Chapter 13
Lila Decker
Later that same evening
It was after eleven when I arrived at the address Caleb had given me. I knew what kind of car he had, and saw it in the driveway. I parked on the side of it since I figured he would be leaving before me.
Drake's house was a small but nice Spanish stucco home that was situated in a neighborhood full of similar homes. The landscaping was done in palms and big spiky plants like cactus and succulents. I had been to Southern California before, and I always liked the contrast in the landscape to my home state. I tried to concentrate on the trees and plants so that I wasn't so nervous about seeing Caleb. It was no use. I was winded from carrying my luggage and it didn't help matters that just thinking about him made me feel sort of breath.
And there he was. The door swung open and he jogged down the steps and began crossing to me instantly. "I'm so sorry, I didn't hear you," he said rushing to take my bag from me. He met me at the bottom of the stoop. He hadn't shaved in days, and dark stubble grew in the most perfect patches on his jaw and cheeks. I leaned in like I was planning on hugging him but he pulled back a little.
"I want to hug you so much, but I've had a sore throat for two days. I'm feeling better tonight, but I don’t want you to—"
He stopped talking when I stretched upward, unafraid to approach him. I kissed his cheek. "I've had it too," I said. "I came down with it that same night I was with you at the diner. Yesterday was my first full day of feeling better. You might've gotten it from me. I'm sorry if that's the case." I reached for my suitcase. "Let me carry it if you aren't feeling well."
Caleb pulled it from me with an adorable smile. "Are you kidding, I feel so much better now," he said. "Come on, let's go in." He walked in front of me, carrying the suitcase in one hand as he opened the door. He set it down when we came inside.
Drake had a nice, clean house with a darkish artsy feel. The living room walls were deep grey with beautiful paintings and sculptures from different parts of the world. He was clean and also a collector, and I was instantly comfortable in his space.
"You can set up in the living room," he said. "That couch is amazing. I've taken many naps on that thing."
"Thank you. This is really nice," I said, coming to stand inside and looking around.
It was almost midnight here and even later back home. I had been up for a long time, and traveling all evening. I kicked off my shoes and turned to face him. I was nervous.
"Can I have a hug?" I asked turning to face him.
"Please," he said.
I caught a glimpse of his expression before we embraced, and I could tell he was weary and raw. "I didn't realize you were sick," I said. "I'm sorry if I gave it to you."
He sighed as we stood there motionless, continuing to embrace each other. It was like a dream to be in Caleb's arms. I let out a long sigh. I had only just gotten to know him, but it was enough. I was hungry and thirsty for him, desperate. There was just nothing as good as being by his side.
We held each other for what must've been three full minutes, maybe five.
Finally, I pulled back just far enough to focus on his face. There was a slight smile at the corners of his mouth, but his expression was mostly neutral and thoughtful. His eyes were impossibly dark, and they seemed to be even darker now… heavy, stormy.
"Are you going to fill me in on everything?" I asked, pulling him toward the couch so we could sit down. "All I knew was that Bailey had gotten hurt. Is she okay?"
"She is," he said in a soft tone. "I was at the hospital with her last night, and then I talked to her tonight…" He trailed off pausing and tilting his head at me. "Lila?"
"Yes."
"This is still sort of messy. I tried to tell her about us yesterday, and that was when she…"
He trailed off, and I feared the worst.
"Did she hurt herself?" I asked.
"No, wh—no, not intentionally. Look, the truth is that I am going to take care of it as quickly as I can. But I'm sorry. She's coming over to work in the morning, and I'm going try again to tell her about you. I tried to before, but she doesn't remember it because of the fall."
We were both sitting on the edge of the couch and I stared at him. "What fall?"
"She fainted."
"She fainted when she heard about… why did she faint?"
He shook his head. "I thought I might not even mention it to you."
"Did she faint when you told her about me?"
"I should have said it differently to her," he said. "She doesn’t even remember, anyway. I didn't want to lie to you."
"Yeah, we don't need to lie," I said, even though it felt like a lot to take in.
He reached over and took my hand. He held it to his chest, and I leaned against him, sighing comfortably. "Lila, it's been a long day, and I cannot imagine a better end to it. I feel like I'm dreaming right now, having you here. I am so happy you're here that I might just sit in that chair and watch you sleep all night."
