The rest of the evening passed in a blur.
The auction went better than I had expected.. almost too well. My designs were on full display, and the crowd was buzzing with excitement.
Each bid seemed to raise the stakes, driving up the price of the pieces I had spent months creating.
Then, the final bid came in. Tyler.
Of all the people in that room, it had to be him. He’d raised his paddle, and without hesitation, outbid everyone.
The room had fallen silent, a strange tension settling over the crowd as the auctioneer’s hammer came down.
Sold.
To Tyler Morgan.
I didn’t even know what to feel at that moment. Shock? Anger? Maybe both.
He didn’t say a word, just sat there, a satisfied look on his face like he had just won some twisted game.
The event concluded soon after, the energy in the room shifting as people began to leave. I had done my part, completed my obligations. Now, it was time to go.
And that’s how I found myself in Caleb’s car, driving away from the event, the tension between us thick enough to cut with a knife.
There was an awkward silence. Both of us reeling from what had happened earlier with Tyler. I could feel Caleb glancing at me every so often, but neither of us knew how to break the quiet that had settled in.
I stared out the window, the city lights flashing by as we drove in silence. My mind was still spinning.. Tyler’s presence, his bid, his words. It was all too much.
Finally, I took a deep breath, my voice quiet as I spoke. “Thank you.”
Caleb glanced at me, his brow furrowing slightly. “For what?”
“For showing up when you did. For getting me out of there,” I replied, turning to meet his gaze. “I don’t think I could’ve handled any more of that.”
He nodded, his eyes softening a little. “You don’t have to thank me, Sam. I was just looking out for you.”
Caleb's words hung in the air, their softness sinking into me like a balm to the storm that had been swirling inside me all night.
I managed a small smile. "Still… thank you." My voice was quiet, and I could feel the lump in my throat growing.
Everything about tonight felt surreal, and even though Caleb had been a comforting presence, there was still so much I hadn’t processed.
He hesitated, his eyes flicking between me and the road ahead. “But who was he though?”
The question hit me like a jolt. My chest tightened, and I felt my pulse quicken.
I hadn’t expected him to ask, not like that. The words were out before I could stop them.
“Just… someone I used to know.”
A lie.
One that spilled out so easily, like it had been waiting on the tip of my tongue.
The moment I said it, regret stabbed through me. It was stupid, pointless even, to hide the truth. But something inside me just couldn't let it out.
Tyler was my ex-husband. Why couldn’t I just say that?
Caleb’s eyes narrowed slightly, a flicker of doubt crossing his face, but he didn’t press further.
His hands tightened around the steering wheel for a brief second, then he just nodded, lips pressed into a thin line.
The silence crept back in, heavier this time.
I stared at my hands, trying to make sense of the lie, wondering why I hadn’t just told him the truth. Maybe it was because I didn’t want to explain.
Or maybe, deep down, I didn’t want him to see me any differently. I wasn’t sure. All I knew was that the moment was gone, and I couldn’t take it back.
Caleb cleared his throat, then turned the key in the ignition, the soft hum of the engine cutting through the quiet.
We drove the rest of the way in silence, the weight of my lie pressing on my chest, but oddly enough, the fear I’d felt earlier started to fade.
For the first time in a long time, it felt like the weight I had been carrying.. the one Tyler always brought with him.. was lifting. The knot that had been tightening inside me all evening began to loosen.
When Caleb finally pulled up in front of my apartment, I felt a strange sense of calm. As if getting through tonight had been some kind of test I didn’t know I needed to pass.
He put the car in park but didn’t make any move to leave right away. Instead, he glanced over at me, a quiet sort of curiosity in his gaze.
I unbuckled my seatbelt and reached for the door handle, but then I noticed he was doing the same thing.
Caleb stepped out too, and for a moment, I just blinked in confusion, standing there in front of the building with him.
“You didn’t have to get out,” I said, my voice coming out softer than I intended.
He shrugged, looking almost sheepish. “I don’t have anything else to do for the rest of the evening. And…” He hesitated, running a hand through his hair. “Is it bad to want to chill out with you?”
The question caught me off guard, and for a second, I didn’t know how to respond.
A part of me wanted to say no, that I needed to be alone, that I needed time to process everything. But another part, a much quieter part, whispered that maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea to let someone in, even if just for a while.
I felt my lips part, and before I could stop myself, I found the words slipping out.
“Do you want to come in?”
It was like the question hung between us, a fragile thing waiting to be touched or shattered.
Caleb blinked, surprised, but then his expression softened, and he gave a small nod.
“If it’s not too much,” he said, his voice almost tentative, like he didn’t want to push too hard.
“It’s not,” I replied quickly, turning toward the door and pulling out my keys, my heart suddenly racing again for an entirely different reason.
I didn’t know what I was doing, or why, but as we made our way up to my apartment.
Yet, a part of me was curious. Curious about what could happen if I stopped guarding myself even if it's just for a while.
I unlocked the door, stepping inside, my pulse thrumming in my ears as Caleb followed me in.
This was new, different. And it scared me.. but maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing.