Caleb shakes his head.
“You’re good,” he says, as I move to help him clean up his tools. “And the deposit is fine. Nearly there, actually. It’s just…”
I glance up at him as he trails off. There’s a curious look on his face. Like he’s puzzling over a mental math problem.
“Caleb?”
He blinks and the expression is gone.
“Nothing. It’s fine. I was thinking that maybe we should call it early tonight? Head home, make some dinner that doesn’t involve stabbing through a plastic seal? Maybe throw in a movie?”
I stare at him, and don’t even have to exaggerate my surprise much. A little extra bulge to the eyes and a hand to my chest turns my genuine shock comical.
“Do my ears deceive me? Caleb Walker taking it easy for a night?”
Caleb shrugs.
“Maybe I’m trying to be a gentleman. Don’t want you collapsing on me.”
I purse my lips and place a fist on each hip. I throw my head back, and assess him from beneath my lashes.
“Excuse me? I’m not some delicate flower.”
“Oh, I know.” Caleb approaches me, his hands snaking under my arms and around my back. I’m drawn in, instantly surrendering to the warmth of his body. “It’s my favorite thing about you.”
“Really?” I laugh, biting down on my lip. I spy Caleb’s attention instantly pulled to my mouth. “All the amazing talents that I possess, and my endurance is your favorite?”
“Alright, maybe not my favorite… Top five, at least. But…” he leans down to nibble at my lower lip. I feel myself melt. My spine turns to a soft dough and my limbs spark with fiery want. “...there is definitely something to be said for stamina.”
“Hmm, if you say so,” I murmur against his mouth, reaching up for my kiss.
This is the problem. This is the cause of my current lack of sleep.
Every time I should be catching some shut-eye, Wild Man Big Foot, who normally can’t open his mouth for putting his foot in it, suddenly becomes Mr. Charisma. Like the sex pheromones that bloom between us magically up his game and give him some irresistible script to follow. Not to mention his touch. The perfect combination of gentle reverence and just a little rough handling. Caleb’s fingers have me aching to my core from first contact. Every damn time. And suddenly, sleep is always the second of my nighttime needs.
“Hmm, food and a movie it is,” I say when we break the kiss. I raise a finger. “With one condition.”
“Oh God, what?” Caleb winces, bracing himself. “If the next words out of your mouth are Mamma Mia, I’m gonna—”
He’s interrupted by a beeping melody. For a moment we both pause. Until the tune repeats itself.
“Is that… a ringtone?” I ask, frowning.
“Whatever it is, it’s been going off all day,” Caleb nods through the wall to the front room. “Almost every hour.”
Realizing that I’d left my laptop in the house when I’d wired up the internet, I curse and hurry away down the hall. With Caleb’s voice ringing after me that we’re not done with our movie night negotiation, I laugh and hurry toward the far corner of the empty living room. Collapsing to the floor in front of my laptop, I’m in the nick of time to accept the video call.
Instantly, the screen is filled with a very familiar face.
“Oh my God!” I cry.
“Oh my God!” Sasha yells back. “Jess! Jess! I got her!”
“You got her?!” comes a disembodied voice, echoing somewhere in the distance. Clearly the frequent, unanswered calls had set up a precedent and it takes a moment for Jessica to bounce into view. She hits the couch with such energy that Sasha has to scramble to keep the mug in her hands safe from spilling. If I know my girlfriends, that mug is full of a chai latte with vanilla. And Jess had been waiting in line for her mocha with three shots of espresso. I can see the green curve of a Starbucks sign over Sasha’s left shoulder.
“I’m here!” I confirm for them, surprised when my voice cracks. Perhaps it’s my lack of sleep but emotions more powerful than expected are suddenly flooding my system. Joy, excitement, surprise, affection, yearning, loneliness, and a sense of absence. Busyness has pushed my New York life to the back of my mind, masking how much I’ve missed my friends.
“Sasha got it, Liz!” Jess announces, grabbing Sasha’s shoulders and shaking her like a proud mom. “She got the gallery space!”