Ch29

NOVA

"That turned you on?" I laugh. It leaves my mouth before I can stop it. I don't know if it's something I should be embarrassed about. When I laugh without thinking about it, it's high pitched and really funny.

Caleb doesn't seem to mind. He nods, not a single trace of amusement on his face. "Honestly? Yeah."

I shake my head, a half-smile lingering on my lips as we walk side-by-side down the corridor. "Enzo is going to be so mad." I say as I think about leaving Enzo in the class and going with Caleb. It wasn't my intention to make him mad but it is what it is.

"Who cares?" Caleb shrugs, keeping his hands tucked loosely into his jacket pockets.

"I do," I tell him. I really do. And I'm saying it now so Caleb knows that whatever beef he has with my brother or Enzo, I want no part in it.

He slows his pace slightly, tilting his head to look at me. "You do?"

"I'm not making an enemy out of him," I say, my eyes dropping to the floor tiles as we walk. I swallow against the lump in my throat. "He's... he hasn't forgiven me yet. And I'm going to tutor him and make sure he doesn't fail Mrs. Gable's subject. Knowing him, that won't do much but it's a start."

Caleb looks down at me for a long moment and then he laughs, shaking his head a little. "I like that you're this nice." He says after.

"Thank you," I smile a little and then I look up at him. "Where are we going?" I ask, changing the subject before I can get all defensive about my lingering guilt over Enzo.

"Not my place," he answers simply.

I stop dead in my tracks right in the middle of the hallway, spinning around to stand directly in front of him. He halts just in time to avoid bumping into me.

What about to ask him isn't the best idea... It's even the worst idea but I'm sure it wouldn't backfire. Noah, my mom and my dad are out for a function that I know nothing about and I don't plan on knowing.

I do know that they won't be home until it's late at night. So... hence my question.

"Do you want to come to my house?" I ask.

Caleb raises an eyebrow. I can see the hesitation crossing his features. "I don't think that's a good idea." He starts to say.

Yeah, I can fix that. He's probably saying that because of my brother. "My mom isn't home," I say quickly. "And my brother won't be home until late. They have something going on at..."

"We'll be good, right?" Caleb cuts me off, his brown eyes locking onto mine.

"What do you mean?" I ask, holding my breath.

"Are we doing anything your mom wouldn't approve of?" he asks.

I stare at him for a few long seconds, my brain scrambling over what he's implicating. I very much understand what he means but I'm acting like I don't. Words completely fail me. "Things like..." My voice trails off.

"What I mean is, we're just going to talk," he clarifies, a grin breaking through his serious tone as he eases back.

I let out a quiet breath and nod. "Of course. Just talk."

We push through the double doors of the school exit and step into the bright afternoon heat. Caleb leads me toward the parking lot, stopping beside a sleek, dark sedan. He unlocks it with a beep, and we both get in, the leather seats hot against the backs of my legs.

I look around the interior, adjusting my bag on my lap. "This isn't the car you drove the other day."

"Yeah," Caleb says, shoving the key into the ignition. The engine hums smoothly to life. "This one's my brother's."

"It's beautiful," I say, running my hand lightly over the cool dashboard.

"Yeah, it is." He shifts into reverse and glances over his shoulder as he backs out of the space.

"I want to learn how to drive so bad," I blurt out, looking out the passenger window as the school building recedes behind us.

Caleb glances sideways at me, his fingers tapping lightly on the steering wheel. "I could teach you."

My head snaps toward him. "You will?"

He chuckles. "Yeah, babe."

"I'll have to ask my mom first," I say.

"Sure, ask her,"

As the trees and houses blur past outside, I find myself staring at his hands on the wheel. But the longer I look, the more my brain keeps referring back to a certain someone. My mind involuntarily drifts back to another driver's seat.

The other person I used to watch drive was Enzo. I remember the way Enzo used drove... I once told Noah that compared to him, Enzo's driving was easy and was it me or did it have this effortless rhythm. I'd watch the flex of his forearm, the veins popping on the back of his hands as he turned into a corner. God, he looked so hot whenever he drove. He had this calm, broody focus that used to make...

Fuck.

I blink, and press the heels of my hands into my eyes to erase the memory. What the hell is wrong with me?

Caleb lets out a light laugh from the driver's seat. "What were you thinking about?"

My face burns instantly. "Nothing," I squeak out, dropping my hands to my lap and staring straight ahead.

"Good," Caleb says, as he pulls the car into my driveway and cuts the engine. "Because we are here. And we have a lot to talk about."