9. Falling in Love…with You #2
Caleb noticed Lena trying to wipe the tears from her face. “Hey...” he said softly, as he approached her. Lena looked up at him with big doe eyes as Caleb gently wiped her tears away with his thumb. “...I know you miss him, Lena… I miss him too...”
Lena swallowed hard as she leaned into Caleb’s touch. She stared up into his beautiful, hazel-green eyes, trembling with want.
Caleb frowned with regret. “There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t miss him. But… I’m still your protector. I promised your brother that I would look after you and Phil. And I intend to keep that promise. I’m not going anywhere...”
Lena’s nostrils quivered as she looked at Caleb helplessly. Her lips itching to speak what she dare not reveal. But she couldn’t keep it in any longer. “What about protecting my heart?” she asked, searching his eyes.
Caleb’s brows furrowed in confusion. “What?”
“I’m in love with you, Caleb!” she blurted. “I’ve been in love with you for years! And I-I-” Lena leaned forward, desperate to feel his lips on hers, kissing him urgently. His lips felt even softer than she imagined. His taste was sweeter.
She pressed her hand against his firm chest, trying to get closer, when Caleb abruptly pulled back from her. Lena looked at him, heartbroken as Caleb took a step back. The regret in his eyes made her heart sink.
“Lena...” Caleb said tenderly. “I love you too, but… like a sister. You know that. You’re like my little sister.”
“I’m a woman , Caleb!” she protested angrily with tears in her eyes.
“You’re almost 10 years younger than me, Lena,” Caleb said. “You should be with someone your own age. Not… not someone who reminds you of your older deceased brother. There are so many other guys in this town who would be lucky to have you-”
“I don’t want them! I want you !” she snapped.
Caleb slowly exhaled as he looked at her regretfully. “...Lena… I am so sorry if I gave you the impression that… we-“
“ Fuck you !” Lena snarled. She angrily shoved him in the chest and stormed off.
“Lena!” Caleb called after her before she slammed the door.
Deja anxiously tapped on Roselyn’s Memoir that sat casually next to her on the couch as she waited for the FaceTime call to start. “Come on. Come on,” she groaned impatiently. Suddenly, a video popped up. “Esme!” Deja blurted.
Deja’s face twisted with confusion when she saw Renee straddling Esme on Esme’s couch as they made out so intensely it looked like a scene from Animal Planet. Esme’s red polished fingernails ran up and down Renee’s smooth brown skin before slipping beneath Renee’s white silk negligee.
“ Hello !” Deja shouted.
Renee jumped, startled, nearly tumbling off Esme, who quickly fixed her blouse and squinted at her computer screen.
“...Deja? Oh shit. Sorry.” Deja sighed as she waited for Renee to crawl off the couch.
Esme stole a few more kisses before she slapped Renee’s ass as she ran off-screen.
“Sorry,” Esme said, wiping the lipstick that had smeared across her face.
“Didn’t even realize I answered. What’s up-“
“Esme, I did something really bad, and I desperately need your help,” Deja cut her off frantically.
Esme raised a brow as she rebuttoned her slacks. “Um… okay? How bad?”
“It’s the worst thing I’ve ever done in my entire life,” Deja exhaled.
“I mean, I would think the worst thing you’ve ever done is kill your psychotic ex-fiancé. So, unless you killed someone, it can’t be that bad,” Esme shrugged. She caught the look of guilt and angst on Deja’s face, and Esme’s eyes widened with excitement. “Oh my god! You killed someone ?!”
“Not so loud!”
“Bad-fucking-ass! Who was it? Did you like it? Wasn’t it fun? Oh my god, how much blood was there? What weapon did you use?” Esme asked, giddily clapping her hands.
“Esme, please!” Deja blurted. “I’m freaking out here!”
“Oh, right, of course. I forgot you have a conscience or whatever,” Esme said flippantly. “Well, what happened?”
“It was my landlord… Torrence. He was a racist, misogynistic, perverted creep who was breaking into my home and taking pictures of me. I went to his apartment to confront him about it, and… well… one thing led to another...” Deja trailed off.
Esme shrugged. “Sounds like the motherfucker deserved it. Roselyn would approve, thus you haven’t really done anything wrong.”
“I don’t care what Roselyn says! I killed a man!” Deja blurted desperately, igniting her tears again.
