No Love Allowed(44)

“Didi!” he called after her. But before he could follow, he paused to stare at his hands. He could still feel the warmth of her in his palms.

After giving the shop owner instructions to deliver everything that same day and taking Didi home, Caleb drove straight to Nathan’s house. A nervous tension had settled in his gut since leaving her. He did a quick search of the house and finally found Nathan lounging by the pool with a tablet while Preston did laps.

Taking a seat beside his shirtless and relaxed cousin, he picked up a bottle of water from the bucket of ice between them and twisted the cap off. In seconds he had downed the entire bottle. Still his throat remained drier than sand in a desert.

“All preparations for your party are complete,” Nathan said without looking up from his tablet. “All that’s left is the execution on the day of. It’s going to be an event DoCo will never forget. All parties will be compared to this one. Just you wait.”

He felt his insides shrivel up at the mention of his birthday. “Can we talk about something else, please? I have other things to worry about.”

“You’re harshing my cool,” Nathan said with disgust. “I can feel the stress hopping off your skin and landing on mine. I don’t need the wrinkles, so get a grip.”

Not acknowledging his cousin’s dig, he reached for another water bottle and pressed the cool glass of the Perrier against his forehead as he sighed. It still wasn’t enough to alleviate the pounding there.

Frowning, Nathan set aside his tablet and entwined his fingers over his stomach. He kept his eyes on Preston, who had reached one end, tumbled underwater, then pushed off the wall to start the next lap. He sighed, long and slow.

“A hundred laps a day,” he said. “Can you believe him? Scouted by all the top swimming universities in the country, and he refuses to make a decision.”

“Don’t you ever think that maybe he’s waiting to see where you want to go?” Caleb asked.

Nathan snorted. “He’s being a monumental fool, if you ask me. After your party, the next thing on my agenda is our European adventure. I already have most of our itinerary mapped out. How’s the internship?” He turned his head to face his cousin.

“Almost done,” Caleb said absentmindedly.

“And JJ is happy with your performance so far? No hitches?”

“When do we ever know if my father is happy? That man is colder than the Arctic.”

“We’ve covered your party. We’ve discussed the trip. Still you’re looking like a confused puppy. What’s crawling under your skin?”

Leaning forward to rest his forearms against his knees, Caleb held the bottle between his legs with both hands. The way the afternoon sun glinted off the green reminded him of the gold in Didi’s eyes.

“I don’t know,” he finally said after a long pause. He was afraid to speak. Afraid of what might come out of his mouth. Afraid of the truth he had been denying since the Fourth of July party.

“I don’t believe you.”

He whipped his head up to stare into the unwavering gaze of one of the few people he trusted. If there was someone who would know what was going on with him, it was Nathan.

“I really don’t know,” he insisted.

An eyebrow quirked up. “You don’t know or you refuse to believe that you already do?”

The question landed like a slap in the face. “I don’t want to know, Nate.” He hated the weakness in his voice.

Swinging his legs over the side of the lounge chair, Nathan faced him and took the water bottle from his trembling hands. “If you squeeze that thing any tighter you’ll break the glass and hurt yourself.”

“Nate . . .” He looked into his cousin’s eyes, and Nathan’s features softened.

“Something wrong?”

Both cousins turned their heads to look at a barely panting Preston. He rested his forearms on the edge of the pool. His green eyes shone bright against the blue of the water.

Nathan smiled at him. “Pres, why don’t you go inside and order us some pizza—”

“Chinese,” Caleb interrupted. “And lots of it.”

Nathan slapped Caleb’s shoulder before giving it a squeeze. “Chinese, then.”

As Nathan watched Preston heave himself out of the pool, something clicked for Caleb.

“You’re in love with him,” he blurted out.

“What?” Nathan’s face crumpled. “No.”

“I’ve seen that face on the girls I’ve broken up with. I know what love looks like. That’s how I avoid it.”

“Then why don’t you look in the mirror and see what reflects back?”

“What?” The smugness in Nathan’s voice had stunned him. “No.”

His cousin grinned. “Exactly.”

“No.” Caleb leaned forward again and rubbed his lips. He replayed everything that had happened between him and Didi. The laughs. The serious moments. The casual touches. The kiss . . . His stomach clenched. “No.”

“People who live in glass houses—”

“Shut up a sec,” he said, cutting Nathan off. Then he stood abruptly and began pacing in front of the lounge chairs. “I need to think.”

“What’s there to think about?”