“I’d rather you were staying.”
“I wish I was staying too.” Her arms tightened around me, her skin pressing against mine.
We didn’t have time for anymore ‘practicing’ as she’d called it. The clock was running down and this would be the last time I saw her for a few months, unless something changed in her schedule.
I kissed her, a simple kiss that didn’t ask for anything else. “What would happen if you stayed?”
“I’d probably be sued for not fulfilling my contractual obligations.” She rolled her eyes. “And I’d probably claw out the eyes of any girl who kept flirty texting you.”
Her words were an injection of warmth in my chest.
“That’d make for some good headlines.”
Her laugh was soft, her head burying under my chin as we lay there, the seconds ticking down.
“Shouldn’t you get a shower and get ready for your lift? I know how long it takes you.”
“That’s libel, Caleb. I’ll shower later. All I need to do is pull my clothes on.” She pressed a kiss against my chest. “I don’t want to wash you off yet.”
I knew what she meant.
“You’ll have to at some point.”
“I know. I’ll deal with that later. What time are you in lectures?” She still had hold of me.
“Ten. Monday’s an easy day but I haven’t done that essay.” Which I wouldn’t regret, even when I had a thousand words left and was working past midnight.
“I feel bad for distracting you.”
“You should feel worse when you don’t distract me.” I shifted us slightly, knowing that one of us needed to make a move.
“I won’t feel bad then when I phone you when you’re busy.”
“That’s my favourite time for you to call me.” We sounded like something more than friends and it’d felt so easy to be that. For me, anyway. “Any regrets?”
“Only that I can’t stay longer.”
“If you stayed, would you want this to carry on?” My hand was on her hip, fingers resting on the curve of her arse, memorising how she felt, like I had the last thirty hours.
“Yes, but only if it could last until we were older than Mavis and the world had had its way with us.”
We did get out of bed. I made her a quick breakfast and a hot chocolate and ignored the bear pit of dread that formed in my stomach at the prospect of watching her leave.
I didn’t torture myself by not watching her leave. I stood there as she was driven off, my chest hollow and what remained of my heart heavy, understanding that there was no way, now that Zoey had shed the baggage she’d been scared to show anyone else, she’d ever be mine for more than a few brief days.
Our lives were too different.
Science geeks didn’t get the cool chicks.
Zoey
Iwoke thinking about the kiss with Caleb on the beach. I’d tried not to think about it yesterday, after it’d happened, not wanting to focus on one of the things I should be letting myself be swept away with right now. I’d tail spun my life into chaos, had no idea where I was going to live in another few months, what I was going to do next or if things were going to get choppier thanks to the man who was convinced I was his.
I could’ve done without a stalker.
I turned over, the duvet a warm cocoon and I wasn’t convinced I was going to leave it any time soon. Here I could daydream that there’d be more kisses from Caleb, ones that weren’t just practice so our playing at being together looked real.
He’d kissed the same as he had when he was nineteen. Firm, in control, some knowledge held within his lips that he was too young to really have. He’d been stupidly clever, although no one ever talked about that, apart from a couple of girls I’d met who he’d gone to college with. When I’d first come to Puffin Bay, I’d seen what the town had; a beautiful boy who could charm the last mint from Mavis, overflowing with big smiles and genuine interest in people. His charm was authentic, and it drew people to him like chips drew seagulls. Peopling came easy to him, and it still did, although I’d seen that nowadays he liked the time when it was just him and the sea, and maybe me.
