Always Red

by Isabelle Ronin

  I snatched the rock from his hand, and taking aim, I heaved it as hard as I could. It smashed through a window, and the sound of glass breaking woke something inside me. Something dark and heavy and huge was stirring inside me, straining to let loose. Once I started, I didn’t want to stop. The more I threw rocks at that dilapidated house, the lighter I felt. I searched for more rocks and kept throwing them at the house until I was breathing hard. When I finally threw the last one, I felt a form of release so sweet, so light that it brought me peace. It was like a heavy burden had been lifted from my chest.

  “That’s my girl.”

  I smiled up at him, dusting off my hands. “Thank you.”

  “It’s just a house, Red. It can’t hurt you. Your dad can’t either.”

  I looked at him questioningly.

  “I asked Clooney to look for your dad.”

  “What?”

  “I didn’t want him bothering you again.”

  “Caleb…”

  “He’s dead, Red. A few years ago. Your mom must have known. They had to notify next of kin. He was living on the streets, homeless. Breaking and entering, stealing, dealing and using drugs.”

  His brows drew together when I remained quiet. My throat had gone dry.

  “I told you I won’t let anyone hurt you anymore. I had to make sure that after the incident with Beatrice-Rose…” He took a deep breath. “If you’re mad at me—”

  The breath whooshed out of him as I threw my arms around his neck. I wanted to answer him, to thank him and pepper him with kisses, but if I spoke, the tears would come.

  “You’re not mad at me?” he asked after a moment.

  I shook my head, my arms tightening around him. He couldn’t possibly know how much this meant to me. I had been wondering about my dad for so long, afraid that he would come back and hurt me again. Afraid that he wouldn’t, and that I’d never know what happened to him. Now I did.

  “I will always keep you safe.”

  “Oh God, Caleb,” I choked out. “I love you. I love you so much.”

  He stroked my hair gently, pulling back so he could hold my face in his hands. Leaning closer, he kissed my forehead. “That’s what I love to hear from you every day, my Red.”

  “I’ll say it every day.”

  “I’ll make sure you say it.” He grinned, kissing me on the lips. “Let’s go back. Wanna watch a scary movie?”

  I’d learned something new about Caleb. He loved scaring himself.

  We walked back to the cabin and settled on the couch in front of the TV. Caleb picked Evil Dead, The Descent, and Jeepers Creepers.

  He was adorably loud and hilarious, covering his eyes or staring wide-eyed at the screen during the scariest parts. Not even halfway through the first movie, he grabbed a blanket to cover our faces, his arm wrapped around my waist to glue me to his side.

  Every time I screamed, it was because Caleb waited for the movie’s silent, suspenseful parts, and once I was completely absorbed in the scene, he growled and poked my ribs to scare the hell out of me. It worked, but I did land a few playful slaps in retaliation.

  By the time the first movie ended, his cheeks were flushed, his long and lean body plastered to mine. By the time the third movie ended, I jumped up from the couch and threatened to electrocute him in his sleep.

  He laughed, scooped me out of the blanket, and dragged me into the kitchen. It seemed like he’d grabbed all the food from the fridge before he dragged me again, this time outside to the garden, where we ate on the blanket he had spread on the grass.

  It was a beautiful day.

  A very beautiful day with my Caleb.

  “Red?” he said softly.

  It was hot, with the sun hanging high in the sky. Caleb had removed his shirt to battle the heat, and he’d twisted my hair into some crazy semblance of a ponytail.

  We lay side by side on the blanket, staring up at the clouds, but when I turned my head to look at him, he was staring at me. His green eyes looked incredible in the sunlight, his lips pinker than usual. He rolled to his side to face me, his gaze lingering on my mouth. I licked my bottom lip unconsciously.

  “I feel married already,” he whispered.

  When his eyes lifted to mine, my breath caught in my throat. He was so beautiful.

  “Should we just elope?” he asked.

