“Why didn’t you just ask me to come with you?” I said. “You didn’t have to sneak out.”
“I thought you would think I was stupid or scatterbrained,” Caleb mumbled. “For not bringing my own pills in the first place.”
Did I really give off that kind of vibe? Then again, I did grow startlingly upset with him just a moment ago.
What is wrong with me? Why is there such a disconnect between us?
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I don’t mean to harm you, or upset you. But do you at least understand why I got angry?”
Caleb met my eyes but didn’t speak.
“It’s because I was worried about you,” I told him. “Very worried.”
“You were?” he asked softly.
“Yes.” I took a step closer to him and put my hands on his shoulders. “I don’t want anything bad to happen to you. If it did, it would be my fault, and I could not live with that.”
Caleb let out a half-laugh. “Why would it beyourfault ifIdid something stupid?”
I quirked a brow and crossed my arms. “So you agree it was stupid.”
Caleb’s face fell, but then he laughed for real this time. “Shut up.”
I couldn’t help but smile as well. The tension in the air melted away.
“Caleb,” I said. “I don’t want to see you get hurt. That’s my only concern. It’s not because I want to smother you.” I ran a hand through my hair. “I know I’m not very good at this. To be honest, this… human interaction is more difficult than I thought. It’s been ages since I spent time with anyone who wasn’t my family. Apparently, I’ve forgotten how.”
“You’re trying,” Caleb admitted. “I guess I should apologize, too. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t this.” He wrapped his arms around himself. “I thought living with my idol would be all fun and games. Which I realize is dumb, in hindsight. You’re your own person, not just my fantasy of you.”
My brows raised. “Your fantasy of me?”
Caleb’s face turned beet red. “N-not like that, I mean - “
“I’m joking,” I said. “Or attempting to joke. Apparently it didn’t come across.”
His blush deepened. “Oh. Haha.”
“Will you be all right?” I asked seriously. “With the pills, I mean?”
Caleb’s smile faded slightly. “Probably. My heat’s not supposed to start for another week, and I just took a pill, so it should kick in on time.”
“Good.” I nodded. “That would be a problem, indeed.”
“Yeah,” Caleb said with a chuckle. “If I didn’t get them on time, I’d end up like Benji.”
The image of Benji and his large belly popped into my mind. For a moment, I imagined it was Caleb instead of his brother. A strange feeling came over me, and I didn’t know what to do with it. It pulled me in deeper, but I panicked. I needed to get away.
“Right,” I mumbled. “Well, if that’s settled, you should get ready for your shift.”
“Oh, yeah,” Caleb said. “Don’t wanna be late.”
Unaware of the thoughts running through my head, Caleb turned around and dressed himself. I looked away in a daze, but not before catching a glimpse of his bare chest as he took his shirt off.
What is wrong with me? Stop staring!
I scowled and wrenched my eyes away. I told Caleb, “I’ll be waiting downstairs.”
“Okay!” he called.
