1507

I walked into Caleb's winery like I had done many times before and let out a deep breath. It was crowded by rich shallow people, who were there for "charity" and I wasn't in my element at all, mostly when my man was late and I couldn't even talk to me. When my eyes landed on Caleb though, a smile widened my lips and I headed over him without thinking twice, grabbing a glass of wine on my way. If there was someone who could save my night was him.

"You look deep in thought." I pointed out, noticing the way his brows were slightly furrowed and the serious expression he was sporting.

"I didn't know you'd be here." He said with a smile, relaxing as he looked into my face.

"I came for the views and the wine." I laughed, holding up my glass of chardonnay and using it to wave my hand across the view.

"You have that whenever you want." He laughed with me. "Your cafe has the best view and I'll always send you wine."

"Yes but then I wouldn't get to bust out my cinderella dress." I teased with a slight shrug.

"Did Cinderella wear that?" He asked. "No wonder the prince was smitten."

My eyes widened at the inexpected compliment and I got a little hot. That had to be the wine. "I think it was the shoes that did him in actually. Not the dress." I replied, recovering quickly.

"Oh? And did you wear the shoes too? I thought you already had a boyfriend and here you are trying to get a prince."

"No offence to Cinderella but I think my shoes are even better." I joked, because that was what we were doing wasn't it? Sometimes I didn't understand, Caleb was normally very serious then he said things that I had no other choice but taking them playfully. "And just for your information Cinderella was still Cinderella even after she met her prince."

He laughed lightly at that, the kind of laugh I didn't understand if it was forced or not. "That's a good observation."

"I'm not looking for a prince though." I added as a second thought, wondering if he had had the impression I was looking at other guys. Truth was, I wasn't. Of course I had eyes that still appreciated beauty but I was in a relationship. "You're right I have a boyfriend even though he's not really prince material." I said in a lighter tone.

He raised an eyebrow at me, "No?" He asked cryptically, one work enough to leave me wonder what else he didn't put in question but was questioning anyway.

I shook my head and bit down of my lip, "John is more like...oh well I don't know. Not prince, not king either. It's silly anyway." I shrugged, using my glass to cover my mouth and take a sip of wine as my eyes moved around and away from Caleb's face. Sometimes I had the feeling he was testing me.

"So is he coming?" He asked this time after a few moments of silence.

I brought my eyes on his again, because I wasn't afraid of stare at him. "He should be here already but I guess he's late." I sighed, letting out some of my frustration, "I got changed in the back of my shop and we were supposed to meet here. It was his idea to attend this event, to be honest I wouldn't have come if it wasn't for him."

"Why not, don't you like the venue?" He brought his hand to his heart in mock offense.

I let out a small laugh, "You already know your winery is the perfect scenario, but all these people?" I questioned, motioning around us to the rich women and men who probably didn't care much about Water Conservation but did care an awful lot about showing they had money to support it. "I just don't fit. I feel out of place a little too." I confessed. It wasn't that I was intimidated, nothing really did that to me, more like...they were so fake.

"Why is that? You're a business owner like most of them." Caleb pointed out. "And a woman as well. Half the women here are just trophy wives." He spat the last part, surprising me a little.

I blinked, reading into his disdain. "He own a bakery and cafe. Not exactly the biggest money maker." I laughed. "And He don't care about that, that's the point."

"You are of a much higher class in my opinion." He admitted softly.

I blinked again and then smiled as I sipped my wine. "I didn't mean you by the way." I pointed out.

He rose a brow at me. "I mean....you seemed to think I was insulting you when I said I didn't fit in."

He shook his head. "No...I know you weren't." He replied seriously. "I just feel the same way, even though this used to be just where I belonged."

"You look like you do now too." I pointed out.

"So do you." He reminded me.

"Touche." I laughed and he closed his eyes for just a moment, leaving me watch him.

"Caleb." A woman which I had no idea of who she was appeared out no nowhere and reached out to smooth his suit, while I did the math. He cold do better though. "Your speech was flawless. He knew you could do it."

"I was just reading a paper." He replied, shrugging over at her.

"And looking like a million bucks doing it. Keep it up handsome." She winked at him before walking away.

"I didn't know you were the new spokesmodel for Water Conservation." I said, trying not to laugh as I did and he rolled his eyes.

"Ha ha." He shook his head, looking a little...younger? Embarrassed? Cute? I didn't know.

"She's right though. You did a good speech."

