Tangled in this Love
All I Need
Sunshine's POV
It took us almost three days to get to Chicago. After visiting the cemetery where Caleigh's biological father was buried, we continued on our road trip. Mom called Adam's phone and she spoke to him and then he passed the phone to Caleigh and me. Mom was glad that we were all together and to be honest, there was a mirthful tone in her voice, as she spoke. I felt the nagging feeling at the pit of my stomach - a strange sensation - that told me that she knew where we were going. Mothers are always intuitive. She had to have an idea, because she asked me a string of questions regarding Caleb.
"What would you do if you see him?" she asked. I could just picture her playing with her shoulder length hair and gnawing her bottom lip, the way she did when she knew that we were hiding something from her.
"I don't know, hug him?" I replied with an answer. "Ask him for forgiveness. I don't know, Mom."
"That's sweet. It's so you, sweetie. Don't hold a grudge against him. It's not safe. I should know..." she sighed. "You don't want to let bitterness into your heart. It's not good. It consumes you from the inside and basically destroys you." she said sadly, but then chuckled merrily. "What would you do if he wants you back? Are you going to give up on going to that music school in Seattle? What do you see yourself doing?"
"I don't know, Leah," I said irritated. "I don't know why you are asking me all these questions. Why are you asking me, MOM? Is that there? Is he the one behind all these interrogatives?" I asked alarmed.
"I can't tell you, Sunshine. It's a secret,"
"OK, how come you can't tell me, Mom? Is this about the music school?" I asked intrigued. "Did they call to let me know if I got accepted or not? Is that why you want to know?"
"I can't keep the secret anymore," Mom squealed and laughed loudly. I could hear my father's voice in the background urging her to tell me. "You got accepted. Your music instructor wanted me to keep it a secret until Friday, but I just can't! Congratulations, baby! There's a party for you and the other two that got accepted at your school. I'm so proud of you, Sunny. You are going to Seattle this fall, precious."
"I got accepted!" I screamed into the phone. Caleigh looked at me from the driver's seat and smiled. "Cal, Adam, guys, I got in to the music school!"
"Congrats," I heard the guys saying from the backseat. Caleigh placed a caring hand on my knee and nodded.
"You did it!" she said excitedly. "I'm so proud of you. I so knew you were going to make it. Pay up, Adam! You owe me five dollars!"
"Whatever," Adam mumbled.
"Leah, pass me the phone," Dad said, and then there was a shuffling sound, as Mom passed him the phone. "Honey," Dad said on the other line. "I knew that you could do it. I'm so proud of you. I know that you are going to do great in school this fall. You are smart and so responsible," The joy in his voice filled me with guilt. If he only knew where I was going... he would definitely kill me. "I can't believe that you are growing up so fast. I wish you could remain small, baby. Congratulations on making it to the school of your choice."
"Thanks, Dad," I said guiltily. "Thank you for suggesting that I take violin classes."
"Thank you, Sunny, for listening to your father." He said contently. "I'm going to let you go now. Have a great camping trip. Send me pictures,"
"We will, ciao." I said and closed Byron Adam's phone and handed it back to him. "I think Mom is on to us. Did you tell her where we were going, Adam?" I asked suspiciously.
"No, why would I?" he shook his head and snatched the phone out of my hand and grunted. "What makes you think that I told on you, retard? I'm not a freaking tattletale." he asked angrily.
"Hey, that's rude. What the hell is wrong with you? You've been fucking PMSing since yesterday" I asked, turning my torso to face the backseat. "Since we left Washington you have been rude and mean to me. Did I do something to offend you? If I did, I'm sorry."
"Sunshine curses? Nice," Jordan laughed.
"Just leave me alone," Adam grunted irritated. "I just want space."
"Well, in case you haven't seen," I paused, staring daggers at him. "We are in a car. There isn't enough room. Why don't you just suck it up and try to be civilized until we get to Chicago!" I screamed.
"Sunshine, let him be," Michael said, placing a hand on my shoulder. "He didn't get much sleep this morning. He's tired and he needs to be left alone. Jordan, stop asking him so many questions."
