Page 79 of Honey Pot

“Surprise.” He brought us around the side of the Nest to his car and opened the passenger door for me. The seats were low to the ground and it was funny to watch his tall body slink into the driver’s side. The engine rumbled to life, and he pulled us from the driveway with a speed that couldn’t be safe and one that he continued to push as he drove down the hill and out of town.

The sun silhouetted Cael’s sharp jaw in a warm glow as he turned down a path away from the highway. His tongue brushed out over his bottom lip, and his eyes focused on the road ahead. Blue like the ocean after a brutal storm, catching the light and sparkling like sea glass.

The soft swoop of his nose, the cute imperfections of his ears, and shaggy blond hair. From my spot in the passenger seat, I couldn’t see his freckles but, like muscle memory, I could count every single one and trace them across his sun-kissed skin with my eyes.

He was unbearably beautiful.

It was like he glowed the prettiest shade of violet.

Sad, lost, and beautiful. Maybe Cael Cody wasn’t that little boy anymore, and it settled against my chest in the most painful possible way.

Heartbreak was a weird thing. One moment, I wanted nothing to do with him, but the next, I wanted to be as close to that lavender haze as I could. I just wish he could see himself the way I saw him—fragile and free.

Cael turned to look at me with a soft smile on his face. “What?” He purred.

I shook my head. “Nothing.”

“You don’t get car sick, do you?” He teased.

“Not usually,” I responded and looked away from him finally, eyes focusing on the single-lane road he was speeding down. “But you drive like a lunatic, so there’s still time.”

“I do not,” Cael laughed and shifted gears, pushing the car faster.

“Now, who’s lying?” I teased and looked out the window. “You aren’t taking me out to the woods to kill me, are you?”

Cael’s wild laughter filled the space. “Tempting, but I enjoy the idea of people hearing you scream my name too much.”

Heat licked at my cheeks.

Before I could stop him, he was slipping beneath my defenses again. Making himself at home in all the darkest cavities of my heart. Back where he belonged.

Cael pulled the car to a stop off the side of the road where the grass was worn down and led into the trees. He hopped from the car, digging through the trunk as I stepped out into the cool air. He had a backpack on and extended his hand to me.

“Watch your step.” He smiled and helped me over the roots and down onto the path.

He kept his long fingers tangled lazily into mine as his arm hooked around his back, and he led us down the path deeper into the woods.

“Cael Cody.” My finger squeezed his as I stumbled over loose rock. “I haven’t hiked since graduation, and I didn’t plan on doing it today.”

“It’s worth it, Plum. Just keep that pretty mouth of yours shut for two more minutes, and I’ll prove it.” Cael laughed, and it echoed softly around us, almost harmonizing with the birds in the treetops.

And God, was it ever.

The trees opened to a small hill that kissed the shore of a long winding creek that rumbled down and out of view to our left.

“I found this place a month after we moved.” Cael stopped and loosened his grip on my hand so I could walk out in front of him.

“It looks so much like home,” I whispered under my breath.

“It was like my little piece of Texas but it’s always been missingsomething.” His words were carried by the wind that brushed through my hair, and I turnedto look at him. Cael nodded his head to the side, and his brows scrunched together tightly as he looked at me. “Sorry.” He mouthed an apology as his blue eyes watered and stared at me against the backdrop of his safe haven. His throat bobbed, and he looked up into the sun away from me, squinting at the brightness as the tears rolled down his cheeks.

“I’m a mess, Clem,” he grumbled and wiped the tears on the back of his hand. “I thought I was gonna be able to handle that, but…” He looked back at me and exhaled shakily. “I’ve been seeing you in my dreams for seven years and, knowing this is real, it’s overwhelming.”

I didn’t know what to say to him short of giving him false comfort that everything was going to be alright, but I couldn’t do that because I didn’t know. Closing my eyes, I let the breeze wrap around my senses, brushing my skin and dulling the sounds of my tangled thoughts. All I could hear was the birds, the creek, and trees all working in tandem as they stitched together an old memory that Cael and I had shared a thousand times growing up.

Eyes still closed, I felt him closing the distance between us. His breath fanned over my face as his finger traced over my eyebrows and then rubbed down the length of my nose. Cupping my jaw with his fingers, the pad of his thumb ghosted my bottom lip. His forehead met mine as his thumb paused, tugging gently against my pout.

My hands tangled into his shirt at the hem as I inhaled his breath, drinking it down like I hadn’t taken one in seven years. I could feel his lips hovering there, waiting for me to tell him it was okay. To ask him to kiss me.

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