Unbreak Me

by EJ Logan

  “Uh, Okay,” I said.

  “Sorry, it's just some of my rules. When I hookup with a chick, they know it's just that a hookup. If I were to bring them home or spend the night in the same bed, then she would expect more than I am willing to give,”

  “Okay, I guess I understand you’re messed up logic,” I said causing us both to laugh.

  After that we spent a while talking about his house, Tess and Jake, my mom and Callie and just a lot of nothing. When I finally glanced at the clock, I saw it was already after one in the morning. “Shit Caleb it’s late we’ve been on the phone over two hours. I should probably get off. I have to get up for work in like four hours” I groaned.

  “Oh wow, the time just flew by talking with you. I have to be up early too. Before we get off what are your thoughts on living with me, have you decided?” he asked

  “Yeah, I have,” I paused

  “And?” he asked. It almost seemed like he was holding his breath for my answer. It made me want to laugh, but I kept it in.

  “And I think it sounds good. I think it will be good for me to be around a guy. Hopefully, you will be able to help me without even trying. I already feel pretty comfortable just talking to you like I've known you for years or something. So yes I think this will be good,” I said with confidence.

  “That’s great and I’m glad you feel comfortable with me, well at least on the phone. It is crazy how easy we’ve been able to talk. I have never spent two hours on the phone with anyone. Let alone a chick, but with you the time just flew by. Well, so how about I call you again in a day or two, and I'll get you my address and lock codes? Oh, why don't you text me your email and I can send it to you,”

  “Okay sounds good I’ll go ahead and send it now. You have a good night Caleb. I’ll talk to ya soon,” I said

  “Goodnight Ari,” After I had hung up I sent him a quick text with my email, then curled up and went to sleep.

  Caleb

  I ended up having a late meeting and, of course, the client wanted to have a few drinks after. By the time, I got home and took a shower it was nearly eleven. I contemplated on calling Ari so late, but I had been thinking of this call all day. I didn't want to wait until tomorrow to talk to her. I also didn't want her to think I stood her up or forgot about her. So before I changed my mind I dialed her number.

  After about four rings, she answered. "Hello," she said breathlessly and with that one word I could feel myself twitching below. Shit, if this girl could do that with one word I was in trouble.

  We ended up talking about everything and anything for over two hours. She was so easy to talk to; I could have stayed on the phone with her all night.

  Even when she started crying, when we talked about what happened to her, it never felt uncomfortable. I did wish I was with her so I could pull her in my arms and tell her everything would be okay. I'm not sure why, but I just wanted to protect and take care of this sweet girl.

  I had to know if she had made a decision about living with me or not, so before she hung up I asked her. I held my breath until she answered. So when she said yes, that she would be my roommate. I let out a deep breath and almost jumped for joy. I held myself back though, not wanting her to freak at how happy I was about her living with me. We ended the call then with her saying she would send her email to me and me saying I would call her in the next couple of days.

  I lay in bed after with a huge smile on my face. I was so happy to know she would be sleeping in my house every night. I would be able to protect her and hopefully make her smile every day. Man I am going nuts, I have never had these thoughts about a girl like this. Shit I need to get laid or something, but how can I do that when Ari is all I can seem to think about.

  Ari

  After work I decided to start doing some packing, I still haven't told my mom or Callie my decision to live with Caleb, and I can't help but wonder what they will think. I heard the front door and then Callie's voice. "Hey, Ari, you home?"

  “Yeah, I’m in my room,” I replied. A moment later and Callie was plopping down on my bed.

  “I still can't believe you're leaving me again,” She pouted

  "Well, you could always come with me," I said giving her a big smile.

  “Ugh, you know I would if I hadn't already gotten this job. I am thinking about sending my resume out to different schools there for next year though. You know how much I have always loved San Fran. It would be awesome to be there and even more so now that you're going to be there too,”

  “That would be awesome and remember I am only three hours away. It's not like college where I was across the country,” I reminded her.

