8. Breaking Point
CHAPTER EIGHT
Breaking Point
Caleb chewed his bottom lip, anxiously watching Deja open her gift. He waited with bated breath for her reaction.
Until he saw her eyes water. His heart nearly stopped.
"You hate it," he said, running his fingers through his hair. "Fuck. I knew I shouldn't have-"
"It's beautiful..." Deja rubbed the soft, cream-colored cashmere sweater against her face.
"I just figured… You like sweaters-I thought you'd look really good in this-I mean, I thought you'd like it." Caleb wanted to punch himself in the face for his inability to speak. Deja made him feel like a nervous schoolboy.
Looking into the box, she saw a card with her name on it. "Oh, that-" Caleb said as she picked it up. "I wasn't sure if-um… shit..."
Reading the card, Deja looked at him, surprised. "...prenatal massage?"
"Okay, so basically I was in the women's section of the mall, lost as all hell.
And for some reason, women think that's adorable because many approached me, asking if I needed help.
And I said I'm trying to find a gift for my pregnant friend who's a little stressed.
And they said I should get you a prenatal massage.
I didn't even know that was a thing, but here we are, and…
here you are ." Caleb chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck when his face fell. "It's too much, isn't it-"
Deja interrupted by throwing her arms around him, hugging him tightly. As her body relaxed against him, Caleb cautiously wrapped his arms around her.
"...this is the nicest thing… anyone has done for me… in so long..." she whispered. "Thank you, Caleb..." She peeled back, and his throat tightened at the tears that stained her cheeks. He wanted to kiss them from her face. "I'm sorry," she chuckled, wiping her face. "Pregnancy hormones."
Caleb smiled. "...let me feed you..."
"So, these life globes are curated to not only mimic the environment they're in, but also recreate an ecosystem that hasn't been compromised by human interference."
Deja spoke faster than her mind could think. With an empty plate and crumbs dotting the corners of her mouth, she excitedly relayed her life's work to the man sitting across the table from her, absorbing every word.
Leaning his head on his hand, Caleb soaked in every word that fell from Deja's lips. He was truly fascinated that someone who seemed so angry could harbor so much creativity and innovation in that guarded mind. He rarely found others as passionate about the environment as he was.
Deja paused once she noticed the dreamy way Caleb was watching her. His gaze had softened, and a smirk teased the corners of his lips. "What? Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?" she asked.
"Yeah. I've been staring at the crumbs around your mouth for like half an hour now."
"Oh my god!" Deja blurted, embarrassed, wiping her face as Caleb laughed.
"I'm kidding!" he said. "Well, not about the crumbs. I'm just… impressed. You've got an incredibly unique mind, Deja."
Deja's cheeks warmed with pride and validation. "Thank you. And thank you for lunch. I'm… stuffed ."
Caleb bit his lip, trying to hold back a joke. Deja rolled her eyes. "Are you 12?"
"Maybe, I am Deja!" he said, tossing a few bills on the table. "Come on. I have something to show you."
Deja followed Caleb to his truck. He opened the trunk, and her eyes widened in shock. "Caleb! I… I can't-that's..."
"You need a crib, don't you?" Caleb said, patting the large box. "This came highly recommended. And … it comes with a radio that plays nursery rhymes."
Deja shook her head. "I can't take this, Caleb. I can't."
"Just think of it as a baby shower gift," Caleb insisted.
Deja swallowed hard. She hadn't even thought about the fact that she'd miss out on having a baby shower. How she'd have to start saving up to buy diapers and all the necessities for a new mom.
It was overwhelming.
Suddenly, she realized… she was completely unprepared.
"Okay, see, now you're panicking," Caleb said, grabbing her shoulders. "Try to calm down."
Deja looked at him with teary eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm just… I'm scared. I'm scared to give birth. I'm scared to be a mom. I don't wanna do this! I don't-"
"Hey-hey," Caleb said, trying to calm her. "It's going to be okay. You won't be alone." Swallowing down a sob, she searched Caleb's hazel-green eyes, trying to figure him out. "We can start by creating a nursery in your apartment," he continued.
"My place is small. I don't have the room," Deja protested.
Caleb snorted. "I'll be the judge of that!"
Anxiously hugging herself, Deja watched Caleb use a measuring tape to note the dimensions of her bedroom walls.
Caleb made several marks on her floors and walls while muttering a few numbers to himself that he jotted down on his hand.
