Chasing Red Series, Book 1

by Isabelle Ronin

  Caleb! You’re mine!

  “Red,” he whispered.

  But she ignored him and walked away with some hot guy.

  Caleb stood there for a moment, then stormed off down the stairs.

  I followed him outside to the parking lot. “Caleb, please talk to me,” I begged, trying to keep up with his angry strides.

  Everyone has cracks and fissures inside them, and no one had fixed mine like Caleb did. No one understood me like he did; no one appreciated me and showed me love like he did. I needed Caleb almost as much as I needed air to breathe. I would not give up now.

  His long legs ate up the asphalt with confidence, but there was an edge to his movements—an anger, a danger that turned me on every time I saw him move. I caught the glint of his bronze hair in the sunlight, his sweater stretched across his broad back and wide shoulders.

  He was so beautiful. Everything about Caleb was sex and charm. The way he moved with style and purpose, the way he smiled, the way he looked at someone like they could light up his world. When he spoke, his deep voice made people want to shiver in pleasure. And the way he fucked made his partner forget her name.

  I knew he was mad, still shaken from the fight. I was uncertain if he had overheard me in the washroom. I hoped he hadn’t.

  “I kept calling you last night, but you weren’t answering my calls.” He continued walking, ignoring me. “Cal, please, wait. Let’s talk.”

  I stayed calm. Caleb always forgave me, even when we were kids. He always protected me, took care of me. And there was no reason for him to not do the same thing now.

  When he reached his car and opened the door, I realized he was really going to leave without talking to me. I grabbed his arm.

  “Cal, we need to—”

  “Get away from me.” He jerked his arm away.

  He had never pulled away from me with anger before, had never spoken like this to me before. His voice was so cold. At first I wondered if he was being playful, but then I saw that his hands were curled into angry fists, his veins standing out on his forearms. My heart started to pound, and with a deep sense of foreboding, I slowly lifted my eyes to his.

  I stopped breathing.

  He was furious. The look of hate and disgust in his eyes was nearly paralyzing. I reached for him for reassurance, to make sense of it all, but he backed away.

  No…

  “I heard every word. Every fucking lie you told her.”

  I gasped.

  All the years I’d spent socializing and cozying up to my parents’ business associates had trained me to present the perfect face, the perfect gestures and responses. I was bred to be the perfect socialite. The perfect fake, the perfect liar. But as I stared at the absolute hate in his eyes, I panicked. I couldn’t think of anything to defuse his anger.

  I knew I had to say something, to repair this somehow. Tears usually got me what I wanted, especially from Caleb. I forced them out, and they cooperated beautifully.

  “Cal, I don’t know what you heard, but I only apologized to her. To make her understand that last night wasn’t your fault.”

  “It was my fault,” he whispered dangerously, glaring at me. “For trusting you.”

  “No.” I shook my head. This wasn’t happening. “You don’t mean that. I only wanted—”

  “We both know what you wanted. Congratulations, you’ve fucked up my life.”

  I swallowed my panic. Everything had been perfect between me and Caleb before she came into the picture. Now that I was back from Paris, I was going to get Caleb back in my bed—permanently. I’d had it all planned out, and she’d ruined it.

  “Caleb, no! I just wanted to protect you. Can’t you see who she is? What she’s doing? She slapped me, Caleb! And she left you for that guy. She left with him. She knows how to manipulate you—”

  “The only one who manipulates people is you. You played me. Tell me, was it hard faking your panic attacks?”

  I paled. How did he find out about my panic attacks? Who told him?

  I was shaking in fear. My world was crumbling right in front of me. I was going to lose him. I could feel it.

  “You told her we’re in love. I never loved you that way, Beatrice-Rose.” The next words he uttered tore apart my insides. “I’m sorry if you thought I did.”

  Even though he was angry, I heard the sincerity in his voice.

  The tears that poured down my face weren’t fake anymore. It felt like someone had ripped my heart out. It hurt so fucking bad.

  He was so cold now, so unreachable as he ignored me and opened his car door. He didn’t even look at me again when he drove away.

  What would you do if the only person you wanted to comfort you was the one who had caused you pain?

  Caleb was just confused, blinded by his lust for that whore. Why else would he be obsessed with her, if not for sex?

  Once he had sated his lust, he would come back to me. Like he always did. I had been patient and waited for him while he dated other girls, while he gave them his body. I knew I had his heart, and that was enough to reassure me. I had been with Caleb since the beginning, since we were kids. I knew him to the core. We had a history that she could never replace. Caleb loved me. He was just distracted. I’d make him remember. I’d make him remember how much he loved me.

