"Wow... such a cute, girly interior." Caleb's voice was soft, carrying a note of surprise as he stepped inside.
I smiled a little, watching him take in the space.
My apartment wasn’t huge, but it was cozy.. pastel pink pillows neatly arranged on my cream-colored couch, a few candles on the coffee table, and fairy lights draped around the windows.
The framed photos of sunflowers I’d picked up at a flea market added a warm touch.
"Thanks," I replied, closing the door behind us. "All credit goes to the Rinders.”
Caleb raised an eyebrow as he smiled.
I gestured toward the couch. "Please, sit."
He moved toward the sofa, and I took a quick glance around, silently thanking myself that I hadn’t left a mess this morning. The place was spotless, and for once, I felt like I had my life together.. even if it was just for a moment.
Caleb sat down, sinking into the cushions.
"So," he began, his eyes scanning the room before landing back on me. "How's it been? Settling in here, I mean."
I made my way over to the armchair across from him and sat down, crossing my legs.
"Well, I haven’t really spent much time here, to be honest. Most of my days have been spent at work, especially working on the presentation and the auction. Now that it's over, I might actually get the chance to be home more often. I should be closing earlier from work for a while." I ran my fingers through my hair, tucking a stray lock behind my ear. "It’ll be nice to catch my breath."
"That makes sense," Caleb replied, leaning back and resting his arm on the back of the couch. "You’ve been on a constant grind. I’m not sure how you managed it all. You should definitely take time for yourself now that it’s winding down."
As he spoke, I could feel the tension in the room start to ease. His tone was casual, and I found myself feeling a little less stiff.
I nodded in agreement, excusing myself briefly to the bathroom.
Inside, I splashed cold water on my face, the coolness refreshing against my skin. As I looked at myself in the mirror, I wondered what to offer him.
My mind was still spinning from the events of the night. The auction. Tyler. The lies.
I wiped my face with a towel, walking back out into the living room. Before I could say anything, Caleb’s voice broke the silence.
"My bad," he said, chuckling softly. "I should’ve offered to take you out for dinner instead of barging in like this."
I shook my head quickly. "No big deal. I ate something earlier anyway."
"Well, in that case," I paused, biting my lip. "Is noodles okay?"
"Noodles sound perfect," Caleb replied, grinning.
I moved to the open kitchen, pulling out a pot and turning on the stove.
As the water boiled, I opened a cabinet to grab the noodles, the familiar smell of spices filling the air. There was something oddly domestic about the moment, and the realization hit me.
This hadn’t happened before.
Having a guy over this late at night? Not since university, and even then, it was never like this.. so casual yet so charged with something unspoken.
It felt strange, but not in a bad way. Just... different.
I stirred the noodles, my thoughts wandering.
Caleb was sitting just a few feet away, and for some reason, the air felt heavier than it should. What was this? Was it the remnants of the evening weighing on us, or was there something else lingering in the spaces between our words?
I decided to break the silence. "So, what did you think of the auction?" I asked, not turning around as I kept stirring.
"It was impressive," he said, his voice a bit closer than I expected. I hadn’t noticed him moving from the couch to the kitchen counter, but there he was, leaning against it, watching me. "You’ve got real talent, Sam."
I felt a warmth rise in my chest at his words, but I quickly pushed it down, not wanting to get lost in whatever this was. "Thanks," I mumbled, focusing on the task at hand. "It’s been a long journey."
"Must’ve been," he said softly.
The noodles were almost ready. I reached for a serving spoon, but just as I was about to lift it, my finger brushed against the hot pot. "Ouch!" I yelped, pulling my hand back quickly.
Before I could even register the pain, Caleb was there, his hands reaching for mine. "Are you okay?"
I nodded, but the way his hands lingered, the way his fingers brushed my skin.. it made me shiver. I wasn’t sure if it was the sudden contact or something deeper, but I felt a rush of something foreign and overwhelming.
My pulse quickened as his arms gently wrapped around me from behind, and for a moment, everything felt suspended, like time had stopped.
Then, a loud crash shattered the silence.
I flinched, realizing too late that my arm had knocked a glass cup off the counter. It hit the floor, splintering into pieces.
