Chapter Four
Caleb
Indi and I had become experts at sneaking around the house to steal a few minutes alone together.
Not because Mum and Dad were strict, but because once we started kissing, it became almost impossible to stop. Every look between us carried weight now. Every accidental touch turned into something more if we weren’t careful.
And honestly?
Neither of us wanted to be careful anymore.
The problem was life didn’t exactly slow down just because we’d finally admitted our feelings.
Between school, Staked, work, and trying to survive final exams, we barely had time to breathe some days.
Indi got a casual job working reception at a local doctor’s clinic, while I started tutoring younger kids in music after school and on weekends. Dad thought it was hilarious that parents were paying me to teach guitar before I’d even graduated myself.
“You realize you sound exactly like your father already, right?” he’d said one night after hearing me coach some twelve-year-old through scales in the music room.
“Please don’t insult me like that,” I replied while he laughed so hard he nearly choked on his beer.
Still, the extra money mattered.
Especially to Indi.
About nine months after her parents died, she became obsessed with saving enough money to move out and rent her own place eventually. No matter how many times Mum reassured her she wasn’t a burden, Indi still hated feeling like she was depending on people.
“I can’t live off your parents forever,” she told me one afternoon while we stocked shelves together at the supermarket.
“You’re not living off them,” I argued. “You’re family.”
Her expression softened every time I said that word.
Family.
But even then, I could tell part of her still struggled to believe she deserved one.
Secretly, I started saving harder too.
Because in my head, there was only one future that made sense…
Indi and I together.
Always.
We never officially talked about moving in together, but after months of sneaking kisses whenever we got the chance, it just felt inevitable somehow.
Especially because things between us kept intensifying.
The kissing alone was becoming dangerous.
Every time I touched her, it felt harder to stop myself from wanting more. And judging by the way Indi clung to me half the time, she was struggling with the same thing.
Which led directly to the problem sitting in front of me now.
An entirely empty house.
Mum and Dad had gone into London for a huge music-industry party connected to Dad’s band and wouldn’t be home until morning.
Meanwhile, Indi and I were supposed to stay home and study for finals.
Except, the second the front door closed behind my parents, studying became the last thing on my mind.
Indi sat cross-legged on the couch, wearing tiny sleep shorts and one of my old band shirts while flipping through biology notes, completely oblivious to the fact that I hadn’t absorbed a single word from my textbook in the last twenty minutes because I was too busy staring at her legs.
“Caleb?”
“Hm?”
“You’ve been on the same page for ages.” She looked up slowly and smirked when she caught me watching her. “You’re not studying at all, are you?”
I shut my textbook completely. “Nope.”
Her laugh was soft and knowing as she set aside her own notes. “That bad?”
“Indi,” I said, dragging my gaze over her slowly. “You’re wearing my shirt and basically no pants. I never stood a chance tonight.”
A blush spread across her cheeks instantly, but instead of looking embarrassed, she bit her bottom lip and crawled across the couch toward me.
Every muscle in my body tightened.
“You know,” she murmured, stopping directly in front of me. “You say things like that and then act shocked when I can’t concentrate either.”
Jesus Christ.
I rested my hands carefully on her thighs, trying to keep at least some control over myself while she settled onto my lap. “You’re making this really hard for me,” I admitted quietly.
Her eyes darkened slightly with amusement.
“I think that’s the point.”
I groaned softly while she laughed and brushed her fingers through my hair.
A few months ago, we’d been best friends, pretending not to notice the tension between us. Now she was sitting on my lap in my clothes, looking at me like she wanted me just as badly as I wanted her.
And to be honest, that realization still messes with my head every single day.
While she studied downstairs, I spent over an hour getting the room ready.
I changed the sheets three times because none of them felt right.
Lit every candle she liked until my room smelled like vanilla and sandalwood, cleaned the disaster zone that was usually my floor, and even dug out one of her favorite CDs despite the fact that I thought the band sounded like dying cats.
But Indi loved them, so that was all that mattered.
I needed tonight to be perfect for her.
Because she deserved perfect.
When we finally walked into my room after dinner, she stopped dead in the doorway and looked around slowly before turning back to me with the softest expression I’d ever seen on her face. “You did all this for me?”