"I'm sorry, bro," Jordan said seriously. "But he knows things about Emerson that I need to know."
"It's none of your business," Michael said, causing Jordan to calm down. Well, he was the pack's Alpha after all. According to rumor, the Uleys were left as the Chief of La Push, since Jacob Black decided to retire to live his lifetime with his half human/half vampire wife. And he never had any sons to pass down the title of Chief. Michael Uley is the oldest of the Uley twin, thus he's been the alpha of the pack, since he turned eighteen years old.
"We'll leave Byron alone for now. But remember, squirt, you and I are having a serious conversation. You aren't going to like it, but we will. Got it?" Caleigh said annoyed. "We are going to spend the night in the next town. It's like a fifty or sixty miles away from Chicago." Caleigh said solemnly. "We'll stop at a hotel and Adam and the rest of us, are going to eat dinner and rest. Adam, you stop snapping at Sunshine. She's nothing to do with your anger and your- you know what I'm talking about. So stop being so annoying. Jordan, stop asking my brother so many questions. He doesn't recall anything. Sunshine, you stop worrying about Caleb not forgiving you. He will and you two will be happy. Just relax, OK?"
"I'm sorry," I said to my sister and brother. "I didn't mean to cuss."
"It's my fault," Jordan spoke up. "I've been asking him questions about things that he doesn't want to talk about." He said, shrugging.
"Is that true, Adam?" I asked.
"Just let it go," Adam said, rolling down the window and sticking his head out. "I don't want to talk. Just leave me alone."
I nodded and stared at my brother one last time before turning around to face the road. "OK," I said, biting the inside of my cheek to keep from screaming and pummeling his ass. Not a task that I would take on doing, but a good idea, nonetheless.
We pulled into a small town and Michael reserved two bedrooms. The room that he rented each had two beds, so it was going to be better for us, since we would have plenty of space to sleep comfortably. Adam, Caleigh and I shared a room. When we entered it, Adam threw his bag on the bed and rushed to the bathroom. After thirty minutes, he walked out of the bathroom, wearing his shorts and a towel draped around his shoulder.
"Are you ready to talk?" Caleigh asked haughtily.
"No," he said casually and flopped on his bed. "I just want to sleep."
"Fine, you can sleep after we eat. Get ready for dinner, Adam." Caleigh said rudely and grabbed the clothes she was going to wear and headed to the bathroom. "Treat Sunshine with respect. I mean it!" she said over her shoulder and slammed the door shut.
I winced when she slammed the door and then turned to my brother and then at the magazine that I was reading. I didn't like to meddle in my brother's affairs when he was acting as obnoxious as he was. It was rare to see him look so angry and even though, I wanted to know what was wrong with him, I didn't push on the subject and continued reading my magazine. When Caleigh came out of the bathroom, she had showered and changed into khaki Capri and a yellow polo shirt. Her long hair tumbled down her back and her expression was different from earlier. She looked radiant and in a good mood.
"Hurry up and take a shower, Sunny. We are going to go eat. Adam, get dressed and wait for Sun to finish getting ready and meet us at the restaurant on the corner, OK?"
"Sure," Adam said, his head resting on the pillow.
"Sun, take a shower and I'll meet you here." she said, walking to the night table to gather her purse. "I'll see you kids later." she said, kissing my forehead and kneeling on the bed, to kiss our brother. "Be good. I love you, guys."
"OK," I said, standing up and placed the magazine on the small table that was next to the bathroom door. My duffel bag was also next to the table and I crouched down and pulled out a summer dress and a jean jacket and underwear. I walked into the bathroom and took a quick shower. When I was finished getting dressed, I stepped in to the room and found Adam holding one picture in each hand. He shifted uncomfortably and quickly placed them inside his wallet and smiled wearily at me.
"Ready?"
"Yes, let's go. I'm hungry."
"Good, cause I'm starving," he smiled and together we walked out of the hotel.
