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“I need to shower,” I practically moan as he nibbles at my bottom lip.
“I’ll help you with that.”
“My shower is tiny,” I warn him.
“Perfect,” he clips out before ducking and tackling me around my waist and hoisting me up on his shoulder as I yelp out a surprised laugh. Another shriek escapes me when his hand comes down hard on my left ass cheek, his palm lingering for a moment as he hurries us toward my bathroom.
* * *
With a small weekend bag,as well as my huge art bag that Kaleb insisted I bring along secured in the flat bed of the old truck, we cruise down the freeway in the vibrant, cheerful light the sun is providing.
When I told Kaleb that I didn’t have a class until Tuesday at one, he insisted I bring my supplies, just in case I was able to draw inspiration from his little town. Kaleb smiles between me and the road as we catch up on more of the last three years. I toe off my gold t-strap sandals and tuck a leg under me as he regales me with anecdotes of him and Alex in boot camp, the warmth of his hand seeping through my jeans where it rests on my leg.
My blissful basking is cut off at about thirty minutes in, however, when my phone buzzes in my back pocket, alerting me of a new email. I pull it out, intense on dismissing it so that it doesn’t continue to buzz intermittently, when I see a preview of the message.
From: Carter Lange
Subject: Long time…
My heart stutters to a stop and a lump lodges in my throat.
“Lu? Babe?” I glance up to see Kaleb’s face turning between me and the road, his smile gone and concern etching the features not hidden by his sunglasses. “Everything alright?”
“Uh…” my voice is shaky and my brain refuses to form words while it’s trying to digest the message my eyes are sending it. “Um, yeah,” the words come out serrated by my erratic heartbeat.
“No, it’s not,” Kaleb protests as he sits up straighter, leaning around to check our surroundings before pulling over. Putting the truck in park he turns towards me. “What, is it bad news? Talk to me,” he says in just the right combination of firm and gentle to get me to comply.
“I got an email,” I finally manage to say. It’s Kaleb, I remind myself. I’ve got nothing to hide. “It’s my ex, and he shouldn’t know how to get a hold of me.”
“This the one that made you steer clear of relationships the last year?” Kaleb puts an arm over the back of my seat.
Dammit. I was really hoping for Carter to never have to come up between Kaleb and me, but here we are, so I regretfully nod.
“Luna, what did he do?” Kaleb pulls his shades off his face and I follow suit, pushing mine up on my head. He levels me with that no-nonsense glare of his.
It’s not that I’m afraid to tell him, I just didn’t want this to be a thing. I didn’t want Carter to have any particle in my life, let alone have him break into mine and Kaleb’s private bubble. Plus, I’m embarrassed about what I have to admit.
“He was just really controlling and borderline abusive when I was with him,” I impart, and when I look up to see green eyes blazing with a shocked fury, I’m quick to correct myself. “Verbally abusive,” I quickly amend, and I hate the thick silence that emanates off Kaleb and fills the cab of the truck. “Anyway, when I left him, I blocked him on every avenue, I changed my phone number, and even blocked him for good measure. I even changed my email to a handle I didn’t think he’d figure out so easily.”
“The fact he found you then, says he was trying to,” Kaleb utters ominously, his voice sounding like it’s being dragged across jagged gravel.
“He probably didn’t have to try very hard, he’s a computer whiz,” I explain, huffing out a mangled breath before I look to Kaleb again to find a confused look on his face. “I know,” I hold a hand up and roll my eyes, knowing he’s questioning how in the hell I ended up dating someone so far from my type. “He was just really sweet and charming at first, and…” I steel myself with a mild breath before looking up, directly into his eyes, “he didn’t make me think of you.”
Obviously. Carter asked me out after fixing my laptop when I had an English paper due and was so far from Kaleb in both looks and personality I thought I was safe; that he was stable and secure. Now, I laugh at the whole thought.
Kaleb’s eyes go downcast a moment, his lips pressing together with an emotion I can’t pinpoint before he looks back up. “So he found ways to control you after he hooked you, and now, a year later, he’s not only looking for you, he found you,” Kaleb grits out, I can tell, trying to keep his voice steady, but there’s no hiding how dark his eyes have gone.
“I know how stupid I sound,” I mumble down at my lap. “That I fell for someone’s shit and didn’t even realize what he was doing for the better part of a year.” Another reason I don’t like looking back on that time. It’s the one thing in my life I feel foolish about.
“No, Luna…” I feel Kaleb’s hand playing with my hair. “You’re the smartest person I know, and the strongest.” I scoff out a breath which agitates him. “No, I’m serious. Look at me.” I look up from my lap and am relieved to see his eyes have softened. “You’re remarkable, and he’s a piece of shit for hurting you. That’s on him, understand?” He dips his head to look at me closer, and I nod.
“I know,” I assure him quietly. “I’m just glad you don’t think otherwise.” I grab my shades off my head and run a hand through my hair. I hate the idea of Kaleb seeing me as weak or naive.
“I could never possibly,” he affirms, giving me a light kiss on my cheek. “Let’s see what it says,” he nods down at my phone.
“No, I was just going to delete it and block him,” I shake my head, lifting my phone to do just that before he stops me.
“No, hang on,”
