One Step Closer(55)

After the compulsory return questions of what Sam’s job entailed and the response about being one of the directors with Wren’s ballet company, and some dumb, meaningless conversations about the San Francisco Giants and the New York Mets, the evening thankfully came to a close with Wren sending Sam back to the hotel in a cab, so she could speak to Caleb in private.

As they walked along the streets off of Fisherman’s Wharf, Wren struggled with what to say. She was angry that Caleb had behaved so badly after she’d extolled his virtues to Sam the way she had. She felt disappointed and angry.

It was a damp night and Caleb had his collar turned up and his hands shoved into the pockets of his wool jacket, and Wren struggled on the cobblestone in her black stiletto heels, resigned to the fact her hair was getting spoiled by the misty air, her arms curled around her middle, holding her own long coat closer around her body. They walked slowly because of her shoes; the second time she stumbled and Caleb had to catch her to keep her from falling flat on her face.

“What the hell did you ask to go for a walk for when you have those damn things on?” he growled angrily. “It’s ridiculous.”

“Why are you so mad? I haven’t seen you in forever and you’ve been a prick all night!”

He was taken aback by her question and he straightened and turned back forward to keep walking. “I’m not mad. I just don’t want you to hurt yourself.”

Silence followed for three or four minutes while Wren tried to muster the courage necessary for what was coming.

Her contact with Caleb had been sparse for much of the almost two years that had passed since she’d seen him. She’d been so hurt because he refused to acknowledge the one night she spent in his arms which had been heaven to her, and what she thought would be the beginning she’d been waiting for… that he was just waiting for her to grow up. It turned out nothing was further from the truth and she’d had to face it. It probably didn’t help that the first time she’d been face-to-face with Caleb since that fateful night, she had another guy in tow.

“I hoped you’d like Sam.”

Caleb clenched his teeth and the muscle in his jaw started to twitch, but he didn’t respond. Wren reached out and touched his arm to get him to pause in his steps. She was almost running to keep up with him.

“Cale, will you please stop for a minute? Look at me?” Her voice was pleading and filled with enough emotion to make it quiver. She looked up into his face. That face that haunted her dreams, along with strong arms, the sound of her name on his lips as he came inside her.

“What? Why? Who is this guy? Are you in love with him?”

She liked Sam. Liked him a lot, but she couldn’t say she loved him. Especially, not to Caleb. “I want you two to be friends.”

Caleb visibly stiffened, stepping back so her hand dropped from his sleeve. “You and I never see each other. What does it matter if I like the guy?”

“Because he’s asked me to marry him, Caleb. You’re the only other person in the world who means anything to me, and I need you in my life or I won’t be happy.”

He kept walking, throwing an irritated glance over his shoulder, his voice taking on a harsher tone. “You can’t marry him. He’s a *. I can see it from a mile away. He can’t take care of you; he can barely lift his f*cking drink.”

“Cale, stop.” When he didn’t she did and yelled after him. “Cale!”

He stopped and threw his arms out then let them drop to his sides heavily before turning to face her. “What?” he spat out.

“It would mean a lot to me if you’d be the one to give me away.”

Caleb’s surprise was plain on his face as he huffed loudly in disgust. His eyes widened for a split second, then his face changed to a rigid mask, cold and devoid of emotion. After a couple of seconds, he laughed harshly. “No.” He said, with a lift of both eyebrows and a hard shake of his head. “No way.”

Wren felt as if the air had been knocked from her lungs, as if she’d just been kicked in the gut. Did he just say no? Her throat got tight and her eyes began to well with tears, Caleb’s form starting to blur in the dark night and the dim light of from the street lamps. She could see his arm lift like he was rubbing his mouth with the back of his hand. Wren blinked at the tears forming in her eyes.

It was almost 11 PM on Saturday night, but there were still people milling about, despite the inclement weather and the start of a light rain. “No?” Wren asked, the words torn from her. “Really, Caleb?

He visibly flinched. She hadn’t called him Caleb for years and it was like a slap in the face.

“Did I stutter, Wren? No. Fucking. Way,” he punctuated the words, his eyes pained as he looked at her.

She sucked in her breath on the start of a sob. “I’ve never asked you for anything. Despite all you’ve given me, I never asked for any of it. I’m asking for this. I nee—eed you to do this for me.”

“I can’t, Wren!” The words ripped from him as he stormed closer until he was looming down on her, his hot breath showing white in the cold air. “I’ll give you anything! Ask me any goddamned thing you want, but I can’t do that. Not f*cking that!”

“I need you, Cale! You’re all the family I have.” Her voice broke as tears started to run down her face. She had faced the fact that she had to put her schoolgirl crush of Caleb in the past and she was trying her best to move beyond it, but her heart was breaking. There was no denying the one she loved the most was standing in front of her, and it killed her to ask this of him. “I need you to stand beside me when I do this. Please don’t let me down.”