Dinner was exquisite. I ordered five cheese lasagna and Italian salad. Caleigh, Michael, Jordan and Adam ordered some pasta-oyster special and we had a pleasant afternoon. When we were done, Jordan, Adam and I returned to the hotel and watched television. I got comfortable and placed my head on Adam's lap and watched that old movie "The Blind Side". It was nice to feel my brother's hand playing with my hair, because it meant that he was in a good mood. He played with my hand and I slowly drifted to a comfortable sleep. I tried to stay wake up when I heard Caleigh speaking, but it was impossible. I was so tired. The next day, I woke up; Caleigh and Adam were sleeping in the same bed as me. I was on the corner of the bed, Adam was in the center of the bed, one arm was protectively holding on to Caleigh and the other arm was around my neck. Jordan and Michael were on the other bed, snoring softly. It was normal to me to have Michael in the same room as us. He'd been like an older brother growing up. He was always protective and I guess that his love for Caleigh extended to my family, because he genuinely cared for my parents, Adam and me. Jordan, well, he was part of my family. He brought joy to my life and filled some of the gaps in my heart that his brother left inside me. He was also my constant reminder of Caleb's smile. I sighed and grinned bitter-sweetly, and went back to sleep, planting a tender kiss on my brother's cheek and on Caleigh. She smiled and muttered 'thank you' in her sleep. I laid in bed a few minutes thinking of Caleb, when I drifted back to sleep, until the alarm went on and we had to get ready for the rest of the drive to Chicago.
"We should be in Chicago by noon," Michael said, as we drove down the interstate. He chuckled and looked up at the GPS. "Yep, just 50 miles more."
"Awesome," Jordan said and pinched my cheek. "You better treat my brother right, midget," he said, pinching my nose.
"Stop that." I laughed happily. "I'll treat your brother kindly, I promise."
"No. Your brother better treat my sister right," Caleigh said, rolling her eyes at us. She was sitting on the backseat, braiding my hair. "She learned her lesson. He's the one that better not screw it up for her."
"They should treat each other with respect," Adam said nonchalantly from the front seat. "That's how relationships work."
"Wow, that's deep, bro," Jordan said, followed by everyone laughing, except Adam and me. Something in the way he spoke send goose bumps down my body. He was suffering and I could sense it. I watched his profile and I swear that I saw his eyes glaze with unshed tears. I turned to Caleigh and she placed her index finger on her lips and shook her head.
"It's the truth. Love should be treated with delicacy. If you force it, it will break and both hearts will suffer." He said solemnly, leaning his head on the headrest. "I should know. I made them suffer and in the end, all four hearts were broken."
I opened my mouth to respond, but Caleigh shook her head and turned serious. "I thought that if Michael and I came, this wouldn't happen, but it will." she said, her green eyes held a vacant stare. Michael stopped the car in the emergency lane and turned to face her. "Michael, I didn't stop it. It's going to happen."
m(^_^)m
Caleb's POV
I pretended to smile, even though, inside I was dead. I had no reason for living and there were days that I wanted to give up and just hope that I was one of those werewolves – like Emerson- that found death easily. I wanted to die and just forget about the hell I was living. To be honest, during the hours of the day, I didn't feel so bad. I went to work and made sure that I had extra stuff to do. The less time I had free, the less my mind wandered to Washington – to her. If I ended up thinking of her, I would end up depress and moody. The nights were the hardest – well, that was another thing. I barely stopped at my apartment. I was always out, drinking, wasting away my day or spending time with my best friend Steve. He'd moved from Washington to Chicago a few months ago, but I was glad to at least have someone to talk to. He wasn't aware of my secret and it was cool; I didn't feel like delving into the mystical world I belonged to. I didn't want to tell anyone of my problems, either. The only person that I could bitch about my suffering was my younger brother. He became my confidant and it surprised me. I never had that type of relationship with Emerson. He never wanted to talk to me – not that I can blame him. I understand what he must've felt when Marie Black denied him her love. He was destroyed, broken, and unlike him, I felt a bit in control. I wasn't always drinking. I didn't sleep around with anyone. I just tried to pass the time, until; hopefully, I would learn to completely live without my imprint.