"I didn't even write it. The duties of being a host."

"Don't you care about the cause?"

He saw the twinkle in my eyes and he knew I was mostly teasing, "I'm throwing the event arent I?" He asked, the corners of his mouth turning upwards.

I bit down a grin as I looked at his face, his handsome face that was even more handsome whenever he smiled. "I don't know you could do it for the money."

He laughed at my words, the sound making turn a few heads but it was something I was used to so I didn't even notice anymore. "It's a fundraiser in case you didn't notice." He said in an amused tone.

"But you get free publicity for your winery and the poor fools who didn't know about the existence of this please are now impressed and will talk about it to their friends." I retorted reasoning out out.

"You have a point and I'm not even surprised, you run your own business quite well after all." He said back.

"I don't really think you did this for the money though." I added quietly, not wanting him to think I considered him like the other sharks in the room. Of course he was a serious successful man but he had integrity too for what I knew and thar was something to value a lot more than money. "And thank you for the compliment."

"You're welcome." He said softly as I reached for my phone and I started dialing Johns number. "Am I so boring you feel the need to look at your phone?" He added with a face of fake hurt on.

It was my turn to chuckle. "No I'm calling your cousin." I answered softly as I looked at him, the line ringing in my ear before I heard my boyfriends voice. "Hey where are you?" I asked, noticing Caleb's expression changing.

"Here." Came John's voice and his arm wrapped around me from behind, this lips pressing gently against my cheek.

I turned around and looked at him, "You're late." I sighed but kissed his lips anyway, happy to get to spend time with him no matter the circumstances. "Hi."

"Hi baby" He said back, ignoring my words completely and looking at his cousin, "Were you taking care of my girlfriend?" He asked him, his signature smirk in place. I loved it when he used him with me, I hated it when he used it with any other female human being.

"She takes care of herself." Caleb replied seriously, his eyes flicking away when John placed his mouth against my neck.

"That I does. You outdid yourself this time Cal." He winked at him and he smirkedback. For what I knew John and Caleb weren't just cousins, they were friends too.

"Maybe you should have become a winery owner instead of a lawyer. You'd get to throw fancy parties too." He teased back while I commented in my head how John was the perfect lawyer instead. I couldn't picture him doing anything else.

"Damn it why didn't I think of that." He shook his head and Calbe laughed along with me. "Sorry I'm late, traffic was a bitch." John shook his head and Caleb grabbed a flute of champagne from a passing waitress.

"I'm sure that was more enjoyable than being here." His cousin admitted.

"Ahh but then I wouldn't have seen his girl." He reached down and kissed me again, this time taking more time, being more sweet and all I could do was close my eyes and melt into him completely.

"I'll leave you to my then." Caleb said, a little cold or maybe I was imagining it.

"I wouldn't walk away just yet..." John trailed off.

"What?"

"Caleb!"

He cringed at the high pitched voice of another woman who wasn't the one from earlier but she seemed just as terrible if not more. "Selene." He said curtly.

"John." She smiled at my man who didn't offer her a smile back.

"Selene this is Tara, John's girlfriend. I'm not sure you've met."

She barely glanced at me before looking at John. The name rang a bell and so did her rude ways. She had to be the ex-wife. "Nice job, he's a catch." She winked at him and then turned back to Caleb. "We need to talk."

He rose a brow at her, while I considered dragging John away because this wasn't any of our business, but then again I felt bad for Caleb. That woman had to be a walking nightmare while he was such a good man instead. "About?" He asked.

"Sorry He have to discuss something with him." John said quickly, interrupting.

"I-"

"I'm sure he'll call you later." John assured her, pulling him aside and guiding me with them.

"He could have dealt with my myself." Caleb muttered.

"Yes you could have." John paused seriously before breaking into a smirk, "But this way was easier and faster. More effective even."

Caleb muttered something I couldn't even get, scratching the back of his neck and looking both annoyed and embarrassed. "Should I thank you?" He forced a playful tone.

John chuckled, keeping me anchored to his body while I observed the two men, and listened. I loved listening a lot. Sometimes I wished John listened more though. "You're welcome. You should find a decent woman, one who doesn't talk too much." He started and I was tempted to both yawn and roll my eyes. I loved John, I did, only sometimes he was a little too full of himself, as if he knew the answers to anything, and the most annoying part was how he managed to still sound modest. No wonder he was a great lawyer.

