Just One Year(43)

I just wanted so badly to get Caleb out of my head. The sooner I did that, the better. So I had to make an effort to put myself out there. It didn’t feel natural, but I tried. Still, I couldn’t stop thinking about Caleb. Maybe he needed to be gone for that to happen. I hated the fact that going out with Jacob had only made me more focused on Caleb. I was well on my way to being crushed when he left to go back to England.

Kicking off my shoes, I lay down on my bed and curled into my pillow. My heartbeat accelerated when I realized I was breathing in his scent, strong and masculine. So Caleb.

Wait.

Caleb?

Caleb had been in my bed?

I’d just changed my sheets the night before. So there was no way this was residual from one of our study sessions. Hugging the pillow tighter, I continued to bury my nose in it, overwhelmed by longing—and confusion. What was he doing in my bed? Had he come down here to look for me?

I reached for my phone and texted him.



Teagan: Are you home?



Several minutes passed, and there was no response. I decided to go upstairs to see if he was in his room.

Maura was in the living room, watching one of her shows on Bravo.

She caught me before I had a chance to go upstairs. “Hey! How was your date?”

I stopped just short of the first step. “How did you know I was on a date?”

She lowered the volume on the TV. “I guess I didn’t. I just took Shelley’s word for it. She mentioned seeing you get into a car with a guy.”

I sighed. “His name is Jacob. He works at the aquarium with me. We just went for sushi and a movie. It was okay. Nothing to write home about.” I glanced up at the stairs and then back at her. “Have you seen Caleb?”

“He’s not here. I saw him leave a while ago.”

My heart sank. “Did he say where he was going?”

“No. He sort of rushed out of here, actually.”

“Damn,” I muttered.

A look of concern crossed her face. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah. I just needed to ask him something.”

She paused a moment. “You should know that Caleb was at the dinner table when Shelley announced you were out with a guy. I wasn’t sure if you’d been keeping that from him intentionally or not. He didn’t seem to know.”

Shit.

It wasn’t that I’d planned to lie to Caleb if he’d asked me where I went tonight. I’d simply chosen not to advertise it. I knew I would’ve been jealous if the roles were reversed.

I wished Maura goodnight and returned to my room.

Still no response from Caleb, and I suspected he must be out with a girl. That gave me an upset stomach.

A little while later, I checked my phone again. An hour had now passed since I’d texted him. It was unlike him not to respond at all. I was desperate to know where he was, to ask him why he’d been in my bed, but sending him another text would have been pushy. I knew I didn’t owe him an explanation for my whereabouts. But we normally told each other our plans if one of us wasn’t going to be home at night.

As more time passed, I realized Caleb might not be coming home at all. I was just about to turn off my lights and resign myself to falling asleep when there was a knock on the outside door to my bedroom.

I jumped up. “Who is it?”

His voice was low. “It’s Caleb.”

When I opened the door, he looked tired, and his hair was a bit disheveled. He still looked handsome as ever, just a bit worn.

“Are you okay?”

He shook his head. “Not really.”

I followed my instinct and pulled him into a hug. He gripped me tightly, almost as if holding on to me for dear life. To be in his arms like this, to be held like this, was so different from the casual hugs we’d had in the past. His heart beat so fast against my cheek. The warmth of his hard muscles consumed me, and I wanted nothing more than to stay like this all night.

Even though I was afraid, I asked, “Where were you?”

He pushed away from me to look at my face. “How was your date?” There was a hint of disdain in his tone.

“It was okay.” I swallowed.

“You usually tell me your plans if you’re not going to be home.” His eyes lingered on mine for a few seconds. “But I understand why you didn’t this time.”

He does? “You do?”

After a long silence, he said, “Our relationship is complicated, isn’t it, Teagan?”

I sighed. “Why were you in my bed tonight?”

His brow lifted. “How did you know I was in your bed?”

“I can smell you all over my sheets.”

Instead of answering, Caleb climbed onto my bed and put his head on the pillow. It was too tempting not to go after him. We lay on top of the bedding, facing each other. He rested his head on his hand as he continued to look at me.

“I was worried about you tonight,” I said. “How come you didn’t answer my text?”

“I didn’t get it immediately. Then by the time I did, I figured I’d just come home.” He let out a breath that I felt on my cheeks. “You asked why I was in your bed. I needed to talk to you, and I came down to see if by some chance you’d come home early. I knew it was a long shot. When I realized you weren’t back yet, I just laid down for a while.”