Chapter 20
Lila
"Did you get in touch with Drake?" I asked Caleb the question when I came back from my mom's bedroom with her. He had been in the living room talking to my dad. We were both still wearing our travel clothes, and he still managed to look handsome and dapper.
"No, we were talking. I haven't looked at my phone. Hang on, and I'll check."
Caleb started to look at his phone, and I looked at my dad with a questioning glance, wondering what he said to Caleb. My dad smiled at me.
"He's leaving too early in the morning for us to get breakfast," Caleb said. "But he's just finishing up with his last customer at the shop if you want to go by there and meet him tonight."
"Yes, let's go," I agreed with a nod.
Within a few minutes, we had said goodbye to my parents and were on the road headed to the tattoo shop where Drake had been working. Caleb drove, and he held my hand. We talked about him meeting my family on the way to the shop. I asked him if he and my dad had a good talk, and he said it was great, so I left it at that. We didn't hold hands or make any other contact in front of my family, and it was so nice to be able to touch him again in the car.
He had been such a champ about them all being there. They loved Caleb, and they were picky and honest whenever I had been interested in someone in the past. It was a long day at the end of a long week, and you would never know it with the way he smiled and interacted with them. Whatever he and my dad said to each other was good, too. They were both happy afterward.
My chest was alive with butterflies at his touch. I didn't know what I was in for with meeting Drake and I didn't care. Caleb had done such a good job with my crew that I owed it to him to make it smooth with Drake. I figured I would follow his lead.
Crown Tattoos. I read the sign on the way inside. We walked into the front room of the tattoo shop which was decorated in blacks and browns with a lot of plants. Loud, bassy music was being pumped through some nice speakers.
"Oh hey, are you Drake's brother? Of course you are, bro!" The guy had been yelling at us from the hallway, and he entered the front room with a big smile and wave. He was carrying a broom and wearing a beanie and a vintage t-shirt with a neat mustache. "Hey, they just walked next door. He went to talk to Anthony. He said to tell you to meet him over there." The guy was still having to yell over the loud music. He came closer to us and propped the broom against the wall. "I'll be in here cleaning up, man, if you need anything. Drake still has his stuff in here, so I know they're coming back. But he said to meet him over in the pub. I think they're getting nachos." He moved and gestured behind him, toward the hallway. "You can walk through the back of the shop, or just go back out the front door. Your brother and his client just went over there to hang out with Anthony for a minute. He owns both of these buildings, and they join in the back. You can go either way."
"Oh, we'll go back out front, it's closer," Caleb said.
The guy put a hand out, and he and Caleb did one of those handshakes that cool guys do.
"It's nice to meet you, bro. Caleb, right?"
"Yes, I'm sorry, I should have said that," Caleb said.
The guy glanced at me, and I smiled at him.
"And this is Lila," Caleb said.
I shook his hand and within a few more exchanges, we were back on the sidewalk, heading into the next house. The door was marked with a sign that said Anchor Bar & Grill in the same style as the shop next door. I could tell they had the same landscaping and general vibe. The front room was large with mood lighting and the same loud music. It was decorated with colorful eclectic décor like the place next door. It was similar, except it was packed.
Caleb looked back at me and smiled. He was a gorgeous specimen of a man, and I was proud to be there with him. The bar area was on the right with two rows of tables in the middle and to the left of the room. There must've been eight tables, and all of them were full. I glanced around, to see if I could find anyone who looked like Drake.
"There's my favorite Decker, right there!"
It was a deep male voice, and I looked up to find Eric Soren, long-time center for the Chicago Blackhawks. He had been playing professional hockey for what must've been a decade. He was also good friends with my father and an established family friend. He had come our way from the direction of the bar, and we met up in an empty spot near the door. Eric leaned in to hug me, and I hugged him back. He was close to my brothers, too. I hadn't seen him in a year or so, and he hugged me for a long time.
"It's been too long, Lila Decker. You're looking amazing. A real woman. Out on the town. Fancy seeing you here."
Eric paused and glanced reluctantly at the bar and then back at me. "The bartender was checking on something for me," he said, pointing that way explaining why he had to walk away.
"Yeah, of course. It was great seeing you."
"It was. Maybe I'll see you again if you end up staying here. Either way, I'll come by the house and see the family soon."
"Yeah, I'm not sure how long we're staying, but you should come by. It was good seeing you!"
It was crowded in there and Eric had walked away, headed toward the bar without so much as acknowledging Caleb. I wasn't even sure if he was aware that I was there with anyone else. He had looked straight at me the whole time. I glanced back at Caleb when Eric walked away and he leaned in to speak to me.
"They're in the very back," he said. "I just got a text from my brother."
I stared at him as I thought of the prospect of making our way through the crowd. The place was crowded. "If they're in the back, do you think it's faster to go next door and walk around? That guy was telling us we could go through there."
"Sure," he said.
We walked a few feet back to the door and went outside rather than walking through the whole crowded bar and restaurant. It felt nice to go that way and get some fresh air.
"Eric's a good friend of ours," I said to him, explaining. "My dad sort of mentored him a few years ago when he was just starting out."
"Drake loves hockey. I'm going to tell my brother he was in here."
"You know Eric?"
"Yeah, I recognize him. Drake's going to be pumped."