  “I know, so how is the apartment hunt going? Or what happened with Tess?” She asked.

  "Well, Tess and her boyfriend moved into together, so that option is off the table and I quit looking at apartments," I said with a shrug.

  “Uh okay, did you find something?” She asked looking a bit confused.

  "Well yes and no, I didn't find an apartment but I found a place to live," I watched as her eye's furrowed in confusion. I guess I was a bit vague. "Okay, so when I talked to Tess her cousin offered me a place. It used to be Tess' boyfriend Jake's room,”

  "Oh, okay. Well, that's good. I know how you didn't want to be on your own just yet. So what's her name?" She asked.

  “Well, his name is Caleb,” I said smiling at her shocked expression.

  "Oh, Um... I guess I just assumed it was a girl. You know with everything,” I could tell she was trying not to make me uncomfortable, and I loved her for that.

  "Yeah, I know, but we talked for like two hours last night and I don't know I just feel comfortable with him. He's cool, and he makes me laugh. I think it will be good," I said shrugging.

  "Wow, well I'm surprised but I'm happy for you too. It's is a huge step. What did mom say?" She asked.

  "She doesn't know I said yes, but I told her I was thinking about it, and she said it was my decision and to do whatever I was comfortable with,”

  Callie was about to say something, when my mom walked into my room “Hey girls, what are we talking about?” She asked sitting next to Callie on my bed,”

  "Ari here was just telling me about her new roommate,” She said with a smile.

  "Oh, so you made a decision? You're going to do it?" I nodded. "Well, I think that's great. It should be good for you,”

  "Yeah, I think so too and I will be saving a ton of money because I won't be paying rent. He asked that I do some things for him in exchange for a room,” That caught their attention, and both of their heads swung towards me. I loved messing with them.

  “Guys I mean like do the dishes, laundry, cook. You know stuff around the house. I said laughing.

  “Oh, okay well that will be good then,” My mom said with a sigh.

  "Yeah, that will be great for you. Knowing you Ari you would have probably done all that anyways,” She laughed.

  We all went downstairs while mom cooked, and I showed all the emails about the place to them. We had just finished dinner, and I was washing dishes when my phone rang. "Hey, Cal can you get that?" I asked.

  She looked at it and smiled then answered. "Hello, Ari's phone, Callie speaking,”

  "Yes, hi Caleb. I have heard a lot about you. Oh, you have, well that might not be a good thing,” She laughed. "Yeah, she's right here," She said handing me the phone as I finished drying my hands.

  “Hello,” I said

  “Hey Ari, so that was the best friend huh?” He asked.

  "Well, that's what she likes to call herself," I said laughing. He laughed too and it always surprised me the way his laugh made me feel. It was just so sexy and strong, and I wanted to find a way to make him laugh more just to hear it. That thought really made me question things though. Why was I like this with this guy? Why did I feel as if I was, being unfaithful to Kyle? I know he would want me to be happy at least the old Kyle would. The one that wrote that heartbreaking letter. I think about him all the time, abo
ut where we would be if things had been different, if he had found the help he needed. I have yet to even visit his grave though. I just don’t have it in me yet, maybe one day I will but not yet.

  The rest of the week flew by. Caleb and I talked a little every night, about nothing and everything, but it was funny that we never talked about work, what happened to me, and he never talked much about his family just when it came to Tess.

  Now it's the night before I leave, and mom is helping me load my car. I love my car it’s a BMW 135i convertible. My mom got it for me as a college graduation gift, but I have barely driven it. I feel bad because my mom specially designed it for me and everything. It's a fresh metallic black with this awesome red leather interior. We aren't extremely wealthy or anything, but when my dad died five years ago there was a pretty good insurance payout that was split between me and my mom. I don't think either of us has really touched much of the money though. My mom knew he had always wanted to get me a car when I graduated, so I like to think it's from him too. We stuffed in as many of my essential boxes as we could; the rest would be coming a couple days after I got there in a pod. After talking to Caleb for a little bit, I told him goodnight and see ya tomorrow before closing my eye's for the night.

