Chapter 17 | Rae
Rae
We sat in the bed of the truck, holding hands, with one of his arms around my shoulder as I leaned my head on him until long after the fire died down. We didn’t say anything for a bit until I yawned. I was exhausted.
I hadn’t planned on telling Caleb my entire story tonight. I didn’t know if I ever planned on telling him or anyone, but I did, and I actually felt better after. He didn’t run away either.
Another yawn betrayed me.
“Would you like to hang out a bit more or would you like me to take you home? I know your car is here, but I don’t want you driving when you are this tired. You could even stay in the guest room overnight if you wanted. I have extra clothes you can change into if you decide to stay.”
I thought about his offer for a moment. It wasn’t that I didn’t feel safe with him, because I knew I would be, but I really didn’t know if I could stay here. “I appreciate the offer, and for listening to me tonight, but I'm really tired. Would you mind driving me home?”
Caleb nodded and we moved away from each other so we could get out of the truck bed. It was noticeably colder away from him, and I hated it. Not that I hated the cold, but I hated how it felt away from him.
Caleb hopped out of the truck bed. He reached out his hand to help me down, and I took it. As soon as my feet touched the ground, one foot hit uneven dirt and I stumbled. I started to fall, but Caleb caught me and our faces were inches apart.
“I got you,” Caleb said as his arms wrapped around me.
“Thank you.” I gave him a small smile. “For everything tonight. Dinner, and listening to my horrible story. I'm sorry I couldn't keep my emotions—”
“Hey, no,” Caleb said firmly but with a sweet tone.
“Please don't ever apologize for telling your story.
Don't apologize to me for telling me anything about yourself.
Emotions or not, you're not a burden or an inconvenience, and I will always be here for you. Always.” He rubbed little circles on my arm with his thumb.
It was the smallest comforting action, but it meant so much to me.
I looked up at him, tears of gratitude in my eyes. I was afraid to speak for fear of crying again, so I nodded my thanks to him with a small smile. Caleb walked me to the passenger side of the truck, opened the door, and helped me inside.
The drive to my home was quiet—just the sounds of the truck on the road leading to my house. As he pulled into my driveway, we noticed the porch light was off, so he made sure his headlights were angled at the front door.
“Wait here,” he requested as he jumped out of the truck. He walked to my side and opened up the door for me, extending a hand in my direction.
“Thank you. You didn't have to do that,” I said as I took his hand and hopped out.
“Sunshine, you will never be shown disrespect by myself or any other man again if I have any say about it.”
Without thinking, I leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek.
The second I pulled back, my hands trembled.
I hadn’t planned it, hadn’t thought it through—it just happened.
My heart hammered as I glanced up at him, afraid of what I’d see.
But his smile was wide and easy, his bright blue eyes glistening as he looked down at me.
“Thank you for trusting me, Rae,” he said softly.
A shaky breath escaped me, one I hadn’t realized I was holding, and for the first time in a long time, the relief felt real.
He walked me to the door and waited as I unlocked it. I reached inside to flip the switch for the porch light, but it didn't turn on. “Oh well. My parents probably have bulbs in the garage. I'll check in the morning. Thank you so much for... everything.” Another yawn betrayed me.
“Do you want me to check the lights before I leave?”
“Nah, it's okay. I have the cameras and that light by my bedroom window. Thanks, though. You've helped me a lot tonight. Plus, it’s really late.”
He seemed hesitant but agreed, “Okay, have a good night, Rae.” He turned as I closed the door, but did not walk away until the lock clicked in place.
Once I was safely locked inside, I peeked through the side of the blinds and watched as he walked to his truck. It was as if he could feel me watching him. When he got to his truck he looked back, with a smile already on his face, and he waved at me.
I didn’t know how to feel when he saw me watching. I wanted to pull back and hide, but I didn’t. Instead, I smiled and gave a small wave back in his direction. His smile grew and he turned back to his truck.
I saw him pull out his phone, illuminating his face in the dark cab of his truck. He looked focused but then looked up at me and waved again before turning his screen off and pulling out of the driveway, leaving me silently wishing he didn’t have to go.
The next morning, I woke up to the sound of a truck pulling into my driveway. I looked at my alarm clock and it said it was 8 a.m. My phone buzzed and I retrieved it and my glasses from the nightstand. I couldn’t help but smile as soon as I saw who the text was from—Caleb.
Caleb: Good morning, Sunshine. I'm outside with some bulbs for your front porch light, in case you didn't have any. Take your time waking up, I'm in no rush. No need to change or do anything special to your hair, you look beautiful already.
I felt my face warm as soon as I read the words “you look beautiful already.” Without asking, he brought lightbulbs over so I didn't have to worry about the porch being dark another night. And he's calling me beautiful before he's even seen me.
I replied briefly to the text to let him know I saw it.
Then I ran to the closet to grab something to throw on and saw myself in the mirror.
I didn’t know how he could see any of this as beautiful.
My hair was in a lop-sided top knot, and my shorter layers were falling out of the bun.
I had absolutely no makeup on and was wearing a giant T-shirt and some leggings with mismatched tube socks on.
My eyes were also extremely puffy after crying last night.
I was a sight to be seen, but I didn't want him waiting for too long, so I threw on some slippers and a large sweatshirt, then fixed my hair so it looked less crazy.
I ran to the door and then stopped suddenly, not wanting to seem too excited. “Good morning! I'm so sorry to keep you waiting, you could have called me, I wouldn't have mind,” I said as I walked onto the porch.
