Page 68 of You Had Me at Chateau
‘Yep, well, they’re competing over Christmas dinner too, so you have that to look forward to,’ he informs me. ‘Mum says she’s doing a turkey crown, Dad says it’s Christmas and that we should have a “real” turkey, so apparently we’re having one of each, and we can all say whose is best.’
‘Stunning,’ I say sarcastically. ‘I’m sorry you’re dealing with them on your own.’
‘Yeah, I’m sure you’re sleeping easy at your five-star resort,’ Tom teases, a hint of a smile breaking through his frustration.
‘Actually,’ I begin, hesitating slightly, ‘I’m not sleeping easy.’
Well, technically I’m not falling asleep easily, but he doesn’t need to hear that I’m having the best sleep of my life in my super-amazing bed.
‘Can’t sleep without your beaver cream?’ Tom jokes, offering up an in-joke to lighten the mood.
I freeze, my eyes darting to Caleb, who is watching me with mild curiosity, then back to my screen. I can feel my face turning red because obviously I get the joke – he’s referring to the lavender balm I used to use to help me sleep, when I was worrying about my GCSEs, that was called Badger Balm, but he used to call it beaver cream as a joke – but Caleb won’t know that, and we all know what ‘beaver cream’ sounds like.
‘What? Why are you being weird? Is someone there?’ Tom asks, noticing my reaction.
‘No,’ I say firmly, but he’s already peering closer at the screen.
‘There is, I can see someone, reflected in the mirror behind you,’ Tom says, squinting to get a better look. ‘There’s a man there, I can see him. That or you’ve got one seriously chill ghost.’
I glance over at Caleb, who stands up and walks over, clearly deciding it’s better to just say hi than to let Tom think some random has his sister held hostage or something.
Caleb stands in front of the camera and waves.
‘Hi, I’m Caleb,’ he says.
‘Oh, hi,’ Tom says, taken aback. ‘Sorry, I didn’t realise Amber had company or I wouldn’t have ranted about our parents for so long.’
‘No worries,’ Caleb replies. ‘I sympathise if I’m being honest with you. Not many people know this but my parents broke up when I was a teen.’
‘Shit, that’s rough,’ Tom replies.
‘It was a long time ago,’ Caleb says. ‘But I know what it’s like, when your parents split, and to go through it without any siblings, or close family, so I have two things to tell you both. The first thing is that, when my parents broke up, the main thing I remember is that they both stopped trying. When people run out of love for each other, they run out of everything. They don’t care, they check out. People who don’t want to make things work don’t try to push each other’s buttons like that. I don’t know your parents, so I might be wrong, but they sound to me like two people trying to get a reaction out of each other, and people only do that when they want something.’
‘Huh,’ I say thoughtfully.
‘That’s a good point,’ Tom chimes in. ‘They’re not avoiding each other. If anything, they’re spending more time together than usual.’
Caleb smiles.
‘The two of you have each other,’ Caleb continues. ‘So long as the two of you stick together, and stay on the same page, you’ll be fine, whatever happens with your folks.’
‘Yeah, you’re right,’ Tom says with a half-smile. ‘I’m sorry to hear that you don’t have any close family, I can’t even imagine that. It must be tough.’
‘It is sometimes,’ Caleb admits. ‘But it makes me appreciate the connections I do have, even more.’
I feel a rush of warmth at Caleb’s words. He’s not just some shallow influencer; he’s genuinely thoughtful and caring. He’s a real person, not just a series of pretty pictures, and it sounds like he’s really been through it. It’s like I’m seeing a whole new side of him.
‘Thanks for the pep talk,’ Tom replies, his voice sincere. ‘I’ve spent the past few days thinking that my family was imploding.’
‘No worries,’ Caleb says, smiling. ‘It’s good to remember that family isn’t just about who you’re related to by blood. It’s about who’s there for you, who supports you. You don’t need a family tree to find people like that.’
By the time the call ends, Tom seems like a new man.
‘Thanks for opening up to him like that,’ I tell Caleb. ‘Honestly, I think it meant a lot to him.’
‘I figured,’ Caleb replies. ‘I’m selective, when it comes to who I open up to.’
‘It sounds like you’ve been through a lot,’ I point out. ‘Going through that at such a young age – at least Tom and I are adults. Or claiming to be.’