I looked at Caleb as I leaned against John's side, my arm sneaking around his waist, "You could do better than that." I commented shortly, meaning it. Caleb was part of one of the categories of men I didn't understand, the hot men who messed with annoying, not even that hot and smart women. It was one of the mysteries of life.

Caleb stared into my eyes intently, even though his face gave away nothing, his lips parted slowly as my eyes dropped on his mouth. And then John interrupted him. "Yes. You could. You should!" He talked to his cousin as if he was making no sense, then turned his head to me, "You should find someone like Tara."

His eyes widened just so slightly, "Wha-"

"Because I don't talk too much?" I asked, this time my turn to interrupt Caleb, "That doesn't sound good."

"You talk only to say smart wise things and that's what I love about you." John said back to me, tracing my jaw with his finger and boring his eyes into mine.

I turned to Caleb instead, "Is it just me or he sounds like he's only trying to save his a.ss?" I asked him, raising a brow.

He kept staring at me in an unreadable way, which I supposed was his standard expression at this point, "I think he's right. You don't waste your words on nonsense." He said softly and I didn't know why but that sounded more like a compliment. More than how John had put it.

"Thank you." I replied just as softly, feeling my cheeks a little warmer than before.

"You're welcome." Caleb nodded.

"Still though Cal, why can't you find a decent woman?" John shook his head at him and he rose his brows.

"Maybe it's because I'm not a decent man." He suggested, of course teasing him because it was clear that he was a decent man instead. More than decent for what I knew.

"Yes, good looking successful men are disgusting to women." I teased back.

Caleb smirked at me. "I'm also very wealthy."

I wrinkled my nose, my opinion clear by the face I was making alone. A women who cared about his man's wealth was one to stay away for. "Only the non-decent girls care about that." I replied seriously.

He laughed. "My date tonight isn't too bad." He shrugged. "She runs a charity after all."

"She's okay." John commented shortly. "Then again I'm biased. Hard to compete with this one." He turned to me and then pulled me into a kiss that was a little too much considering that we were with his cousin. And people.

"John!" I laughed against his lips and caught Caleb showing his hands in his pockets, looking awkward.

"I missed you today." John nuzzled my neck, surprising me a little because he wasn't much like that anymore.

"Should I get you two a room?" Caleb asked monotonously.

"Sure." John grinned back at him and he mumbled as he started to walk away.

"No! Caleb stay, sorry we just haven't seen each other in a while." I replied, feeling a little embarrassed.

"Don't you live together?" Caleb asked, raising a brow at both of us.

"We do." John nodded, smirking again, "I told you, didn't I?"

Caleb shook his head, his eyes moving to me briefly, "Tara did."

My boyfriend shrugged his shoulders as he kept me firmly against his side. When he did that, I really felt his, I felt good, happy, complete. The feeling didn't last long though, but the thought of it help me go through the days when I felt alone and empty instead. "Anyway, I'm a lucky man." He said in a smooth tone, glancing at me.

"Yeah I think we already agreed on that." Caleb muttered flatly and I blinked at him because I had never seen or heard him talk like that to John. Or to me. It was weird.

"He's saying that just to flatter me." I added hurriedly, the words coming out in a playful tone.

Silence fell for a moment, Caleb busy ignoring us and John busy looking somewhere behind his cousin while I was busy looking at the two men. Silence fit me, but surely didn't fit them. "Baby." John said eventually, barely even looking at me, "I have to go talk to someone."

"But you just got here." I protested because I knew what that meant. It meant business and business meant no more John for me.

He cupped my cheek and kissed me hurriedly, "We have the whole night." He reassured me, promising things like he always did, then walked away.

My eyes followed him and I sighed, before turning to Caleb who was still next to me, surprisingly enough. "Can you get me another drink please?" I asked softly.

"Of course." Caleb walked over to the bar, bringing two glasses back to me with a smile.

"Thanks." I lifted it to my mouth and gulped down half of it before my eyes widened and I pulled away. "Oh my god this is delicious."

He smirked as he sipped his. "I know it. It was almost a sin to drink it as fast as you just did." He said seriously.

"I should have known better." I sipped it slowly this time, my eyes closing as I tried to relax.

"Caleb!" A man walked up to him and he blinked. "What a great turn out. Congratulations."

Caleb nodded, giving my a stiff smile and a hard handshake. "Thank you."

"Can I bother you for a few moments? Some business to discuss." He grinned and Caleb shook his head.