"What's wrong?" Steve asked me, when I stared blankly at the beer bottle. "You've been down for the last three weeks. Is something wrong?"
I blinked and turned to look at him. "What? I'm sorry I was thinking of something else." I said confused, as I looked around.
"That's exactly what I mean," he chuckled. "You've been off it for a while now." He said, patting my shoulder. "Is there anything I can help you with?"
"Well," I paused, taking a sip of my beer and slamming the bottle on the table. "If you have a cure for a broken heart, let me know."
"Are you thinking of that girl again?" he asked, knitting his eyebrows together. "Dude, you should forget her. She chose to live without you… you should do the same." He said, shaking his head. "She isn't worth it if she can't see how great of a guy you are. She's totally screwing with your head."
"It's hard to forget her," I muttered, looking down around the restaurant. "It's so hard to forget her. She's my world," I said bitterly. "She's moving to Seattle. I think she wants to go into a music school there… Jordan told me that she – I forgot what he told me. He called last night… He was in Seattle with her. I miss her. I can't forget her."
"That's because you keep telling yourself that you can't forget her. Remember, the body does what the brain wants… You gotta be stronger, dude," Steve said and smacked the back of my head. "Caleb, I know that you had a horrible life. I remember you staying over at my house a few nights out of the week back in high school, but," he stopped and sighed. "Your life is different now. You are rich. Handsome. You have a great job. You've got me and your annoying brother. You can get any girl that you want. You can make a life without her. Don't let her destroy you like this."
"I don't want any girl," I said irritated. "I want her. I want Sunshine. I want my Sunshine. I want to marry her and make her my Sunshine Call. She should be mine, Steve. Why doesn't she want me? Marissa wasn't pregnant. She should've forgiven me. I-"
"Sunshine. I hate the name already," he said and drank the remaining of his beer. "I hate her already. Why don't you get back with that Marissa girl? She's willing to take you back."
"Marissa sucks,"
"That's what you need," he laughed. "A good blowjob from her and you'll be as good as new."
"No! She's not worth it," I said, narrowing my eyes. "She's the reason my life sucks. I should've never brought her to La Push. I should've gone alone and maybe this madness wouldn't have happened."
"What are you talking about?"
"Don't mind me. I'm just reprimanding myself. I suck." I said self-deprecating and motioned the waitress to come over to our table.
"How may I help you, sir?" she said softly, smiling down at us.
"Another beer, please," I said, raising my beer bottle. She nodded and turned to Steve. "He wants the same. In fact, bring me three more beers for me and one for my friend here, please."
"Alright, I'll be right back." She said, leaving the table.
"Are you planning on getting drunk?" Steve asked. "It's not even two in the afternoon, idiot."
"So," I shrugged. "I'm young and I barely drink. Let me live my fucking life. All you do is tell me what to do. " I said furiously, chugging down the rest of my beer. A few minutes later, the waitress came with two new bottles of beer and placed them on our table. "I said three beers,"
"That's fine," Steve said, taking the beers and smiling at her. "Don't mind him."
"Why should I thank her? She brought me the wrong number of beers, Steve,"
"I'll go get the rest," she said nervously.
"Now I can thank her. Thank you, waitress," I muttered, snatching the beer from Steve's hand. "Don't you dare stop me from drinking? Today is my day to forget my life."
"Dude," he said, knitting his eyebrows with concern. "You aren't going to turn into Emerson, are you?"
I narrowed my eyes and ignored his question. Emerson – the lucky bastard – he died and his misery ended in that instant. I sighed and guzzled the beer and reached for the beer bottles that the waitress had sat next to Steve's arm.
"Dude, you are done drinking." He said irritated. "You are going to end up like your brother. You have so much to lose, Caleb. You are the smartest of the Calls. Come on, get back in the game. You are barely twenty-nine years old. You can find a cute girl."
"I don't want to," I complained and looked out the restaurant's window. "I want Sunshine, but she doesn't want me."
