CHAPTER 18

"So, did Dara tell you she's coming here next week and hanging out with us that weekend before she goes back to Boston?" I asked Caleb as we ate breakfast the next day. Caleb nodded his head as he took a bite out of his breakfast buritto.

"So..." I said when Caleb didn't say anything. Caleb sighed. He looked at me. Then he took my hand and started playing with it,

"Caleb..?" I asked again. He looked at me. He leaned forward and suddenly kissed me quickly on the lips. Damnit Caleb!

"Come on Caleb. Stop distracting me," I said a little exasperatedly. He chuckled and leaned back in his seat. He looked at me.

"Let's just tell her. We're not doing anything wrong. She'll understand, trust me." Caleb said casually as he took his buritto and took another bite.

"You're kidding, right? How the hell am I going to tell her that I..I'm dating her little brother..like come on! It's bound to be awkward for her. She'll think I'm a pervert and nasty..preying on a young impressionable innocent boy...urgh..I'm so screwed! She'll kill me!" I said a little hysterically and groaned.

"Look, just blame me. Just say that it was me who seduced you, the older woman with my animal magnetism..Just tell her you're powerless against my sexual aura and that you have no choice but to surrender...you know, that you fell under my spell, yada yada yada..I mean, come on...who can resist me..." Caleb said in a mocking dramatic voice and I rolled my eyes. He chuckled.

"Caleb, I'm serious. Look, can we just cool it when she comes? I mean, pretend that we've got nothing going on. Just for Friday night up to Monday morning. Can we do that? I think that's a good idea," I proposed as I looked for any sign of approval from Caleb. He stared at me.

"So,what you're saying is, we should pretend that we've got nothing going on. Which means, no touching, kissing, hugging...for the duration of her stay..right?" Caleb said as he looked like he was considering it.

"Exactly! I think that'll work. It can buy us some time until I'm really ready to tell her." I said, glad that Caleb understood.

"Ok Charlie, let me ask you this... Do you want me to die? Like, do you? Because I will die. No hugging, kissing, touching....come on!"Caleb complained as he pulled at my sleeve. Then he buried his face on his arm which was on the table.

"Look, it's only for 4 days. Trust me, you'll survive." I said as I chuckled.

"Ok, how do you know I'll survive? Tell me, how? I mean, no kissing..argh..no one can survive that..for 4 days! You must really hate me!" Caleb said sulkily.

"Come on Caleb. You're being overly dramatic. You know I don't hate you," I said with a chuckle.

"Then, you love me, right?" Caleb said cheekily. He sounded like he was joking, but the look in his eyes told me he wasn't. Then I realized I never told him how I felt about him. I was quiet a little bit too long that something came over Caleb. I saw his eyes changed. Disappointment? Hurt? I don't know, but it didn't look good. Suddenly, he smiled his usual gorgeous smile and looked at me.

"Okay, we'll cool off while Dara's here. We'll tell her when you're ready." Caleb said in a serious tone. He tried to mask it, but disappointment was written all over his face. I tried to act as if I didn't see it. I took his hand in mine and squeezed.

"Thanks for doing this for me, Caleb." I said gratefully.

"You know I'd do anything for you Charlie." Caleb said as he squeezed my hand and looked at me with that look that tells me exactly how he felt about me. And it was a miracle he felt that for me. I felt so undeserving of Caleb...I'm such a selfish cow...

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The day of Dara's arrival finally came. She was going to come straight to my dorm to have a private girls' time first. She said she had something to tell me. I was a little nervous. I couldn't help wondering if she knew about me and Caleb already.

The past few days prior to Dara's arrival has been exasperating. Caleb's been super clingy and very touchy-feely. He kept hugging and kissing me all the friggin' time. And he's been spending the night in my room every night since I told him we had to pretend like there was nothing between us. When he started suffocating me and I felt overwhelmed, I would tell him to stop it. And he would be all.."But I won't be able to kiss you when Dara gets here. For 4 days...I'm keeping my physical stock full..so I don't die those 4 days, being deprived of sustenance." Caleb said grimly.

"Oh God, I hardly think kisses and hugs are sustenance! You're so cute Caleb!" I giggled as I hugged him. He held me tight and kissed the top of my head.

"You're enjoying my misery I see. Damnit Charlie! Why do you have to be so friggin' sexy!?" Caleb groaned as he held me tight before we fell asleep on my bed the night before Dara's arrival.

