Chasing Red Series, Book 1

by Isabelle Ronin

  “At Kar’s. You wouldn’t believe what happened tonight.”

  I heard moving around in the background, like she was in bed and trying to make herself comfortable. I let out a relieved sigh. She was safe and in bed.

  “Why don’t you tell me about it, baby?” I asked, wondering where the hell baby had come from.

  She giggled. I smiled at the sound, flopping myself back on her bed.

  “Baby. I like that.”

  “I like you this way,” I said, imagining her lying in bed, her hair spread on her pillow, happy and beautiful and without a care in the world.

  “What way?” she asked sleepily.

  “Happy. Like you’re not worried about anything right now, because you usually are.”

  She paused for a moment, and I thought she had fallen asleep. Then she said, “You make me happy, Caleb.”

  I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

  “I wish…”

  “Yeah?” I whispered, my heart in my throat.

  “I wish you were here. I miss you kissing me,” she whispered.

  I cleared my throat. “Me too,” I answered. “You know you won’t remember any of this tomorrow.”

  “Yes, I will,” she insisted.

  “No, you won’t. But I will.” I sighed. “Red?”

  “Yes, Caleb?”

  “Don’t break my heart.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Veronica

  “Who the hell put that alarm clock on speaker?”

  I opened one eye at the sound of Kara’s groggy, irate voice. It took me a second to realize why I was hearing her voice in the morning.

  Last night was Caleb’s basketball practice and the drive-in movie we missed. Caleb… Why did it feel like I was missing something important? I racked my brain on what else we did last night.

  Drinking large amounts of alcohol, gorging on pizza, Kara vomiting her guts out on the front lawn last night…or was that Beth? Something else happened, though, and it was just at the edge of my consciousness…

  “M’eyes. M’head. M’mouth,” Kara lamented. “Th’ hell were we thinking, partying on a school night?”

  “Going-away party for my brother. He just accepted a job in Paris.” Beth moaned. I think I heard her over to my right. Maybe she was lying on the floor?

  Ugh. My body felt like it was being weighed down by a big piano.

  “Gonna skip classes today,” Kara mumbled, sounding like she’d just covered her face with a blanket.

  “No!” I heard Beth get up quickly. “Shite. I’m dizzy.”

  I opened one eye. “You ’kay?”

  She was a blur of blue hair and…was that paint on her face? What the heck did we do last night?

  “I gotta go. Theo. Theo day today. What time is it?”

  “It’s time to shut the fuck up and go back to sleep,” Kara grumbled.

  Hmm. Yes, Kara was so smart. Time to shut up and go back to sleep.

  I was thankful that I was one of those rare people who didn’t get hangovers. Well, I did, but not the normal hangover that included a headache, dry mouth, and vomiting. I just felt heavy.

  “Damn. Where are the keys to my car, Ver? Ver!”

  I groaned when I felt Beth shaking me.

  “Lemme ’lone,” I mumbled.

  “I’m listing all the reasons in my head why I shouldn’t stab you,” Kara growled at Beth.

  Why wouldn’t they shut up? I burrowed deeper under the covers.

  “I have to borrow a shirt from you, Kar,” Beth insisted.

  I heard a thud.

  “Ow. Shit,” Beth cursed.

  Kara must have thrown something at her.

  “You’re going to be sorry,” Beth warned.

  Something hard hit my face. “Ow!”

  “I’m so sorry, Ver! That was supposed to be for Kar!”

  “Please feel free to shut the fuck up,” Kara barked.

  “I’m shutting the fuck up once I get my shit together. Ver, where are my fucking keys?”

  Her keys? I think I left them on the living room table.

  “Li’ing room, ee’think,” I mumbled.

  I heard her moving around, cursing and then cursing some more. “Your clothes are for five-year-olds with no tits, Kar. I can’t fit into any of your shirts!”

  Kara moaned. “I am surrounded by bitches with huge tits. Why can’t I just have a little more, God, why? Even lemons are good enough, but I have grapes!”