It was dark out, and Caleb looked handsome out here on the city streets.
"I started to get jealous, but then I realized that I'm going to have to get used to you knowing everyone."
I laughed nervously and pushed at him. "You're not jealous," I said.
He defended himself when I pushed, and I grabbed his hand and held onto it as we walked into the tattoo studio.
The same guy was walking outside with a trash bag.
"Hey, did you find them?" he asked looking confused. "They're in the back, and it's packed, so we were going to go through this way."
"Yeah, you guys go ahead. I'm taking the trash around back and then dropping this off at the bank on the corner. I'll be back in a few. Just walk to the back of the shop. You can't miss it. We share a courtyard with The Anchor. They're probably sitting outside."
"Thank you," Caleb said as we headed into the house. He held onto my hand as we walked inside. The music was playing. It was something different now, but it was the same style and equally loud. Caleb began to make his way through the first room, but I held him back from walking so quickly. He looked back at me when I tugged at his hand.
"Slow down, please."
He stopped and I looked around the room. "It's cool in here. I like it. I wanted to look around for a second." I leaned onto his shoulder. "And I just wanted to stop and talk to you for a minute. I'm sorry I didn't introduce you back there."
All of a sudden, Caleb was pulling me along, taking me by the hand, and leading me down the hallway. He pulled me into room. Before I knew what was happening, the door was closed behind me and I was thoroughly pinned against it. Caleb's hard body had me against the door, and I was gloriously breathless. I gave him a delighted smile as I touched the side of his face with my fingertips.
He took a deep breath. "Your dad said a bunch of very kind things to me about my character and we agreed that my intentions are good, Lila. And they are. They are good. But I'm also a man. I’m a gentleman, but I'm also a man-man."
"The gentle part is going out the window?" I asked, whispering to him. He lessened the pressure that he had on me, but I didn't want that, so I pulled him closer. "I wasn't saying you need to be gentle." I pulled him closer again. The music was blaring, and it was dark in there. I was staring at him and daring him to kiss me. He obliged in the most wonderful way, kissing me deeply from the moment our mouths met. He kissed me so hard that my body felt like it melted. I don't know how long we stayed in there. A few minutes? My body was in some sort of tingly-bliss state, and I had no concept of time. Caleb kissed me like a man kisses a woman—like a man kisses his woman.
There was the interaction with my parents and then Eric… and then the music was playing and it was dark, and it was just too much. We had to take a minute to finally connect. We were both breathing heavily when he finally pulled away. I had been thoroughly pinned against the door, and I didn't even realize it until he let me down.
"He's going to be coming back," Caleb whispered. "I'll go out first in case he's out there. You can wait a few seconds and then follow me."
I nodded and took a step back. But the guy wasn't in the hallway, and we walked outside together. I was vulnerable after such a kiss, and I held onto his arm as we moved through the back half of the tattoo studio. I let go of him and just held his hand once we made it onto the patio where we saw his brother.
Eric Soren was at the same table as Drake and three others were there as well. All of them looked at us, and Eric stared at me with newfound curiosity. I needed to say something.
"Are you here with Drake?" I asked, looking straight at Eric even though the others were taking in the scene.
"I just spent the last eight hours with Drake," Eric said, making an amazed face. He lifted his leg and gestured to his shin, which was wrapped in some sort of black bandage. "We did the whole outside of my leg, from the knee down," Eric said proudly.
"Yeah, Eric's my dog. He just sat like a rock. How do you know him?" Drake asked me the question as he stood and came toward me. I couldn’t tell if he was coming in for a handshake or hug, but I went forward and hugged him.
"Hello, Drake," I said, taking a second to look at him.
"Hello, Lila," he said, staring straight at me.
He was different than he was in pictures. I could see some of his brother in his eyes. The wooden deck beneath our feet extended to the furniture of the courtyard area, and some of the booths were built-in like sturdy picnic tables. It was rustic, but it was dressed up with bright artwork, plants, and string lights, and it was utterly charming.
The crew of five guys was sitting at a large round booth. The booth was fairly full when we arrived, and they started to squeeze in from both sides as if we would each take an end. "We'll both sit on this side, thanks, though." Caleb was talking to Eric who nodded and stopped scooting over. Caleb pulled me onto his lap once they made room near Drake. The table was already full, and it was set up for the lap-sitting to happen naturally and comfortably. I adjusted, supporting some of my weight on my feet. I was comfortable on the edge of his lap, and it seemed to be natural enough that no one skipped a beat—not even Drake who was sitting right next to us.
Eric had ordered more food at the bar which came out soon after we sat down. There was plenty to share, but I wasn't that hungry since we had eaten at my mom's. Eric was the first to leave, but the rest of us stayed and socialized for a while that night. Drake was a cool guy who had more than one story to share about Caleb. I didn't sit on his lap the whole time, but even after I adjusted, he held me near, never losing contact with me. I was proud and happy to sit next to him, and it gave me all sorts of feelings to have him there, showing me affection in front of those guys. It made it feel official. I felt like he was my boyfriend. I loved it. I wanted that to always be the case.
It was after midnight when we said goodnight to Drake and headed to Marcus's house. I went home feeling like I might just die if Caleb ever went back to California.