  “Kar would kill us,” I said breathlessly. “She’s planning everything.”

  My mind wandered as I watched his teeth catch his bottom lip.

  “Yeah,” he agreed. He was smiling. And it was a knowing smile.

  The bad boy knew what he was doing to me.

  “What else do married couples do?” he continued. His voice low now, deeper. His fingertips leisurely skimmed along my arm.

  I swallowed. “We should wash these dishes.”

  His pink tongue peeked out to quickly lick his bottom lip. “No. Something fun.”

  I squealed as he grabbed my waist and pulled me on top of him.

  “Something really, really fun, Red.”

  “Caleb!” I placed my palms on either side of his body and pulled myself up. “It’s…it’s daylight!”

  “Yeah. I noticed.” His green eyes danced with a naughty glint. “Know what else I noticed?”

  His chest was warm, his scent intoxicating. His touch drove me insane as his palm stroked the exposed skin on my back, then moved down to my ass and squeezed before his fingertips slowly, slowly made circles along my inner thigh.

  “Caleb…”

  “I noticed,” he began, not stopping his pleasurable touch, “that even in my dreams, I know what you feel like. How you smell, how your eyes light up when you see me. I know you.”

  His hands gripped my waist, moving me so that I was the one under him now.

  “I know that face so well. More than my own. Your moods, what you like and don’t like. I’m drawn to you, and I can’t stop myself. I don’t want to. I want to keep knowing everything about you for the rest of my life, Red.”

  “Oh, Caleb.”

  “Now I want to show you something. Take a walk with me?”

  Choked up, I could only nod. He rose and then helped me up.

  Caleb was silent as he held my hand while we walked. I didn’t know where he was taking me, but I knew I would go anywhere with him.

  The sound of water met my ears even before we reached the lake. I knew this place, this forest. I played here all the time when I was a kid and wanted to escape.

  How did Caleb know about this place? It was hidden, a secret oasis that only the locals knew about.

  I looked at him curiously. Releasing my hand, he walked ahead of me. A wooden bridge stood a few feet above the lake, and Caleb took his time crossing it. When he reached the middle, he stopped. A slow, tender smile appeared on his face as he looked down at a certain spot.

  I had no clue why my heart started to pound, except that it all looked so familiar.

  He crouched, removing his shoes and folding his long, lean body so he sat on the edge of the bridge, dangling his legs down. His feet disappeared into the water. He looked into the distance and seemed to be lost in a memory.

  Butterflies fluttered in my stomach as I sat beside him. And then he turned to look at me. The sun was shining so brightly behind him that for a moment, I couldn’t see his face, but I knew.

  “Do you remember, Red?”

  I did.

  I knew him.

  Oh God.

  “Hey, Batgirl.”

  A choked sob escaped me, and I covered my mouth with my hands.

  “Even when we were kids, I was drawn to you,” he whispered, pulling my hands from my mouth so he could kiss my palms.

  “It was you,” I murmured.

  He nodded.

  “The boy who gave me the peanut butter sandwich.”


  “I always had this feeling that I knew you somehow,” he said. “But I didn’t know why until the tree house. You were standing on the bridge just like you did when we were kids. And I knew. I just knew.”

  “You…you were my very first friend.”

  His smile was wide and happy. “And you’re my first love.”

  I looked down into the water and spotted a big rock embedded in the bottom of the lake. Behind the rock were two fishes lazily swishing their tails, protected from the current. They made me think of the boy with the peanut butter sandwich.

  “Red?”

  My heart was beating wildly against my chest as I looked at him.

  “I’d never been sure about anything in my life until you came into it. Thank you for giving me the best gift. The best gift I could ever receive in my entire life is your heart. I will take care of you, protect you, love you for the rest of my life. That’s my vow to you, my Red.”

  Slowly, I pressed my lips to his and let him feel how much he meant to me.

  “I thought I wasn’t waiting for anyone. But I was. And it’s you. It’s you, Caleb.”

