Chasing Red (Chasing Red 1)

“I had a…baby sister.”

I looked up in surprise. His eyes looked sad.

“She didn’t stay with us for long.” His voice shook. “The doctors said her brain didn’t form properly. She died a few minutes after Mom gave birth to her.”

I squeezed his hand for comfort. “Caleb.”

“My mom buried herself in work. To recover—or to forget, I guess. She was often gone on business trips. And my dad… Well, he changed. I guess they grew apart. We all did. He started cheating on my mom. As if she needed more heartbreak after losing her child.” He took a deep breath and released it slowly as if to calm himself. “Ben left for college shortly after.”

“You were alone when you needed them most. And you were just a kid.”

“I was already in high school, old enough to know better. I got in trouble a lot.” He looked embarrassed, dropping his gaze to the table. I waited for him to explain. “I would lose my temper easily, picking fights all the time. I was out of control. My mom sent me to therapy, but that didn’t help. I was an angry kid.”

I couldn’t picture him that way. “What happened?”

“Ben heard about it. He left school for a semester and came home to straighten me out. He had friends who did demolitions and flipped houses, and he dragged me along with him. I’d pour out all my anger, destroying walls with my kick-ass sledgehammer. It was better than therapy. I felt like Thor.” He laughed lightly, but I could hear the lingering sadness and guilt in his voice. “I owe my brother a lot.”

I remembered those first few weeks when I was living in his apartment. When we didn’t talk to each other, I’d hear Caleb puttering around the house, repairing anything he could get his hands on. He’d always had bandages on his fingers and calluses on his hands.

“So did I ruin my good boy image now?” he teased.

We both knew he didn’t have a good boy image to begin with, but he was trying to lighten the mood. All it did was make me sadder. I could still see the dregs of sadness in his eyes. I wanted him to know I understood his pain, that he wasn’t alone, even if it pained me to talk about mine.

“My dad…” I cleared my throat. “He would often bring women in the house. I…don’t know how my mom… I’m sorry, it’s so ugly. I just want you to know that I understand.”

He gently tugged on my hand, and I glanced up at him. “Please, Red, go on.”

So we talked about parents, our childhood, and then just trivial things that made us who we were. I was learning a lot about Caleb, and everything I learned, I really, really liked.

I finished my soup and wanted to order another bowl, but Caleb stood to pay the bill. Then he ushered me outside so we could go to the pizzeria next door.

“I’m paying for this one,” I told him with as much command in my voice as I could muster.

He was shaking his head before I even finished my sentence. “A woman never pays for a date. That’s something I won’t budge on,” he said with more command in his voice than I could have managed. “Please,” he added softly.

He glanced at me, tucking a windblown lock of hair behind my ear.

I forgot that I was still hungry when he stared at me that way. The look in his eyes said that I was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, that no one existed but the two of us. My knees felt weak, and I unconsciously leaned into him.

A group of kids ran past us, laughing and pushing at each other. And that broke the spell. Caleb cleared his throat, and I wondered if he was feeling nervous too.

He led us to the pizzeria, telling me to choose a table while he ordered for us. I was sitting under one of the umbrella tables outside when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around and saw Caleb holding a humongous pizza loaded with toppings and a tray with two tall drinks.

“Hi, ah, I was wondering… I’ve been eating dinner by myself for quite some time now… It gets pretty lonely. Would you mind sharing this pizza with me?” He wore a polite smile, shrugging those broad shoulders.

What is he up to now?

“I’m Caleb, by the way.”

Ah, so pretend we’re strangers.

I chuckled, playing along. Oh, he was so fun!

“Um…” I bit my lip. “I’m not sure. I don’t really eat with strangers,” I teased.

But he was already taking a seat and placing the food in front of me.

“Ah. But I swear I’m not a rapist or a murderer.” He winced. “That turned out bad… I mean—”