  I snorted. I heard Beth laughing. “See you later, bitches!” she yelled. The door slammed behind her, and then finally, thank God, silence. Just as I was about to fall asleep again, I heard Kara’s phone ring.

  “Goddamnsumbitchmothafuck!”

  She groped for her phone, and I thought she was going to kill whoever was calling. I was surprised when she answered in a sweet—if groggy—voice. “Hello? Who’s this? No way. How did you get my number? Oh, of course. Hold on.” She turned to me, holding out her phone. “It’s Caleb.”

  “What?” Frowning, I wiggled my arms out from under the blanket and pressed the phone to my ear.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, Red.”

  Caleb sounded so chirpy in the morning. I could already see his sunny smile and cheerful green eyes laughing at me. His hair was probably still wet and combed back from the shower—until it dried, at which point it would be all over the place.

  I smiled. “Hey, Caleb.”

  Kara was poking my back and making small excited noises behind me.

  “Do you need a ride?”

  “Huh?” I propped myself up with my elbow, flicking the hair off my face.

  “You told me last night you have an exam this afternoon.”

  I groaned. “Dammit. I forgot.”

  “I’m picking you up. Be there in ten. See you soon, Red.”

  “Caleb—”

  He hung up before I could say anything. I stared at the phone, dumbfounded.

  “He’s picking you up?” Kara asked.

  “Yeah.” I pushed my face into my pillow. “How is he going to pick me up? He doesn’t even know where you live.”

  “He’s been here before to pick up…Cameron,” she said. “A long time ago.” She sighed loudly, covering her face with a pillow. “I’m going back to sleep.”

  I looked at her for a moment and, when she didn’t stir, forced myself out of bed and grabbed the biggest clothes I could find in her closet before heading to the shower. I used my fingers to brush my teeth since Kara didn’t have a spare toothbrush. When I was done, I eyed her clothes dubiously. I really didn’t think they would fit me.

  I jumped at the knock on the bathroom door.

  “Red?”

  I frowned. “Caleb?”

  He was here already? I didn’t hear the doorbell.

  “Did you break in?”

  He chuckled. “Nothing too exciting. Kara wasn’t too happy I woke her up.” He paused. “I brought you clothes, toothbrush, and breakfast. I got you green tea too.”

  What was this boy doing to me? It wasn’t even afternoon, and he was already giving me butterflies.

  “Red?”

  I cleared my throat. “Okay. Just leave them on the counter outside the door. Thank you.”

  “Anytime.” I could imagine him winking and fought the sudden urge to see his face right away. I missed him. I could admit that now.

  I missed Caleb. I missed Caleb. I missed Caleb.

  Sighing, I wrapped myself in a towel and opened the door. I let out a squeak when I saw him lounging against the counter. His gaze zeroed in on my face before slowly traveling down my body, then back up again.

  “What the hell, Caleb! I said leave them on the counter!”

  “I did.” He nodded at the coun
ter.

  “You didn’t say you were going to stand there waiting for me!” I sputtered.

  He looked like a naughty boy caught stealing from a cookie jar. He wore dark jeans and a gray crew-neck shirt that molded to his shoulders and biceps and showed off his muscled torso and narrow waist. He looked so good, and my heart pounded in response. And then he smiled. I was done for.

  “You look really sexy, Red.”

  I held my breath as he walked toward me, moving in very close. I could feel the heat his body was throwing off. I gripped my towel tighter around me.

  The tip of his nose brushed the back of my ear, and he inhaled. I shivered.

  “You smell so good,” he whispered, his voice deeper than normal. “I’m going to hang with Kara in the kitchen… See you real soon, Red.”

  Right. Real soon.

  By the time I headed to the kitchen, I was feeling better. I heard Kara’s defiant tone, and I knew she was talking about Cameron.

  “Not anymore. I think I’m moving on,” she spat out.

