Hey peeps! This will be a very short chapter since I was out of town for the majority of this week. Hopefully I'll either make a longer next chapter or try a mid-week update- whichever works better for me. Happy reading :)

*Not Edited*

-THIRTY SEVEN-

"Caleb...," I was at a loss of words.

"What? You don't like it? We can go somewhere else if you want," he quickly answered, misinterpreting my lack of words.

"NO! I mean, this is perfect. I can't tell you how happy I am," I grinned at Caleb making him relax a little.

We were standing outside a homely cafe that served the widest variety of chocolate delicacies. The aroma wafting towards me was ten times better than the one in the carnival and I could feel the drool ready to drip down my chin if I didn't start tasting the options soon.

Caleb really was an angel and no one could convince me otherwise. I had no idea where he wanted to take me after Montana dragged Kade off to dinner somewhere. Out of everything that I could've thought of, this was the last one.

Apparently Caleb had noticed my disheartened state after the whole closing down of the food court and looked up places to take me to. This was one of the nicest things someone had done for me. 

"Let's go in?"

I didn't need to be told twice. 

We both ended up ordering a lot of the options on the menu and each one seemed to be getting better and better. This literally made me forget all about the she-devil and whatever bad luck she got along with her and I was perfectly happy to end the day like this.

"Um, Kyra? Is it okay if I ask you a question?" Caleb suddenly asked and I looked up as I devoured the churros with melted chocolate dripping from them.

If only I had the metabolism to eat this everyday without gaining weight, I wouldn't have minded having it for all three meals. That is how good this was.

"Sure, shoot!"

Caleb seemed a little hesitant, which made me even more curious. He looked like he was trying to find the right words to phrase his sentence. After a couple of moments, he seemed to give up on contemplating and fixed his gaze on me.

"What's the deal with you and Kade?"

Out of all the possible questions, I was not expecting this one. Hence proven by my sudden choking on the large chunk of the churro I'd just stuffed in my mouth.

Caleb was quick to react by grabbing the bottle of water and passing it to me. I gladly downed the liquid all the while trying to think of a way to respond. I didn't know what exactly he was asking so I wasn't about to delve into details that he might not have been even hinting at.

"What do you mean?" I asked, choosing the safest out.

Caleb shrugged. "It's just that there seems to be this vibe when it comes to you both. I can't really put it into words - it's like you seem like a couple but then you don't," Caleb frowned as he explained, not knowing that I had understood what he meant.

I didn't realise that it was that obvious. That, or his observational skills were too good.

I bit my lip. I deliberated on whether I should play it off or tell Caleb the whole thing.

We hadn't been friends all that long but he didn't seem like the type of guy who would take advantage of the things anyone would confide in him. Maybe I could take a chance with him?

Moreover, he might just help me find a solution to all this mess of feelings that I had created whenever it involved Kade. With a couple of seconds more, my resolve hardened. I was going to trust Caleb with my feelings.

I lifted my head and locked my gaze with his. Here goes nothing.

"The thing is..."

***

I gave a side glance to the boy walking with me. He had been silent for a few minutes now and it was making me even more nervous by the minute. 

Surprisingly, telling him about Kade and my interactions took a while so we decided to walk and talk after we finished with our food. 

I did tell him most of the things. I did keep the whole racing and seat mate scenario out of it but the rest of it, I tried to explain it to him the best I could. From the small interactions we always had to my growing feelings and now the whole Montana thing.

Caleb was a really patient listener. He barely spoke a word and let me explain it on my own, only opening his mouth to ask a question here and there.

"So, here's what I think..." Caleb started and the nerves in my body shot up by a multifold. 

I nodded subconsciously, wringing my hands nervously as I concentrated on the path ahead instead of looking at the boy next to me.

"I think you should talk it out with him instead of avoiding him altogether," he finally said.

I had an inkling that this might be what he would say but I was hoping that it wasn't. Confrontation when it came to matters like these was not my forte. I hated acknowledging my feelings in front of the person I liked.

"You don't know if he's doing this intentionally or if he doesn't know he's pushing you away. Don't you think you'll regret it if you lose the chance to actually fight for what you both might have?" Caleb spoke, covering up my silence.

I hated the reality check he was giving me.

A part of me didn't want to think about the 'what if's' and that part was the one that had been leading my actions up till now.

I knew that my lack of trust in both myself and the people around me stemmed from what happened with Beth and Reed. I knew it was their doing and I loathed myself for falling for it every time, even after two years. 

How was it that some people could have so much control over your life even when they weren't in it? 

I took a deep breath before coming to the conclusion that Celeb was right. I really needed to sort things out myself. Things weren't going to change if I didn't intervene.

But, before I could do that, I wanted to figure out how exactly to approach it. The avoiding will have to continue for a few more days until I was clear on what I wanted to do and how.

I could just hope that it worked out well.

I was so lost in thought that I barely realised that we were already outside my destination. I turned to Caleb, who has graciously let us fall into comfortable silence as I tried to organise my thoughts.

"Thank you for today. I really enjoyed a lot," I said, meaning every word that came out of my mouth.

This guy really was an angel and the girl who ended up with him was going to be really lucky.

Caleb simply smiled. "You don't have to thank me for this. What are friends for?"

I smiled back at him. I gave him a single nod to say good bye but before I could take a step further, Caleb called out my name.

"Kyra, wait! I almost forgot," he dug his hands into his pockets to look for something.

He fished out a slightly crumpled piece of paper and handed it to me. I glanced down to see that it was some sort of an invite. I looked at him questioningly.

"My cousin just opened up a bar around town and he asked me to invite a few friends over for the opening day launch. It'd be great if you could come," he grinned at me, getting back to his cheerful self.

I looked back at the invite. The bar was called Tavern and the address made something click in my mind. It was around the area of the Tracks. I vaguely remember crossing the area on my way.

"Sounds good," I smiled back.

This could be a really good chance for me to let loose outside of the drama of my daily life.

***

"What is this?" 

I looked wide-eyed at the huge basket in front of me. 

Olivia rolled her eyes at me. "Didn't realise you had gone blind."

I gave her a mini-glare before returning my gaze to the massive basket that was brimming with everything chocolate. Had I not just had so much of the deliciousness, I would have loved to taste just about everything in there.

"It came for you when you were out. It also had a note or something stuck to it. Here," Olivia said, handing me a note card in a mini-envelope.

I took it from her and quickly opened it. My eyes scanned over the two words written on them, not knowing how to feel about this. 

'I'm sorry.'

I knew exactly who had sent this. I hated that my heart fluttered at this. 

Kade's gestures said something while he actually did things that contradicted these sweet actions. I was so lost. 

Maybe taking Caleb's advice was the best way to bring myself out of this massive confusion. 

Seemed like Kade and I were going to have that talk sooner than I had imagined. Just the thought of it sent a massive rush of nerves down my spine but I really didn't have an option now.

It was this or forever staying lost.

I could do this.

********

Helloooo

I hope you guys are having a lovely day.

Q: Where would you want to travel after the Covid restrictions have been lifted?

A: I would love to go to the Asian countries like Japan, South Korea, Indonesia and all. I've always wanted to visit them.

Thank you for being patient with me! Love you all <3