Page 60 of For One Night Only

We go together. It just makes sense. Any time spent fighting that was a waste.

Things Between the Glitter Bats Are Heating Up!

Paige Hart forGossip Daily

See NEW photos of Valerie Quinn and Caleb Sloane hand in hand at Kiss Me Productions’ “Hot Summer Nights” showing of10 Things I Hate About You! The two were looking cozy, whispering sweet nothings in each other’s ears, as if they were the only two people on the beach. Look how GORGEOUS they are together. Clearly two people in love, stealing glances as they tried to keep it subtle. But that fire in their eyes turned into a blaze after the credits rolled when the two were spotted walking—and smooching!—on the beach in the sunset.

That’s it, Glitterbugs: after years of speculation, CalErie is CONFIRMED. We have the shots to prove it. Following a rocky start to the summer, it seems like Quinn is finally back with her one true love—and fans around the world will no doubt be screeching with glee.

Will it last after the concert? Who knows. But they sure do make a beautiful couple. Sloane has always seemed to ground Quinn, so hopefully it sticks this time.

See photo gallery below.

18

Valerie

When our driver drops us off at the hotel, my pulse is still roaring in my ears from the force of that kiss, the recent memory a brand on my skin.

We walk inside through the revolving door, fingers twined together—and even though we’ve entered this way dozens of times throughout the summer, everything is different. I’m not scanning the lobby for cameras or journalists. I’m not worried someone will catch me off guard. Because for the first time in six years, I don’t feel alone.

I’m all too aware of Caleb’s presence at my side. It’s as if just by being close to him, I’m safe. Still, we’re careful. Maybe it’s the awareness of public eyes and security cameras, but we manage to stay decent in the elevator. We’re almost stoic as we walk down the same carpeted hallway to our familiar rooms.

Everything up here feels different too. Charged. Like a fuse about to ignite. He turns to me when we reach my door.

“I had a great time tonight,” he says softly, the weight of his words foreshadowing what might happen next, like there’s no reason for the night to end.

“Me too,” I say, waiting for his next move.

And it surprises me alright.

Because then he presses a chaste kiss to my forehead and heads over to his own door. “I’ll see you later, Val.”

What the hell?

I just stand there in the hall, stunned, as he flashes his key and slips inside. Finally, I collect myself enough to grab my own key from my bag and enter my room, completely confused.

I lean against the door, trying to catch my breath and make sense of what just happened. That kiss on the beach didn’t feel like just a kiss. It felt like a prelude, warming our bodies up to what they do best, falling into sync in every way. Damn it, I was ready to come back here and re-chart that perfect map of his body. Now I’m completely unmoored.

Mind reeling, I start to tidy my room. I grab a laundry bag from my suitcase and ball up the used socks and underwear that need to be washed. I carefully fold the jeans, flannel, and hoodies I can wear again. I even make my bed, smoothing out the duvet and fluffing the pillows.

Because I don’t know what to do with myself.

Caleb and I didn’t have sex for the first time after our senior prom—we weren’t that much of a cliché—but we did plan it, the way teenagers who can’t keep their hands off each other do. We’d locked down protection and were just waiting for the right moment.

The moment presented itself in the strangest of ways. It was my eighteenth birthday, and we were playing a gig that night to celebrate the release of our first album,Wanderlust. We hadn’t played in a venue that large before, especially not as headliners, and I was so nervous that it wouldn’t live up to our expectations. What if no one came? What if the crowd was tough? What if I choked?

To keep from spiraling into the nerves of the moment, Caleb had suggested we plan something to look forward to after the show.

He wasn’t even talking about sex—that was purely my idea—but as soon as I suggested it, he was in. I’ve always hated the concept of virginity, and all the heteronormativity that treats things like touching and oral as stops along the way instead of actual sex, but Caleb was a great person to experience my firsts with. He got us a hotel room and we took our time. We didn’t know what we were doing, but we both went into it without expectations other than trying to make each other feel good, and that made the night perfect in its awkward, messy, imperfect way.

Sex made us feel closer than ever. We trusted each other so implicitly. And I thought after everything we’ve been through…we were heading there again.

Maybe he’s wanting to take things slow. That’s a rational way to handle this. We haven’t been together in six years, so it’s probably not the best idea to go from zero to orgasm in one night.

Butgod, I thought that’s what all the loaded glances were for. And that comment about breath control? How was I supposed to take that as anything else but a come-on?

Wondering about this is going to keep me up all night. So instead of obsessing, I decide to just go talk to him. Without bothering to change, I march over to the door adjoining our rooms. It’s still unlocked from earlier. I don’t even bother to knock; I just yank it open.

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