"You said it yourself," he paused and snatched his beer bottle back from me. "You weren't meant for her. It wasn't meant to be; then it wasn't meant to be. Just live your life. C'mon. We are taking you home. No more drinking." He said and stood up. "Waitress," he said, raising his voice. The waitress came over to our table and smiled nervously at us. "Can I have the check, please?"
"Sure, one minute, please," she said, hurrying away from the table. Five minutes later, she came with the receipt and handed it to Steve.
"Dude, five minutes, my ass. If you don't know your math, don't tell people that you-"
"Shut up, Caleb. You are being a douche bag." Steve said, reaching for his wallet and pulled out a few twenty dollar bills and placed them on the table and gestured me to stand up. "Keep the change, sweetheart. You put up with his shit long enough." He said gingerly to the waitress. "Let's go, idiot."
"I'm not an idiot," I said annoyed. "I just want to get drunk and forget my stupid life." I slurred the words.
"It takes me six beers to get drunk and you've drank eighteen and you are barely drunk. What the fuck are you made of?" he asked, when he helped me get up. "Fuck, you are heavy." He whined, as he helped me out of the restaurant. "You are going to get a beer gut if you continue drinking senselessly, retard. People were staring at us, I wanted to punch the lights out of you, but I didn't mind them, because you've been there for me. That's what friends do, right?"
"I just want to forget, Stev-O,"
"I'm getting you a taxi." He said, shaking his head.
"I can drive," I slurred.
"No, sir," he said, chuckling. "You want to kill everyone in Chicago."
"I'm not drunk, retard," I complained and pushed him away from me. "I'm driving home."
"In your dreams," Steve said and took my keys. "I'm calling a taxi to drive you home. I'll take the keys of your Porsche and take them with me, just to make sure that you aren't dumb enough to drive drunk."
"I'm not drunk," I muttered, as we walked out the double doors that led to the street. "I'm just a little tipsy. Wolves don't get drunk. Give me a few minutes, and then I'm good."
"Shit, you are drunker than I thought. What the fuck are you talking about wolves? I have a date later with Lorraine and I can afford to be late, so get a move on, big guy."
"Lorraine Smith?" I asked. "Nice. She's stupid. She only laughs at jokes, because she wants to look smart."
"Yes, I know. That's the reason I'm going on a date with her. I need to score. You should do the same, Cal." Steve said proudly, as he dialed the numbers on his phone. "She played hard to get, but fucks, persistence is the key into getting a girl like her." He said, smiling smugly. "Hold on, I gotta make a call," he said, placing the phone next to his ear. "Hello! Yeah, hello, is this the cab service…" he said, placing his hand up. "Yeah, we are in front of La Barbecue Restaurant." He paused and nodded several times and smiled. "Yeah, sure. Thanks."
"Will they be here soon? I feel like walking down the park." I said, walking over to a street light post. He nodded and sauntered to my side. "I think I'm going to call her."
"Don't do it, Caleb," Steve said irritated once again. "She doesn't want you. She was cleared about it. Dude, it's been seven months since you've seen her. You don't know shit about her life anymore."
"I do," I said, raising my eyes to face him. "My younger brother is her best friend. He tells me everything about her. He keeps her safe for me. He's a great kid."
"Best friend?" he asked questioningly. "Since when?"
"Since I last saw her… and the summer," I said, smiling. "Jordan calls me every week to tell me about her. He keeps her safe. At least, I know that she's doing fine. She misses me, but she doesn't call me… why doesn't she call me, Steve?"
"I don't know," he shrugged. "Caleb, how old is this girl, anyways?" He asked intrigued.
"Younger than you and me," I chortled dejectedly. "Way younger. Too young to know what she wants to do with life. She's still in – it's none of your business… But you are right. She doesn't need me. Have I shown you a picture of her? She's cute. So freaking cute,"
"No, all you do is talk about her. I hated her from the first time you spoke about her." He laughed. "What are you waiting for? Show me a picture of her."
"Wait," I mumbled, reaching for my phone. I skimmed through the pictures that were saved in the phone's memory and stopped when I saw the picture she took of our first kiss. "This is her."
