Page 107 of I Don't Need Your Protection

“He kind of looks sad, doesn’t he?” Carly says.

“He does?” I ask, my body perking up a little.

“I can’t see any emotion on him,” Sophie says.

“I see something all right,” Carly says. “I tell you, it’s sadness. I bet he’s just as hurt as you, Addie.”

“Doubt it.”

“Can you tell us what happened from the beginning?” Raven asks.

I nod and then spend a few minutes telling them everything, ending with the most amazing kiss with Caleb and how he pulled away.

“He’s been acting so cold and aloof the past few days,” I tell them. “He never cracks even a tiny smile and he barely reacts to my lame attempts at being funny. Everything is all business to him, like it was when we first arrived here. He thinks getting involved with me will distract him and inhibit him from doing his job.”

My friends contemplate my words.

“As much as it sucks, I don’t know if there’s anything you can do about it,” Raven tells me. “There’s no way he can keep a straight head if he’s developing feelings for you. So he has two options. Either pursue something with you, which means he’d have to give up being your bodyguard, or he can give up pursuing something with you and remain your bodyguard. From what I’ve gathered from you, I don’t think he’d ever give up being your bodyguard.”

I nod with a scowl. “That’s totally true. He doesn’t trust anyone but himself.”

“But,” Sophie says as she leans in close. “Maybe you can have something with him if your parents’ you-know-whats are caught? He wouldn’t have to protect you anymore.”

“Wouldn’t that mean his job is done and he’ll leave?” Carly asks.

I moan and slam my face into the table again. “Just my luck that the first guy I like is someone I can’t have.”

“Forbidden romance trope!” Sophie says with a bright smile. Then she frowns. “Sorry.”

“Do those books have happy endings?” I ask.

“Most do.”

“Life is not a book,” Raven reminds us.

“You’re right,” I say. “In real life, happy endings don’t happen. Only unhappy endings. How am I supposed to get through the days? Can’t they just find the jerks who did what they did to my parents so I can move on with my life?”

“So you want Caleb to leave?” Sophie asks.

“No! No way. I want him to stay.”

“As painful as it is?” Raven asks.

“What has become of my life?” I groan as I smack my head into the table again.

Sophie rubs my shoulder. “You’ll be okay. Whatever happens is for the best, and if you and Caleb are meant to be together, you will be.”

“Are we meant to be together, though? I can’t imagine being with anyone else. But clearly that’s one-sided.”

“Don’t be so sure of yourself,” Carly says. “He’s sad, Addie. I’m telling you he is.”

We look at him again. From the way he shifts in his seat, he knows we’re talking about him.

“Maybe I just need to push harder,” I say. “Maybe show him he can be both my protector and my…um, whatever.”

“Sure,” Sophie says. “Never give up on love.”

“Or maybe be patient until the right time?” Raven asks. “You don’t want to mess anything up.”