The Resolution of Callie & Kayden (The Coincidence #6)(32)
Author: Jessica Sorensen

The box of staples and my phone slip from my fingers. ‘Shit,’ I curse, bending down to pick them up. ‘Sorry about that.’

‘Don’t worry about it.’

The sound of the voice sends the hairs on the back of my neck on end. I haven’t heard that voice in over a year. It’s a voice I wish I’d never heard to begin with, wish to God I wasn’t hearing now.

‘Fuck,’ I mutter under my breath, scrambling to pick up my phone and the staples without looking at Caleb. He can’t be here. He can’t be here.

He just can’t.

But he is, something I painfully have to acknowledge after I collect my stuff and stand back up. He’s right in front of me, wearing that stupid look on his face, the one that says he thinks he has control over me.

But he doesn’t anymore.

I do.

‘What the fuck are you doing here?’ I’m surprised at how steady my voice is. I make myself carry his gaze, but those dark eyes of his are still hard to look at it.

‘Wow, you’ve developed quite the mouth on you,’ he says. He looks rundown, bags under his eyes, holes in his jeans and the oversized coat he’s wearing nearly swallows his thin body. This isn’t the Caleb I used to know, but he still sends my heart racing with fear. ‘That’s two fucks and a shit that’s left your lips in the last minute. The Callie I used to know couldn’t even say crap without getting flustered.’

‘The Callie you knew doesn’t exist anymore.’ I suck in a breath, feeling my heart trembling in my chest. ‘And honestly, you never really knew her.’

‘Didn’t I?’ His gaze flicks across my body. I’m not wearing anything revealing – jeans, a coat, and boots – but suddenly I feel like I’m standing in front of him with my Halloween costume on, vulnerable as if he’s seeing all of me. And it’s not for him to see. Ever again!

‘I’m leaving.’ I dodge to the side to swing around him. I’ll go find my dad and Jackson where I know I’ll be safe, and then call the cops. Caleb violated his probation when he skipped town after drug charges were pressed against him so he’s in trouble. I just wish it was for what he did to me.

Before I can skitter around him, he shuffles to the side and blocks my path. There are a couple of people nearby, but they’re too distracted by bright neon sale stickers to notice what’s going on. Or they’re just too afraid to do anything about it.

‘Relax, Callie. I just want to talk.’ His lips curl to a smirk, revealing the monster side of him. This is what he’s always done to me, tried to torture me and get under my skin just by looking at me. I think he actually enjoys seeing me panic, but I’m not going to give him the satisfaction of it like I used to.

Standing up straight, I turn to head in the opposite direction. However, things get brutally ugly as he snatches hold of my arm and his fingers dig through the fabric of my coat. A fire and a chill whirl through me simultaneously, the chill stemming from my fear, but the fire giving me anger, giving me strength.

Without even flinching, I whirl around and shove him back with the pent-up rage of the last seven years. ‘Don’t fucking touch me.’ My voice is calm, but firm as he stumbles back in shock. I don’t wait for him to say anything because I don’t care what he has to say.

Nothing that he does matters.

He’s not part of my life anymore.

I’m in control.

I am strong.

Still, by the time I make it to where my dad and Jackson are, I’m on the verge of crying. Not because I’m afraid, but because I’m so angry.

‘Shit, Callie. What’s wrong?’ Jackson asks as I rush up to them.

‘Call the police. Tell them Caleb’s here,’ I say, wiping my tears away with the back of my hand. People are staring at me like I’m crazy, but right now, I don’t care. I just care about getting out of this store.

‘Did he hurt you?’ Jackson asks then takes off in the direction I just came from without waiting for my response. ‘I’m going to beat his ass.’

I snag the sleeve of his coat before he can get too far. ‘He didn’t hurt me. Just call the police, okay? It’s way better than beating his ass and then you getting in trouble for it.’

He glances back and forth between the aisles and me, conflicted. Eventually, he gives in. ‘Fine.’ He takes out his phone, muttering, ‘Dumb fuck must be hiding out at his parents’ house.’ He storms off toward the doors, shoving people out of his way as he puts the phone to his ear.

I try to breathe quietly, but I start to struggle for air. I keep scanning the store for signs of Caleb, waiting for him to appear again.

Finally, my dad removes the staples from my trembling hand and sets them and the bulbs down on the nearest rack. ‘We can wait to get those,’ he says, then puts an arm around me and steers me out the doors to the truck, even though I can tell that, like Jackson, he wants to turn around and beat the crap out of Caleb.

He asks me a thousand times if I’m okay. Jackson does the same thing when he gets off the phone. I keep telling them yes because I really am okay. Yeah, Caleb is a horrible person who did horrible things, but I stood up for myself finally. I didn’t panic, didn’t let him win.

It’s taken me seven years to get to this place, and even though I’m still terrified, I’m also strong. Stronger than I used to be.

Stronger than the monster.

Chapter 19

#160 Get To Her – Get Home No Matter What.

Kayden

It’s the day after Thanksgiving and I’m sitting on the sofa, watching some television with Dylan and Liz, and texting Callie on and off during the commercials. It’s been both a rough but decent day as we all struggle through our feelings about my dad being in a coma while trying to enjoy each other’s company. I don’t think any of us knows what to do with the information about my father, so we’ve all just sort of been quiet, afraid to be the first one to speak, to say what we’re all thinking – that we might not be as upset as we should be. I could see it in Dylan’s eyes the more we talked and in Tyler’s eyes, too, which were less hazy than the last time I saw them. We didn’t get to visit him for too long, but it was nice to see him when he was not high and out of his mind. He kind of reminded me of the Tyler I knew who taught me how to ride a bike, not the one that took off and left to become a drug addict.

‘I’m going to go make some popcorn,’ Liz announces during a commercial, getting up from the couch. ‘Kayden, do you need anything?’