"That's her?" Steve guffawed loudly. "She's the girl that dumped you? You got dumped by a cutie,"
"She didn't dump me," I said in disdain, snatching the phone away from his hand. "You know that we weren't a couple."
"But she dumped you," he laughed loudly.
"She didn't, retard," I said angrily. "You get dumped when you're dating someone. I didn't date her, so I wasn't dumped. She just didn't give me an opportunity to prove myself to her. She didn't let me love her the way I wanted to love her. I would've given her anything she asked for. If I could, I would hand her the stars, the moon or the sun…" I breathed heavily. "It's all lost."
"She's cute, but she's not all that,"
"Yeah, she is,"
"Are you sure that Jordan isn't stealing your girl? She seems to be the same age as him. Don't you think that those two belong together? They are closer in age." he mocked. I glared at him and inhaled deeply.
"Jordan is a good guy," I said defensively. "He wouldn't do that to me. I'm his older brother. He wouldn't do anything to her or to me." I whispered. "He's a good boy."
"Look there's our cab," Steve said. Walking closer to the sidewalk. "Dude, I was only kidding. I know that your brother wouldn't do anything like that to you. He isn't Emerson."
"I know," I said, ambling to the sidewalk.
The cab driver parked the car next to us and we got inside. Steve told him the address to the apartment complex where I live. In less than twenty minutes he was parking the car on the opposite side of the street from the luxurious apartment complex I lived in. Steve got out and paid the fare. We crossed the street and at a comfortable pace we strolled inside the apartment lobby. We waited for the elevator and I ignored Steve's bantering. I shifted uncomfortably in my spot, when I felt the strange pull beckoning me to walk outside the building.
"It can't be," I said to myself, as I stared around, searching for the familiar face that my heart wanted to see.
"What's wrong?" he asked, as he turned around to search the lobby. "Are you looking for someone?" he said, as he followed my line of vision.
"I don't know," I said, sauntering out the gyrating doors. "I can't explain it, but she's here." I said, smiling for the first time in seven months.
"Eh?"
"You won't understand," I said, shaking my head.
Somehow my heart was guiding me towards her. She was near, I could feel it. The thought of having her in front of me made my heart leap. It's difficult to describe, but she was near me. She had to be, because my heart was doing summersaults inside my chest, restricting my air supply.
"Where are you going, Call?" Steve asked, as he sprinted after me.
"I have to go somewhere else," I said, running harder. I could hear his footfalls behind me, as he tried to keep up. I felt alive as the wind blew my hair. I reached the end of the street and waited for the light to turn red and I had access to cross to the other side. "She's here. I can feel her."
"Who's here?" Steve said breathlessly. He placed his hands on his knees and fought to catch his breath. "Whoa, damn. You run fast."
"I'm sorry," I said, looking down at him. "It's just an instinct."
"Sure, whatever. Instinct my ass. You've always been fast on your feet. You don't seem drunk anymore." He noticed.
"I have to go that way," I said, pointing towards the park. "I need to go there. Don't ask me why, I just know that I have to."
He nodded and stood up straight. We crossed the street and began sprinting over to the park. My heart was beating hectically and the knots in my stomach began to tighten. She was here. There wasn't a doubt about it. I looked around, hoping to find the face of my angel amongst the sea of unknown faces from the throng.
"Caleb?" A familiar masculine voice said from behind us. I turned around and found my cousin Michael Uley holding hands with Sunshine's sister.
She smiled brightly at me and ran up to me and stood facing me. "We were following you, idiot." She said, hitting me across the chest.
"We?"
"Yes," Michael said, grinning. "She's here. She couldn't stay away."
"Where is she?" I asked nervously, my stomach was churning, causing my bile juices bubble inside me. "She's really here?"
Mike and Caleigh nodded contently. "Your brother and my brother are here also."
"I have to see her,"
"She's at the park," Mike said, pointing north. "We sort of split, searching for your apartment. When Mike and I got there, they didn't let us inside. We sort of looked suspicious getting in." he said sheepishly, placing a hand on Caleigh's shoulder.