Caleb stepped out of his truck. I couldn’t help but notice the way his shirt fit, his muscles filling out the sleeves perfectly.
“No worries. Like I said in my text, ‘no rush.’ I meant it.
Plus, you're worth waiting for.” Caleb reached up to rub the back of his neck and gave me a grin that made my heart race.
To make me blush more, he looked at my outfit and said, “You look really cute by the way.”
“You're just saying that to try and get a reaction out of me!” I laughed, covering half my face with a hand as we walked to the back of the truck.
Caleb grabbed the box of bulbs and gave me that same playful grin but then changed it to a sweet smile.
He stepped towards me and was so close I could feel the warmth of his body.
He knew I trusted him. His sweet smile widened, and I felt my whole body warm.
“Yes, to get a reaction, but only because I love it when you blush.” His voice deepened as he continued to speak.
“But no, I'm being serious. You look beautiful. I like this ‘just woke up’ look on you. You look comfy. At peace.”
I blushed and got distracted by his sweet words and the chaos it caused in my brain that I didn't even realize he'd moved to the passenger side of the truck and was retrieving something from the passenger seat.
“I brought you something. You in the mood for coffee? Vanilla latte with cinnamon, honey, and oat milk, right? I remembered you can't eat dairy, so I hope oat milk was okay to choose.”
I stood at the back of the truck, still trying to wrap my mind around what he'd just said, and then he went and said he not only remembered my food allergies, but he remembered my favorite coffee as well.
“Rae? Did I get the coffee wrong?”
I snapped out of it and refocused myself. He is just being really nice and has a great memory. This means nothing besides that. Right? “No! Oh my gosh, you remembered! Thank you, but you didn't have to do that! And the lights? Can I make you breakfast as thanks?”
“No thanks necessary, but I won't say no to breakfast,” he replied as he set the bulbs down.
With a nod and smile, we went into the house and I started breakfast.
After checking all the lights around the perimeter of the house, Caleb said he went back around and checked all points of entry to make sure the house was secure. He walked inside just as I was setting the food on the table.
He set the box of bulbs down and smiled at me. “I'll check the smoke detectors before I leave.”
“Caleb, I really appreciate that, but you don't have to do all that for me. You have done so much already!”
Caleb moved to the sink to wash his hands and only replied after he was finished. “Rae, making sure my—you're safe and comfortable is high priority. It's never too much.”
My mind started racing after he changed his wording. I wondered if he was about to say “my girl” again. Instead of asking though, I agreed, said thank you, and sat at the table.
The silence between us wasn’t the easy kind that comes with comfort, nor was it heavy with danger. It was the kind that followed when too many words had already been spoken and the weight of them still hung heavy. Caleb looked like he wanted to break the silence but he didn’t know how.
“One of your neighbors drives a really old and noisy van. It was making a strange sputtering sound for a long time. If you know who it is, I could introduce myself and offer to take a look at it.”
“That's really nice of you. I'm not sure who it is though since the people closest to us have trucks.”
“Oh, okay.” Caleb nodded.
Silence lingered again.
“So, what do you have planned for today?”
“Honestly, looking for a job. Other than that, nothing,” I confessed between bites.
“So, you're staying in town?” he asked, sounding excited.
I tried to hide the smile that his excitement brought and nodded.
“I feel safe here. I just don't know where to start looking since the town is small.
I left in such a hurry, I don't have interview clothes or an updated resume. I should probably add that to my schedule today, too.” I let out a halfhearted laugh.
“Hold that thought,” Caleb said, rising from his chair at the table. I stared at him as he exited the house to stand on the porch. He was on the phone with someone, but I couldn't hear a word of the conversation. While I waited, I cleaned up the kitchen.
Caleb came back in through the front door and stood in the kitchen smiling ear to ear.
“You can't be mad at me,” he began, which made me shoot him a very confused look.
“I just made a call to someone at work. The sheriff's office is hiring a records clerk. The lady I called, Sage, has worked there for about six years, and she would be your boss. She’s really cool and was excited when I told her about you.
If you want the job, you can start in a week—or when you're ready. If you don't, no hard feelings.”
I froze. Caleb just did the sweetest thing for me, without hesitation. I had planned on asking about the “HELP WANTED” sign outside of the corner store, but this would probably mean a full-time job.
“Rae? I'm sorry if I overstepped, I...”
“No. Thank you! I am just shocked. Truly, thank you.” Tears started to well up again.
Caleb pulled a tissue from the box on the counter and walked towards me.
He must have noticed my slight hesitation because he paused before stepping forward slowly.
I didn't step back. I could trust him. He had shown me that back in high school and every day since I came home.
He took one last step and stopped in front of me. “Are these happy tears or...?” He gently wiped at the tears on my cheeks.
“Happy tears. I’m just so grateful.”
I stared up at his blue eyes as he tucked a few stray hairs behind my ear, his hand staying where my ear met my neck.
My breath stilled at the touch of his hand, but not out of fear, although my pulse was racing.
Every nerve in my body screamed at me to close the distance between us besides my brain.
It told me not to do it. My brain was lying to me, I knew it, but I suddenly got nervous and broke the silence.
“Did you get enough to eat?” I questioned as I backed up out of his space and went to put the leftovers in the fridge. I realized I had been holding my breath the majority of the time we were close.
“Yes, thank you. I'll finish up what I was going to do.” He smiled at me before he turned to walk away.
“Caleb.” He looked at me with a half grin on his face. “Never mind. Thank you again.”
Caleb smiled as if I told him what I was thinking, even though I hadn’t said a word. He nodded and then went to check the smoke detectors.