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“You could have called me,” I said, straitening the paints that I’d knocked around. I was glad I hadn’t made a mess.
“I’ve tried calling you,” he said. “You never pick up your phone.”
I scoffed slightly. “I was grieving my dead family,” I reminded him. “I wasn’t exactly focused on us.”
The words were biting, but I meant them. Some distance made me realize how childish Caleb was. Our entire relationship, I’d fawned over him, doing everything that I could to make him feel special and worthy.
When I’d needed him, he’d given up easily.
“You’ve got a new boyfriend.” There was an accusation in his tone, and the sound of it made my blood start to boil.
Denial of the accusation Caleb was lobbying on me was on the edge of my tongue. After all, Eli and I had slept together, but we’d not talked about it.
Instead, I crossed my arms over my chest and looked Caleb head-on. “What is it that you are hoping for here?” I asked, not interested in continuing this. “You are the one who sought me out.”
Caleb reached forward, but I instinctively backed away. “I missed you,” he whispered. “When I saw you in the park, it reminded me of old times…”
He reached out and placed his hand on my bicep. The feel of his finger against my skin nearly made me flinch. Not that I understood why. It was like my mind knew something that I didn’t, which wasn’t that odd these days.
“I know that you are seeing someone else, but you and I have a history.” His thumb ran over my skin, and I shivered. It was becoming challenging not to react. Not because Caleb was reminding me of our past relationship, but because I wanted him away from me. The thought of another man’s hands on my body, other than Eli’s, felt odd.
We’d spent one night together, and already, he’d made his mark on me.
The idea of that made me fearful.
Caleb’s hands dropped from me. “Carla?” he questioned once more. “Are you alright?”
I shook my head, trying to focus back on the task at hand. “Sorry,” I apologized. “I have a hard time focusing these days.”
It was the truth. I’d lived in my head for so long that sometimes I got lost there. “You’ve been through a lot.” Caleb’s voice was soft and intimate. “I know more than most.”
It was the truth. Caleb was the first person I had ever opened up to about the pain that I felt in my life after my sister’s illness and death. Even Eli knew nothing about my past.
I sighed. “Maybe we can get some coffee sometime.”
A smile immediately lit up Caleb’s face. “Next time, I’ll text you.” The boyishness of his face, a face that I’d once thought was more beautiful than the sun, made it difficult for me to stay angry with him.
“Sounds good.”
Caleb moved so that I could go around him. As I did, I caught the smell of his cologne. The scent was familiar, and I paused for a moment. I wanted to ask him what he was wearing, but I didn’t.
The question felt oddly intimate, and I did not want to establish that relationship between the two of us.
“Jesus,” Matteo muttered as I walked out of the store. “I thought I was going to have to come in there and pull you out.”
I rolled my eyes. “I thought you said you didn’t care what I was doing?”
“Come on,” he grumbled, and I chuckled. Matteo was much more fun to rattle than his brother, especially since it was so much easier to press his buttons. “I’m ready to clock out.”
Though I laughed at Matteo, appearing to be unbothered, there was something about my encounter with Caleb that had put me on edge. It was almost like no matter what I did, my past refused to stay away.
CHAPTERTWENTY-FOUR
Convincing my father to allow Carla to come to Boston with me had not been easy. Hell, he hadn’t wanted me to go. He was still determined that I would be attending Columbia in the fall, so that I could sit at his feet and learn the business.
If it weren’t for my mother, my spot at Harvard would be gone. But a generous donation from her held it. For now, at least.
“Wow,” Carla breathed out as I brought her to the edge of the Harvard gate. “This is like very stereotypical college.”
