Caleb

Chapter Sixteen

Did he just say get into a fight? I tried to fight someone?

"I'm sorry...back up a little bit. Get into a fight?" She asked, looking right at Pierce.

On our way out, Nick and this blonde chick he was with decided to run their mouths a little. Marcus went to handle Nick and keep him away from you, but the girl wouldn't quit talking. I thought you were about to rock her shit, so I picked you up and carried you out." Pierce laughed.

"Oh my God...wait I vaguely remember that. Was I screaming at her?" Lainey asked with a horrified expression.

"To be fair she's the only who started it. She called you a bitch and you didn't like that one bit." Marcus chuckled.

"What did I say to her?"

Both men exchanged comical glances as if they were trying to figure out which one of them was going to say it out loud.

Oh this can't be good.

"She said you had lost your chance with Nick to which your exact words were - You can have him, but make sure you draw him a map to your clit because he won't be able to find it."

Caleb's loud contagious laugh echoed from his chest. It was a sound that Lainey would have loved to hear if she wasn't so mortified by her own words.

She looked up at the ceiling and squeezed her eyes shut, wishing the ground would just open up and swallow her whole.

"Kill me." she groaned as the men around her laughed.

"I hate to put salt on the wound Bug, but tonight's charity ball is hosted by Nick and his family..." James snickered.

All Lainey could do is slap her own forehead in disbelief of her drunken actions and the awkward conversations that were going to most likely occur as a result that evening.

"Well you guys are obviously enjoying my misery. If you'll excuse me I'm going to go get some breakfast...and maybe throw myself into oncoming traffic." she sassed as she left them laughing in her bedroom on her way to the kitchen. 

The steps she took down the hall were slow and her legs felt heavy, letting her know she needed to take some of her meds as soon as she reached the kitchen. 

She took a seat at the large rectangular kitchen table after taking her medicine and greeting Rosa, ignoring Rosa's jabs at her backwards clothes.  Once she was seated at the table she leaned over, resting her head on her arms as she fought the pounding in her head and heard the men file into the kitchen and join her.

A deep familiar voice sounded next to her ear, making her uneasy stomach swarm with light butterflies.

"You low or just tired?" Caleb said in a hushed voice.

How is he so in tune with me?

"A little low." she said softly without lifting her head.

"How low we talkin' sweetheart?" he asked, trying his best not keep his voice low so he didn't bring attention to her. 

Caleb's rough hands gathered her hair and shifted it over to one side, giving him room to run his hand down the side of her neck, pressing his fingers against her throat for a few seconds.

He's checking my heart rate.

"Hey Hollywood, toss me one of those electrolyte drinks from the fridge will ya?" Caleb asked with his hand still pressed firmly against Lainey's neck.

My heart rate must not have been where he wanted it. 

"Sure thing, Doc. She okay?" Pierce asked.

"Just a little low, but we're gonna get it taken care of." Caleb said confidently.

Lainey felt the cold condensation of the drink against her arm and heard Caleb twist the cap for her.

"Drink up Darlin', this will make you feel a lot better," Caleb said, removing his hand from her neck and rubbing it gently up and down her back in an effort to coax her into sitting up.

She was a little woozy and fatigued, but sat up to do as Caleb had asked with her head bobbing slightly as she sat upright in the chair. Caleb immediately pulled her chair toward his with very little effort, positioning himself close to her right side. 

Marcus mirrored Caleb's movement and scooted his chair up against hers on her left side. 

Both men started to eat their breakfast and make small talk with the rest of the group as if nothing was out of the ordinary, but they were nearly shoulder to shoulder with Lainey. She quickly realized that their close proximity was due to the unsteady bobbing of her head as she re-hydrated. If she were to faint, the men on either side of her were blocking her pathway to the floor and holding her in place. Caleb and Marcus were eating their food, but eyeing her from the side ready to intervene if needed.

Once she finished the drink, Caleb brought her another one, giving here that lazy half smile of his that she couldn't say no to.

"So, what's everybody got planned for today?" Caleb asked as Declan took a seat at the table.

"James and I are running a couple club errands today including interviewing some new bouncers." Pierce said.

"You having trouble with your bouncers, James?" Marcus asked.

"They won't stop fucking the waitresses while they're on the clock." James grumbled.

"I feel like I'm hiring new bouncers every two weeks."

"You could try hiring uglier waitresses." Marcus chuckled.

"Then I wouldn't have anything to look at when I'm at work." James snickered.

James is such a cocky asshole sometimes.

"Charming." Lainey muttered, cutting her eyes at her brother who grinned at her with a mouth full of food.

"Camila is feeling better, thanks to those IV fluids you gave her last night, Doc. So Marcus and I will be going with Ricardo and Camila to a lunch this afternoon for a few hours before the Charity ball tonight."

As she listened to the team finalize their plans, Lainey's mind drifted to her own plans for the day. It was Saturday and they didn't have to be at the Charity ball until eight. Other than that she and Caleb didn't have a thing in the world to do and could spend the entire day lounging at the house. As she sat there thinking, her heart fluttered beneath her ribs and for once it wasn't due to lack of potassium.

Caleb and I will have the entire house to ourselves today.