6. You Make Me Feel #2
Pulling over by the ice cream shop, he leaned over and smiled at her in a way that nearly made her forget herself as his hazel-green eyes peered into hers.
"... yet ..." he winked. Caleb hopped out of his truck and jogged over to her side.
He held out his hand for her. "Watch your step," he said, helping her.
Holding his calloused hand, Deja hopped out of the truck. Caleb instinctively grabbed her waist to keep her steady. She looked into his eyes bashfully. "...thanks..."
Caleb searched her eyes. "...yeah… course..."
Grabbing seats outside, Deja sat down across from him while a waitress with a prosthetic leg from the knee down approached their table. "Welcome to Mickey's Ice Cream Shop. What can I get-Hey, Caleb!" the woman blurted as Caleb took off his cap.
"Oh! Hey, Kat! I didn't know you were working here. New job?"
"2nd week. A little nervous," Kat smiled eagerly. "But feeling better now that you're here."
"Well, I'm glad I could ease your anxiety," he grinned. "Looking stronger every day with that leg," he said, gesturing to her prosthetic.
"Thanks! I'm even comfortable running now!"
Caleb smiled, glancing at Deja. "This is Deja. She moved here not too long ago."
Kat smiled politely at Deja. "Nice to meet you. Do you guys know what you want?"
Deja looked at the menu. "Um… I'll just have vanilla."
"And I'll have peanut butter Reese's and cookie dough with some M&M's and chocolate fudge on top," Caleb smiled at Kat.
"Coming right up!" Kat said, turning back to the shop.
Caleb caught Deja cringing. "...what? What's that face for? You're not allowed to make that face when I'm treating you to ice cream!" he snorted.
"Nothing-Nothing… I just think I caught a cavity after listening to your order," Deja shrugged.
"Now, she's judging my taste in ice cream! After ordering vanilla ?!"
Deja scoffed in offense. "What's wrong with vanilla?"
"Oh, nothing-nothing..." Caleb smirked. "...is everything about you… vanilla ?"
"Caleb!" she blurted as he threw his head back laughing. "That is inappropriate !"
"Wha-where is your mind, hmm? I could be talking about cakes, drinks, candy for all you know," Caleb grinned.
"Yeah, sure, okay," Deja said skeptically as Kat approached them with their ice cream.
"There you go," Kat said, placing their ice cream down. "Enjoy."
"Thanks," Caleb smiled, waving her off. Eating her ice cream, Deja watched Caleb dig into his. He went to take another bite when he looked up at her and met her gaze. "...you gonna judge the way I eat too?" he smirked.
Deja laughed. "I'm not judging!"
"You're definitely judging. I can see it in those big, beautiful brown judgy eyes of yours!" he teased. Deja chuckled when she saw him smiling warmly at her. Clearing her throat, she looked back at her ice cream. "You should try some," he said.
"Oh, no. I-"
"Just a little. I promise you'll love it," Caleb insisted, holding his spoon out to her. Leaning forward, Deja took the spoon into her mouth. Caleb watched her carefully as her lips wrapped around the spoon.
She licked her lips, humming with satisfaction at the sweet flavors swirling in her mouth. "Mmm… okay, fine. It's pretty good..."
From his lack of response, she glanced at Caleb and was taken aback not just by the silent way he stared at her but by the blatant lust that had darkened his hooded, green-hazel eyes.
Deja swallowed thickly, her cheeks burning with heat. She felt like a lumpy potato and figured she'd lost any semblance of attractiveness. She hadn't been stared at like that since...
Caleb snapped out of it, looking at her rather confused before smiling. "Sorry… I, uh-it's good, right?"
She nodded with a smile. "I used to make my own ice cream concoctions as a kid," he said, taking another bite.
"You do that often, don't you?" she asked. "Experiment to create your own version of things?"
Smiling, Caleb looked down into his cup. "It's a habit, I guess." Caleb looked up at her. "...I like playing with things… and molding them into new creations..."