  Did he think I was going to let him get away from me? Never.

  He would come back to me. I’d make sure of it.

  I have a lot of work to do.

  Chapter Thirty-five

  Veronica

  I wish there was a way to turn off everything I felt. Feeling pain all the time was exhausting. I was almost blind from it as I walked away from Caleb. I wasn’t even sure where I was going as I pushed open doors and stepped outside the school building. I just needed to get away.

  “Wait up, Angel Face.”

  Damon. I had almost forgotten that he was with me.

  “I’m sorry.” I stopped. A wave of dizziness hit me, and I would have fallen if Damon hadn’t caught me.

  “Whoa. You need to sit down.”

  I shook my head. “I’m fine.”

  “Sit.”

  His voice brooked no argument. My knees were weak, so he easily led me to a bench near the parking lot.

  “You don’t have to stay with me, Damon. Please, go.”

  He let out a loud sigh, sat beside me, and stretched his long legs out in front of him. “Your boyfriend can fight, I’ll give him that.”

  “He’s not my boyfriend.” But I said it too quickly.

  “Really?” His voice was light, almost teasing. “So was the blond his girlfriend, then?”

  I gritted my teeth.

  “Ah. Listen, I like you. You’re tough, but Lockhart? He wants to kill me.” Damon grinned like he enjoyed the thought, and then winced in pain. He cupped his jaw and moved it from side to side again. “Because I touched what’s his.”

  I looked down at my hands, noticed they were shaking. I gripped them together.

  “A guy like Lockhart won’t fight for a girl if she doesn’t mean anything to him,” he said.

  My chest felt tight.

  “That guy is crazy for you.”

  I closed my eyes.

  “I don’t know what happened, but I’ve got eyes,” Damon continued. “I saw you going to him, but you stopped when the blond reached him first.”

  “She…told me that Caleb… That they slept together.”

  “Did they?” he asked after a moment.

  “Yes. No. I don’t know.”

  He nodded. “I see.”

  “I have to go.”

  I stood up. He grabbed my hand quickly, pulling me down to sit with him again.

  “There’s no hurry. We have all day.” He grinned, the picture of a happy-go-lucky guy. He placed his palms on either si
de of him and leaned back, looking up at the sky.

  “Your lip is bleeding,” I said.

  He snorted. “So is his. I was going for his nose, but I didn’t think you’d appreciate that.” He winked. “Answer this for me: Did you get two sides of the story?”

  I didn’t answer.

  “What did he say?” he prompted.

  Damon was relentless. When I didn’t answer, he let out another loud breath.

  “When you have these strong emotions for someone,” he said, his voice turning serious, “they tend to take over everything. If they’re too strong, they could destroy you, eat you up.”

  He toyed with the ring on his thumb, a faraway look in his eyes, as if he was replaying a memory in his mind.

  Damon was a stranger, but he had an air of openness and honesty that made me want to tell him everything.

  “He said he didn’t cheat, but he could be lying,” I told him.

  He nodded. “That’s true. He’s a liar, isn’t he? He’s a guy after all.” He shrugged one shoulder. “Girls tend to believe other girls over us. She might be lying, but then again, she might be telling the truth. Do you think so?”

  No…I don’t think she was telling the truth.

  When I found Caleb waiting outside the washroom, I’d assumed that he had asked Beatrice-Rose to talk to me because I didn’t give him a chance to explain. And because…maybe he couldn’t tell me what she had just said. That they slept together. But what if she was lying? Didn’t I figure out that she was manipulative?

  What if…

  “Seems to me Lockhart doesn’t even want her near him. Look.” Damon motioned toward the parking lot.

  I saw Caleb get in his car, leaving Beatrice-Rose behind. The squeal of tires echoed across the parking lot as Caleb drove away.

  I don’t know what came over me, but my chest felt tight and adrenaline coursed through my veins. I wanted Caleb.

  I wanted him back.

  I jumped up from my seat, and the next thing I knew, I was chasing after him.

  “Caleb!” I yelled, running as fast as I could to catch him.

  I want more. I want all of you, he had said, and I had turned him away.

  I needed to talk to him. I needed him…

  Don’t go. I’m sorry! God, I’m so sorry, Caleb…

  I ran. Ran as fast as I could to catch him, but he was driving away fast.

  Am I not even worth a fight? Red?

  His car sped up, turned a corner, and then—

  He was gone.

  I wanted you to fight for me, just as I fought for you. But you wouldn’t.

  I stood there, staring after him, tears pouring down my face.

