She wanted to scream. She wanted to just hang up, toss her phone against the bricks of the house, and run to her knight in shining armor. But she didn't. She listened intently as her dad told her that he was moving back to Louisiana to help take care of her sister, who is now pregnant.
She wasn't mad at her sister. Not at all. In fact, she was quite pleased that she was now going to be an aunt. But she was frustrated at her dad.
She came back to earth as he started explaining the rest of his plan.
".. and I should be gone in the next few days." He explained.
She stayed quiet. She didn't know what to tell him. Should she tell him the truth? Tell him that he's making a big mistake and that he would regret this decision because her sister doesn't want him around. Or lie to him?
"Lamb chop?" he called to her after he didn't hear anything on the other line.
"Yeah?"
"Are you gonna be okay?" he was a little frightened by her answer but asked anyway. He raised her well and knew she could put up a good fight if she really wanted to.
"I'll be fine, Dad." She stated flatly, coldly.
"Alright. Well I'll call you later. But I want to see you before I go. Okay?"
"Kay. I love you. Bye." She hung up the phone and ran to her bedroom hot tears streaking her face.
Her phone started to ring, as if on cue. It was Eric. The one person she would pick up the phone anytime for. She wiped at the tears on her face, cleared her throat, and then answered the phone.
"Hey." She answered trying to hide the dismay in her voice but obviously failing.
"Hi, what's wrong?" he asked with sympathy in his voice.
She was quiet for a second. She was thinking. She wanted to tell him but not over the phone. She loved that she could confine in him. "I want to see you."
"Yea. Sure. I'll be over in a minute!" he said with eagerness.
"No. Would it be alright if I came to your house?"
"Yea, yea! That'd be fine."
"Okay, I'll be there in a few." She said as she hung up the phone and jumped in the car.
Before she knew it, she was there. She didn't know how she got there or how long it took, didn't really care. She wasn't paying attention. Instead she was focused on what to tell Eric. She walked to his front door step and knocked on the door. Within seconds he answered with the same look of concern on his face that she saw every time there was even the smallest hint of doubt there in her voice. And at that she had to smile. Just slightly though. She still had a heavy weight on her heart.
"You can come in," Eric beckoned her in and then led her to the couch.
She sat down feeling kind of vulnerable or out of place. She didn't know why because this was like her second home. Half of her stuff was here and she would pick up Eric in the mornings all the time when they just wanted another reason to be with each other. It wasn't like she hadn't been here before. She loved it here but for some strange reason -only for a moment- she didn't like it. She shivered.
He rested his hand along her shoulder and looked her in the eyes and softly said "so… are you alright? What's going on?"
She closed her eyes sighed and opened her eyes again. "So My dad has gone and made a big decision without the rest of the family's involvement, except for my sister."
"The one that lives in Louisiana? The one that's expecting?" he asked curious.
"Yeah. He wants to move back to Louisiana to help her out with the baby. And so he can see her since they only see each other maybe 4 or 5 times a year."
"Cal," he said calmly, "I'm so sorry."
"Thanks." She said in a whisper not trusting her voice at the moment. She felt a lump in her throat and she was struggling trying to keep tears from staining her face once again.
He could tell she was really upset. So to help the fact he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to his chest. He could feel her pain in his own heart just by having her close. He hated that she had to go through this, hated that she was really miserable.
He wasn't sure if she was crying, but if she was it was very suppressed. He brought his lips to her cheek and placed a tender kiss there. He whispered in her ear, "I want to show you something."
"Okay." She agreed.
-/-/-/-
He took her out to the backyard and behind the fence. He led her up and down trails winding in and out of a forest until he pushed some of the brush aside and she found herself in a magical place. It was in the middle of nowhere, encircled with trees and bushes all around but it had one tree in the middle. The moon was full and shining brightly on this unfamiliar place.
Calleigh looked around in awe. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. She turned to look at Eric who was, in turn looking back at her to see her reaction. He had a smile on his face.
"What is this?" she said forgetting everything except what was in front of her.
"This is my place I come to think to solve things in my head and just stuff of the sort." He paused. "Do you like it?"
"Like it? I love it. This place is absolutely perfect."
She looked back up and noticed that there was a swing attached to the branch of the sweet scented pine. She walked over to it pulling Eric along with her. He climbed into the swing's dip and beckoned her to join.
"Eric, if both of us get in it, it'll break."
"No it won't. I built this very sturdy and durable. Come on." He grabbed her hand and slowly pulled her toward him. She sat down in his lap and he began to pump his legs back and forth and as they glided through the midnight Miami air, she fell even more in love with him. And this mysterious place.
