3- Caught Red Handed

The next morning, Calvin woke up to the same sun streaming through his window. He shook off Autumn’s words like a bad dream. But as he made his way through the day, something in the air felt different, a tension of heaviness. He caught himself glancing at the sky; it looked a bit eerie, half-expecting it to turn blood-red, half-expecting the world to shatter.

He laughed at himself. “Don't be crazy, it's just cloudy,” he muttered, “and Autumn’s nonsense in my head.”

But even as he laughed, a small, persistent voice in the back of his mind whispered: What if she’s right?

That evening, at Calvin’s house, Autumn watched him from across the room, playing video games with their friends, her heart pounding. The music was loud, the lights bright, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that the world was teetering on the edge of something vast and unknowable.

And for the first time, Calvin caught her eye and looked away quickly, as if afraid of what he might see there.

Maybe the end of the world didn’t come with fire or thunder or darkness. Maybe it started quietly, with a feeling, a warning, a story that no one wanted to believe.

“Could Autumn be on to something?” Calvin questioned himself.

Maybe—just maybe—Calvin would start to listen.

The summer after Autumn’s and Calvin’s graduation was the kind that made you forget anything that could ever go wrong—Mahdfel, with its population of just five thousand souls, pulsed with youthful vigor and energy. Around fifteen hundred of them were kids, teens, or twenty-somethings—enough to fill every stretch of sandy beach, every carnival ride at the amusement park, every corner of every party. Barn parties spilled out into fields of the less fortunate. Under the stars, the wealthy held pool parties that echoed with laughter; even the old community hall saw its share of dance nights with confetti.

If you ask Autumn what the best summer of her life was, she’d tell you it was the one right after her friends and Calvin’s college graduation. Mahdfel was buzzing—music spilling from open windows, the scent of barbecue drifting down Main Street, everyone waving as you passed. It felt like you could walk straight into any backyard and find someone ready to hand you a plate of food or pull you into a game of cards.

Every night was the same ritual: Autumn and her friends would meet up at the park, sprawling out on the grass with sodas and half-melted ice cream cones. “You’re going to lose again, Calvin!” her friend Maddy would shout, tossing a volleyball to him with a grin.

Calvin would roll his eyes, all mock offense. “You wish, mad-Maddy. Watch and learn.”

His friends—Eli, Jamie, and Ben—were all talk, too. “Calvin, you’re only good because Autumn’s here,” Jamie teased, winking at her.

Autumn would stick out her tongue. “I’m just here for the snacks. Don’t flatter yourself.”

But the truth? She was there for Calvin. She couldn’t help it. Mahdfel felt endless on those evenings: laughter echoing, the sky melting from orange to purple, and the rest of the world felt like some far-off rumor.

And then came the biggest event of Madhfel. It was Calvin’s graduation party. It was wild, the whole town practically crammed into the Walters’ three-story house. Autumn and her friends squeezed onto the patio, shouting over the music.

“Who let you in here?” Calvin teased, wrapping an arm around Autumn. His friends were already raiding the dessert table, food was endless as they piled plates high.

“Save me some cake, Ben!” Maddy yelled.

“In your dreams,” Ben shot back, mouth already full.

Everywhere Autumn looked, people were dancing and laughing. Calvin kept weaving through the crowd—hugging his parents, high-fiving his friends, then looping back to Autumn. They’d drawn a crowd of stares on the dance floor, where they’d danced till they were drenched in sweat and pressed up tight against each other, bumping and grinding their way into the night. The humidity had frizzed her hair into a halo of kinky curls, her lipstick was smudged, the rest of her makeup was gone, her white T-shirt was transparent from sweat, and she didn’t care.

Laughing, Calvin wrapped his big arms around her and fit her hips into his, matching his tempo to hers. He was not the guy she’d ever thought she would be attracted to, could not have anything in common with, but they connected in some sense.

That night, he looked at her and said, “This is what I’ll miss most, all of us together.”

Later, Autumn and Calvin slipped outside, escaping the noise for a minute. They lay back in the grass; he trailed hot kisses down her neck. Their bodies close together, building the tension inside of her until she was breathing hard, body tensed as he kissed her in places no one had ever kissed her before, and it was mind-blowing. Autumn’s head spun, and her fingers fisted in Calvin’s hair as he kissed and licked, and the things he did, and the way it made her feel. It was more amazing than she’d ever imagined. The music in the background was muffled along with the sound of crickets.

Calvin nudged her. “You think we’ll ever stop tonight?”

She grinned. “Doubt it.”

Autumn watched Calvin undress. He has broad shoulders as he removes his oversized shirt, which had been hiding thick arms and a strong backside. He drops his shirt in the grass.

Calvin watches Autumn. He smiles, "Your turn."

He pulls my T-shirt over my head. He grips my arms, pressing me into his chest. His hands move up to my hair, he pulls my head back and exposes my throat, kissing a moist, hot trail from my chin down to my neck. He bites her there, then his tongue explores my throat.

He squeezed her hand, eyes on the stars. “This is just the beginning,” he said softly, sweetly kissing her, leaving her breathless. Autumn wanted to free her heart, mind, soul, and body, and believe she was part of his world and family with all her heart. Just as she was about to give in, a flashlight was coming through the woods. Too late for her and Calvin to pull apart; too late to avoid being caught in a very compromising position. 

Autumn knew this mistake was going to cost her, not to mention her reputation. What will his mother think of her? It was one of the most mortifying nights of Autumn’s life.