Page 24 of Sins of the Flesh
Fourteen
Cole
Tornado Warnings - Sabrina Carpenter
T
he Monday after the carwash my feelings are bolting in different directions.A lot about the carwash was fun.It felt amazing being close to Caleb again without his pitying stares and sad gestures of kindness.We were just being what we were before I fucked up and kissed him, and it felt amazing.
Yes there were a couple moments I almost let it go too far before I remembered I had to treat him like my boss and not my crush.Which is admittedly next to impossible when I’m around him.But I feel like I did well, so maybe it's safe for me to be around him again.I have a better hold on myself these days.
I'm going to pick us up lunch today as a peace offering.He extended an olive branch many times.Now it's my turn and we can put the last two months behind us and really be friends again.With a plan in mind I drive to Betsy’s Diner and pick up two chicken club sandwiches.He hasn't been eating in the breakroom lately so I'm not sure if he has been skipping lunch the way he used to.
Sandwiches in hand I walk to Caleb’s office door only to find a sign taped to it that says “busy, please do not disturb” dropping my hand I walk back to the breakroom and sit down pulling out my phone.Maybe he's in a meeting with a parishioner or something.I'll just let him know I got him food and leave him to his business.
Me:
Brought you a sandwich from
Betsy’s in the breakroom when you're ready
.
Sliding my phone in my pocket, I eat my sandwich.An hour later Caleb still hasn't come out of his office so I slip his sandwich into the refrigerator and head back to work.For the remainder of the week the sign stays on Caleb’s door and I don't hear from him except for a note on my workbench Thursday:
Cole,
Please check the railing by the side door step.It felt loose this morning.
Thank you
The following week it is much the same, the sign on his office door remains in place and I can't fathom how he would be so busy that he would need to close and lock, yes lock, his office door.I know it was locked because I tried it once, the curiosity over riding my good sense.
After two weeks of not seeing Caleb at all, I’m starting to worry.So when Sunday rolls around I figure it's my chance to talk to him.After the chapel has cleared out and Caleb has done all of his wrap up I catch him in the chapel.
“Caleb?”I say coming up behind him.He jumps and spins on me clutching his chest.
“C-Cole what are you…” he trails off and ducks his head.“I um can't talk right now if you need something just text it to me.I'll see you Monday.”Then he disappears and I wonder, will you see me Monday?
The answer is no I don't see him Monday or Tuesday or Wednesday I’m starting to think he is avoiding me.But why?A sickening thought goes through my mind and my stomach curdles.What if he is avoiding me because I made him uncomfortable at the carwash.I’m gay and I got too close and now he's uncomfortable.
The idea of that makes me want to hurl but it also gives me some clarity.I need to leave him alone, keep my distance and keep everything professional.He’s my boss first and I need this job, so I will give him the space he is asking for even if he hasn't said it I get the message loud and clear.
Two Months & 1 week Later
THE CHILLY EARLY NOVEMBER breeze makes me shiver as I screw in the last screw securing the broken rain gutter.As Caleb’s note from yesterday morning requested.Another fucking note I hate the notes but what choice do I have other than to just deal with it.
Hearing a rumble in the distance I gaze upwards and notice rolling clouds the sky tinted with a greenish hue.Man I hope that isn't what I think it is.Thrusting my tools into my bag I head inside before the first crack of lightning streaks through the sky.
Standing at the doorway in front of the church the sky spits angry balls of hail.They are about quarter sized right now which I count as a good thing because I have seen much worse.
Pulling the doors shut I turn just in time for the lights to flicker out.Fuck not again!Flipping on my phone flashlight I navigate to the breaker box.The eerie darkness in the small space illuminated by my phone light feels like a warning.I shake off the shiver that runs down my spine and work on the breakers.
Flipping breaker switches does nothing, all signs indicate something I am never ready for.Frustrated, I turn around to leave and run into Caleb's chest.Instinctively, putting my hands up against the impact, landing them squarely right where they shouldn’t be.
I feel the solid warmth of his body beneath my palms.For a moment, we both freeze, caught in the darkness and the sudden intimacy of our position.I can hear Caleb's sharp intake of breath, feel the rapid beating of his heart under my fingertips.
"Sorry," I mumble, trying to step back, but the cramped space of the utility closet leaves me with nowhere to go.My back hits the wall, and Caleb is still so close his cologne is filling my senses, his body radiating heat in the confined space.
