Page 21 of All Along

Tears flow down my cheeks at his words. I know he’s hurting and this isn’t him speaking but his words still hurt.

But I’m not giving up. I do not give up on my friends. No matter how much they try to push me away. I will be a barnacle on his back.

Watch him try and push me away.

Chapter 9

“It’s not real. No matter how much I wish it were.” ~ Caleb

Caleb

Igrit my teeth as I grasp the edge of the bathtub and haul myself out of the water using my upper body. According to Hazel, taking an ice bath after her torture sessions is supposed to help with muscle recovery and alleviate soreness. All this bath has helped is to freeze my balls off.

I sit on the edge of the bath and wrap myself in a towel. I avoid looking at my leg. The scars and puckered, red skin remind me of things I don’t want to remember.

Once I’m dry, I don some sweats and hobble to the kitchen. Hazel wants me to use a cane after our sessions but I refuse. I’m not a cripple.

My stomach growls. I wonder if I have any casserole left from Maya.

Maya. I’m such an asshole. I hate how she left here crying the other day. I had to lock down every single muscle in my body to stop myself from going after her. She doesn’t get it. She doesn’t understand. She is better off without me.

I can barely handle myself these days. I’m not the man she needs. I glare down at my leg. I’m hardly a man at all.

Light reflects off the kitchen window and I growl. Someone’s driving down the road to the cabin.

I am not in the mood for visitors. Especially not after a grueling physical therapy session.

I make my way to the living room window and peek outside. Maya is climbing out of her car. The wind picks up her honey blonde hair and it flies around her head. She tugs on a pink knit hat before reaching inside her car.

I groan at the sight of her perfect ass bent over. How I wish I could dig my fingers into her hips while I bend her over my sofa and bury myself inside her wet heat. I bet she’d go wild for me. Maya is shy but there’s a hint of wild in there. I witnessed it for myself the one time I touched her lips.

She stands and she’s now holding a picnic basket. I growl. Damn picnic basket.

No matter how many times I send Maya away, she returns with a picnic basket of food for me. Casseroles she took the time to make for me. Cookies she took the time to bake for me.

Doesn’t she realize I’m a lost cause? She shouldn’t be spending her precious time on me.

She straightens her back before marching up the steps to the front door of the cabin. People – especially assholes in high school – assume shy little Maya is timid and afraid. She’s the furthest thing from timid. She’s brave and loyal and fucking perfect.

Evidence of her marching back here to feed me after I was a complete dick to her last time and made her cry. I rub a hand over my chest at the ache the thought of her tears creates.

“Caleb!” she shouts as she knocks on the door.

“Go away, Bunny.”

The nickname Bunny slips out. I shouldn’t use it. I shouldn’t give her hope that we can rekindle our friendship in person since I’m home.

Because I’m not home. This is temporary. A bump in the road. As soon as my leg is healed, I’ll be back on active duty and a million miles away from here.

“If you didn’t want me to stop by with more beer and food, you shouldn’t have brought my picnic basket back to me.”

Crap. I knew returning her picnic basket would give her the wrong idea but I couldn’t keep it. Having a possession of Maya’s in the cabin was too big of a temptation. The sight of the picnic basket taunted me. Made me question my reasons for not pursuing her, for shutting her out. Which is the last thing I needed.

“How do you know I returned the picnic basket? Maybe I asked someone else to do it.”

She barks out a laugh. “Silly man. If you didn’t want to get caught, you shouldn’t have insisted I get a doorbell camera.”

Damn. I forgot all about her camera. I should have left the picnic basket on the back porch. But I didn’t want to look like a damn stalker creeping through her yard.

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