I felt ridiculously nervous. “Yeah.” I rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly. “Do you like it?”
Her smile widened instantly. “I love it.” She stepped further into the room, glancing around at the candles and music. “But why?”
My stomach dropped.
Because suddenly my brain started spiraling into panic.
What if I’d assumed too much?
What if she wasn’t ready for this?
Apparently, my face gave me away because Indi burst out laughing softly.
“Oh my God, Caleb.” She walked over quickly and grabbed my hands. “Relax. I know why.”
“You do?”
“Yes.” She grinned. “I was teasing you.”
“That’s cruel.”
She laughed again and tugged me toward the bed.
Still, nerves churned inside me while she sat down and looked up at me through her lashes. Even after everything between us, I still couldn’t quite believe this was real.
That she wanted me too.
“You okay?” she asked softly.
“Yeah.” I swallowed hard. “Just trying not to freak out completely.”
Her expression softened instantly. “Why?”
“Because this matters.” I looked down at her. “You matter.”
That look nearly undid me.
She reached up slowly, brushing her fingers along my jaw before leaning in and kissing me softly. “It’s perfect, Caleb,” she whispered against my lips. Then she kissed me again properly.
Everything else disappeared immediately.
I slid my hand into her hair, holding her close while she climbed into my lap as if she belonged there. The kiss deepened slowly, naturally, months of tension finally unraveling between us.
And Christ… every time she touched me, it felt like my body forgot how to function properly.
I pulled back slightly, resting my forehead against hers. “What’re you thinking?” I asked quietly.
She smiled softly, her fingers brushing across my cheek. “That I want this.”
“You sure?”
She nodded. “I’ve never been more sure about anything.”
The honesty in her voice hit me hard because this wasn’t rushed or reckless. This was years of friendship, trust, love, grief, and longing, all leading us here together.
I kissed her again, slower this time, taking my time with her while the music played softly in the background and candlelight flickered across her skin.
Everything about the moment felt unreal.
Beautiful.
She smiled against my lips when I kept stopping every few minutes to ask if she was okay, which only made me more determined to make sure she felt safe with me.
Always safe.
And when we finally made love for the first time, it wasn’t frantic or messy like I’d imagined it might be when I was younger.
It was slow.
Emotional.
Intimate in a way I wasn’t prepared for. Because being close to Indi like that felt less physical and more like every piece of me had finally settled into the right place.
I held her carefully the entire time, kissing her whenever she looked nervous, slowing down whenever she needed me to, and she stayed wrapped around me as though she trusted me completely.
That trust meant everything.
More than anything.
At one point, she laughed softly against my mouth and whispered, “You keep checking if I’m okay every five seconds.”
“Can you blame me?”
“A little.” She smiled and kissed me again. “I’m okay, Caleb.”
Hearing her say that felt like relief and happiness crashing into me all at once. Nothing in my life had ever felt as right as being there with her. The chemistry between us was overwhelming, but beneath it all was something even stronger.
Love.
Real love.
The kind that sits so deep inside your chest it almost hurts to hold it.
And lying there with Indi in my arms afterward, her fingers lazily tracing patterns across my skin while soft music played around us, I remember thinking one thing over and over again.
This is it for me.
She is it for me.
We fell asleep tangled together beneath my sheets, her back pressed against my chest while I wrapped myself around her like I was terrified she’d disappear if I let go.
And maybe I was.
The room still smelled faintly like candles and her shampoo, and even though it was late, I couldn’t stop smiling like a complete idiot.
Everything finally felt right.
I brushed my lips softly against her ear and held her tighter. “I love you,” I whispered sleepily. “And I want you to be mine forever.”
She didn’t answer.
I figured she’d already fallen asleep.
So I just kissed her shoulder gently and closed my eyes, completely content for the first time in what felt like forever. Everything was exactly how it was supposed to be.
Or at least, I thought it was.
The next morning, I woke up alone.
At first, I wasn’t worried. I figured Indi had probably gone back to her room to get dressed for school before Mum and Dad came home.
I stretched out, still smiling to myself like an idiot from the night before, then got dressed and headed across the hallway.
I knocked lightly on her bedroom door before pushing it open.
And instantly, something felt wrong.
Indi was curled tightly into a ball beneath her blankets, staring at the wall.
“Indi?”