Deja couldn't quite place what she saw in his provocative gaze. "Have you always worked in agriculture?"
"Since I was a boy," Caleb nodded. "I loved playing in dirt. My uncle owned a farm that I helped manage. Working the fields is how I discovered my love for the earth… for this world and all her beauty."
Deja smiled at the way his eyes lit up with adoration. "She's a gift,” Deja said. “That's why I'm in the work that I'm in to save her."
"Sounds like you're the gift," Caleb smiled. "Not many people have the kind of devotion to her that you do."
Deja snorted. "If they did, we wouldn't be killing her. We wouldn't have a doomsday clock with the earth on the verge of collapse from the risk of global warming," she sighed. "I swear… humans are such a plague."
Caleb chuckled. "That's true. Humans are definitely harmful. But they can still be quite useful when used properly."
Deja smiled, confused. "Used properly?"
Hesitating to speak, Caleb smiled. "Take you, for example. You're fighting to preserve our most precious environments."
" Trying ," she emphasized.
Caleb chuckled. "...you'll get there..."
Deja caught that same hungry look in his gaze. She quickly cleared her throat. "Well, thank you for stuffing me with ice cream. But I've exhausted my social battery for the day and am ready to go home."
Caleb immediately burst into laughter. "What?" she asked.
"You couldn't use better phrasing than 'stuffing you'," he teased.
"What's wrong with tha-?" she asked when her face got hot. "Oh, you pervert!" she blurted as Caleb laughed again. "So, you have a filthy mind too?"
Caleb grinned. "No, I'm a sweetheart. Just look at this face. Does this look like the face of someone with a filthy mind?"
Deja blinked at him. "Is that a trick question?" she asked as he laughed again.
Heading back home, Deja noticed how Caleb interacted with others. Everyone not only knew him but also genuinely liked him. There was respect without fear. He treated everyone with the same selflessness, regardless of who they were.
From the look of his truck, the clothes he wore, and his occupation, he wasn't very wealthy either. Rather, down-to-earth. Simple .
Deja was wary of men who came off as perfect. But perfection was not to be confused with simplicity.
"It should last you for a few days with that quick fix, but you should really get that muffler replaced," Caleb said, wiping the oil from his hands.
"It causes way too much air pollution." Sitting in his truck, Deja watched Caleb help a man with a prosthetic arm restart his engine after his car had broken down.
Caleb seemed to love working with his hands.
"Are you gonna try to sell your bullshit 'environmental-friendly' electronics again?" the man mocked.
Caleb sighed. "Gerry… I'm not tryna sell you anything, bud. But it would be nice if you were a bit more considerate of your home-"
"Caleb, you know I like you, but I'm really not into that green-shit propaganda. So, you can save it for the next sheep. Thanks for the cable jump."
Deja watched Gerry get into his car and drive off. But Caleb just stood there. She furrowed her brows in confusion at his lack of movement. "Caleb?"
Caleb suddenly turned around and smiled. "Yep? Sorry 'bout that. Got lost in thought for a moment. Eesh! I was supposed to get you home over an hour ago!"
Deja watched him as he slid back into his truck. "You okay?" she asked. "He was a bit of a dick."
Caleb stared ahead before snapping out of it again.
He smiled. "Oh… no, no, no. Gerry is a good guy.
He's a good guy. He's twice divorced, with a little girl he shares custody with his second ex-wife.
He lost his mother a few years ago. Lost his job earlier this year and his arm the year before.
He's going through a bit of a hard time right now, ya know?
He's just… a little misinformed, is all. "
Caleb shrugged with a smile as he started the truck back up. "He's still useful. Everyone is useful."
Deja snorted. "So, he gets away with lambasting you, but I get labeled the 'mean one'?"
"You are the mean one!" Caleb laughed.
By the time they arrived at Deja's apartment, Deja's cheeks ached from laughing so much. Caleb had to be the biggest goofball she had ever met. His jokes ranged from hysterical to downright cringe-worthy. And she couldn't deny that she enjoyed his light-hearted demeanor.
