The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden(23)

“How did you get the scars on your hand?” I reach out to touch them, the need to feel him so intense it temporarily overpowers my doubts, but life catches up with me and I swiftly move my hand away.

Putting his weight on one arm, he elevates his hand out in front of him. At the bottom of each finger is a thick white scar. “I punched a wall.”

“Excuse me?”

“Not on purpose,” he adds, and then makes a path with his finger along each bump and groove. “Accidents happen sometimes.”

I recollect his dad slamming his fist into his face. “Yeah, I guess they do, but sometimes bad things happen on purpose by the hands of bad people.”

He nods, then gets to his feet, and dusts the dirt off his jeans. “We should head back. I got a killer Literature paper I have to write.” He offers me his hand to help me up, but I just can’t bring myself to take it.

I turn over onto my hands and knees and push myself to my feet. “Now I just have to make it back down,” I say with a sigh as I walk toward the cliff and peek over the edge.

He laughs quietly as he follows behind me. “Don’t worry. I’ll help you down, if you’ll let me.”

My eyes broaden at his words and then at the cliff. What a dilemma. But I trusted him once and I decide to do it again. I just pray to God he doesn’t shove me down and break me, because I’m already in too many pieces and I just don’t know how much more breaking I can take.

Kayden

I’m nervous helping her scale down the cliff and not because I think she’s going to fall. My arm is around her back and her weight is against me. She’s safe and I’m glad she is.

The problem lies inside me. The entire time we’re climbing down, my heart is thumping in my chest. I want to reach over and feel her skin, suck on her lips, even let my fingers graze her ass. I’ve never wanted anyone like this before and it’s f*cking scary as hell. For a second, I considered kissing her while we were up on the cliff, but it would have been wrong of me. Not only because I shouldn’t be kissing someone as nice as Callie, but also because I have a girlfriend and it wouldn’t be fair to anyone.

Even though our conversation on the cliff was a minor moment in time, it held more depth than any other conversation I’ve had. When I talk to Daisy, it mostly focuses on shallow things, like homecoming, what she is going to wear, and where the parties are going to take place. That’s how I want my life. Simple. I already have enough complexity locked away inside me to shadow the whole world with darkness.

“Are you sure we’re not going to fall?” Callie grips at my upper arm, delving her fingertips into the fabric of my shirt as she blinks her eyes at the ground. “It feels like you’re going to drop me.”

“I’m not going to drop you. I promise.” I tighten my arm around her back and gently tug her closer. “Just relax. We’re almost there.”

I slide my foot down along the rock toward the next ledge, resisting the urge to grab her ass, and place my hand on her lower back. She reaches her hand down, holding on to me as she stretches her leg toward the lower ridge. Once her foot touches it, she relaxes as she steps down on the one below.

I let go of her as her feet touch the bottom. “See, I told you I wouldn’t drop you.”

Showing off a little, I jump down the rest of the way and land in front of her, ignoring the pain in my calf muscles. “Remind me never to take you somewhere up high again.”

She makes an apologetic face as she brushes the dirt off the front of her shirt with her hands. “I’m sorry, I should have warned you. Although, climbing like that doesn’t seem very natural. It felt like we were trying to be lizards or something.

Unable to help myself, I laugh at her. It’s been a while and it feels good. “So for future planning, what kind of places do you like to go?”

She looks about as lost as I feel. “I have no idea.”

“Well think about it.” I start down the path toward where the truck is parked and Callie follows me. “And the next time I ask you if you want to hang out, you can tell me where.”

Her forehead creases as she stares out at the hills to the side of us. “Is there going to be a next time?”

“Sure,” I say casually. “Why wouldn’t there be?”

She looks at me and shrugs, looking unconvinced. “I don’t know.”

It seems like she knows a lot of things, which is why I should be running away from her, before she finds out about me. But like my father always says, I was never that bright, and I have a feeling I’m not going to be able to stay away.