For the first time all night, he saw a big smile plastered across Calleigh's face. They floated through the night and flew up to the stars like graceful birds. The stars welcomed them with open arms and cradled them with such care it almost made Calleigh dizzy. They fell back down to Earth and Eric thought that was enough for one night so he skid his heels against the hard ground and they slowly, swinging back and forth, came to a halt. When he came to a stop, she looked up at the stars and cocked her head to the side to envision the false reality she had just visited.
She turned to him and looked at him with such passion it scared him. She leaned forward to him and pressed her lips to his. His eyes shut immediately so he could concentrate souly on her lips against his. Her tongue grazed his bottom lip to gain entrance and he gave her instant access. He poured his who heart into the kiss but before either of them got lost into each other he broke the kiss finding that she didn't approve. So she kissed him one more time, this one being quick but still meaningful.
He grabbed her waist and pulled her to her feet. "Come on, there's one more thing I want to show you." He started walking toward a hole in the woods that she supposed had to have a trail following it.
"Wait, there's more?" she said kind of shocked.
"Yep. Come on!" she ran after him noticing that he had already disappeared behind the trees.
"Wait up!"
"Hurry up!" he said a little bewildered that she took her precious time when he had something incredible to show her.
Calleigh, out of breath and panting, finally caught up with him when he stopped to take of his shoes. "You walk way too fast."
"You run way too slow. Now close your eyes and take off your shoes." He said with devious smile.
She was skeptic but she followed orders and did as he said. He took her hands and led her into the unknown. The first thing she noticed was she the feel of a gritty substance on her feet. This feels like sand, she thought to herself. Next, she could smell salt in the air. I didn't smell that before. Was it really there and I didn't realize? She then heard the sound of swishing water getting closer and closer. She gasped as she felt cold water hit her feet sending electric signals to her insides. "Eric." She hissed. "That's really cold." She took a step back but dutifully kept her eyes shut.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know. You can open your eyes now." He said smiling as she still had them closed. He snickered.
As her eye lids slowly opened her jaw dropped. She took in the sight of this small cove. With its white sand and calming waters she couldn't believe her eyes. To the corner of her eye she saw a shadowy figure and she turned to look at it. She realized it was a hammock. She turned to face Eric now who was looking around and taking in the view as well. "You never cease to amaze me. You're brilliant, you know?"
His eyes moved to meet hers. "I know." He said then smiled. "Wanna go try out the hammock?"
"Of course!" she said running toward it to beat Eric to it.
"Hey wait! That's no fair!" he said chasing after her.
"All is fair in love and war." She said raising her eye brows to him as if she were challenging him to come up with something better to say.
"So what," he said laughing, "this is war now."
"I wouldn't exactly call it that. But you're on the right track." She said with a flirtatious smile and she sunk down to the hammock and laid down on it.
He laid down right beside her and put his arm around her. She snuggled up to him and placed her head on his chest. He dropped one leg on the side to rock them side to side.
"So what exactly would you call this then?" he asked curious.
"Hmmmm." She looked up and acted like she was really thinking about it. She giggled. "I'll give you one guess." She said smiling and biting her lower lip.
"Ahh. I think I have an idea." He said placing a kiss to her forehead. "But you sure are in a playful mood." He said kind of amazed at how quickly she changed from crying to smiling.
"Only 'cause I'm with you." She whispered. "I wouldn't be if you weren't here. I meant to thank you for today."
"For what? Calling? Calleigh, I don't want you to worry about it. I'm glad I called. If I hadn't we probably wouldn't be here right now. I want you to just forget the world. We'll deal with everything tomorrow. Okay?"
"Okay." She whispered. "But I just can't believe he'd do something like that to me. Well actually I can but I mean, I just." She sighed frustrated. A tear rolled down her cheek. "I don't want him to do this."
"Shhhhh. Don't worry about it. You have me now. I want you to forget. Please? For me?" he calmed her.
"Only for tonight."
"Promise?" he asked.
"Promise." He pulled her into an impossibly closer embrace to reassure her.
"Good. Now close your eyes." He said soothingly. "Go to sleep."
"Kay. She said closing her eyes. Forgetting. Losing her memory, her consciousness.
She fell asleep to the sweet cadence of his breathing and the sound of the waves on that one night in Miami with the moon full and bright shining on their secret hideaway from the world.
-The end-
So here's the new story. Hope you enjoyed and PLEASE leave a review. I'd love to know if i've improved any! :) thanks for reading (and reviewig??) There should hopefully be more to come! ^^