Chapter 18
We embraced after my unlikely hole-in-one. It was triumphant and hilarious, and there was such barely-harnessed passion in our eyes afterward that the first thing on my mind was getting out of there and going to Drake's. Caleb agreed, and we quickly went to turn in our balls and clubs before making our way to the parking lot and into his car. It was parked facing the back of the building and it was dark out, so we had privacy when we made it there.
I don't even think he started the engine. He might've. All I knew was that he locked the door and reached over for me. It was as if the space between us didn't exist. We came together, and we were kissing. It was a passionate, impatient kiss that had been building for the last three days. Things were different between us. His kiss was possessive, his tongue was in my mouth, and he claimed me, held me.
I was achy with need and I loved kissing him. Our contact became gentle after a few minutes of passion. We started kissing lightly. We would pause between kisses and say things to each other. I couldn't tell you what we said. All I knew was that I was the happiest and most content I had ever been in my whole life. We stayed in his car for more than a half hour, and it seemed like an absolute instant.
"Are you ready?" he said.
"I guess we do need to go," I agreed, sitting up and settling back into the passenger's seat. I straightened up and put on my seatbelt, and before I knew it we were on the road.
We drove for ten or fifteen minutes, heading to Drakes.
"Are you okay?" I asked, seeing him stare into the rearview mirror with a concerned expression. My first thought was that we were getting pulled over, but we were on a quiet neighborhood street and I didn't see any lights or sign of a cop. He crept to the side of the road and parked in front of a random house.
"There's a car that was following me. It stopped back there on the other side of that house. I turned into this neighborhood, and… I think it's Bailey behind us."
I looked back to see if I could see anything.
"The car stopped around that corner, but it's been behind us since we left golf. I thought I saw it earlier, too. That's why I drove back in this neighborhood, to see if it would follow me."
"And it did?" I asked, still looking.
"Yes," he agreed.
He grabbed my hand and stared at me, his dark eyes searching my own. "I'm pretty sure it's Bailey. And honestly, Lila, I hate it. This is too much. I have to deal with it."
"What are you going to do?" I asked him since I could tell he was taking some kind of action.
"I'm going to talk to her. Can you do me a favor and wait here in this car, even if it takes a little while?"
"Yes. I'll wait."
"Thank you. I might be fast. I'm gonna go see if it's her. If so, I'm going to take a minute and talk to her."
"What if she hurts you?" I said, feeling like it was a reasonable fear.
"She won't," he said, nodding like he felt sure of himself. He seemed serious, like he was in a hurry to go take care of it, so I just let him go.
I turned in my seat and watched as he walked away. He walked to the end of the block, and then he disappeared around a corner where I could no longer see him. I locked the car doors and stared at my phone in an effort to distract myself and try not to feel stressed as I waited for him. I told myself to forget about how long it had been, but it was impossible. I watched the clock. I also watched the rearview mirror, looking for his form to appear. Between all that watching, I checked his YouTube and could see that he had posted a video earlier today. I clicked on it and watched the first five minutes.
Finally, I saw Caleb approaching when I glanced in the mirror, and I paused the video. He was visible in the passenger's side rearview mirror as he was walking up the sidewalk toward me. He wasn't moving as quickly now. Even in his walk, he seemed less anxious. I watched as he crossed in front of me to the driver's side and I pressed the button to unlock the door and let him in.
He opened the door and sat inside, staring straight ahead at the steering wheel and taking a deep breath.
He seemed stunned.
"She's gone," he said.
It was weird how he said it.
"Like gone-gone?"
"Yes. We left it at us not working together anymore. She left, and she's not going to bother us again."
"Really? How? What happened?"
"I can't even tell you. I can mostly tell you, but I don't remember exactly what I said. Someone once told me that if you want a person to leave you alone, just tell them how much you love Jesus."
"So that's what happened?"
"Yes."
"Really? I thought she knew that already."
"Me too. But I guess I was…" He hesitated, shaking his head thoughtfully as if remembering how it all happened. "We were talking, and at first, I was trying to reason with her. It was the same stuff we've been going over for the last two days. She couldn’t or wouldn't comprehend that I had feelings for you." He paused and shook his head. "She was so locked-in on what she wanted and uncomprehending of what I was saying that I thought there was honestly no chance of getting through to her. Obviously, it was not okay that she followed us for hours tonight."
"She did?" I asked making a face at the thought.
"Yes. It was either that or she was tracking me, and either one of those options is bad. She had excuses for everything. She was obsessed. She kept being frantic. She saw us kiss earlier. She said specific things. I was out of answers, honestly." He paused and smiled, shaking his head. "And then it was like a miracle happened."
"What? What happened? The Jesus thing?"
"Yes. I prayed out loud."
"You prayed?"
"Yes. It was a two-minute prayer, and it turned her off like a light switch. I don't even remember what I said. Somehow, she didn't want me after that."
"It turned her off? A prayer?"
"Yes. She lost interest."
