Page 108 of For One Night Only

He runs a hand over his hair. “Hi.”

“Hi.”

Caleb’s lips twist into an almost-smirk. “Can I come in?”

“Right. Yeah, of course,” I say, pulse thundering in my ears. What do I do? Do I offer him something to drink? Ask what he’s even doing here? Maybe he’s here to yell at me.

My mind has gone completely blank with panic, but I manage to urge him inside and shut the door. We just stare, facing each other in my narrow entryway, and I don’t even know where to begin. My hand jerks almost involuntarily to reach for him, but I think better of it and clench it in a fist.

“I almost quit my job today,” Caleb blurts, without pretense.

I blink. “What? Why?”

He shakes his head, letting his bag fall to the ground. “I wasn’t sure where my commitments lay, but fortunately my principal is giving me twenty-four hours to figure things out.”

“What commitments are you talking about?” I ask.

With a self-satisfied grin, Caleb puts his hands in his pockets like his being here is the most casual thing in the world. “If we’re going to make more music together, I want to work out the terms before I do anything else.”

My jaw falls open, and I’m not sure I’ve heard him correctly. “What are you talking about?”

He chuckles. “You wrote an entire song. Do you really think I missed the subtext?”

I shake my head, walking over to the living room where there’s more space, like somehow that will help me understand why he’s here.

I know why Ihopehe’s here, but I don’t dare to believe it. “No, but that wasn’t…I didn’t intend…I’m not asking you to leave your life behind. I haven’t been fair to you. I promised another album to Label on top of everything, which was the worst-case scenario! You can’t just upend your entire world for me.”

“That’s my choice to make.”

My heart warms at those words, but then I remember it’s a choice I tried to take away from him. “It doesn’t matter. I’m done with the industry.”

“Are you?” He steps nearer to me, closing the distance between us. “Because I was already rethinking my job before I heard the song. Before I read your post, even. That all just confirmed what I was thinking.”

I swallow thickly, tucking my hair behind my ear. My pulse pounds in my chest. This can’t be real. “You didn’t want this, though. You were very clear. I bulldozed your feelings, the way I always do…”

Caleb interrupts me, leaning closer. “No! I wasscared,” he says, his voice lowering. “Sure, the way you went about it wasn’t cool, but I was clear that I wanted to trysomething. It just felt like you skipped past the figuring-things-out part right to a plan I wasn’t ready for, and I panicked. I don’t love that it’s Label, but…”

“Caleb, no. It should never have been Label.” My heart twists. “I’m so sorry I did this.”

He reaches for my hand, tentatively entwining our fingers together. “I know you are, and I forgive you.”

Tears sting my eyes. “You do?”

“Of course I do,” he says, placing his free hand on my cheek. I lean into the touch. “Because I love you too. I never stopped loving you all those years ago, and walking away from you was the most painful thing I’ve ever done in my life. Twice. We have a lot of details to figure out, but I want to try. We can figure out all of the band stuff later, but I need you to know I’m here, and it’s because I wantyou. Is that okay?”

“Are you kidding?” I ask. “That’s literally all I want. I wasn’t saying that stuff to fool anyone—I am so fucking in love with you, it’s not even a question.”

We just stare at each other, grinning, the setting sun casting shadows on our faces through my windows. I can’t believe he’s here. I can’t believe he loves me.

I can’t believe I’m not saying goodbye.

“So what now?” I finally ask.

“Kiss me, Quinn, I dare you,” he says with a challenging smirk.

I don’t need to be told twice. I grab the front of his T-shirt in my fist and draw his mouth to mine. The moment our lips touch, I melt in relief. Kissing him is like finally coming home. My knees go weak, and I lean into him.

He kisses me hard, walking me backward in the direction ofthe couch. I tug him closer so our hips are flush, groaning as the thrill sends sensation to my core.

---