Caleb

Chapter One

"Oh yeah. That too."

"Shit. I can do that for you, Boss. Go ahead and get rid of him." Marcus added with a wide grin and his arms folded across his chest.

"Hear that Hollywood? You're fired." Declan joked as he left the conference room and headed down the hall.

As much as Caleb appreciated what Pierce and Marcus had attempted, he definitely didn't want them going to war with Declan over it. Picking fights with the team leader the day before they left for a job wasn't going to help anyone.

"Jeez Hollywood, you got a death wish or somethin?" Caleb chuckled.

"What? Not my fault he's got a stick up his ass about this assignment. I was just trying to help you out Doc. You know, let you be the knight in shining armor for your damsel in distress."

Pierce waggled his eyebrows at Caleb who shrugged off the look and rolled his eyes in response, trying to play off how appealing the thought actually was. The truth was, acting as Elaina's knight in shining armor didn't sound half bad. His mind started to run with that idea, pulling Caleb's thoughts toward various scenarios of Elaina throwing herself in his arms and thanking him for saving her life. Sappy, Hallmark-worthy shit derailed Caleb's train of thought, causing him to clear his throat and shake his head in an attempt to stop the flood of sentimental crap that had suddenly taken over his entire brain.

I'm fucking pathetic. We gotta stop talking about this shit.

"We still on for tonight?" Caleb desperately tried to change the subject.

"Yeah. Lexi and Natalie picked a dive bar that's supposed to have really good food as our final send off."

"My kinda night." Marcus said.

*****

A few hours later Caleb was three beers in, having just eaten the best cheeseburger he'd ever consumed, watching Pierce try to teach his Natalie how to throw darts, which was comical to say the least. Pierce threw his head back with laughter as Natalie launched her first dart straight into the wall, missing the entire board by about two feet.

Perfect irony for a sniper's girlfriend to have absolutely zero aim.

"Hope this place has insurance, Nat," Caleb said from his barstool.

"Shut it Caleb," Natalie sassed with a determined smile.

Swiveling his barstool around, Caleb leaned back onto the bar with his elbows, looking forward to Natalie's next attempt at throwing darts when Marcus spoke up from beside him.

"He's in a much better mood." Marcus said, motioning with his head toward Declan who had Lexi tucked away in the corner, kissing on her neck.

"Yeah no shit."

"I can't say I blame him for acting like an ass though. I mean to go from planning Lexi's proposal to having to leave her for five weeks just put a thorn in his side." Caleb added.

Of course Declan was in a better mood, but it was no mystery as to why. Lexi was around. Caleb watched as his controlling team leader dissolved and transformed into a loving boyfriend in a matter of minutes, with his serious scowl now tipped into a lazy smile - a smile that only Lexi could give him.

Caleb couldn't help but grin at his teammate's new found love and happiness, but he'd be lying if he said he didn't secretly envy that type of connection. He'd never felt even a fraction of what Declan felt for Lexi or Pierce felt for Natalie, only surface level satisfaction. Temporary infatuation and lust was about it for Caleb with anything deeper seeming just beyond his reach. He watched Declan and Lexi love on each other in the corner as if they were the only two people on earth and wondered what that kind of love and contentment felt like.