Chapter Text
I rest my head against the warm window, outside a green blur. Honestly, I wasn’t that keen on going on this trip, but Caleb insisted until I reluctantly agreed. I could tell we were getting close as I caught sight of a small river along the side of the road. A bird swooped down, snatching something from the water before flying away. I turn to Caleb, his hands on the steering wheel and a vague, content smile on his face.
“Are we nearby?” I ask.
“We’re almost there,” he says, glancing over at me briefly. “I know you didn’t want to come, but I bet you’ll have fun.”
I sigh, going back to looking out the window.
“You better hope so, for your own sake,” I mutter under my breath. Caleb chuckles, turning the car into a parking space nearby a clearing. Tall trees of different kinds surround it, the grass tall except for a few paths and a few trampled sections. A campfire with a grill over it sits a bit off to the side, a wooden table accompanying it. He gets out of the car, going around the front and opening my door for me.
“C’mon pips, help me unload the car,” he says, unbuckling my seat belt and grabbing my arm to gently pull me out. I roll my eyes and get out of the car, following him to the trunk. He opens it and hands me the rolled up tent. I bring it to the clearing, setting it down and going back to help him unload our kayak nearby.
We set up the tent, the sun beating down on our backs. I attach the rope of the tent to the stick we stuck in the ground. Caleb gets up and moves towards our cooler, taking out a bottle of water and setting it next to me wordlessly.
“Thanks.” I say, taking a sip. I gesture with the bottle towards him. “Do you want some?”
He grins and takes the bottle, taking a few large gulps. My eyes slowly trail down to his Adam’s apple before I quickly look away. After another five minutes, we finish setting up the tent. Since we had set out on the drive early, it was only afternoon.
“We can unpack in the evening; let’s eat lunch and then go out on the lake,” Caleb turns to me, his eyes sparkling mischievously. I sigh, agreeing reluctantly as he takes out some food for us before sitting next to me at the table. I unwrap a sandwich, taking a bite of it.
“Why were you so eager about this trip? It’s hard for me to believe that you just wanted to kayak here that badly,” I ask, angling towards him slightly. Caleb ruffles my hair affectionately and I slap his arm away.
“Don’t ask so many questions. We’ll have fun.” He replies.
Once we’re done eating, Caleb drags me out to the lake with him, easily carrying our kayak with his Evol behind us. The lake is pretty and clear, the bottom visible even in the deeper parts of it. Some staff mill about, who I assume were there as life guards. We stop near the edge of the lake, and I take off my shoes. I step into the lake tentatively, jumping out from the cold. I hear Caleb laugh behind me and I glare at him over my shoulder.
“Wait here, I’ll get us life jackets from the community center,” he says, his voice light as he jogs away to the wooden cabin sitting squarely among the trees. I crouch near our kayak, trying to figure out how to out the oars in. I’ve never been kayaking before, but I know Caleb has.
The oars slip out from the handles once again and I groan in frustration, setting them down next to me with a little too much force.
“Need a hand?”
I turn towards the voice. One of the lifeguards looks at me, an amused smile on his handsome face. I stand up and brush myself off, my cheeks flushing slightly in embarrassment.
“I guess so,” I mumble. He chuckles.
“Nothing to be embarrassed about. I’m assuming it’s your first time kayaking, huh?” He asks, although it’s more of a statement.
“Yeah. My friend dragged me out here.” I say, rubbing the back of my neck awkwardly.
“Okay, well, I can help you out until they come back. I’m Sam, by the way.” I nod and tell him my name.
“Pretty name. Okay, so, to make the oars stay…” A couple minutes pass, and under Sam’s instruction, I manage to set up the oars. I smile.
“That felt easier when you explained it,” I thank him, and as we make small talk, I feel a hand snake around my waist. I glance behind me, seeing Caleb, but he’s not looking at me. His purple eyes are dark and stormy, focused on Sam.
“Seems like you’ve been getting cozy while I was gone.” He says, his lackluster smile not reaching his eyes.