I grinned and stretched up to put another kiss on his cheek. "I would not mind that," I said, even though I knew he was joking.
"How long can you stay?"
I shrugged. "A few days. Marcus and Sasha called me about doing a baby shower for one of the team wives. I'm going to meet with them on Wednesday."
"Oh, that's great," he said.
"I was thinking you could come back to Chicago with me," I said.
He glanced at me like he was trying to figure out what I was saying. "Like, come visit?" he asked.
"I would take a visit even though I want you to get a place there." I smiled at him and shrugged like I was joking around. I wanted him near me so much that I felt vulnerable talking about it. He put his arm around my shoulder and held me near him.
"Does your family know where you are?"
"Yes, of course. My mom does. She knows I'm in L.A. I didn't tell her the details."
"Do they know you're with me?"
"No," I said honestly. "I didn't know what I was coming into, and I didn't want to make her worry. She thinks I'm here with my friend, Mark."
"You have a friend named Mark who you take trips with?" He sounded surprised, and I smiled. I wanted him to be jealous of me after all this talk of Bailey.
"It's Mark from church, remember? Way back from youth group."
"The computer guy? The bowler?"
"That's him. He's successful now. He can take trips when he wants. He's a friend. He's non-threatening. My mom would believe me if I said he and I were meeting here to do some sightseeing. She did believe it because that's what I told her." I shrugged shyly. "I would tell her that I'm here for you, but I didn't know what I was—"
"No, I get it."
I pulled back and stared at him. His face with the stubble in all the right places, he was just so gorgeous. I stared at the curves of his face.
"What do you get?"
"Your parents probably wouldn't approve."
"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, staring at him.
He shrugged one shoulder. "I don't know. Parents can usually go either way about me."
I touched the side of his face. It was like a work of art. "Surely you're not concerned about what my parents think about you," I said. "Not when you’ve got success and such… purpose and assurance in your life."
He gave me a shrug. "I'm just saying, I figured you told them you were with Mark because they'd be wary of me."
I leaned in closer, staring at him. I spoke quietly, my face only inches from his. "I didn't lie because of that. I lied because I wasn't sure what I was coming into tonight. I wasn't sure you wouldn't break my heart, Caleb. I'm the only girl, and my family's really protective. I didn't want you to suffer their scorn if I came home disappointed."
"I'm sorry," he said sincerely. "But that wouldn't happen. Yours is the only heart I'm not willing to break." His voice was soft and quiet, and he spoke with calm certainty that made me know he was telling the truth.
I hugged him. I leaned into him, resting my face on his chest, and he put his arm around me and held me close. I knew it wasn't just about the tattoos. He had mentioned before that he wasn't sure how my parents would like the fact that his parents were hardly in the picture. He knew family was important to my parents. I knew those things had crossed his mind because he had mentioned it before. I wanted to reassure him, but I didn't know how to say it.
It was quiet in his brother's house, and I could hear his heart and his breathing. I became intensely aware of having Caleb next to me. I felt genuine love for him, and I knew my parents would also, once they got to know him. "My parents are going to love you. Lying to them was more about… not putting pressure on… whatever this is between us."
"I didn't think pressure was a bad thing." His voice was deep and his words made me smile.
"Yeah, no, I like pressure," I said. "I didn't know how you felt about it."
He held me close. "It's made this day so much better that you're here. I want nothing to change about this moment."
I was still resting my head on his chest. He had his hand on the side of my face, holding me there. His t-shirt was thin and threadbare, and I could feel the warmth of his body and his muscles. I was at peace now that I was next to him.
"Let's eat that food. I'm hungry," I said, changing the subject as I sat up.
"How'd you know I bought food?"
"I smell it," I said. I sniffed. "Is it chicken and waffles?"
"How did you know that?"
"I'm telling you, I smell it. I'm hungry. Thank you for getting food."
"You're welcome. That's amazing. You nailed it."
I smiled at him. "I’m good. Come on, let's eat."
We stood and made our way to Drake's kitchen where we put food on plates. I was so attracted to Caleb that I was checking him out the whole time he was in the kitchen washing his hands and making plates. I wanted to talk about Bailey and see what was going on and where they stood. I wanted to say that I had been doing research on video editing and that I thought I could help him in ways we never thought of. I wanted to beg him to never leave my side—to come back to Chicago with me. But I just stayed quiet.