"Awww..come here.." I said huskily as I held his face, staring at him. Then I kissed him, pouring all my feelings for him into that one kiss. Caleb kissed me back, just as passionately and I loved feeling his delicious tongue dancing against mine. He groaned as his kiss deepened and his hands were skimmming my waist, directly on my skin. His hands moved under my oversize sleep t-shirt upwards, carressing my hips, waist, stomach and my rib cage. When his hands touched my naked breasts as he nuzzled my ear, a tiny moan escaped my lips. Caleb groaned as he manipulated my hardened nipples. My hands in his hair, him lying between my legs, touching and carressing me..it was soooo good. I almost lost my head. Suddenly, I felt cool air hit my skin. Caleb had bared my front. He was hovering over me,staring at me naked from the waist up. I saw he swallowed hard and desire was clearly reflected in his eyes.

"Oh God, you're so beautiful. I want you so bad Charlie..." Caleb murmured,desire thick in his voice.

I was so turned on looking at Caleb and squirming deliciously under his touch. I reached out my hand to his face and he kissed my hand and fingers like he was worshipping me. Then he groaned and kissed me hungrily, moaning as his tongue danced with mine. His hands were at my breasts, making the nipples peak hard, like it was dying for his touch. Groaning with desire, he looked at my breasts and took one nipple in his mouth, suckling and flicking it with his rough tongue. I arched my back and moaned softly. Oh my God, Caleb was driving me crazy. I was wet in a place I didn't want to think about. He was making me feel so many things at the same time that I thought I would burst at any minute. He was nibbling the sensitive skin on my chest and squeezing my breast gently while rolling my sensitive nipples. I shivered as I buried my hand in his hair.

Then he looked at me again and I felt it. His hardness. The look on his face was all of his feelings for me. He didn't even bother hiding it. He bent down and kissed me again, and I felt him shiver, trying to hold back, to give me space and not to rush.

"I love you Charlie..I love you so much." He said breathlessly into my ear. I smiled and held him tight against me. I thought about saying the same thing, but I stopped myself. I looked at his face and smiled and I kissed him. Caleb kissed me back, not even pushing me to respond to his confession. Soon, we fell asleep, wrapped in each other's arms.

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So the day of Dara's visit finally came. I was fidgeting all day. I kept checking my face to see if there's a huge red sign that says Child Molester on my forehead. I know I'm exaggerating but I couldn't help it. This is the most scandalous thing I've ever done in my life.

"Oh my God, Charlie! You look great! Gosh, I miss you so much!" Dara said as she hugged me tight. I hugged her back because I really do miss her. Dara was positively glowing.

"Goodness Dara, you are positively glowing!" I exclaimed as we sat on my bed. Dara giggled and took my hand.

"Yeah, well..I 'm totally happy. By the way, Alex, the guy I'm seeing is here. I want you to meet him and tell me what do you think! And....he brought his best friend, Jared." Dara said carefully as she looked at me sheepishly. I stared at her.

"Dara!" I cried as I looked at her accusingly.

"Look, just be friendly. You know, it doesn't hurt to have many friends, right? You don't have to date him or anything. Just, you know keep each other company is all," Dara said innocently.

We talked for a while. Then Dara sat up. She took out her phone.

"I totally forgot to call Caleb. I hope he haven't been giving you a hard time. You know how he is, right? Has he been bothering you at all? Knowing him, he probably did. He's always liked you more than me," Dara said with a chuckle as she looked for Caleb's number on her phone.

I just smiled. My heart thumped wildly. If only Dara knew I would die..Like she would slaughter me. Don't worry..it's gonna be fine. She won't find out ..at least not yet..

"Hey, moron! How're you doing?......I'm here in Charlie's room. Come on over. We'll have dinner..ok, ok..see ya then," Dara said and then she hung up.

"Well, I'm hungry. I told Caleb to come over so we could have dinner together. So, come on. Let's wait for him downstairs. And you can meet my Alex and Jared," Dara said as she got up. I did too and we both went down to the lobby.

From a distance, I saw two guys talking. Both were gorgeous. One was blond while the other one had short brown hair. As if sensing out arrival, both guys looked at us.

"Alex, Jared, this is Charlie, my best friend ever!" Dara said as she took Alex's, the blonde's hand.

"Hi," I said simply and smiled at both guys. They both smiled at me.

"Hey Charlie! Great to meet you. Dara can't stop talking about you!" Alex said as we shook hands.

"This is my roommate Jared. He's from around here, so he tagged along." Alex said and I nodded.

"Where the heck is Caleb? He should be here by now.." Dara grumbled as she tried calling him.

Barely 5 minutes after that, I heard the familiar roar of Caleb's ancient Harley. I looked and saw Caleb. Dara went to him as he parked his bike and took off his helmet. She shrieked and they hugged. Then she pulled Caleb with her to meet the guys.

