AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“That’s not true.”
I scoff. “What do you know?”
“I know you don’t see your own value,” he says. His eyes are uncomfortably serious. “You think all you ever do is mess up, but that’s just a lie you tell yourself.”
“I’m pretty sure it’s what most people would say.” I point to myself. Then, I start counting on my fingers. “I’m a barely functioning wreck. I sleep too much. I’m hardly passing my classes. I haven’t brushed my hair in two days. And I’m not even a nice person, so why on Earth are you doing this? Why do you want to date me? I don’t get it.”
Caleb is quiet for a moment before he whispers, “February second.”
I freeze. The date is stuck in time, a sharp reminder of loss. It went from a typical, uneventful day to one that would forever be tarnished for the remaining members of his family. Caleb was thirteen when he found his dad dead in his parent’s room. No one else was home, and I still remember the sound of him pounding on our door and the tears streaming down his face when we opened it. My mom called the police while he sat in our living room, waiting for his mom to get home.
He takes a deep breath. “You were there for me.”
All I did was sit with him. I hated seeing him upset. I didn’t know what to do or say, and for a long time we didn’t talk. Eventually, I offered him a cherry soda, but when I opened it, it sprayed me in the face. He smiled. Ever since then, I’ve left a cherry soda on his porch every year on the same date. I figured it would remind him of something funny on a day that’s so hard for him.
“I didn’t do anything that special,” I say.
“You saw me when no one else did.” He swallows and lowers his voice. “And you didn’t treat me differently when I went back to school.”
I laugh. “We didn’t get along in school.”
“Exactly.” He smiles.
“Wow.” That’s all I can say.
“Bec?”
“What?”
He stares like he’s studying me, searching to see past my walls. He can’t. They’re made of iron. “I wanted to be that person for you. I wanted to be the one person that didn’t treat you differently after everything that happened.”
“And you thought getting me to sign a contract saying I’d go out with you is your way ofnottreating me differently?”
He shrugs. “Well . . . maybe I did treat you slightly differently.”
“You think?”
Our waitress sets my food down. “Here’s that mac and cheese.” She places Caleb’s plate down next. “And here’s that Reuben sandwich. Is there anything else I can get for you?”
I shake my head, and Caleb says, “No, thank you.”
“Enjoy,” she says, hurrying off to bus a table at the other side of the room.
“This looks amazing,” he says. The overflowing sandwich is cut in half, and the cheese is oozing down the center. He picks it up and holds it out to me. “Try it.”
“What? No. That’s yours.”
He tilts his head to the side. “Open mind, remember?” I let a few seconds pass. “My arm is getting tired.”
“Fine,” I say, taking the sandwich. “One bite.”
“Thank you. Was that so hard?”
I take a small bite, just enough to get a taste of everything together. While it’s not something I’d normally order, I’d eat it again.
“It’s good, huh?” he asks.
“Yeah, it’s not bad.”