“You must be the friend she mentioned. I’m just staff here, I was helping her out with the oars,” Sam replies good-naturedly.
I look back and forth between them. It felt like they were having an exchange through their eyes that I wasn’t a part of. I feel Caleb’s arm tighten around me, his fingers almost digging into my waist.
“Well, I can help her from here. You can go back to doing whatever your staff here do,” he bites, his voice seemingly irritated. I jab his side.
“Why are you being rude? Stop it.” I hiss at him under my breath. Caleb glances down at me, letting out a small exhale. Sam shrugs and walks away, going to help someone else. I pull away from Caleb.
“What was that about?” I ask, crossing my arms. “Don’t tell me you were jealous.”
He rolls his eyes, scoffing and running a hand through his hair. “Oh, please. Why would I be jealous? I’m just trying to protect you. Do you honestly think his only intention was helping you? Guys never want to ‘just help’.”
“He’s an employee! It’s his job to help me!” I say in exasperation. Frankly, Caleb has always been jealous, or in his words “protective.” I could see it on his face every time I mentioned a guy, no matter the context.
“Caleb, you’re not my dad. You don’t need to ward off guys non-stop. I bet you’re the reason I haven’t had a boyfriend in years!” I glare at him. Caleb’s posture tightens.
“Is that what you’re so worried about? Getting a boyfriend? What do you need a boyfriend for? You have me,” he grits out, clearly frustrated as I feel the familiar nudge of his Evol on my back.
He brings me a little closer, wrapping his arms around me and nuzzling his head into my neck. I freeze, stunned. What the hell was going on? I try not to focus on his scent, something woody and sweet, like an apple tree. He feels warm and solid against me, comforting and familiar. Wait, shit, I’m supposed to be mad at him. I blink, quickly stepping back and putting my hands on my hips.
“Caleb…” I trail off, sighing and looking up at him tiredly.
His expression is different now, almost reminding me of a puppy that got caught doing something bad.
“I’m sorry. I know I get carried away. You know it’s because I care about you.” he says, his voice softer and guilty.
I knew it was because he cared, but frankly it just confused me. It made me hope he saw me as something more, which I knew wasn’t true. It hadn’t been once or even twice that people had joked that he acted like an older brother, it’d been countless times. He never disagreed either, just changed the subject. He really did treat me like his baby sister sometimes, bringing me homemade food and letting himself in and out of my apartment and drying my hair after I shower.
“We’ll talk about this later. Let’s just..enjoy this trip for now.” I say, nodding firmly to myself and stepping over to the kayak. Caleb follows me eagerly, his figurative tail wagging earnestly.
We put on our life jackets and he shows me how to bring the kayak out a little farther into the lake, helping me get inside before getting in himself. He picks up the oars, beginning to row us into the center of the lake. It’s quiet for a few minutes, and my eyes start to drift, landing on his arms, the muscles flexing attractively under his skin as he rows. A bead of sweat drips down from his bicep. The kayak starts to slow down as Caleb rests the oars on the sides, and I pull my gaze away from his arms before he notices.
“The lake is bigger than it looks,” I say awkwardly, trying to break the silence. He smiles at me.
“Yeah? D’you wanna go swimming tomorrow?”
“Maybe…the water is probably cold.” I reply, scrunching up my nose and dipping my fingers into the water over the edge of the kayak.
I can almost feel his smirk before I see it and I feel a cold splash of water hit me.
I gasp in mock offense and splash him back, which starts a relentless splash fight. I squeal when Caleb purposefully rocks the kayak a bit with his Evol, making me grab onto the sides in surprise. He uses the opportunity to splash me once more and then mess up my hair. I glare at him, struggling to hold back a smile. Somehow even after we fight and get awkward, it feels like we fall back into an easy rhythm. Maybe it’s just the familiarity or maybe it’s Caleb’s uncanny ability to put me at ease, but it makes me happy nonetheless. I don’t want to be at odds and waste time with him when I’ve already lost him once.