~
Calvin walked her home after dinner, unable to convince her to stay and watch a movie. After a day filled with firsts, Caledonia was exhausted, and she knew that she risked falling asleep again if she stayed any longer. She remembered the ugly scene with her aunt in the morning, and she dreaded a repeat performance.
He took hold of her hand as they walked, and she didn’t pull it back. He was encouraged, but he felt her tense up as they drew closer to her house, so as tempted as he was, he dared not try to kiss her goodnight.
Frustrated, he watched her slip silently into the dark condo, waiting on the sidewalk until he saw a light flick on in an upstairs bedroom. He wandered back home slowly, images from the day flashing through his mind.
He shook his head, remembering the no-nonsense way Caledonia had managed his drunken brother. He was doubly impressed by her lack of squeamishness in dealing with the bloody cut–he didn’t know anyone else who would have been so cool and collected. He remembered that both of her parents were practically doctors and figured that they must have been the same way.
He tossed and turned that night, having a hard time falling asleep. When he finally nodded off, his dreams were filled with images of her, clinging to him on his bike or lying on his bed with her hair spread out across his pillow. He vividly recalled her smile, her laugh and her scent. When he woke up he missed her, closing his eyes and trying to worm his way back into his idyllic dreams.
By the time he rolled out of bed he’d replayed every moment from the day before in his mind. He checked his phone and found dozens of texts piled up. He scrolled through the invitations, flirtatious messages, and raunchy come-ons; there were messages from everyone but the one person he truly wanted to hear from.
He smelled coffee brewing, and when he headed for the kitchen he saw the bandages and sewing kit still sitting on the card table. Everything he looked at screamed out her name, taunting him with her absence. He started making a mental list of the places he’d like to take her next, trying to imagine what might please her the most.
“Morning,” his brother called from the couch.
“How’s the finger?” he asked, helping himself to a cup of coffee.
“It’s good. Are you gonna see Cali today?” Jarod asked. “Because I want you to thank her for me.”
“You thanked her last night,” Cal reminded him.
“Yeah, well … Just tell her again, okay?”
“Sure,” Calvin nodded. He slugged his coffee and headed for the shower, eager to get to school for the first time in years.
“Hey Cal–”
He stopped in the hallway. “Yeah?”
“Don’t blow it with that one … She’s a keeper.”
He was quiet for a beat. “I know.”
The Athena Effect Page 24