"Here," I said, handing them my apartment key. "Meet me there. I'll go and find them."
"Ok," Caleigh mumbled, smiling. "Be kind to her. She's nervous."
"I won't hurt her,"
"I know," she beamed, hugging her imprinter. "I know. Go and get her, Caleb."
"Come, Steve. Help me find them," I said, dragging Steve with me. "My apartment is 7-A. It's on the seventh floor on the right after you get out of the elevator. I'll see you guys later." I shouted over my shoulder.
I ran as fast as I could, every now and then, I would stop, trying to help Steve keep in cadence with me. I felt alive for the first time in such a long time. My lungs fought for air, as I broke into a rapid sprint, when I reached the park. I searched the many faces, and felt my heart sink inside my chest. I couldn't find her. I knew that she was close, because the pull in my soul was increasing.
"Dude," Steve said, pointing towards the hotdog stand. "Look over there. There they are!" he chuckled. "That's your brother! It's to be him. It looks like a younger version of you."
I didn't speak, but stared at Jordan eating a hotdog. There was another tall person in front of him, his back was to us, and so I didn't know who it was.
"Jordan!" I shouted, running over to him. The person that had his back to us turned around and I stopped. It was Byron Adam Brooks, Sunshine's younger brother. I halted and smiled like a stupid idiot, when I saw who stood between my brother and Byron Adam. It was her. She was eating an ice cream cone. Her hair was pulled into a messy bun; strands of wild curls framed her cherub face, when she stared at me.
"Caleb!" she shouted surprised, dropping the ice cream cone on the floor. She looked back at her brother and Jordan and then at the floor and quickly picked up the cone and walked over to the trash can. "Caleb," she said, turning to face me.
"Dude, that's the girl. Your girl." Steve said aloof. "What is she doing here?"
"I don't care," I said, smiling stupidly, as I watched her approach us. Her bun fell and her hair tumbled, as she walked closer to us. I tried moving, but I couldn't. My eyes were glued to her. She was beautiful. She'd grown a few inches and her hair was now shorter. Her curls danced with the breeze. I was petrified to the spot.
"Go up to her," Steve said, shoving me.
"I can't move,"
"You can't breathe, either," he jested.
"She stole my breath away," I said, smiling as I watched her nervously play with her hand. It felt like forever as she took infinitesimal steps to where I stood. "She literally stole my breath away, Steve."
"What are you gonna do now?" he asked. "Are you going to beg her to take you back?"
"I'm lending you my car," I said, reaching for the keys to my Porsche. "Here. Take them and leave." I said, handing him my keys and pushing him away. "I'll be fine."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes,"
"I'll stay," he said, crossing his arms over his chest and smiled haughtily at me. "I want to see what's so special about this girl."
"Everything," I said, narrowing my eyes at him. "She's my gravity. My world revolves around her. All that I am is for her. I'm whatever she wants me to be."
"You are being an ass if you ask me," he said coolly. "Stand straight. Here she comes. Shit, you smell like booze," he said, turning around to face Sunshine, as she came near us. "Who's that guy next to your brother? He's glaring at us."
"Shut up. He can hear you," I said, when Sunshine was a few yards away from me. "Be cool and be nice to her."
"I'm cool," he chortled. "You are the one that is acting like a teenager in love."
"I am in love," I defended myself. "She's coming. Shit, man. My heart hurts."
"Act cool,"
"I'm trying," I said, gritting my teeth. I was a nervous wreck. I took a step forward and stopped. "Sunshine,"
"Hi," She said, her lips curving into a wonderful smile.
"Hi, Sunshine," I mumbled anxiously. "Ho- what are you doing here?"
"I got a car from my parents," she said, looking around the park, avoiding eye contact. "I got it for being good and passing my driver's license test." She said quickly.
"Congratulations," I babbled. "Did all of you guys fit in your car?"
"Um, no, we – funny story," she said nervously. "Mike and Caleigh drove us here. We split up searching for you pad, but we got stuck in the park eating hotdog and ice cream. Just like in the movies." She said, rubbing the back of her neck timidly. "We sort of ran away to come and see you." She said, blushing. "Your parents are truly going to hate me after this. I stole your brother from them." She said, smiling sheepishly.
