Page 65 of Mine

“Come with me,” he commanded gruffly. His hand held mine, and the other opened the door.

Regardless of everything he had put me through, I felt powerless to fight this. I wanted my explanation, and more than anything, I wantedhim.

I followed Cal outside, relieved to see the rain wasn’t as heavy as it had been earlier. His car was parked opposite my house, and I climbed into the familiar passenger side. I clipped my seat belt in as the car screeched away; the wipers clearing the sodden windshield.

Cal flicked the heaters on to clear the windows, which would take a while, given how cold it was.

Why am I thinking about the fucking windows?

I didn’t ask where we were going, because I didn’t really care.

I texted my parents to say I’d gone for some food and I would be back later—I wouldn’t make that mistake twice—and stared at the road ahead of us.

The rain wasn’t letting up at all, making the road hard to see at the speed Cal drove. We were soon on the freeway, and I took this moment to sneak a look at him. He fixed his eyes on the road, concentration on his beautiful face. I wanted to pinch myself.

I can’t believe he is here.

My phone pinged, causing him to glance over at me.

I could’ve told him it was from my parents, but I wanted him to wonder who it is. I allowed myself a smile and slid the phone back into my jacket.

He frowned and chewed on his lip, deep in thought.

We pulled off the freeway, heading through roads that all seem the same as the one before that. I didn’t know this area too well, so I asked him where we were going.

“Won’t be long, Raven, you’ll see.”

The mention of my pet name from his lips made me shiver with longing, but I couldn’t shake the anger.

“You don’t get to call me that anymore,” I snapped haughtily.

He lifted his eyebrows as he pulled onto a dirt road surrounded by trees and shrubs. We made our way up a long and narrow driveway, and as my eyes focused, a house came into view that you couldn’t see from the road.

“You live here?” I murmured, despite my anger.

He nodded and got out of the car, and I did the same. The house was beautiful, with shutters adorning the windows, ivy climbing up the old brickwork and steps leading to a rustic porch.

Cal retrieved his key from his pocket and opened the door, confirming that yes, he lived here, and that he wasn’t breaking in.

I followed him inside, walking into a hallway with shiny wooden floors, a sweeping white staircase and mirrors on the dark walls.

Cal slung off his jacket, tossing it on the banister, then peeled his wet t-shirt off. I gulped as I watched the muscles on his back rippling and averted my eyes to the floor.

Don’t get distracted.

He walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge, pulling out two beers. He popped the lids off and gestured for me to follow him. He handed me a beer and threw himself down on a grey sofa covered with blankets, raising his bottle to me as he took a sip.

I placed my beer down without touching the contents and continued to stand, my arms folded as I waited.

He sighed, knowing full well what needed to be done. “This hasn’t been the easiest thing for me either, Gretchen.”

I remained silent, purely because I couldn’t be trusted to not tell him to fuck himself.

How dare he?!

He rubbed his head, his strong, tanned body still glistening with rain.

“I couldn’t contact you. I had to make a decision, quickly,” he confessed, his eyes on me the whole time. He inhaled slowly, before he sipped more of his beer.