Chapter 17
The cafe was vibing with some sweet tunes, Caleb was chilling by the window, letting the music clear his mind. He’d been weirdly ticked off ever since Evelyn had bounced.
“Caleb, we’ve been a thing for a hot minute. When am I gonna meet your mom?” Ava looked up at him, her eyes beaming with obsession and determination. She was determined to get this handsome man.
“Mom’s not been herself lately. Let’s wait a bit, okay?” After the divorce, his mom was giving him the cold shoulder big time. Whenever he’d drop by the house, she acted like he was invisible. Caleb just couldn’t wrap his head around why his mom was so hung up on Evelyn.
Ava’s face got all pinched, like she was holding back big–time feels. “Caleb, does your mom think I’m not good enough? Like I’m the reason you and Evelyn split?” With her head low, she was gnawing her bottom lip so much it started to bleed.
Caleb was on it, stopping her before she did herself dirty. Seeing her all teary, he went all soft and pulled her close. “Wipe those tears, girl. You’re awesome; Mom’s gonna love you, I promise.”
Inside Caleb’s hug. Ava let out a bitter laugh. Thinking about Jasmine giving her the cold shoulder yesterday filled her with all kinds of salty vibes. It was all because Caleb hadn’t made a big deal out of them dating. Every time she hinted at getting hitched, he’d just dodge it. Stuck on those thoughts, Ava leaned into him and whispered, “Caleb, all the years we’ve been apart, I was stressed and missing you like crazy. I keep thinking, if it wasn’t for that crazy storm back then, things would be different I always feel I can’t stack up to Evelyn, not with my family or my status. But, man… I really miss those times.”
Back in the old days, Caleb found himself in deep trouble and got chased around. It was one stormy night, pitch black and all, and he passed out cold in some grimy back alley. When he woke up, he was in a hospital room with a girl who looked totally worn out–her eyes were all red like she’d been crying for days. Turns out, he’d been out of it for a while, and this girl had been right there, watching over him. Caleb realized she was his savior, the reason he was still kicking. That’s when he decided, right there and then, that he’d treat her like gold. They became a thing–up until his ex, Evelyn, messed things up. Just thinking about it got him heated. If it weren’t for Evelyn, he’d have married Ava for sure and taken care of her until the end of time. “Don’t talk about her! Blindsided by his own rage, Caleb shoved Ava away. She almost tripped, yelping in shock. “Avy!” Freaked out by his own outburst, Caleb grabbed her back into a hug, trying to chill out. This was the girl he was
all about.
Ava looked up at him, her eyes all sad, but she didn’t dare bring up Evelyn again. Instead, she switched gears real careful like. “Caleb, what if we get engaged? I’m always worried you might bounce on me. Look, I’ll quit all my acting gigs. Let’s do it, alright?”
Caleb was tongue–tied looking at her pretty face, zoning out for good minute. He thought, ‘Engaged? If I popped the question, I’d be sticking to my word with Ava. And this is pretty much what I want too, right? So why the heck am I dragging my feet?”
