I Choose You

Thirty-One

"Cal?" I hear my own voice shake, shakes like I've seen a ghost, well I did, kind of, Cal's skin is so silver it looks diaphanous, so see through, unreal.  But there he is.  Wandering around like the idiot he can be.  Once he hears my call he looks at me, his eyes look happy, but also not happy, sad.  His fiery eyes meet mine, making me shudder.  His gaze is so familiar, so heated, even though he's blank. 

"What the hell?" Maven speaks, making the room shake with his shock and anger.  Cal just stands there, exchanging glances from me and Maven.  He takes a hesitant step forward, but he walks again, coming closer, I find myself clutch Maven's left hand, Cal sees what I've done, he inhales sharply. 

"Where's Evangeline?" Cal asks shakily.  The closer he gets the tighter my grip on Maven's hand gets.  Cal notices and stands about 10 feet away from the both of us. 

"Why do you care, she's mad at you," Maven snaps back, he's angry, he doesn't want Cal here, I tell myself I don't want him here either.  I haven't seen him since I chose Maven, I did it for revenge, but now I see it was right. 

"I just want to see my child, Maven," Cal whispers, he's scared, I can tell. 

"After what you did to her? No," Maven shakes his head, I stay silent, hiding my face in Maven's arm, he made Evangeline go into labor, putting her and Coriane in danger.  All for what? Cal impregnating Evangeline?

"I was drunk, or high, whatever I wasn't me, I haven't been me," Cal plays with his hands.  "It's a stupid excuse, but really, all I want is to see my child."

Maven looks at Cal with a stern look, but it softens when he looks into Cal's eyes.  "Fine, don't do anything dumb, I'll go find her." Maven walks away slowly, I hold onto him until he's out of reach. 

The silence in the room grows until it's uncomfortable.  Cal continues to fiddle with his fingers, I pivot my foot into the ground.

"How's life?" He asks me, I can't help but laugh at how awkward he can be. 

"Decent, yours?" I play along.

"Could be better," he says. 

"Why did you do that?" I ask him, he looks up at me, his eyes ablaze with emotion.

"I don't really remember what happened, all I remember was what I did to my family," he stare makes me want cry about how I left him.  He was my first love that I knew was real. 

"Your mad?" He asks. 

"I'm not, everyone else is though,"

"I deserve that,"

I snort.  "Damn right."

He shows a small smile.  I missed that smile, I hate to admit it. 

We go back to silence, his hands are now in his ripped jean pockets. My breathing is matched to his. I don't know what to think. I haven't seen Cal in what feels like ages. I missed his company, it's not his fault that he had a child, they were engaged for a while. They were destined to have children before I wrecked it all.

I hear footsteps behind me, I turn my head to see Maven, with Evangeline next to him, holding her fragile daughter.

Evangeline

I walk through the halls with Maven, he says I have a visitor, but he won't tell me who. I walk slower than he does, I can tell he's nervous. We took 2 wrong turns, he isn't focused.

"What's wrong with you? Can't focus?" I say with a laugh.

"I guess, according to my lack of directions," he says with the same laugh.

"Why? The engagement?"

"Yeah that, and your visitor," he glances to look at me for a second, he stares at Coriane longer. I've been holding her for hours, which I'm fine with. I hope she is.

"Who is it?" I ask, prying him for an answer.

"Not telling, you'd run away,"

Damn, why does he have to be so stubborn.

We go back to silence as we walk through the halls. I hear voices. Once we turn the corner I see who's there. I almost drop Coriane when I see Cal's face. I know why Maven didn't tell me now. I would've ran away.

"We'll give you two some time alone," Maven says while motioning with his hand for Mare to come to him. She walks away from Cal, still looking back at him, giving him glances. She stops when she is next to me.

"You'll be fine, trust me," she whispers in my ear and then she looks at me. I nod sharply before she takes Maven's hand and walks away. I wait to speak until they are out of earshot.

"Hey," he speaks first, hands in his pockets.

"Here to do something stupid again, Calore?"

"No, not this time," he makes a small half smile, I copy it, I can't tell if it's real or not.

"I'm sorry I did that," he says, not meeting my eyes, he takes a shuffle forward.

"Say that to her, not me," I look at Coriane, still asleep in my arms.

"Did you name her?" he asks, standing still like a soldier.

"Coriane,"

His eyes immediately become soft. "After my mother?" I nod.

I walk up to him, so he can see his daughter.  Once I'm close enough he leans over to see her.  Her eyes flutter open, showing her bronze eyes.  She sees her father, it's like she knows it's him, she smiles wide and coos.  Cal and I have the same chuckle when Coriane makes a face, it looks like she's judging us.  "Would you like to hold her?" I can't believe I asked him that, he could run away with her in seconds, and who knows when I'd see her again.

He nods slowly.  I slowly hand her over to Cal.  She doesn't make a fuss, she stays calm while he holds her.  I can slowly feel my heart melt as I see the sight.  Cal rocks her back and forth and taps her nose, she sneezes.  I snort at how Coriane said hello to Cal.

"That's one way to say hi," Cal tells her. 

"Your not gonna run away with her are you?" I blurt, when I see his face I immediately regret the words that slipped from my lips.  He shakes his head.  "Why would I? I wouldn't take her away from you."

I nod, trying not to show the regret and tears forming in my coal gray eyes.  When I blink I shut my eyes tight.  Don't show emotion Eve.

"You want to hold her for a while? I have some things to do?" I ask. 

"Yeah, I'll show her around,"

I nod.  "Thank you, Cal," I say, he just nods before turning away.  I just thanked the dumber Calore sibling.  Well, he gave me Coriane, I can't thank him enough for her, I'm not a huge fan of her father, though.  But I need to warm up to him if we are going to raise a child like normal people.

I walk away from where we stood, I had better things to do.  People to find, things to straighten out.

I had to find someone in particular.

Elane Haven.