Chapter Three #2
Something sharp twisted in my chest. Of course, she hadn’t. And apparently, I was just the conveniently available option sitting beside her.
God, that hurt more than it should have.
I tried not to let it show. “Well…” I forced a shrug. “I’m pretty sure half the guys at school would volunteer for that job.”
She frowned. “What?”
“You’re gorgeous, Indi. Any guy would want to kiss you.” The words tasted bitter in my mouth because I already hated whoever this mystery guy was.
She looked down briefly before taking my hand again. “There’s just one problem…”
I turned away slightly before she could see how badly this conversation was wrecking me. Because deep down, I already knew where this was going.
She liked somebody else.
And apparently, I’d just volunteered to listen to her talk about it like a complete idiot.
“Oh yeah?” I asked carefully.
“There’s this guy…” Her voice softened. “And I really want my first kiss to be with him.”
Every muscle in my body went tight before I stared down at the floor, blinking hard.
Cool.
Great.
Fucking fantastic.
Meanwhile, my heart was busy collapsing inside my chest.
“Well…” My voice came out rougher than intended. “Maybe you should tell him.”
She stayed quiet.
Too quiet.
Then her fingers curled around my hand again, pulling it back toward her face.
I frowned and finally looked at her. “What are you—”
The words died in my throat.
Because she was staring at me in a way I’d never seen before.
Open.
Soft.
Terrified.
“Caleb,” she whispered.
My pulse hammered violently.
“I want you to kiss me.”
Everything inside me stopped.
Actually stopped.
I stared at her lips for a second, trying to process the words that had just come out of her mouth, and then my brain caught up.
“But…” I frowned in confusion. “What about the guy you like?”
A breathy laugh escaped her as she moved even closer. “Caleb,” she murmured. “I’m looking at him.”
Holy shit.
The realization slammed into me so hard I physically lost my breath.
I gasped.
Indi giggled at my expression while I sat there trying desperately not to lose my mind completely.
“Wait… seriously?”
I meant for it to sound smooth.
Masculine.
Confident.
Instead, it came out high-pitched and borderline panicked.
Fantastic.
Indi burst out laughing softly and nodded.
God, she was beautiful.
Her blonde hair spilled over her shoulders, the ends brushing against the swell of her breasts beneath her oversized shirt, and before I could stop myself, my eyes dropped lower. And inappropriate thoughts flooded my brain.
Thoughts I’d been trying to suppress for months.
“Caleb.” Her voice turned teasing. “My eyes are up here.”
I jerked my gaze back to her face instantly. “Right. Sorry.” She grinned. “You really like me like that?” I asked quietly, still half convinced I’d imagined this entire conversation.
“For ages,” she admitted. “I just didn’t think you felt the same.”
I barked out a stunned laugh. “Indi, I’ve wanted to kiss you since Annie’s fifth birthday party.”
Her eyes widened. “What?”
“That day after I chased you through the backyard?” I smiled softly at the memory. “When we fell onto the grass? I almost kissed you then.”
She stared at me in shock. “You did?”
I nodded slowly. “Yeah.” I swallowed hard. “I kissed your forehead instead because I got scared.”
The look she gave me after that nearly finished me off completely.
“Really?” she whispered.
“Uh-huh.”
She shifted closer again until our knees touched, and neither of us spoke for a few seconds.
We just looked at each other. And all those years of friendship, late-night talks, almost moments, accidental touches, sleeping side-by-side after nightmares, and every feeling I’d buried came crashing to the surface at once.
My heart hammered painfully hard against my ribs.
“Caleb?”
“Yeah?”
“If you don’t kiss me soon,” she whispered shakily, “I think I might lose my mind.”
“I wanted you to kiss me then too,” she admitted softly, and I grinned so hard my face actually hurt.
“Why didn’t you?”
I shook my head, laughing quietly under my breath. “I didn’t think you wanted me to.”
“Caleb,” she whispered, inching closer. “I’ve wanted you to kiss me for as long as I can remember.”
My heart slammed hard against my ribs. I leaned closer until our lips were barely brushing, her warm breath fanning across my mouth and making every nerve ending in my body spark to life.
“Well then,” I murmured. “I guess I’d better make up for lost time.”