  I wanted him back, but I had hurt him so much, pushed him away so hard. I had let my past hurts take over me, destroy me. Had I pushed him so hard that he didn’t want me back?

  Oh my God. Am I too late?

  End of Book One

  Order Isabelle Ronin’s next book

  in the Chasing Red series

  Always Red

  On sale November 2017

  Read on for a sneak peek of what's next for Veronica and Caleb in

  Coming November 2017

  Chapter One

  Veronica

  This was it. This was my chance to make things right. I just didn’t know if I could take it.

  Dread and anxiety chilled my spine as I stepped off the bus. I stood in front of Caleb’s apartment building with my head bowed low, arguing with myself over whether or not I should go in. It had been a few hours since the fight in school, since I saw him drive away from the parking lot. It had been less than twenty-four hours since I packed my bags and left him.

  This had been my home with him…before.

  It wasn’t anymore.

  I knew good things didn’t last. Every time something good happened, something bad followed. Maybe, just maybe, this time it would be good again.

  Last time I entered this building, I had gotten a new phone for myself and a present for Caleb. Had he seen it yet? Did he keep it or throw it away?

  Heart racing, I clasped my hands together and tried not to wring them. Was he home? Would he let me in? What if he refused?

  If Caleb rejected me, I didn’t know if I could handle it…

  You rejected him first. What gives you the right to ask him not to reject you?

  Nothing.

  Caleb’s words burned in my mind. I want you to fight for me just as I fought for you. But you wouldn’t.

  I closed my eyes tightly. It hurt every time I heard his voice in my head. I hadn’t been ready to hear everything he had to say before, but I was ready now. Beatrice-Rose said they had kissed and claimed they did more.

  Caleb said they didn’t sleep together. Now that anger wasn’t clouding my thoughts, I realized that he had never lied to me before. If anything, he was too honest. Would he lie about something as serious as this? No, I realized, he wouldn’t. And he…he was the only person who never gave up on me.

  Don’t ask me to let go of you. I can’t, he had said.

  But did he still want me? Had he let go of me after what I’d done?

  My fears were nipping at my heels, waiting to pounce at my slightest weakness. I took a deep breath, pushing away my anxiety.

  Gathering my courage, I stepped forward and entered the lobby. And froze. Beatrice-Rose was walking out of the elevator, her steps fast and determined. What was she doing here?

  No one was allowed to go up unless the receptionist called the tenant, and the tenant gave the go-ahead. So Caleb must have given her permission to go up. The thought made me take a step back to hide out of Beatrice-Rose’s line of sight.

  What if something was going on between them? What if Caleb had given up on me and realized I wasn’t worth it?

  No, no. Didn’t you just say you believed him? You would fight for him?

  Damn right I would fight for him.

  Maybe Beatrice-Rose was trying to manipulate him again, pretending to be hurt and helpless to get what she wanted. If she tried anything with Caleb, she’d get more than a slap from me this time.

  The kiss last night wasn’t his fault. It was mine, she had said.

  Did he really kiss her? I had to know, and the only person who could tell me was Caleb. I needed to talk to him.

  I narrowed my eyes as I watched Beatrice-Rose get into a taxi. She had changed her clothes since I saw her a few hours ago. She wore a white baby-doll dress that ended above her knees. Her blond hair—now lengthened with expensive-looking extensions that bounced against her lower back—was swept off her beautiful face with a red headband. She had exchanged her heels in favor of white flats.

  She looked as innocent as a dove. You’d never know that she was a snake behind that beautiful face.

  Praying to God that Caleb hadn’t removed me from the list of approved visitors who could go straight up, I casually strolled to the elevators, trying to avoid the concierge’s hawk eyes. I froze when he spotted me, expecting him to call security to escort me out of the building, but he just smiled. I let out a relieved breath when the elevator doors closed.

  As the elevator climbed up, my heart started to race. I felt nervous, my hands clammy and cold as I twisted them together. When the elevator stopped at Caleb’s floor, I took a deep calming breath and walked out.

  My steps were muffled by the carpet as I neared his door. It was so quiet in the hallway that I could hear my heartbeat in my ears.

  Please don’t hate me.

  I stopped in front of his door, biting my lip. I had gotten used to going in without knocking, but I knew I had lost that privilege now.

  Oh God. What if I lost him too?

  Slowly, I raised my hand, forming a fist.

  Just do it!

  I closed my eyes tightly and knoc
ked.

  Order Isabelle Ronin’s next book

  in the Chasing Red series

  Always Red

  On sale November 2017

  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.