  Caleb sighed. “I know he still loves you.”

  “It doesn’t matter when he can’t… Did he tell you that?”

  Caleb looked indecisive, as if he was carefully weighing what to tell Kara. “No, but from the looks of him yesterday, he was in really bad shape.”

  She snorted. “Good.” She looked down and gripped her coffee cup in her palms. “But that’s not enough for me anymore, Caleb. I need more than that. I can’t wait for him forever.”

  “I think he really needs a friend right now, but he won’t let me in.” He sighed. “I think you’re the only one he’ll let in, Kar.”

  She shook her head vehemently. “Look, Caleb—”

  “Kar, he’s not okay.”

  She closed her eyes tightly, a tear rolling down her cheek.

  “Don’t give up on him when he needs you most,” Caleb pleaded.

  Silently, I walked to Kara, laying my hand on her shoulder for comfort. When she opened her eyes and made eye contact with me, she broke down.

  There was nothing I could do but stay by her side.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Caleb

  “How was your night?” I asked Red as I drove us to school. I wondered if she would remember the conversation we’d had last night. I didn’t expect her to, but I really wanted to know.

  She looked at me from beneath her lashes, shaking her head. I caught the playful smile on her lips before she turned her head away and looked out the window.

  This felt good. This felt like we were starting to create our own routine. That was good, right?

  I was thinking of brushing up on girlfriend-boyfriend rules. Maybe I could ask Cameron, but then I remembered he sucked at relationships. Maybe my brother, Ben?

  Oh, wait. He sucked too.

  I racked my brain for any of my friends who had a long-term relationship, and I realized with shame that I had none. They were all like me, unless I counted Andrei, who had been with his girlfriend for two years now. But theirs was an open relationship. Screw that.

  I wanted Red to be mine only.

  I knew I was being possessive, maybe even overbearing, but…I didn’t know how to be anything else.

  I just hoped she would accept all of it—all of me.

  How the mighty have fallen! I thought to myself. Caleb Lockhart, clueless on how to make a girl fall in love with him.

  Love.

  Wait, what?

  Damn.

  I shook my head. I was never one to hide my emotions. What was the point of having feelings if you couldn’t admit to them, even to yourself? All I knew was that I had never felt this way before with anyone else…and it felt really good. Like something I could hold on to for a long time.

  I looked at Red’s hands. I missed holding her hand while I drove, but I couldn’t because she was holding the coffee cup with both hands.

  “Red?” I glanced at her.

  She was still staring out the window, but her body was turned toward me, and I had enough common sense to know that she was paying attention to me. Body Language 101.

  “Are you going to drink that tea?” I asked.

  She shook her head, still not looking at me. Okay, then. I grabbed the tea from her hands and placed it in the cup holder. She turned her eyes on me, puzzled. I gave her a smile and reached for her hand, interlacing our fingers.

  There.

  Everything was all right in Caleb’s world again. I let out a satisfied sigh.

  Once we got to school, I walked her to class. I knew people were staring at us. I had a reputation on campus. I was fine with it, but I was concerned about Red. I hoped it didn’t bother her.

  “So, I’ll meet you at the cafeteria after your exam,” I said. “We’ll have a bite to eat before I drive you to work.” I realized what I was doing. I was telling her what to do again, so I rephrased. “If you like. We could eat anywhere. You call the shots.”

  “Caleb.”

  “Yes?”

  “Thank you for…” She lifted her hands, palms up, in a helpless gesture.

  My heart ached. She didn’t know how to express her emotions. I wanted so badly to know what had happened, why she was this way. I guessed I needed to earn her trust first.

  “You don’t need to say a word,” I said, meaning it.

  She looked at me with bewildered eyes, as if she was trying to decide whether to believe me or not.

  She said her exam would take two hours, so I decided to go to the multipurpose room to play pool or just hang with my teammates. I was waiting for my turn when I felt someone poke my back. I turned around and stared into the smiling eyes of Beatrice-Rose.