"She's a cutie," Steve whispered behind me. "It's going to rain. Invite her over to your apartment, idiot."
"Um, you want to come over to my apartment? Caleigh and Mike are there as we speak," I said, swallowing hard. "I – um, well, we can talk there." I said, turning around to point at the apartment complex building.
"Um, sure," she whispered, turning to face my brother and Byron Adam. "They can come too, right?" she asked shyly.
"Sure," Steve said, walking over to her. He linked her arm with his and started walking over to the apartment. I motioned Jordan and Adam to follow us. I waited for them to finish eating their hotdogs and followed me. I whirled around and saw Sunshine smiling politely at Steve and unlinking her arm from him. He nodded and gave me two thumbs up. I had to laugh; because that was the only thing I could do at the moment.
"I left Mike's SUV on the other side of the park. I have to park it closer," she said, her honeyed brown eyes gazing at mine. "Can the guys go with you?" she asked Steve.
"Sure," Steve said, rolling his eyes. "I'll babysit them."
"Adam, Jordan," I shouted. "Walk faster."
The boys came over. Jordan gave me a brotherly hug and Adam just shook my hand and glared at Steve. "I'm going with Sunshine to get her car. You two can go with Steve to my apartment."
"I knew that your apartment was near," Jordan said proudly. "Byron got us lost, so we stopped to eat hot dog in the park just like in the movies." He said, patting my shoulder. "How are you, bro? Hey, Steve!"
"Hey, Jor, you keep on growing and you might touch the sky," he said, looking from Jordan, Byron Adam and then at me. "Why are you guys so tall? Does this have to do with being Native American?"
The guys shrugged. "I'm doing well," I said, smiling at Jordan. "Listen, we can talk more in my apartment. I'll be there shortly." I said and turned to Steve. "Take care of them. They may look big and old, but they are barely fourteen and fifteen years old."
"For real?"
"Yeah," I snickered and turned my attention to Sunshine. "Are you ready?" I asked, offering her my hand. She looked at her brother and then at Jordan, and finally took my hand. Her hand was soft and petite. It fitted perfectly in mine. "We'll be back."
"OK," Adam said, waving at his sister. "Don't take too long."
"We won't," I assured him.
Sunshine and I remained standing there in the middle of the park, staring at Steve and the rest of the guys walked towards the direction of my apartment complex. I could hear her heart beating erratically and gave her hand a gentle squeeze.
"Should we go and get Mike's SUV?"
She nodded and looked down at our joint hands. "It's that way," she said, pointing at the direction of her vehicle, with her free hand. "I got lost. It might be somewhere else, Caleb." She said embarrassed.
"You didn't get lost," I smiled down at her. "You are exactly where you should've been, Sunshine." I whispered, dipping my head closer to hers and leaned my forehead against hers. "You are right where you belong." I said softly, touching her cheek with my free hand. "I missed you."
"I'm sorry," she said, her eyes glistening with tears. "I was a fool. I thought that I could live without you, but I was so wrong. I missed you too."
She snaked her arms around my neck and brought me closer to her, when her soft, full lips shyly touched mine. I cupped her face with my hands and steadied my lips on hers, savoring the wealth of tenderness that her lips evoked in me. She parted her lips, and I gently glazed my tongue over the curves of her lips, until she welcomed it in; eliciting soft moans from her.
"Caleb," she muttered into the kiss. "I love you." She said.
I broke the kiss, staring attentively into her eyes. This was a dream. Did she really love me? As if she knew what I was thinking, she giggled nervously and nodded.
"It's not a dream. I do love you. I drove over two thousand miles to see you. I risked everything just to be with you and to tell you that I'm sorry for hurt-"
I didn't let her finish. There was nothing to forgive. All the pain that I suffered in the last seven months seemed worthless. All the tears that I cried for her, were well deserved, because they made me realize how much I needed her in my life. I had her in my arms and that was all that I needed.