“Alright, alright. Take it easy, sweetheart. You’ll get through this...” Esme sighed as she looked up thoughtfully. “The Society has been tracking every single one of us like hawks, so unfortunately, I can’t send my men to clean up.”
“Why are they tracking you?” Deja asked.
Esme smirked. “Sweetheart, there’s a lot that’s happened since your ‘death.’ And trust me, you don’t want to know. Anyway, I may not be able to send my men, but… here’s what you need to do...”
After her call with Esme, Deja headed to the grocery store to pick up the cleaning supplies Esme had instructed her to get, to ensure the site was properly sanitized of all evidence.
Deja was nervous about Esme’s additional instructions on disposing of the body. It sounded horrifyingly gruesome. But Esme had done it so many times that it was like second nature to her. Deja, however, was dreading it.
After filling her cart with supplies, Deja stopped to pick up some hair products. She was in desperate need of a wash day. She quickly glanced over the Black hair products and sucked her teeth in frustration at the way they were locked behind the glass.
”Bigoted assholes...” she muttered when she felt someone watching her. She looked up and saw a pretty, young red-haired girl staring at her in surprise. “...can I help you?” Deja asked.
“...y-you’re… you’re pregnant?” Lena asked, confused.
Deja looked at her like the weirdo she was and turned around to continue shopping as she fixed her sweater to hide her belly.
“Wait,” Lena said, rushing up to her. “Sorry, that was a weird thing to say. I’m Lena. I’m a very close friend of Caleb’s.”
“...okay… nice to meet you, Lena,” Deja said, continuing down the aisle.
Lena tried to think quickly as she followed Deja. “I’ve known Caleb like… all my life basically.”
“That’s great,” Deja said nonchalantly.
“He doesn’t talk much about you, surprisingly,” Lena said before she could stop herself, still caught off guard that Deja was pregnant.
“And yet, you know who I am...” Deja said casually, looking over one of the conditioners.
“I mean, he mentions you sometimes, just not… all the time...”
Deja looked at Lena with severe confusion. “...okay…?” Deja turned and continued down the aisle. Lena followed.
“He didn’t tell me you were pregnant,” Lena continued.
“Well, that’s not really your business. Nor would I expect him to, since, according to you, he doesn’t talk about me much,” Deja said, tossing a shampoo bottle into her cart.
Lena didn’t know how to ask the question burning in her mind. She just needed to know. “We’re just really close, you know?” Lena continued. “He tells me everything. Like everything. We’re practically best friends. Lovers honestly.”
Deja suddenly stopped and looked at Lena. “...are you guys dating or something?” Deja asked.
“Not officially.”
“...I see...”
“Does that upset you?” Lena asked.
Deja shrugged. “You just… seem a little young, is all.”
Lena snorted. She was so sick of hearing that excuse. “Yeah, well, you look a little old, which I guess makes sense now since you’re pregnant.”
Deja looked at her, stunned, before her face slowly transitioned with realization. “Do we… do we have a problem?”
Lena swallowed hard as she looked at Deja’s belly. “Is it his?”
Deja’s eyes widened at her audacity before she burst into laughter. “Are you serious?!”
Lena’s jaw tensed with anger at Deja’s mocking laughter. “Is that a ‘yes’ or ‘no’?”
“Honey, he’s your best friend. Your lover . Shouldn’t you know?” Deja asked, wiping a tear.
“Just answer the damn question,” Lena snapped.
“Little girl, I don’t know who you think you are or who you think I am. But I can tell you right now, I’m not the one. Whatever is going on between you and Caleb is none of my business. My ‘old pregnant ass’ doesn’t have time for this,” Deja said, waving her off as she continued down the aisle.
As Deja arrived back at her apartment with her things, she couldn’t believe the woman who had accosted her. She knew Caleb was well-liked, but not to the point of harassing her. She wanted to poke fun at him for it until her face fell at the realization of her current reality.
She had a body to get rid of.
Stepping out of the elevator, she walked up to her door with her bags, searching for her keys, and stopped short when she noticed Caleb at her door. “...Caleb?”
“Hey,” he said, running his fingers through his hair. Wearing his usual pair of classic blue jeans, a white shirt, and a green flannel, Caleb looked a bit frazzled. “Can we talk?”
“Uh...” Deja walked around him and opened her door. “Can it… can it wait?”