  “Hey, Caleb!” she exclaimed. She tried to wrap her arms around my neck, but she was petite and ended up hugging my torso instead.

  “Hey, Beatrice-Rose! How are you?” She had cut her blond hair short, and her bangs swayed softly above her pale-blue eyes. “You look great,” I said, smiling back.

  She pulled back, moving her hands to my biceps. Was she squeezing them? I bet she was. She liked big arms on guys.

  “Oh, Caleb, be still my heart. You look gorgeous, as always.”

  It was good to see her again. She was a childhood friend…and then more than a friend on and off for years. She had taken two semesters off from school to go to Paris to… I racked my brain, trying to remember what she’d told me before she left. Ah. To find herself. Soul searching or something like that.

  She pouted, shaking her head at me. “Why are you calling me Beatrice-Rose? Call me B, like you used to.”

  I gave her an indulgent smile. “Sure, B. So, did you find your soul in Paris?”

  She paused, as if she didn’t expect the question and her brain was trying to adjust to the conversation. Then she threw her head back, laughing.

  “Oh, Caleb, how I’ve missed you! Why don’t we catch up tonight? Dinner, same time and place?”

  I knew I looked uncomfortable. Damn, I felt uncomfortable. How did I explain this to her? We had a past, but never a commitment. People thought she was the closest thing I had to a girlfriend, but I’d never called her that. I’d never wanted one until Red.

  Beatrice-Rose had approached me a few times over the years to hang out, and I almost always said yes—unless I was dating a different girl. But that stopped a few years ago because I didn’t want to ruin our friendship. And it sure wasn’t going to happen today, tomorrow, or ever, because…

  “I have a girlfriend.”

  She removed her hands from my arms. “Okay, Caleb. You mean you’re dating someone else right now? That’s fine. She’ll be gone next week, yes?”

  I shook my head. “No. I’m really serious with this one.”

  She raised an eyebrow, surprise on her face. When a girl raised an eyebrow without smiling, I knew it spell
ed trouble for me.

  “Really, Caleb?”

  I nodded.

  “Wow. Let me get my breath back here.” She placed her hand on her chest dramatically, then smiled at me widely. “Caleb, I am so happy for you! This is major news.”

  I nodded, pleased that she’d taken it well. I liked Beatrice-Rose as a person. She was always classy and poised, kind to everyone. That was why we got along really well.

  “Finally found the one, did you? I hope she gives you a really hard time.” She chuckled.

  “Oh, she does, believe me. She’s different, you know?”

  Beatrice-Rose was quiet for a moment, her eyes studying my face. I squirmed.

  “Yes, I can see that. Well, it’s official, then! I have to meet her.”

  “I’m sure you will sometime,” I confirmed.

  Our families were very close. When we were kids, Beatrice-Rose, my brother, and I often spent time together on family trips or gatherings.

  “We have to catch up and have some coffee soon. We’re still friends, aren’t we?”

  I smiled at her and nodded, because whatever had happened between us before, she was right. We were still friends. “Of course.”

  She smiled and waved. “See you later, then.”

  I looked at my watch. Twenty more minutes until Red was done, but I decided to go to the cafeteria. I didn’t want her sitting alone, and I wanted to get her something to eat. I bought her favorite—green tea and a cinnamon bun—and was looking for a seat when I saw her, already at a table in the back corner of the room.

  “Hey, Red. I’m sorry. I thought I still had”—I checked my watch—“ten minutes before you were done. Did you wait long?”

  She shook her head. “I just got here.”

  “How was your exam?”

  Her face split into a wonderful smile that stunned me. She was so beautiful…

  Damn, I’m whipped.

  So, I realized, this was what made her happy. Acing her exams. Good to know.

  I sat across from her, stretching my legs under the table to loosely bracket hers. I noticed she moved her legs close together, being very careful not to touch mine. She was fighting it. I grinned.