What if's with Caleb

What if he was your type all along?

His violet eyes locked onto yours, intense and unreadable. His breath was slightly uneven, but his lips curled into something between amusement and curiosity.

"What was that?"

Your throat went dry.

Caleb didn't sound angry. He didn't sound teasing, either. No, there was something else in his tone—something lower, something almost... expectant.

Your eyes flickered to his lips, remembering the fleeting kiss you stole, the warmth of it still tingling on your own.

"I—I don't know what you mean," you stammered, looking anywhere but at him.

Caleb huffed out a quiet laugh, tilting his head. "Oh, you don't know?" His fingers brushed against your wrist, sending a shiver up your spine.

"Because it sure felt like you knew exactly what you were doing." His voice was softer now, his gaze darkening ever so slightly as he studied you.

You were trapped.

Your breath hitched as Caleb leaned in, his presence overwhelming, his warmth seeping into you despite the cold wall at your back. His fingers ghosted up your arm, tracing an invisible path to your jaw, where he gently tilted your chin up, forcing you to meet his gaze.

"You kissed me," he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper, but the weight of it sent a shiver through you. "Don't deny it."

Your lips parted, but no words came out. Your heart was racing so fast you thought it might burst.

"I—" You swallowed hard, searching for something, anything to say that wouldn't make this worse. But how could you possibly explain?

He was right. You kissed him.

Not because of some drunken impulse. Not because of a fleeting moment of weakness.

You kissed him because you wanted to. Because you've always wanted to.

Caleb's eyes searched yours, his thumb brushing lightly over your cheek. "Was it a mistake?"

The question made your stomach twist.

A mistake? How could something that felt so right be a mistake?

You shook your head, barely realizing you had moved. "No," you whispered, voice barely audible. "It wasn't."

Caleb exhaled slowly, his grip tightening just a fraction. His expression softened.

"Then why did you run?"

You had no answer.

Instead, you whispered the truth, the fear that had been gripping your heart for so long.

"Because I'm scared..."

A muscle in Caleb's jaw ticked. His fingers flexed against your skin, and for a moment, you thought he might pull away. But instead, he leaned in, his forehead resting against yours.

"What are you scared of?" he asked gently.

You closed your eyes, letting yourself drown in the warmth of him.

"Of losing this." Your voice trembled. "Of losing you."

A silence settled between you, thick and heavy.

Then, softly, Caleb chuckled. It wasn't mocking—it was warm, affectionate, like he was seeing right through you.

"You idiot," he murmured, brushing his nose against yours.

Your eyes snapped open just as Caleb tilted his head, closing the space between you.

The kiss was slow at first, as if he was savoring the moment, letting the weight of unspoken words and hidden feelings melt away between you. His lips were soft, warm, moving against yours with a gentleness that sent shivers down your spine. It was as if he was memorizing the shape of your mouth, the way you trembled under his touch, the way you sighed softly into him.