"Your mom doesn't know where you are," he said as we sat at the bar with our food.
"Not technically, but she's got me on a tracking app."
I smiled at him, and he made a little smirk.
He was just beautiful.
"Do you want me to tell her the truth about who I'm with? I'll call her right now and tell her."
"It's the middle of the night in Chicago."
I shrugged. "She keeps the phone by her bed," I said. "She wouldn't mind a call. She's probably been up watching Life 360, anyway, making sure I got here."
"Only if you want to. Not for me."
"The only reason I didn't tell her the truth was because I had no details. I didn't know what you were thinking, and I didn't want to assume things."
His eyes snapped up to meet mine. "You can assume anything you want with me."
"I'm calling my mom," I said. "She'll be glad to hear from me."
I dug for my phone and called my mom, holding the phone to my ear.
"Hey baby," she said in a quiet tone. "Is everything all right."
"Yes. Sorry it's so late."
"No, I'm glad you called. Did you find Mark and your hotel?" she asked.
I didn't have it on speaker phone so Caleb couldn't hear her.
"Yes, ma'am. But I'm not here with Mark. I'm staying at a friend's brother's house who's out of town. I have the place to myself. It's great in here. I'm all settled in."
"You're staying at someone's house?" she asked, sounding more aware and concerned.
"It's all good. Do you remember that guy who I showed you with the YouTube channel?"
"The one with the tattoos?"
"Yes, ma'am," I agreed.
"You're staying at that guy's house?"
"No ma'am. It's his brother. That guy is Caleb, and I'm staying at Caleb's brother's house. He lives right around the corner from here. It's a nice neighborhood—great houses. The point of my calling was to tell you that I arrived safely in L.A., and all is well. I'm sorry I said I was meeting Mark. Mark's not here. I'm here meeting my friend, Caleb. It's all good, I promise. I'll just be a few days still. I'll text you his number right now so you have it. I know you know me and you can trust that I'm safe and making good choices."
"Is he in the house with you?"
"Right now, yes, but I'm staying here alone."
"What happened with Mark?"
"Nothing. He was never a thing. I lied. I'm sorry."
She let out a breath like she was going to say something but stopped, confused. "Are you okay, Lila?"
"Yes. I'm so good."
"You're comfortable and happy?"
"So much. I'm in a great house and really happy to see my friend. Everything is going as planned. I'm just sorry I lied about the details. I knew you didn't know him that well, and I didn't want you to worry, but now that I’m here I wanted to call and tell you the truth."
"And it's Caleb," she said his name like she was still uncertain.
"Yes ma'am. Like I said, I'm going to text you his number. He's standing right here next to me." He was sitting on the edge of a bar stool, and I held out the phone to him.
"Hello, Mrs. Decker," he said, leaning in toward the phone.
"Hello, Caleb!" my mom called. "He can't hear you," I told her, holding the phone to my ear again. "My mom says hello," I said, to him. "I love you, Mom. I'll text you and check in tomorrow."
"Lila," she said in a soft tone.
"Uh-hm? I asked casually.
"I'm thinking about this… I'm just making sure, one last time, that you're good and you're not being held there against your will. You can speak in some kind of code if you need to tell me something—mention football or peanuts on the plane, something random."
"No, no need for that. I'm actually so happy. I'll explain everything later, but I'm good. I promise."
"Okay," she said. "I love you."
"I love you, too. And tell Dad I said love you."
"Text me in the morning."
"I will," I said.
I hung up my phone and smiled at Caleb.
"Was she okay with it?"
"Yes. She asked if I needed rescuing because it was weird that I lied. She told me to say peanuts if I need her to swoop in and save me, but I told her I was fine."
"You didn't say peanuts?"
I smiled. "No."
"Did you wake her up?"
"I don't think so."
I reached out to touch the back of his hand with my fingers. We were at the bar with our food, and he was smiling at me. I tried to take a picture of the scene to store it in my most loved memories. Caleb was ill and weary, and he was still the most handsome, appealing man I had ever seen. His brother collected a lot of tribal-inspired artwork and seeing Caleb sitting in that house with a tight t-shirt and his tattoos made it feel like I was in a scene from a movie. It was perfect. He was perfect. I loved every single thing about him.