"I feel like you took the long way to bring me back home?" Deja smirked.
Caleb grinned. "Maybe I was just looking for any excuse to keep you longer."
Deja rolled her eyes. "God, you are such a dork !"
Caleb threw his hands up in surrender. "See that? Mean! Just mean!" he protested as Deja laughed.
"Sorry. I enjoy poking fun at you," she teased.
Shaking his head with a grin, Caleb stared at her. "...like I said… you're gonna bust my balls… drag my ass to hell… and tear me down every chance you get..." Deja rolled her eyes when she felt Caleb place his hand on top of hers. She looked into his eyes as he leaned in towards her.
"...and I'll enjoy every bit of it..." he said softly.
Deja sharply inhaled as he tenderly brushed his lips against hers in a searing kiss.
She melted into him for just a moment before she abruptly pulled back.
Caleb blinked at her before quickly shaking his head. "Shit. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-"
"It's fine," Deja said.
"No, I should've asked first instead of just taking it from you. That was an asshole move. I'm sorry," Caleb sighed.
"It's fine, really. It's not like I didn't kiss you back..."
Caleb looked at her. "...Deja-"
"Whatever you want, I can't give it to you," she said abruptly.
Caleb furrowed his brows. "...Deja, I'm not-"
"I can't date you. I can't be with you. That kiss was nice, but it can never happen again. In fact, I think this should be the last time we see each other," Deja added.
"...well, damn..." Caleb said, facing forward. "Am I that bad?"
"No," Deja sighed with exasperation, rubbing her forehead. "I just… I can't be involved with anyone. I have too much shit going on in my life. I need to be alone. I need you to leave me alone . This should have never happened, and I'm sorry for leading you on."
Caleb looked at her, confused. Something felt… off . "...are you… are you in danger, Deja?"
Deja suddenly looked at him wide-eyed. "Why the fuck would you ask that?!"
Caleb blinked, startled. "It was just a question-I mean, you sound scared-do you need help?"
" No !" Deja snapped angrily. Tears brimmed in her eyes as she thought about the last person who asked her if she was in danger and needed help. She still remembered the way Jax smashed his face into a brick wall until it was nothing but a bloody mess. "Don’t ask me that! Don’t-"
Deja was hopping out of his truck before she could finish her sentence. "Deja, wait-" Caleb immediately hopped out to follow her.
"Don’t follow me!" she shouted at him.
"Deja! What is going on with you?!" Caleb said, trying to grab her. But Deja angrily spun around.
"Are you stupid? Why the fuck are you still following me?!" she snapped at him, emotion cracking her voice. Caleb looked at her, stunned by her sudden rage as she practically morphed in front of him. Her whole body trembled with anger, but in her teary brown eyes, he saw blatant fear.
He wanted to hold her, touch her, comfort her. He desperately wanted to feel her lips again. But most importantly, he wanted to make her feel safe.
But she recoiled from him as if he would harm her. Caleb felt lost. "...Deja..." he said softly, taking a cautious step towards her. "...I really… really like you, okay?"
Deja looked at him, distressed by his confession.
"I think you're incredibly beautiful. Ridiculously intelligent.
Embarrassingly funny, but not as embarrassing as me, obviously.
And kind. Even if you enjoy insulting me every chance you get.
" Caleb took another step closer. "I don't need to date you.
Even if I do want you . But I would at least like to be your friend. "
Wrapping her arms around herself, Deja shook her head and took a step back. "No, Caleb. Please. You have no idea what I-"
"Then let me help," he insisted. "Whatever you're going through, you don't have to go through it alone-"
"You can't," she said, tears streaming down her face as she took another step back. "Please, just go away. Just leave me alone. Please."
Caleb's shoulders fell as he looked at her helplessly. "...Deja-"
"I'm pregnant!" she blurted.
Caleb looked at her wide-eyed. "...you're… you're what?"