” I laughed. “You were a terrible influence.”
“I just taught you how to live,” Caleb said. “Got you out of your shell a little bit.”
“Yeah,” I nodded, my eyes locking on his. Caleb’s face was inches from my own. I could smell his sweet breath, and it was more intoxicating than the beer.
“God, I missed you,” Caleb said his voice low.
I leaned forward without thinking. Caleb cupped my cheek and kissed me. His lips were magical as they danced over mine. Everything faded. My headache disappeared. The only thing that existed was that one kiss. I moved closer, sliding my body against his and sighing against his lips.
When his tongue traced my bottom lip, I moaned and shivered, my entire body silently begging him to take me. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think.
Then, I came back to my senses, and I pulled away quickly. My head swam, and soon, my headache was back in full force. I stared at Caleb, shock and disappointment on his face. I sighed and shook my head.
“Tara,” Caleb said.
“I should go.” I jumped to my feet and flew out the door before Caleb could say another word. My head was pounding as I ran toward my car.
I cranked the engine and pulled out of the parking lot, desperate to put as much distance between Caleb and me as possible. While I drove, I knew I needed advice. Being around Caleb again was fucking with my mind. I had no idea how to handle this, so I called my best friend and hoped she would know what to tell me.
“Stephanie,” I said when she answered. “I just kissed Caleb.”
“What the fuck, Tara?” Stephanie said, frustration in her voice. “Are you kidding?”
“No,” I said. “I don’t know how it happened. I went to his apartment to go over his at-home treatment, and there was a party, and then everyone left, and it happened.”
Stephanie groaned into the phone. She and I had been best friends most of our lives. She was around when I first met Caleb, so she knew everything about our relationship. More than anyone, Stephanie knew how badly Caleb had broken my heart.
“I thought you were going to keep your distance,” Stephanie said. “Isn’t that what you told me?”