"So, I'm thinking… crib goes here, right? So you can be close to the baby. We could put a small shelf here to store the baby items. We could get a little dresser here. Or … you could even get an open container, cut out its side, and use it like a mini closet!"
Deja chuckled at how passionate Caleb was about redesigning her room. She couldn't deny how much she appreciated someone offering to help her navigate this new stage of her life.
"I'll pick up my supplies to start building-I could probably get half the furniture for a discount-" Caleb continued.
"Caleb, that's not necessary-"
"Too late! I'm totally invested! Property Brothers, who?! I'm gonna like… start my own HGTV show."
Deja laughed. "Alright, don't get crazy!"
Caleb grinned as he walked out of her room and headed for the door. "I'll bring up the crib and then stop by my place to pick up some tools."
"Caleb," she stopped him. He looked back at her with a raised brow. Deja hesitated. "...thank you..."
Caleb sharply exhaled. His fingers twitched, and Adam's apple bobbed as his hooded eyes stared at her as if she were forbidden fruit. An argument raged on in his head, trying to dissuade himself before he...
"Fuck it," he said, wrapping his hand around the back of her neck, his lips hungrily smothering hers.
Deja stumbled back as Caleb swallowed her in his embrace. She felt his tongue slide between her lips before she abruptly stepped back from him. Caleb blinked at her, his face flushed with regret. "Shit… Deja, I'm sorry. I didn't-"
But Deja cut him off with a ravenous kiss of her own. Standing on her toes, she fisted his shirt and pulled him closer until his hands slid around her waist, holding her like he would never let go. It felt so foreign to be held like this...
His tongue played with her lips before she parted them, allowing him to taste her. He moaned with delight as if she had just pleasured him. But before she could further lean into the kiss, Caleb abruptly pulled back.
Deja looked at him, confused, trying to catch her breath. "What?" she asked.
"...this… this isn't some trade-off, Deja," Caleb said seriously. "I'm not doing any of this because I expect you to sleep with me. I like you, Deja. I want you to be happy . And I'm doing this because we're… friends..."
Deja raised a brow. "...well… friends … don't usually kiss each other..."
Caleb grinned. "...We could be really good friends."
"Goodbye, Caleb," she laughed, pushing him out.
Her eyes were wide with horror, though her voice never wavered.
Sylvia didn't understand how her fellow choir members seemed so unbothered by the gruesome sight before them. How many times had they done this that they were so desensitized?
...how many times had he ordered them to perform… for him ?
The room reeked of blood and carnage. Her feet were practically glued to the floor from the blood that had escaped the gutters bordering the room.
There were no words to describe this place.
Hell? Would that make him… the devil?
Wearing surgical gloves with his sleeves rolled to his elbows, Ian's entire forearms were soaked in blood. Despite his deadpan expression, his blue eyes focused on the incision he was making into the ribcage of the victim on the table.
Pausing, Ian looked up thoughtfully. "...the strings are rather… overbearing … switch to A-minor..."
Ian breathed satisfactorily as the violin changed its tune and the choir fell in line. "...I love this melody..." he mused, his blade splitting flesh. "...it reminds me so much of her… those gorgeous brown eyes of hers are… maddening . They haunt me..."
He separated the flesh, exposing the liver and spleen. He heard a whimper and glanced at his victim to see tears falling from his eyes, though his face remained still.
"...sorry for all this," Ian said, grabbing a tissue.
He dabbed at the corners of the man's eyes.
"Normally, I terminate my victims before dissection, but well…
I needed someone to talk to about the woman who dared to steal my heart.
" Ian chuckled. "...she's a succubus… and I have willingly walked into her lair. .."
Ian started cutting the liver. "The chemical I used on you is a preservative I created specifically to maintain the compounds of human flesh so you don't decay too soon.
Leaves the human body petrified. Unfortunately…
you can feel everything. And for that, I apologize.
Hopefully, you'll die from shock before I have to crack open your ribcage. "
Ian pulled out the liver and plopped it into a metal pan.
From several feet away, Sylvia trembled, watching the devil in an Armani suit plop organ after organ into that metal pan. Despite the music, the whimpering of the victims made her shiver.
Ian impatiently stood to his feet. Turning to face the choir, he raised his bloodstained gloved hand.
"This is my 9th cadaver today. The shock should have worn off by now.
Why do I still hear treble in the voice?
It is extremely distracting! I cannot think !
" Ian snapped angrily, violently driving his blade into his victim's chest.