"I'm sorry, I'm actually already having a discussion. Pat Williams, this is Tara Archer. She owns Archer bakery."

The man seemed to just realize I was there and took a long moment to look me over. Men were disgusting sometimes. He took my hand for way longer than neccessary and shot me a creepy smile.  "Surely you can let me take this one away for just a few minutes-" He started but Caleb interupted.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not one to leave a woman alone." He replied seriously.

"I understand. Especially one so beautiful." He winked at her and then walked away quickly.

"You could have talked to him." I said softly.

"He's awful. You're much better company."

I smiled a little but then winced. "But if it could have helped the winery..."

"I seriously doubt the winery will be in trouble because I blow off one guy." He laughed.

"Because it goes so well already?" I said only half teasing because it was no mystery of how successful his winery was, it was pretty famous too and I could see why. Not only Caleb worked really hard, it was the passion he poured into his work that made everything better. Even perfect. I loved his winery.

He laughed, baring his white perfect teeth, "Yes, that's why." He said back with amusement in his tone.

My face turned serious as I took another sip of wine, looking up at him through my lashes, "You didn't have to stay with me though. I understand that kind of situation, I don't need a babysitter."

"Do I look like a babysitter?" He asked, still being playful and I had the feeling he was doing it just to help my now meh mood caused by his cousin, my boyfriend.

I broke into a silly grin, "Not what I meant." I commented shortly as my eyes went to John who was talking to someone I had no idea of who it was. He seemed deep into the conversation, he had his charming ways on, the ones no one could resist. Not even me.

"So...how was your day today?" Caleb broke the silence and into my thoughts.

"Good until a few moments ago." I confessed in a sigh, regretting it immediately, "I think I need some chocolate right now."

He raised one eyebrow at me, "That's...random."

"Never heard of comfort food? Dark chocolate does that to me." I told him and forced myself to grin a little. He grinned back and nodded. "I'm going to sneak into my shop a moment, want to join me?"

He opened his mouth and ran her hand through this hair, but it took him a few seconds to talk. "Okay." He agreed eventually.

"I'll give you your fave." I smiled more genuinely at him, leaning the way and feeling the heat of his hand on the small of my back but it went away as soon as I sensed it. Maybe I had imagined it.

"You've convinced me." Caleb smirked.

"I knew He would." I threw him a smirk that lit up my whole face. We walked in a comfortable silence as we made it through the winery and up to my bakery. "It's beautiful here." I said after a while.

"I agree. I never get sick of it."

"I'm so jealous you get to wake up to this every morning. How wonderful it must be to sip your coffee in a view like this."

He smiled, "I won't pretend it isn't everything you're imagining it is." He replied as I got the key to my shop and pushed inside. We both walked in but before we could get to the back my whole body went flying forwards, he grabbed my waist, pulling me back and into him as his reflexes kicked in. Thank god for Caleb.

"Are you okay?" He asked, his body tense against mine.

"I tripped." I said. my eyes wide and my breath coming out in short pants. "You have damn good reflexes." I said back, smiling up at him.

"I wasn't going to let you fall." He said seriously.

"Thank you." I smiled, and that was when he pulled himself away from my body.

I smoothed my dress, tearing my eyes away from his unreadable face, feeling a little embarrassed. "I'm not used to gowns and high heels." I said eventually, as if I had to give him some kind of explanation. Truth was, sometimes he made me feel uncomfortable and that was something never happened to me. Rarely more like it, but still.

"I bet they'd be uncomfortable to bake with." He commented and added a small smirk that looked a little too forced. Or maybe I had sipped his wine too fast and on an empty stomach.

I nodded my head like an idiot and turned around, "So, what do you want?" I asked, getting a piece of dark chocolate for myself.

"I thought you said you'd give me my fave." Came his voice from behind me, deep and low.

"Right." I commented as I reached for a tiny bowl from the fridge and set it into the microwave before turning it on. Then I looked back at him. "It's going to take a few minutes." I said softly, biting my chocolate and looking at him again.

He gave me a small genuine smile, "Don't you think I learnt that by now?"

I reciprocated the smile as I got lost into his features a moment. For me Caleb was just Caleb, as my boyfriends cousin Caleb, not a man I could even think about as...well, as a man. I never took time to appreciate how handsome he was, but you had to be blind not to see that he was. He had this Northern god vibe going on that made him look strong and powerful. "You have amazing hair." I said out of nowhere, regretting it immediately when I realized I had actually said it out loud and not only that, I had even reached for a wild lock falling from his perfectly combed hair.

