Our new commercial liner arrives next month, and we have another one ordered. By year-end, the cruise liners will have nothing to do with narcotics shipments. We are alternating shipments by sea and air now, using the contact Joshua sourced last year.
Things are finally getting back to normal after a stressful few months, and everyone is relieved.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Elisa
“What the fuck is he doing here?” Seb snarls, scaring me a little with the venom in his tone.
“I don’t know,” I truthfully reply as Caleb saunters toward us. Shea, Seb, and I are seated at an outdoor table at the coffee place on campus, grabbing an early lunch.
Heads turn as Caleb approaches, carrying a large, gift-wrapped box and wearing a flirty smile. He pays no attention to the drooling, fawning women though, and that’s new. Gia told me he hasn’t been with anyone in ages, and he seems honest about proving he’s serious about me. Deep down inside, a little kernel of hope is mushrooming, but I stamp it down anytime it attempts to resurface.
I’m with Sebastien now. He’s a good guy. Hot and sweet and romantic.
“So why haven’t you given him your V-card?”an inner voice asks. I shut that meddling sucker up as Caleb reaches us.
“Hello, Lili.” He whips a pink rose out from under the box he’s carrying and hands it to me. “You look beautiful today.”
He’s full of shit. My hair is up in a messy bun. I have zero makeup on. I’m wearing skinny jeans, an oversized sweater with an obvious coffee stain, and ballet flats.
I take the rose in a bit of a daze. Butterflies are going haywire in my chest, and when his fingers brush mine in the exchange, delicious tingles zip over my hand and up my arm like always.
“Fuck off,” Seb hisses as he stands, reminding me I’m not alone.
“Sebastien!” I chastise, climbing to my feet. “There’s no need to be rude.”
“There is every need to be rude. This is way out of line.” He faces off with a smiling Caleb, and I realize Caleb is getting off on this. “She’s mine. Fuck off and get your own woman.”
“I am my own person, and I don’t belong to either of you.” I step in between them to defuse the situation before they get into it on campus. Already, we are gathering attention. I push Seb to one side, keeping him close so he can’t lunge at Caleb and sign his own death warrant. “Why are you here, Caleb?” I ask because it’s been over a year since he showed up on campus.
“I came to ask you to lunch, and I wanted to give you this.” He holds out the box.
“That’s a very big box,” I say. His lips twitch, and I narrow my eyes as heat warms my cheeks. “Mind out of the gutter, Caleb.”
“I don’t know what you mean, Lili.”
I roll my eyes. Seb is practically bristling with anger beside me, and I don’t want to cause a scene. “I asked you to stop with the gifts for a reason,” I softly say, not wanting to appear unappreciative. Truth is I loved receiving flowers and gifts, but Caleb has stuck to his word, and I haven’t received any deliveries since Gia’s birthday party. He still sends me daily love letters, and it’s getting harder and harder to deny him because he’s showing me a romantic side I didn’t think existed. Slowly, heis creating cracks in the scaffolding around my heart, and I’m worried I’m not strong enough to resist if he keeps this up.
He’ll probably grow tired of waiting and move on, so I just need to hang in there.
“I stopped when you asked, but this is different. It’s a study care package. Mom said you were starting to feel stressed, so I thought this might help.”
“You bought me a study care package?” I repeat in a robotic voice.
“Yep.” His proud grin does funny things to my insides. “I picked out and purchased all the elements individually. I was trying to think of all the things that might help.”
“Who are you, and what have you done with Caleb Accardi?”
Caleb emits a booming laugh. “You bring out a side of me I’d kept hidden.” His eyes soften. “You bring out the best in me, Lili. You always have.”
“Pass me the puke bucket,” Seb says before making a gagging sound.
I frown at him. I know this is unfair to him, but there’s no need to be so rude.
“Have lunch with me,” Caleb says, pleading with his eyes.
“I’ve already eaten, and I have a tutorial in twenty minutes.”