"Alex, Jared, this is my baby brother Caleb. Caleb, this is Alex and his roommate Jared." Dara made the introduction. They shook hands and Caleb smiled at the guys. He caught my eyes and winked. I glowered at him. Jeez, a little obvious, aren't we?

We all bundled in Alex's huge SUV and went to a famous pizza place for dinner. Caleb was sitting in between me and Jared. He kept sneaking pinches here and there. He was being very annoying. He even dared to feel my thighs up! I gave him a big pinch on his thighs. It made him gasped and winced. He looked disbelievingly at me for pinching him. I just looked to the front with a small smile on my lips.

At the restaurant, I sat between Caleb and Jared. I quickly regretted that decision when it became obvious Dara brought Jared to be my date during that weekend. I kinda get that vibe when she kept pushing me to sit beside him. And I knew Caleb caught on. Shit. This will be some night.

"So, Charlie, has my 'lil bro been giving you a hard time? I know he could be a little overwhelming. A handful, if I may say so myself." Dara said as I chuckled and stole a look at Caleb. He smirked and rolled his eyes.

"Well, that's coz she takes care of me better than you do, Dara. Don't you Charlie," Caleb said with a smile as he ran his hand up my thigh. I kicked his legs from under the table as I grinned.

"Well, I can't deny that. Charlie does take care of Caleb better than me. She spoils him rotten, actually." Dara said with a chuckle. I laughed nervously as Caleb tried to get his hand under my top..the cheeky gnome.. To make him stop, I turned to Jared and smiled.

"So, Jared here is also taking medicine, like Alex here. Charlie's doing something along those lines too, right, Charlie?" Dara looked at me, with a meaningful look. I caught on and started a conversation with Jared.

"So, you're from around here, Jared? Where about?" I asked, ignoring Caleb altogether.

"My parents live around Mount Baker." Jared said with a smile.

"Wow, that's a nice neighbourhood. You have any siblings?" I asked in a friendly manner.

"I got an older sister and younger sister. My older sister, Lea Anne is married and lives in Buffalo with her family. My younger sister is here, attending Seattle Pacific. She's Caleb's age. In fact, I called her over to join us, if you guys don't mind. I haven't seen her in a while, so I thought I'd see her...oh, I think she's here. Um, hold on guys, I'll go get her." Jared said after he saw his phone vibrated. He got up and went to the entrance of the pizzeria.

"Well, this should be interesting..." Dara said as we watched a tall, leggy brunette walked in with Jared, him wrapping his arm around her shoulders. They were laughing as they walked towards us. Suddenly I don't feel so good. I sneaked a look at Caleb. He was looking at her, too. I felt my heart dropped. He's young, she's his age..yeah, they'd probably hit it off...I mean, who am I kidding? I'm fat and boring. This girl on the other hand...

"Hello, I'm Jill. I'm sorry for crashing this party." Jared's sister said as she sat down beside me. Everybody was all "No, no, you're welcome to join us..." She sat between me and Caleb. Great, just great.

"Hi, I'm Caleb. You're a freshman in Seattle Pacific?" Caleb said as he turned to her. She turned to him and soon they were in their own private world.

I looked at Caleb and Jill getting friendly. I decided to just let it go. Talking is not wrong. I turned to Jared and smiled. He smiled back and took a sip of his ginger beer.

"So, you're roommates..." I started. Jared nodded his head and smiled at me.

The evening wore on and I've discovered Jared is a nice guy and he plays lacrosse. He also liked to sculpt and has pictures of his collections of sculptures in his phone. They were...weird but I oohed and aahed at all the right places and made him feel flattered. As he was talking about his pet hamster (it wasn't boring. Hamsters are cute!) I stole a look at Caleb and Jill. They looked really cosy together and Dara winked at me, seeking my approval. I lifted my eyebrows and nodded in approval. Jilly was touching Caleb everywhere. When he told her a joke, she laughed and put a hand on his arm. When he's talking about his childhood, she still kept a hand on his arm, for comfort.. That little vixen..she's flirting with him. And he's letting her. I felt unsettled and troubled. I couldn't even eat more than 1 piece of pizza. I sneaked a look at Caleb and Jill who were having a competition to see who could bite on a pizza and pull the cheese the longest without breaking it. Dara, Alex and Jared were cheering them. I was watching them with a fake smile on my face, when there's a hurricane of jealousy swirling in my stomach. I willed for Caleb to meet my eyes, but he barely glanced at me and looked at Jill the whole time... Urgh, he's such an asshole!!