Page 77 of I Don't Need Your Protection

And did he call me Addilyn? Unless I’m mistaken, he called me Addie last night. So, I guess we’re back to being bodyguardand client. Not…whatever we were at bowling and last night.

“Addilyn?”

It hurts that he’s putting up a wall, but what was I expecting?

“Yes!” I call. “I’m fine.”

I hurry to finish, get dressed, and leave the bathroom, finding Caleb sitting on his chair. He put on a tank top, and my mind immediately travels to last night, when I felt the warmth of his naked chest pressed against my face.

He stands, narrowing his eyes at me. “Is something wrong?”

My cheeks heat up. “No, nothing.”

He nods slowly, not taking his eyes off me. It’s like he’s studying me to try to figure out what’s wrong with me. I force a smile, hopefully one that tells him all is good and there’s nothing weird or awkward between us. Nope, not at all.

“I’ll shower and change and be back in five minutes.”

“You know you can take a longer shower. I’ll be fine.”

“I’ll be back in five minutes,” he repeats. “Don’t open the door for anyone. Not even your friends.”

“Got it.”

I plop down on my bed as I wait for him to return. My mind once again fills with memories of last night, but I shove them away. I need to think about Warner. Warner. Warner. Not Caleb.

The door opens and Caleb enters. He looks at me and his mouth opens like he wants to say something, but then he shuts it. Opens it again, furrows his brows, then shuts it again.

Does he maybe want to talk about last night? I kind of rather he didn’t. I’d like to pretend it didn’t happen. I hope I won’t have another nightmare tonight, even though a part of me wouldn’t mind him holding me again…

No! Warner.Warner.

I get to my feet. “Let’s go to breakfast.”

I grab my backpack, he takes his, and he follows me out the door. I meet my friends in the dining hall and we load our plates with different kinds of goodies. Then we head to our usual table. Caleb stuffs his plate with food as well and lowers himself at the table facing mine. I watch him for a little bit. He looks so alone. I know, I know, it’s not new because he’s been alone since day one, but I just feel bad. And I don’t understand why. He doesn’t seem to care, so why do I?

His head lifts and his eyes connect with mine. He raises a brow, like he’s asking if I’m all right. I give him a slight nod. He lets his gaze roam around the area.

My friends and I talk about different topics as we eat. We’re a little early, so we take our time enjoying the food. Yum. It never gets old. I wonder if I’ll ever get sick of this gourmet food. I don’t think so.

“Hey!”

I glance up and find Clarissa standing there, surrounded by her two friends, Luna and Jemma.

“Hi.” I wave. “How’s it going?”

She smiles. “Good. Well, other than the sucky day with my parents yesterday. Oh, this is Luna and Jemma, by the way.” She points to her friends.

Even though I know their names, we haven’t been formally introduced. I smile and say “Hi.” They return the greeting with smiles as well.

“Can I sit?” Clarissa asks as she gestures to the empty seat at our table.

“Sure.”

She drops down while her friends stand behind her. “So, Addie, I was thinking. Now that you and Warner are, like, hanging out, I think you and I should become good friends.”

“Okay. Sure, I’d love that.”

She beams. “Great. I mean, it only makes sense that we get to know each other because we’ll all be hanging out as one large friend group.”