"You said it out loud?"
"Yes, and I realized I had never really prayed with her before. I think she disrespected me afterward. I could see the change. She saw me as a weird Jesus freak. Too religious, maybe. It was unbelievable. She went from begging me to love her to awkwardly wanting to leave and telling me that she thought it was better if we didn't work together anymore. It was like a dream, honestly."
"I bet. What happened? She just left?"
"Yes. She drove away and she was looking at me like she wanted nothing to do with me—almost like she felt bad for me."
"What?"
"I promise. That's how it seemed."
"How did it surprise her that you prayed? That's what your job is. That's the whole point of your channel."
"I know, but I guess I've just never prayed with her before. I don't know what happened. She was begging me, and then I prayed, and when I finished she lost all interest. She said 'I think it's best if we part ways'."
"And what did you say?"
He shook his head. "I said I agreed, and I thanked her for everything she had done for me. I have to be in touch with her to get some of my passwords and accounts straight, but I think she's going to be cool and help me out with all that." He touched his face like he was dreaming, and then he looked at me like he was confused. "Do I still look the same? Am I the same Caleb? Part of me thought I might have changed physically. Am I repulsive now?"
"Not even close," I said.
"Well, whatever I prayed, it worked. We hugged. It was clinical and non-emotional, and we said goodbye. It was like, that's-that."
"That's unbelievable," I said, staring at the side of his face.
"It is unbelievable. It was like she was one person and then I prayed, and when I finished, she was a different person. I'm still trippin' over it."
"Are you sad about it?" I asked, wondering if he would miss her affection.
"No. No, I'm relieved. Why, are you sad about it?" he stared at me.
"What, no, why would I be sad about it?"
"I don't know. That's how weird and sudden her change was."
"You were hoping that I was still attracted to you?"
"Yes. It's crazy how abruptly things turned around with her."
"Do you think she pretended not to want you because she was embarrassed about being caught following you?"
"No. I could actually tell in her eyes. The attraction was gone."
"Did it break your heart?" I asked him.
"No, it didn't. I don't mean to make a big deal about it. I'm relieved if anything. I was just making sure you still feel the same way."
I took a second to think about it. "Yeah, just no praying, please. I can't handle any praying. If you pray, I'm outta here."
His expression grew serious for a split second and I cracked a smile letting him know I was joking.
He laughed. "You can't say that because I'm still stunned," he said.
"Of course you can pray. I know who you are, Caleb. Look at your YouTube channel."
He shrugged. "I don't know what did it. I don't really care. It was supernatural I think."
"That's amazing," I said, staring at him. "So it's done, just like that? She's not working with you?"
"No," he said. "We argued for five straight minutes, then I prayed, and then we wrapped things up in a cordial, three-minute business-like conversation. She said she'd be available to help me with the software and getting settled with someone new."
"Are you hiring someone?" I asked.
"I don't know what I'm doing," he said. "I'll figure it out. Ready or not."
I could tell he was blown away by what had just happened. It must have been a trip to have someone so obsessed just turn a corner like that. I took his hand and pulled it near me, near my chest. I held onto him, and he turned to look at me from over the console.
"Could you come home with me?" I said. "Just come with me, and we'll figure it out. I was thinking about it, and we have connections at Northwestern you could maybe work some of the time from—"
"Yes," he said, cutting me off.
"Yes?"
"Yes, I'll come."
"You will? When?"
"Whenever you want me to."
I beamed. "Tomorrow?" I said, blinking at him with a hopeful smile.
He grinned at me—a slow, ridiculously gorgeous grin. "Yes, tomorrow," he said.
"Reallyyy?" I said the word in a quiet high-pitch screech that was unintentional and just came out because of how excited I was.
He smiled. "Yes, if you want me to."
"I do want you to! Are you being serious right now? Because I'm, I'm getting my hopes up. Could you even pull it off where you leave tomorrow? Logistically, I mean?"
I already knew the answer to my question. I had come to L.A. on the same day. I just wanted him to say that it was possible.
"Definitely," he said, looking serious.
"Are you going to?"
"Yes, I am."
"Could you get on the same flight as me?"
"Maybe. I can try."
"How long can you stay?"
"I don't know. I have no idea what'll come after tomorrow, but yes. I'd… I'd really like to go with you… if you don't mind."
"Don't mind? I'm the one who's been begging. I'm trying not to be obsessed. Your mom was right about you," I said. "You're irresistible."
"Please excuse my mom," he said.
"No, she was right about a lot of it. She knows what a catch you are. And she said I had my talons in you, which is also right."
He shook his head with a little grin. "I'm so sorry."
"No, I want her to be right. It's not offensive because if a bird's talons are in that means she's keeping whatever she's holding. My actual talons won't do any harm," I said, smiling and staring at my own fingernails which were short and rounded, painted with a coat of clear polish. "But figuratively, I don't mind what she said. I want my talons in."
He gave me a roguish grin. "Then I want 'em in, too."