Caleb is on the train
He’s a bit jittery, nervous
God, the woman he loves really loves chaos
He adjusts his tie, just to steady himself, to keep his hands busy
He was against it from the start
But what could he say
She would get so upset
He had to agree
Truth is, he wants it too — to rest, to spend time with the whole family
Well… fine
A train it is
Damn, how he hates trains
These things make him uneasy… they unsettle him
He doesn’t even know why
Maybe it’s about control
Yeah
Probably
Behind the wheel, he controls everything himself
Caleb smiles
Except when the woman he loves is driving
He grips the handle so hard his fingers go numb
Nazokat is glowing, completely sure she’s an excellent driver
Yeah right
He’s already gone through every god and saint he knows just to survive the ride
And she’s still talking, telling stories
Caleb glances at the speedometer in horror
We’re doing 200?
Are we really in that much of a rush?
Caleb adjusts his tie again
The nervousness is more visible now
She’s chatting with the girls
While reaching back and wrapping her arms around him
He softens instantly
She’s his woman
So beautiful
Everyone looks at her
He’s proud of her
He kisses her hand
God, how he loves her
Nazokat leans back into him, hugging him from behind
Presses a soft kiss to him
Looks at him with those eyes
She’s glowing, she’s happy
Her family is here
He slowly exhales
Maybe trains aren’t that bad after all

The kids are playing with toy cars
The girls are chatting about their things
Jonathan is reading
Josh is checking his manicure
Caleb pulls out his phone
Checks the news
His email
A couple of apps
He pauses
He feels strangely lost for a second
In his world, everyone is always on their phones
But here…
He looks around
No one’s on their phone
A waiter brings tea and sweets
The whole family starts drinking tea
Damn… now he’s really on edge
What do you even do
Eat
Drink tea
Talk about something
But what
“Caleb”
He turns
“My love, it’s okay”
She laces her fingers with his
Josh finally tears himself away from his manicure and pulls out a huge board game
They push the tables together
Now there’s enough space for everyone
She’s laughing
What amused her so much
Caleb’s getting really jittery now
All of this is so fucking new to him
The whole family
All together
Can he actually relax?
For real
Or is this a game
Fuck
What role is he supposed to play
Is he supposed to say something or—
Fuck
“Caleb”
“Yeah?”
He turns again
“Come on”
Caleb lights up
Finally
Now he’ll just pull her close, let it out
Burn it off
Get it out of his system
Exhale
Relax
Come on… this is exactly what I need
The cabin door closes
He goes for her
She laughs — his angel
“Caleb… wait”
“My love, you’re nervous”
Caleb rubs the back of his neck
He doesn’t want to tell her
He doesn’t want to talk about it at all
Sex — and everything will be fine
He reaches for her again
“Caleb”
Fuck, why is she stopping him
He adjusts his tie
The nerves hit again, sharp
He glances at her
Her eyes are already filling with tears
No, not this
Fuck
He’s barely holding himself together as it is
And now her too
“My love… hey. It’s okay”
“It’s just… this is all new to me”
“What? Family?” — Hades
Caleb freezes
Where the hell did he come from
“Out of your ass, didn’t you figure it out? God, you’re dense.” — Hades
Too much
Caleb’s getting overwhelmed
She’s crying
He’s tense, on edge
And now Hades on top of it
Fuck
This is too much
He needs air
“If you’re gonna jump, let me know — we’ll film it.” — Hades
Caleb freezes
What the hell is even going on here
He shakes his head
No — her first. Deal with her first
He needs to hold her, calm her down
Which is… strange
Because a moment ago he was the one who needed support
Whatever
She calms down a little
He’s still on edge
And his usual way still feels like the right solution
Sex
“My love…”
He leans in for a kiss
She smiles
Good
She doesn’t pull away
Caleb is so wound up it’s going to be rough
He tilts his head back
Savoring the sense of control, letting the darkness in
“Come closer, kitten”
“I’m ready
 I’m fucking ready”