  CHAPTERfive

  Ari

  The next morning I said goodbye to mom and hopped into my car. She wanted to come, but I told her not to. I knew she had a big sell that she was trying to get and besides Tess, Jake and Caleb would all be there. Mom and Callie are planning to visit in a couple of weeks anyways.

  Before I left I sent Caleb a text to let him know, I was on my way and that I would be there in a few hours. Less than a minute later I received a reply, all it said was can't wait to finally meet you with a smiling face. Which, of course, made me smile. It was weird to think we hadn't officially met yet. Even though, we talked a little every night since that first night. They weren't always long conversations, but it was always nice to hear his voice.

  Once I was on the road, I plugged my phone in and listened to my playlist the whole way there. The drive went smoothly, and I was pulling into the driveway in no time. The house was amazing it wasn't huge, but it was a beautiful ranch, in a beautiful neighborhood.

  Before getting out of the car, I sent a quick text to my mom, Callie and Caleb saying I had arrived. I went to the trunk, but before it was even open Tess was running out the door and tackling me to the ground in a huge hug. "Oh, I'm so happy you're here. I've missed my girlie so much,” She said

  "I've missed you too,” I told her. She looked absolutely beautiful her long blond hair was down, and she was wearing a light blue sundress that showed off her extremely long legs and sky blue eyes. Tess is tall just less than six feet with the body of a runway model.

  We were so opposite in looks. I mean I know I'm an attractive girl. I'm just not model material. I'm about 5'5" with long naturally wavy brown hair and big hazel eyes. I not overweight with all the jogging and self-defense classes, I have gotten pretty muscular. I did have curves though, lots of them. We stood back up laughing. "You look marvelous," Tess said

  “Thanks. You do too. Look how long your hair has gotten, and I swear you've gotten even taller in the past few months, I said.

  I was wearing a pair of white shorts with a dark green tank top and a pair of white flip flops. My hair pulled up into a high ponytail, and I was only wearing mascara as makeup went. I was going for comfort for the drive.

  Just then the door opened again, and a very attractive guy walked out. He had light brown hair and bright blue eyes. He was tall at least a couple inches taller than Tess, and I could tell he was very fit under his t-shirt. He walked towards us extending his hand to me. "You must be Ari, I'm Jake,” He said.

  I shook his hand only flinching slightly beforehand, but I could tell they both saw it. "Hi Jake. It's great to finally meet you. Tess has told me a lot about you,” I said as he released my hand.

  "Hopefully nothing too bad,” He laughed and sent a wink towards Tess.

  “Who me? I would never say anything bad about my love,” Tess said clutching her chest. I couldn't help but laugh at how cute they are together.

  “So how was the drive Ari? Any problems?” Jake asked as we made our way to the trunk.

  “No everything was fine. It was an easy drive,”

  I heard the door shut again and turned around, I was caught off guard, and my mouth dropped open. Walking out was the most gorgeous guy I had ever seen. He had short brown hair and one hell of a body. He was wearing what looked like a pair of swim trunks and a tight fitting white t-shirt. The t-shirt did nothing to hide the muscles beneath. He hadn't looked up yet, so I didn't know what color eyes he had but it wouldn't matter this guy was perfection.

  I shook my head, trying to clear it, what the hell is wrong with me? When he looked up from his phone, again I was caught off guard. He had the most beautiful bright green eyes. Full very kissable lips and when he smiled at me, my knees went a little weak.

  He walked up to me, so I extended my hand. "Ari," I said. He nodded and grabbed my hand, but instead of shaking it he pulled me into a hug.

  I stiffened at first but when I heard his voice, I was able to relax into his embrace. "Caleb" he whispered into my ear, causing goose bumps to form on my skin. When he finally let go of me, I turned to see Tess with her mouth agape.

  I mean come on I could barely shake her boyfriend's hand, but I was fine with hugging her cousin. I'm sure she was confused, but I was confused about it too. For some reason, I just wasn't scared of him like other guys. Something in his voice makes me feel safe.

