Page 86 of Naive in Love

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Caleb’s attempts toreach me are constant. He has been calling every day, begging me to return his calls. Midday he sends me a quickhello, I luv utext. I don’t respond and always erase them as soon as they come in. I don’t want Ethan to have to worry about them.

I get home after my last class and see Caleb sitting against our door. I stay at the bottom of the stairs, not wanting to enter my apartment since Lena will not be home for over an hour.

“What’s wrong?” he calls down. “Come on up so we can talk.”

I shake my head. “We can talk down here.” I remain on the sidewalk.

“We need privacy, Sof. Come open the door,” he commands.

“No. If you have something to say, you can come down, and we can speak out here.” I hold my ground, speaking a bit louder than necessary.

“You’re making a scene, babe. Calm down so we can talk.” He’s doing it again. He is blaming me for causing a scene when he is here uninvited.

“We can talk down here.”

He walks down the stairs, and when he reaches me, he places his hands on my waist, pulling me to him.

I jerk away. “What the hell, Caleb?”

“What?” He acts surprised by my reaction. “Babe, I just want to hold you. It’s been too long since I have been able to hold you.”

Flabbergasted at his audacity I tell him, “You lost that right. You can’t just come in and pretend that everything is fine and dandy.” I place my hands on my hips, infuriated I have to deal with him again.

“I may have fucked up and hurt you, but I have been groveling. Enough is enough. It’s time we got back together, don’t you think?” The forceful way he demands this is astonishing.

“No, I don’t think. We are not getting back together.” I try and sound just as strong. He steps closer to me again, trying to embrace me, and I step back again. “Don’t! I do not want your filthy hands on me!” I yell.

“Seriously?! Why not?”

“You cheated! That’s why!”

“I told you. It was a fuckin’ mistake. She’s out of my life. I haven’t talked to her since. I can’t stand that she did this to us.” He pleads, but his jaw is ticking with anger.

“She did nothing to us. I wasn’t with her. I was with you.Youdid this to us.” Wanting to release my pent-up anger, I push him hard in the chest, hoping he’ll to leave.

His eyes widen as my hands strike his chest. He grabs my wrists and pulls me into him.

“Then tell me, princess, if you’re so dead set that we’re over, why haven’t you told me to stop calling and texting? Because you crave the attention. You want to see me beg. That’s why. But I’m putting an end to your little hissy fit.” He kisses my neck, and sucks my earlobe before growling, “I popped your cherry. Your pussy is mine now.”

He releases one wrist and slides his hand down. My stomach revolts at the feeling of his lips and hand on me. He cups my sex and rubs me roughly.

“Because I love you, I will give you a little more time, but you’re mine. We’re not over.”

He comes down and places a firm kiss on my lips forcing his tongue into my mouth. He releases my wrists and walks to his car, driving off.

I run up the stairs, get into my apartment, and immediately lock the door behind me. The horror of what just occurred is on replay in my mind. My legs give out, and my back slides down the front door. I can still smell him on me, and I think I’m going to be sick. I scramble off the floor and run to the bathroom, stripping out of my clothes and diving into the shower. I don’t even wait for it to get warm, desperate to wash him away. The water goes from cold to scalding hot. I’ve scrubbed my body and rinsed several times. I still don’t feel clean.

My phone begins to vibrate on the floor, where it’s still in the pocket of my jeans. I ignore it, scared its Caleb. It begins to ring again, so I turn off the shower and grab a towel. By the time I get to it, the ringing has stopped. Ethan was calling me.

I collect myself to call him back, not wanting to tell him what happened. How do I expect him to want to stay with me when Caleb’s lips and hands were all over me again?

I hit his name and wait for him to answer.

“Where are you?” The dread in his voice is evident.

“Taking a shower. Why?”

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