  I blinked, and the tears I was holding back fell down my cheeks. He smiled at me, wiping them with his fingers.

  “I never thought I would find you, Caleb. Not in this life. But I did. And I want you to know that you are the best thing that ever happened to me. The best thing.”

  He took a deep breath, his shoulders relaxing as if a huge weight had been lifted off them. “I love you, Red.”

  He stood up, held his hand to me palm up. “Pancakes?”

  As I stared at the face of my beloved, I knew without a doubt that I had found the one who was made for me. I smiled up at him and placed my hand in his.

  “Pancakes.”

  THE END.

  Acknowledgments

  I was born and raised in the Philippines before we moved to Canada, and drama series are very popular there. I remember five days a week between 6:00 and 9:00 p.m., without fail, I would be in front of the TV with my parents, brother, and sister—sometimes even with my cousins and aunts—watching shows back to back.

  I think watching all those shows inspired me to write. I’ve had these characters in my head for so long that it wasn’t a struggle to write about them. Since I started writing, I’ve written different versions of all the characters in Chasing Red, and I realized all those stories were practice and led me to write this book.

  To my Wattpad readers—there are so, so many of you to mention. Please know that I wouldn’t be where I am without your positivity, your support, and your love. Thank you for the friendship, the endless encouragement, and the fangirling for Caleb and Red. There is no Chasing Red without you. I wake up grateful because of you.

  Lianne, my twinks. Thank you for all the late-night phone calls and coffee dates as we brainstormed on the next chapter of Red and Caleb’s story. We talked so much about them that they feel real to us. You are irreplaceable and I love you.

  The amazing Wattpad team, especially Caitlin O’Hanlon—you are my energy drink. I still remember that first email: it’s legit! Ha-ha. Thank you for always taking care of me and replying to my crazy text messages. The sparkle in your eyes always makes me smile. Ashleigh Gardner—how many times you’ve clearly explained things to me so I can stop panicking. You are an amazing force of nature and I can’t thank you enough for everything. Teach me the ways, master! Aron Levitz—I’m very grateful for your hard work and super cool glasses. Nazia Khan—I learned so much from you. I still have the notes you gave me and they will forever be pinned to my corkboard. And to Allen Lau and Ivan Yuen—thank you for creating Wattpad. You didn’t give up on your dreams, and because of that, ours came true.

  The Sourcebooks team, especially my editor, Cat Clyne. Because of you, Chasing Red is a better book. Thank you for your guidance and understanding my vision. You’ve taught me so much and I’m grateful! You are Wonder Woman. To Laura Costello—you’re incredible. I’m so thankful for your valuable suggestions, and I’m glad you love Caleb’s taste in scary movies! A very big thank-you to Heather Hall and Diane Dannenfeldt for all your hard work and feedback. Beth Sochacki—I still wear my pin, girl. Thank you so much for helping me promote Chasing Red on social media. Dawn Adams—you are a genius and I love the covers so much!

  Tatay and Mama—you’ve worked so hard to raise us and all I want is to make you proud. I love you both so much.

  My Adam. When I told you about my dreams and I know they sounded impossible—but you believed them because you believed in me. Thank you for the pancakes. You’re my Caleb.

  And to God. For making everything possible. For loving me despite all my faults. For never letting me forget what’s important. For giving me all the people in my life. For being there always.

  Love,

  Isabelle

  About the Author

  Isabelle Ronin is a Filipino Canadian writer based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Her Wattpad story, Chasing Red, has garnered more than 150 million reads and was Wattpad's most-read story of 2016. As a result of the story’s immense popularity online, several major publishers around the world have acquired the rights to Chasing Red.

  When she’s not writing, Isabelle can be found hanging out in bookstores, cafés, and, whenever possible, the beach. You can follow her and read her stories on Wattpad at wattpad.com/isabelleronin.

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  Chasing Red

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