"Clumsy me..." I muttered under my breath, feeling my cheeks heat up. I bent down, my movements quick and sure, but Caleb stopped him.
"Don’t,"He said, reaching for the broken shards.
We both bent down at the same time, our faces inches apart, the space between us so small I could feel his breath on my skin.
His eyes locked onto mine, and for a brief second, it felt like the whole world had narrowed to just this moment.
Time slowed.
His hand hovered near mine, almost like he was about to touch me again, and his gaze softened, darkened. His lips parted just slightly, and I could feel the tension pulling us closer.
This... this was too close.
Panic surged through me, and I broke the moment, standing up too quickly. My heart was pounding, and I could hardly catch my breath.
"Um... I'll get the broom," I stammered, pulling myself away from the intensity that had just filled the room.
“Yeah... yeah, okay,” he said, his voice a little rough. “I’ll help.”
He stood up slowly, his eyes still fixed on me, the air between us charged with an energy I hadn’t felt in a long time. Or maybe I was just imagining things.
I couldn’t quite tell anymore.
I grabbed the broom from the closet, my hands shaking slightly. But I wasn’t sure if it was from the remnants of adrenaline or the uncomfortable heat that had suddenly filled the room.
Then as if pulling us out of what we had unintentionally fallen into, Caleb's phone rang, it's shrill tone slicing through the thick atmosphere in the kitchen.
“Sorry, I gotta take this,” he said, reaching for his phone. “Work never stops.”
I smiled as his eyes met mine for a moment, a brief flicker of something unspoken passing between us, before he turned away, the phone pressed to his ear.
“Yeah?” he said into the receiver, his tone shifting to all business.
Caleb stepped away, his voice dropping into a more formal tone as he answered the call. I could still hear the low hum of his words as I bent down to sweep the broken glass, trying to focus on anything other than the lingering tension.
The quiet sound of the broom against the floor felt like a comforting distraction, grounding me after what had just happened.
But I couldn’t shake the feeling in my chest.. the way Caleb had looked at me, the way we had almost... no.
I pushed the thought aside, shaking my head. It was nothing. Just the heat of the moment, a weird slip in the air between us.
I had to stop reading meaning into things.. into everything!
As I swept the last of the glass into the dustpan, I caught bits of Caleb’s conversation.
“Yes, she’s here with me now... Yes, I can pass that along...” His tone sounded more animated now, almost excited.
Curiosity piqued, I glanced up at him.
He met my eyes for a second, then quickly turned back to face the window, his voice dropping into a lower register.
I kept sweeping, my mind racing. What could possibly be so urgent? Or important? I wasn’t used to seeing Caleb so... well, invested in a conversation like this.
When he finally hung up, there was a moment of silence. I straightened up, brushing my hands off on my gown as I set the broom aside.
“Everything okay?” I asked cautiously.
Caleb turned around slowly, his expression a mix of excitement and disbelief. "That was... actually about you."
My heart stuttered in my chest. "What?"
He stepped closer, a grin spreading across his face. "That was the biggest personalities London.. the President.. His team was at the auction tonight."
I blinked, not quite processing what he was saying. "Okay..."
"He loved your designs, Sam." Caleb's grin widened, his eyes bright with excitement. "He’s offering you a multi-million-dollar contract."
For a second, I just stood there, frozen.
The words didn’t register.
Multi-million-dollar contract? London? My designs?
I shook my head, like that would help me understand what was happening.
"Wait... what?"
Caleb nodded, his eyes never leaving mine. "You heard me right. He wants to sign you up for his company’s next big project. This is massive, Sam."
The room spun for a moment, and I reached out, grabbing the edge of the kitchen counter to steady myself.
My designs... my work... a contract this big?
"This is... huge," I whispered, still trying to wrap my mind around the news. "Are you serious?"
"As serious as it gets," Caleb replied, his smile still in place. "He wants to move fast. Said he’ll be in touch with the details by next week."
I stared at him, my mind reeling.
“This is... this is incredible,” I managed to say, still struggling to find the words to express the whirlwind of emotions that were swirling inside me.
“I mean... thank you. This is... wow.”