Miss.

I pulled away from Sophie.
“You have a visitor waiting.”
I looked at the clock.
Damn, please don’t let it be a man.
Caleb was supposed to arrive soon, and I’d end up spending a year explaining why some random man had any business being around me at all — and why he was even allowed to breathe near me.
I clasped my fingers tight. Please, please, please…
Sebastian opened the door.
There was a Jaguar parked out front.
I smiled.
Caleb.
And ran to throw my arms around him.
“My love, hi.”
“Hey, little mouse.”
“Wait.”
He pulled out a huge bouquet of flowers.
I lit up.
And I was so touched.
“Ohhh, he spent money… watch, you’ll have to write him a check later,” Hades said.
“Get lost.”
I shoved him.
A huge bouquet of roses.
I thought I hated roses, but the gesture was so beautiful I just froze.
I had to admit, for roses, they were actually pretty beautiful.
“You like them?”
For a second it felt like I was in a horror movie,
where one wrong answer would set everything off.
I swallowed.
“Of course.”
Caleb lit up.
Phewww.
Hades and I bumped fists.
“Sweetheart.”
“Mmm.”
I smelled the flowers.
“Will you go on a date with me?”
I blushed.
“Of course. I just need to change.”
Caleb stepped closer.
“You look gorgeous.”
He started backing me up against the car.
“God, sweetheart… your scent…”
“Ahem.”
I cleared my throat.
“Sebastian is right here, Caleb!”
He raised his hands like, What? Not my fault.
“Darling, I’ll change and then we’ll go, alright?”
“Of course.”
He kissed me.
Then again.
My legs started to give out a little.
“So, are we going or what?” Hades said, filing his nails with a bored look.
I straightened up.
Damn. Right.
“Caleb! You bastard.”
“That’s it, I’m going to change.”
I lowered my eyes as I passed Sebastian.
God, Caleb is so shameless. He truly does not care that other people exist.
“I’m sorry.”
And I ran upstairs.
Caleb handed the flowers to Sebastian
and flew up after me.
I stood in the dressing room.
Maybe this…
Or this…
God, Caleb was so demanding.
Oh… his favorite black one.
Yes, I’ll wear his favorite.
The door slammed shut.
“Sweetheart.”
Caleb started taking off his watch.
I laughed
and started backing away.
“Caleb! No. Nooo, I’ll be exhausted and we won’t even make it to dinner.”
“Uh-huh.”
He started unbuttoning his shirt.
“Caleb!”
I couldn’t hide my smile.
“Damn it. Stop.”
“Yeah.”
He scooped me up and laid me down on the bed.
I bit my lip.
“Mr. Caleb…”
That made him lose it.
I laughed.
“God, you’re insane…”

Restaurant
We sat down at a table by the window.
“Caleb.”
“Mmm.”
I pouted.
“Put your phone away. Am I really that boring to you?”
My eyes filled with tears.
“What’s so interesting there, Caleb?”
He was by my side in a second
and dropped to his knees.
“My little angel, forgive me, please, forgive me, forgive me—”
Then he just took his phone
and plunged it straight into the glass of water.
My eyes went wide.
“Caleb! What are you doing?!”
“No phone, sweetheart.”
I smiled.
What a fool.
But I was happy.
“Sweetheart.”
“Mmm.”
He wiped my tears away.
“I don’t want to sit in a restaurant.”
“But this is your favorite,” Caleb said, looking startled.
I shrugged.
“Not today.”
“Will you take me for a drive?
Let’s grab pizza and wine to go.”
Caleb lit up.
“I’m all for it.”
“Sweetheart—”
“Hm?”
He pulled a face.
I laughed.
“Sorry, it’s Logan. I can’t not reply — what if something’s wrong?”
Truthfully, that was exactly it.
I hate getting stuck in my phone,
but kids are always an emergency, so when it comes to them, I always keep my phone on.
“What did you want, darling?”
I quickly finished typing and slipped the phone into my bag.
“Something’s itching — maybe a tag or something.”
I frowned.
“Let’s go to the restroom and see what it is.”
“I wouldn’t trust him,” Hades said.
I waved him off.
“Alright.”
Caleb gave the waiter an order.
“Pack everything up. We’re taking it with us.”
And we went to the restroom.
The moment the stall door closed,
Caleb started kissing me.
I blinked.
“Told you,” Hades said.
“Caleb? What about the tag?”
“The tag? It’s not bothering you anymore.”
“I see.”
I laughed.
“God, you’re a maniac. You’re insane.”
“Whatever you say.”
He bit my neck.
I gasped.
Caleb covered my mouth with his hand,
then slid it under my dress.
I started moaning.
“Caleb…”
He moved his hand away
and kissed me.
He pulled his zipper down.
I bit my lip…