“Not really,” Caleb said, grabbing her bags. “I’ll carry these in for you-that’s a lot of cleaning supplies.”
“You can just put them on the table,” Deja said quickly, holding the door open for him.
Caleb placed her bags down and looked at the items, confused. “...what do you need a meat-saw for?”
“I’m cooking later. Didn’t you have something to say?” she said, quickly catching his attention.
Caleb turned to her and directed her to sit down on her couch.
Deja sat down and looked up at him, confused as he paced in front of her.
“I was working on something for you, and, you know, just... absentmindedly talking about how much I enjoy your company. About how brilliant you are. Beautiful. Unique. Kind.” Caleb turned to look at her, and his cheeks flushed.
“Deja, I can’t quite put into words how I feel about you, but it’s overwhelming. I haven’t felt about anyone the way I feel about you.”
Deja’s eyes widened in fear. “Caleb, please don’t-“
“I need you to know how I really feel about you,” he said, crouching down in front of her. He took her hands in his. “I need you to know that I-“
“No!” Deja blurted abruptly, shooting to her feet. “Caleb, you can’t!”
Caleb looked at her, confused. “Can’t what? Say that I love yo-“
“ Yes !” Deja snapped. “Caleb, this wasn’t supposed to happen! We’re just-... just friends, remember?”
“Deja, I know, but I can’t help how I feel about you,” Caleb rebutted.
“I haven’t been this happy in a long time, and it’s because of you.
I can’t stop thinking about you. Talking about you.
I want to see you all the time. Be with you all the time.
I respect your privacy and space, but it kills me every time you distance yourself from me because I just wanna be with you-“
“Oh my god!” Deja cried out in exasperation, anxiously pacing her living room. “Why?! Why would you-?!” She spun on him with tears running down her face. “I’m pregnant, Caleb! There is no father! I’m barely making ends meet. I look fucking disgusting! I’m so goddamn depress-“
“I don’t care,” Caleb said, standing to his feet. “I don’t give a shit how much you’re making. I want to be there to help you with your baby. And I think you’re fucking gorgeous.”
Deja looked up at Caleb with a mixture of confusion, helplessness, and regret as he gently grabbed her face between his hands. “I love you, Deja,” he whispered, searching her eyes. “And I want to be with you. I want you to be mine… and I yours...”
Deja trembled as he gently kissed her tear-stained cheeks before sensually pressing his lips against hers. She grabbed his hands against her face and closed her eyes, reveling in his tender touch for just a moment.
“Let me take care of you, baby...” he breathed against her lips. His deep, soothing voice sent shivers down her spine. She leaned into his palm and parted her lips until she felt his tongue claim hers. Caleb kissed her so tenderly that Deja melted into him. Her body craved him.
She couldn’t deny that she had feelings for him. That she longed to be with someone who could show her a healthy kind of love. But her life was a complete mess. And Caleb was far too innocent to drag into it. She couldn’t do to him what Jax had done to her.
Reluctantly peeling back from him, she looked at him with tears in her eyes. “This was a mistake...”
Caleb felt his chest hollow as Deja distanced herself from him, yet again. “Deja-“
“We need to stop seeing each other,” she sobbed.
His face fell. “That’s literally the exact opposite of what I want-“
“We can’t do this,” she protested. “I’m sorry. We can’t. I can’t. You need to go. Please.”
“Deja-“
“Please!” she said, wrapping her arms around herself. “Please leave my home, Caleb!”
Tears brimmed in Caleb’s hazel-green eyes as he looked at Deja with hopelessness and regret. He felt his heart tighten and his stomach hollow as his hands fell by his side. “Yeah...” he said, wiping his face. “Sure.”
Caleb immediately turned and walked out, closing the door behind him. Deja’s face fell into her hands as she let out a gut-wrenching sob.
Finally pulling herself together, Deja grabbed the cleaning supplies and meat-saw and headed for Torrence’s apartment. She checked to make sure no one was around, then opened his door and entered his apartment.
Since disposing of his body would be a messy task, she decided to tackle that first. Deja placed a large black tarp on the ground and pulled on a pair of gloves, goggles, and a plastic apron.
She rushed to his closet and opened it.
Her jaw dropped. Her eyes bugged. And her heart stopped.
“ Where’s the body?! ”