He seemed taken aback, even physically pulled back a little, then recovered and laughed, "What??!"

"Nothing, I was just saying that you have amazing hair." I muttered as I felt myself blush, doing my best to act nonchalant.

"I use conditioner." He said back with a straight face.

"Really?!" I heard myself ask in a surprised tone that made him laugh again.

"No." He shook his head.

I turned around again, saved by the timer pinging, "Must be good genes." I said in a lame attempt to tease him back.

"I guess." Caleb smirked, "That's the first time I've gotten that particular compliment." He admitted.

"Really?" I looked suprised as I fiddled with my ingredients.

"Yes." He laughed.

"I'd think girls would compliment you all the time." I pointed out nonchalantly.

"Not about my hair." He finished.

"Ahh so you admit you get plenty of compliments." I grinned as I set a plate in front of him.

"I don't really know how much is average to say that I get plenty." He smirked and took a big bite.

"I'm surprised a man like you is still single at all actually." I admitted, plopping myself down on the seat next to him as if I wasn't wearing an evening gown.

"Why is that?"

I shrugged. "We talked about this already. You know why."

He nodded. "I'm not really a relationship person."

I looked at him for a beat and then licked my lips, thinking about what he had told me. "Because of your marriage?" I asked finally, not sure if it was okay because I had the feeling he didn't like talking about his past much.

"I was a terrible husband." He ran a hand through his hair. "I wouldn't want to put another woman through that."

"Terrible?" I echoed him as I furrowed my brows, "I can't really think of you as terrible anything."

"That's just because you don't know me that well." He answered softly as he looked into my eyes.

I knew he was right, but I still couldn't picture him as a bad guy. Maybe the idea I had of him was far from reality, or maybe not since I was usually right. "So what did you do to be terrible?" I asked before reaching for more chocolate. If you asked me, the kind of night when I got to eat sweets and talk deep with someone was a lot better than the kind of night happening in his winery.

"I..." He trailed off and broke eye contact, looking lost into his thoughts but also as if he was holding back.

"You don't have to tell me." I offered a smile and got up, making myself some tea, "Do you want something to drink?" I asked to change the topic since I wasn't sure if he wanted to share his past memories with me.

"What would you suggest?" He asked from behind me.

"Tea with black cherries. It's good for your soul and with your dessert too." I said quietly and a minute later I was offering him a cup, leaving him think in the silence of my bakery.

"It's good." He commented shortly after taking a sip, "I was too selfish I think. All my time and attentions went to my job and I ended up neglecting my wife...it wasn't fair for her."

"If she wasn't able to making you want to give her attentions maybe she wasn't the right one for you." I suggested carefully.

"Something tells me you're the kind of girl who believes that out there there's only one soul that fits perfectly yours." He said back in a teasing way.

I shrugged, "And even if I was?" I asked, though it was rethorical. I didn't really believe that, but I believed that if it was love, you'd do anything for it.

"That's a good thing to be." Caleb said, shrugging. "I don't think I ever even loved her, much less fit her soul."

"Oh." I widened my eyes as I looked at him. That sounds really sad.

He shot me a grimace. "See why I'm not such a catch?" He asked, scratching the back of his neck.

"You can't help who you love." I replied. "You probably shouldn't have married her though." I pointed out, unable to bite my tongue. "Why did you?"

"Because she fit into the life I thought that I wanted." He said almost automatically, surprising me with all his confessions.

"That's not really a good reason." I replied, a sadness in my eyes as I looked at him that was so genuine.

"You're right. You're lucky you have the real thing." He added.

I looked down into my tea, wondering what my boyfriend was doing right now. Did it really matter though? He wasn't with me and it didn't make any difference what he was up to. "I guess." I answered shortly.

"You guess?" He echoed me and I could feel his eyes on me.

I lifted my head as I made eye contact again, keeping my face as straight as possible. "John and I haven't been together for long enough to know if it's the real thing." I said eventually, coming up with the best answer I could give him without giving away too much.

"One year is not enough?" He asked tentatively.

"Is it?" I asked back because I didn't want to talk to him about my relationship with his cousin. It was weird and I wasn't sure it'd be wise. I had nothing to hide, I loved John, I really did, but was he the one for me? There were times, just like tonight, when I thought that he wasn't really. "Do you want more?" I asked, eyeing his empty bowl.