I paused, giving her the chance to pull away if she wanted to. Instead, she closed the distance herself.
The second her lips touched mine, everything else disappeared.
The kiss started soft.
Tentative.
Like neither of us quite believed this was finally happening.
But then she sighed against my mouth, and every thought in my head vanished completely.
I slid my hand gently into her hair, holding her close while I deepened the kiss carefully.
Her fingers curled around my arms before moving into my hair, and the tiny tug she gave made a low groan escape me before I could stop it.
She smiled against my lips.
And Christ, that smile nearly ruined me.
I’d imagined kissing Indi more times than I could count, especially over the last few months, but none of those fantasies came close to the real thing.
Because this wasn’t just a kiss.
This was years of friendship.
Years of ‘almost’ moments.
Years of wanting her and trying not to.
I eased her backward onto the bed slowly, never breaking the kiss while she wrapped her arms around my shoulders, holding onto me like she wanted me there just as much as I wanted to stay.
And God… I did.
Every part of me wanted to stay right there with her forever.
But even with all the heat building between us, there was still something gentle about the way we touched each other. Careful. Like we both understood how fragile the other one really was beneath everything else.
Indi especially. She’d been through hell, and the last thing I ever wanted was for her to think this was just about hormones or lust.
It wasn’t.
Not even close.
I kissed her slower after that, taking my time while her fingers stayed tangled in my hair. Every soft breath she gave me felt addictive, and I already knew I was completely screwed when it came to her because there was no coming back from this.
Not for me.
Not when it was Indi.
The girl who somehow owned pieces of me without even trying.
We stayed wrapped up in each other for what felt like forever until Dad’s voice carried down the hallway. “Caleb?”
We both jerked apart, breathing hard and staring at each other wide-eyed before Indi burst out laughing softly.
Actual laughter.
The kind I hadn’t heard from her in months, and I couldn’t stop smiling at her. I leaned forward and stole one more quick kiss before sitting up on the edge of the bed, trying to look even remotely normal.
Indi sat beside me, cheeks flushed and lips pink from kissing me, and I swear I’d never seen anyone more beautiful in my life. I brushed my thumb gently across her bottom lip, and she kissed the pad of it softly.
That tiny action hit me harder than anything else.
Because right then, I knew I was completely gone for her.
Dad pushed the bedroom door open a second later and smirked when he saw us sitting there looking suspiciously guilty.
“Everything okay in here?” he asked casually.
I nodded while Indi squeaked out a very unconvincing, “Yep.”
Dad’s smirk widened. “Well, dinner’s ready if you two can drag yourselves away from homework for five minutes.”
“Yeah, we’re coming now,” I said quickly.
Indi looked anywhere except at Dad, and he chuckled under his breath before pointing at me. “And Caleb?”
“Yeah?”
“Maybe try looking slightly less smug before you walk into the kitchen. Your mother will start asking questions.”
I laughed while Indi covered her face with both hands.
“Oh my God,” she groaned the second Dad walked back out. “He knew.”
“He absolutely knew,” I said, still grinning like an idiot.
Her expression softened a little after a second. “What if your parents freak out?” she asked quietly. “I mean… I live here.”
“Indi…” I reached for her hand immediately. “Mum and Dad love you. Relax.”
She bit her bottom lip, trying to hide her smile.
“You happy?” I asked softly.
Her eyes met mine. And for the first time in months, there wasn’t sadness sitting behind them.
“I’m happy, Caleb,” she whispered. “Actually happy.”
“Good,” I murmured. “Because I plan on kissing you again after dinner.”
A blush spread across her cheeks. “You can kiss me whenever you want to, Caleb McCormack-Slade.”
“Well, in that case…” I leaned in and kissed her one more time, soft and quick, but it still made my heart slam into overdrive all over again.
Indi Malone was it for me.
My person.
The one I’d spend the rest of my life loving, whether she realized it yet or not.
We finally pulled apart and headed downstairs together, her fingers tangled tightly with mine until we reached the kitchen doorway.
Then we let go reluctantly and looked at each other for a second.
No words.
None needed.
Because after years of waiting, something between us had finally shifted.
And deep down, I knew nothing would ever be the same again.