Page 70 of Cruel Love

I jolt awake but the loud banging sound continues. It takes a moment for me to remember where I am. A motel room. Double twin beds. It’s pitch-black. The clock says 2 A.M…

Another hard bang. There’s someone at the door.

Oh, god. They found me.

Is it the police? Is it my father?

Or Snake Eyes?

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

“Dani, it’s me. Open up!”

I exhale with relief. “Caleb...”

I roll off the bed, feeling my heart pounding against my ribs as I cross the dark room.

Caleb stands outside with a giant bottle of water in one hand and a grocery sack dangling by her side in the other.

“Sorry,” she says as she barges in around me. “I forgot my key.”

“Where did you go?” I ask, eying the bag. I notice a small stack of boxes shoved inside, along with a few words that instantly jump out at me through the translucent bag. “Are those...?”

“Pee sticks.” She nods, not stopping as she plows through to the bathroom.

My jaw drops as I lock the door behind us. “Are you pregnant?” I ask.

“Fox didn’t tell you?”

“No.”

“Oh, cool. Loyalty. That’s nice.”

Caleb kicks the bathroom door shut behind her. I linger outside of it, wondering which friend I’m supposed to be right now. Do I congratulate her? Tell her how wonderful it is? Or do I give her a shoulder to cry on while I search for the nearest clinic between here and Iowa?

After a minute, I knock once. “Caleb, are you okay?”

The door flies open. I startle backward.

“False positives happen all the time,” she says. “Right?”

“Uh…” I squint. “I think so?”

“I’m probably not pregnant, I mean…” She stares at the three used sticks fanned out in her hand and scoffs. “Sure, Box and I haven’t been super safe since he came back but that’s what the IUD is for. It worked like a damn charm when we were boinking out in the desert. No reason for it to stop now. And who the hell knows if he has any active swimmers left at all considering how much of his life has been spent surrounded by electronics. Ya know what I mean?”

I raise a brow. “Yes?”

“I’m not pregnant.” She shakes her head. “There’s just no way. This is all just one big misunderstanding and in about sixty more seconds, we’re both going to have a huge laugh about this.”

“Caleb,” I say slowly, “are you okay?”

“I am fine,” she says. “And I gotta pee again, so hold these.”

She drops the sticks into my palm and slams the door closed again.

I fumble them together and pinch the handles, holding them at half an arm’s length while I wait for her to come back.

I haven’t known Caleb Fawn for very long but if I were to describe her in one word, it’s calm. She might not always have her shit together on paper but take one look at her and you’d never know. She’s strong and confident, never a slave to her emotions, but right now?

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