"No thanks." He smiled at me, grabbed the emty bowl and got up to set it into the sink.

"I'll wash everything tomorrow morning." I told him before turning the lights off and heading to the door, feeling him behind me.

"Are you okay?" He asked, his voice low and deep, his breath hitting my nape and his hand barely touching my waist as we wandered into the dark.

I sucked in a deep breath, then swallowed. I felt the darkness and his presence incredibly relaxing, like a place where I wanted to stay a little longer. "Yes. Thank you for not leaving me alone." I whispered while we made our way back to his winery.

"A girl like you should never be left alone." Caleb said.

I turned to him, my eyes blinking curiously. "What do you mean?" I asked, licking my lips.

He pulled his hands away from me and looked in front of him. "An event like this? A beautiful woman like you? Plenty of men here would love to steal you away." He replied, acting non-chalant.

I laughed. "Oh so you're protecting me? Or John?"

He swallowed. "Both." He ended without adding anything else.

"Such a good man." I bumped my hip against his playfully and he gave me a smile.

"I try. John is probably wondering where you went." He added.

"No. He's still talking to the same man as before." I replied, grabbing another glass of champagne and downing it quickly.

"That bothers you." He replied.

I shrugged. "Like you said. He shouldn't be left alone."

"No. He's not being very wise tonight." He agreed.

I shrugged his words away because I knew who I was with. I had learnt to accept that, only sometimes it still bugged me. A lot. I tried to keep it bottled up, not to say anything to John because I didn't want to complain and sound like a not understanding and supporting girlfriend. "It's just how he is." I replied simply and Caleb had to know that very well too and not just because they were cousins but because they were both men obsessed with their work.

"I'm sure he'll be done talking soon." He said slowly and I could tell he was making an effort to be positive but it only sounded like he was trying hard. Too hard to make him sound believable.

"You know what, we should dance." I suggested instead, ignoring his words completely.

"No." Came his answer, fast and final. A little too fast. Ouch. He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, "I'm not a good dancer."

I let out a sigh, "It seems like there's no way I can make this night better." I said and did my best to make it sound playful as I glanced at my watch. "I'm going home." I announced.

"You can't go already, it's still early." He protested, a little too fast again.

I raised one eyebrow at him. "I have to be up in 5 hours." I explained even though that wasn't the only reason I was leaving. I would've stayed under other circumstances but I wasn't the kind of woman who just waited for her man to notice her. "I'm going to tell John." I added, tempted not to because he'd deserve that. Did I want to be accused do being childish? No. So I walked to him, reaching for his elbow gently to get his attention. "I'm leaving. I'll see you at home." I told him softly.

He seemed surmised by my presence alone but at least he was listening to me now. "Already?" He frowned a little, but recovered quickly, "Okay baby, I'll see you later." He kissed me hurriedly and with that, I was dismissed.

I headed back to Caleb who looked deep into his thoughts. I smiled at him as soon as our eyes met. "Thank you for keeping me company." I told him honestly, feeling genuinely grateful and kissing his cheek lightly.

"Anytime.." Caleb trail off, keeping motionless.

"Careful, I might hold you to that." I smiled softly but it was a little forced.

"I hope you do." He said seriously, his expression changing once again as he kept quiet.

"You seem very deep in thought." I commented quietly.

He blinked down at me. "I'm in my head a lot." He admitted, sounding honest like he always was.

"I can see that." I nodded. "Works for you though."

He smiled and reached out to brush my hair out of her eyes without thinking. "Thanks." I said softly.

"You're welcome." I said back and felt myself blushing even though I didn't even know why. Maybe it was how he was looking at me, talking to me, how he had just barely touched me and still it felt so intimate. It was weird.

Silence surrounded us for a moment or two, before his chest expanded and he inhaled deeply. "How did you get here? Do you need a ride back home?" He asked me.

It took me a few seconds to answer because for a moment I really considered his offer. Maybe it was because I had felt alone without John and he was being so caring and attentive instead...but that was friends were for right? He was a good one. "No thanks, I'll call a cab." I said eventually, smiling as his hands went to his pockets.

"Okay." He nodded but kept his eyes on me. "I'll see you tomorrow." He added, it sounding a little like a question.

I smiled wider, because I liked this little silly routine we had built, now I expected him to appear every morning for a coffee and I always saved something special for him. Sometimes I even tried new recipes just because I knew he'd try them. "Of course. In a few hours." I chuckled, "Goodnight Caleb."