Page 115 of While We Waited

“Caleb. It’s me, Maya. Your pen pal,” I explain as I try to keep up. He’s limping but despite the limp, he’s moving way faster than me. “Slow down.”

“Fuck,” he mutters before stopping.

“Why are you limping? Are you injured? Is that why you’re home? When did you get home? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to see you.”

My eyes widen. “What? Why not?”

“It’s not personal.”

“Feels pretty personal when you tell me you don’t want to see me after twelve years of being pen pals.”

He rubs the top of his head. “I meant I don’t want to see anyone.”

“Not anyone? What about your family? They’ve missed you.”

He scowls. “My family is better off without me.”

“What are you talking about? They’re your family. They aren’t better off without you. They love you.”

Unlike my family members who were happy to see the backside of me. We don’t speak. I send birthday cards and Christmas cards but I never receive anything in return. I can’t remember the last time my mother phoned for my birthday.

And I’m not invited to Christmas dinner. Traitors aren’t welcome.

“You’re better off without me, too.”

Pain crashes through my chest at his words. Better off without Caleb? Never. Caleb is everything.

“How about I choose whether I’m better off without you? It’s this new thing I’m trying out. Being an adult woman and making my own decisions. It agrees with me thus far.”

He ducks his head but not before I notice his lips turn up in a barely-there smile.

“I’m trying to protect you here.”

“Protect me from what? Spending time in real life with the person I’ve been writing letters to for over a decade?” I narrow my eyes on him. “Or did you ask someone else to write those letters? Have you been pretending to be someone else? Let me guess. You’re a super secret spy who’s here on a mission because the island has been invaded by aliens.”

“Aliens?” He barks out a laugh. “My shy Maya is funny.”

“Funny and shy aren’t mutually exclusive.”

He shakes his head. “Apparently not.”

“Come on. Let’s go back to the party. Rumor has it they have beer fromFive Fathoms Brewing, which I have to tell you is the best beer on the island. Not only on the island but in the US. Maybe in the world. I tried to send some to you but it’s prohibited to send alcoholic beverages to soldiers fighting in Afghanistan, which I learned when some Army dudeshowed up on my doorstep to ask me if I worked for a terrorist organization.”

He scowls. “Who came to your door? Did they scare you?”

“I nearly peed my pants when he asked me if I agree with Americans being beheaded.” I shiver. “Of course, I don’t. I don’t think anyone should be beheaded. I don’t even agree with the death penalty. I know you do. Let’s not argue about it now.”

“I’ll find out who it is and speak to them.”

I roll my eyes. “No need to go Rambo on him. He left pretty quick after he noticed all the romance books in my house. He seemed kind of scared.”

“You’re still obsessed with romance novels?”

“I wouldn’t say obsessed. More like enamored.”

“Maya!” Paisley shouts. I glance over my shoulder. All of my friends are standing near the chalet watching us.

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