We made it to the lake.
“It’s beautiful here.”
“You can say that again.”
Caleb came at me again.
I ran into the woods.
“Stop it! Stop it! You’re insane, Caleb! Damn it, you can’t be like this!
Do you ever get enough?!”
I was laughing so hard I ended up completely out of breath.
Caleb threw me over his shoulder
and smacked my ass.
I screamed.
“Help!
Help!
Heeelp!”
And then Aaron showed up.
I froze.
“Aarooon—”
Cody was right behind him.
“Cody?”
“Nazokat? Caleb?”
I blushed.
Everyone instantly understood what was going on.
“Uh… um…”
An awful awkward silence dropped over us.
“What is this, some kind of hookup lake?” Hades said.
I fought back a smile.
“Guys, we—”
Cody cut me off.
“We were just leaving.”
I rubbed my neck.
God, this was awkward.
Cody hugged me.
Aaron shook Caleb’s hand.
Then they drove off.
I turned to Caleb.
“God, that was awkward.”
“No kidding…”
And he was on me again immediately.
“Caleb!”
I laughed.
“You’re awful.”
“Exactly.”
He kept kissing me.
I laughed again.
“Shameless.”
He’d already undone his belt — ready, as always.
“Caleb!”
He laid me down on the ground
and kissed me gently.
“Sweetheart… if you don’t want this…”
I shook my head.
“How could I possibly say no to your love, my dear?”
Caleb was moved.
And I started crying.
He held me close,
while I ran my fingers through his hair.
It wasn’t only about sex.
I knew this was how Caleb showed love.
This was how he told me he loved me.
I was so touched.
How could someone so shameless
be hiding such a fragile soul inside?
My thoughts drifted to his father.
How stupid did you have to be
not to see you were breaking your own son?
“Or maybe he did see it,” Hades said quietly, shaking his head.
“That’s even worse — when you know exactly what you’re doing.”
Horrible.
Poor Caleb.
I saw him as a little boy.
A father always angry, always raging.
A mother trembling.
No one ever knew what had set him off this time.
He just needed something to explode over.
Well… to hell with him.
What matters is — that’s all behind him now.
And Caleb is with me.
I lifted my head.
Caleb was already asleep.
I smiled
and carefully slipped away
so he could lie more comfortably.
I opened the car and found a blanket
to cover him.
Then quietly turned on some Italian music
and took out the pizza and wine.
While Caleb slept,
I could talk to him without fear —
without thinking about how he’d take it,
without choosing my words so carefully.
“You know… sometimes I think I’m an idiot.
Which is strange, because everyone thinks I’m smart.
Can you imagine?
Damn… sometimes I’m scared
I won’t live up to people’s expectations…”

“And yesterday I was watching Lilo & Stitch.
I love it so much…
And I had a whole pile of toys with me.
But I won’t tell you which ones — you’ll think I’m childish.”
Tears started rolling down my cheeks.
I thought… men are so stupid.
“Doesn’t it mean anything to you —
that I show you my childlike side…
my pure, gentle part?
Doesn’t that mean I trust you completely?”
I shrugged to myself.
“I don’t know…”
I took a bite of pizza.
“I love pizza.
God, it’s so good.”
“You’re very handsome.”
I looked at Caleb
and gently fixed a stray strand of his hair.
So beautiful.
Perfect lips.
Thick, defined brows.
“Don’t forget the cock,” Hades said.
I smiled.
“Good thing you’re this oblivious.
Otherwise you’d notice how women practically break their necks just to look at you.”
“I love you.
Very much.”
“I like the nonsense you come up with.”
I laughed.
“How do you even come up with all this?”
“I love you so much.”
“Sometimes I think about children…
Will we ever have kids… or not…”
“You’re so hot-tempered.
I’m scared you’ll start yelling at them,
and I’ll cry,
and we’ll start fighting again…”
I took a sip of wine.
“We fight a lot.
I don’t like that.”
“It hurts me that you’re so harsh…
if you were softer, it would be easier for me.”
I paused.
“Yeah…
I guess that’s the only thing I’d want to change.”
“If Caleb wasn’t such a psycho,
it would be much easier to be around him.”
I took a deep breath.
“It would be amazing if I could learn to trust you…”
“But it’s not easy.”
“You know… men…
sometimes they’re not good people.”
“They can hurt you badly.”
“Trusting is scary.”
“So I’m a coward…”
“I’m afraid you’ll lie to me…
you’re so smart, and so cunning…”
Tears started falling again.
How many girls had he hurt?
How many had he deceived?
I thought about how they must have loved him…
how they trusted him…
God… how terrifying it would be to become one of them.
“You’ll just take and deceive me… use me…”
I completely broke down crying.
“I’m too kind…
it’s so easy to fool me.”
“That won’t happen.”
“Ah—!”
I jumped up.
Wine spilled over my dress.
“God, Caleb!”
“You’re shameless.”
“You weren’t supposed to hear that.”
He smiled
and wrapped me in his jacket.
“My little angel… I’m really trying to change.”
“What if you’re lying?”
“I’m not.”
“Hm… alright. Time will tell.”
“Want some pizza?”
“You need to go home, otherwise you’ll get sick.”
“But I don’t waaant to…”
“Kitten… that’s not up for discussion.”
Mansion
I undressed and climbed into the bath.
Caleb ran me a bubble bath,
and foam filled the entire tub.
He picked up a book,
and I lay there listening.
How is it that such an important ass
is sitting there reading me Paddington Bear?
“And he’s so handsome…” Ursula practically melted.
“Tell me about it…”
“Caleb is insanely handsome.”
“Oooh…”
“So handsome…”
“And so caring…”
“And handsome,” Ursula added again.
I laughed.
“You can’t take your eyes off him.”
“The happiest woman in the world.”