  “So Ari, this is your new home. What do you think?” He asked gesturing towards his house.

  “It's beautiful,” I breathed

  “Well let’s all grab some stuff and get it inside. We’ll give you a quick tour and then you can get your suit on, we were all about to go out to the pool. Jake’s gonna grill up some steaks, right Jake?” He asked. Jake just smiled and nodded his head. Everyone grabbed a box or suitcase out of the trunk.

  “Nice ride Ari, I love the interior. That red is hot,” Caleb said. As both of the guys looked over my car.

  "Thanks, it was a graduation present from my parents. She's my baby,” I said with a smile, giving her a little pat on the hood.

  "Well, I have an extra spot in the garage for you. So you don't have to worry about her sitting out in the sun,” Caleb said returning my smile.

  “What! You never gave me a spot in the garage. It was always packed with shit,” Jake whined with mock hurt in his voice.

  "Sorry, man I had the last few days off and made some room in there,” He said nonchalantly with a shrug of his shoulders, but I couldn't help but think it was sweet of him to do that for me.

  Once inside Caleb took me around on a little tour. The house was just as beautiful inside. The furniture was plain. There was a lot of black, white, and grey. It was very bachelor pad, but it still looked good. The kitchen was a cook's dream. With high end stainless still appliances and granite counters. The house was a split ranch the master room and what will be my room on one side of the house, across the hall from each other. My room was pretty much a master bedroom itself it had its own bathroom with a walk in shower and whirlpool tub. There was a large walk-in closet and the room was furnished with a very nice dark cherry future. The other two bedrooms were on the other side of the house along with another smaller but full bathroom. One of the other rooms was Caleb's office, and the other room was made into a small gym with weights, treadmill, punching bag and speed bag. It's the perfect gym for me. I would be able to do my running and practice my self-defense.

  After the tour, I went to my room to put my swim suit on. I chose a red bikini. The top was a halter style, and the bottoms were a little skirt. I am just a bit self-conscious of my curves. I do wear string bikinis, but I figured I would go with something a bit more conservative. I threw my shorts and tank back on and headed out back.

  The backyard was a
mazing. The pool was beautiful; it had a natural feel with plants and rocks everywhere. There was also a large hot tub hidden in the rocks. The patio was huge and even had a small tiki bar with a TV and everything.

  Callie was in the water when I walked out. Jake was manning the grill and Caleb was at the bar making a batch of margaritas. "Come on Ari, jump in," Tess called to me as soon as she saw me.

  I removed my tank and shorts and when I looked up to see Caleb was practically drooling. I gave him a look raising my eyebrow. He just shook his head and gave me a shy smile, before turning back to the drinks he was making.

  We all had a blast swimming, eating and having a few drinks. After dinner, we went to the hot tub to chill for a bit. Tess and Jake sat on one side, leaving me to sit near Caleb.

  We all talked for a while, then Jake and Tess started kissing, leaving Caleb and I to converse between ourselves. “So what is it you do for a living? I think we talked about almost everything but our jobs,” He asked.

  I smiled "Ya, I guess we never did talk about work did we. Well, I'm an architect,”

  “What! So am I!” he exclaimed.

  I laughed at how excited he got. "Yeah, Tess told me, and I'm not technically one yet, but that's what I have a degree in," I told him.

  “That’s remarkable architecture is my passion, so it will be nice to have someone else around who enjoys it. So that’s what you went to Yale for? I did too, though I graduated over five years ago,” He said

  "Wow, your old," I said jokingly.

  “Ha, ha, you’re a funny girl. I’m only twenty-eight, I’m not old,” He said giving me a little pout.

  "Oh, the poor baby is sensitive in his old age," I said laughing. Caleb quickly grabbed me by the waist pulling me to him and tickling me.

  “Say it Ariana, I’m not old,” We were both laughing really hard by this point. “Okay, okay, yo… you’re not old,” I stuttered through my laughter.