Chapter Eleven –
Friday afternoon arrived quicker than I thought it would, and I found myself sitting in a pile of clothes in Nora’s room with Leyla and Linda laughing at my miserable expression whilst Nora spoke to herself in the wardrobe room identical to ours.
“Nora. It’s a casual date to the movie theatre. I don’t understand why I can’t just wear my jeans and a fancy shirt I have in the corner of my drawer somewhere.”
“This is why you never tell Nora you have a date.” Linda nodded knowingly.
“Yeah. Once, I made a joke that Linda had a date with this boy she had a crush on when we first arrived here. She flipped it and freaked out that Linda gave her no time to prepare.” Leyla laughed.
“It was as if she were going on the date instead of me.” Linda shook her head, a small smile on her lips.
“Okay,” Nora breathlessly appeared from the closet, holding another pile of clothes, “I think I found something.”
My face transformed into another annoyed scowl as she dumped another pile of clothes on top of me. “Nora, I own clothes you know!”
“Ella.” She began to pout, and reached for my hands through the pile of dumped clothing. “I am bored out of my brains at this stupid college and-”
“Why don’t you study?” I asked, cutting her off unintentionally.
She began to laugh hysterically, and I frowned at her in confusion. “You want me to study for fun?! Michigan must have some funny people around. Studying does not cure my boredom, and because we have to sign in and out every time we want to have a social life that’s allowed by the school, my life becomes even more difficult.”
My eyes narrowed as I attempted to understand her situation, and I nodded for her to continue anyway. “So you must understand that when one of you girls – and don’t think I didn’t hear that little flashback story you two just told her – have a date with someone that you don’t regularly see like your boyfriend, I just have to put in my annoying opinion and dress you to look like a foxy little lady!”
“Okay, Nora? I haven’t heard the word ‘foxy’ since I visited my grandmother. When I was four.” Leyla mentioned while throwing popcorn at Nora’s face.
“I was trying to get her in the enthusiastic mood that I’m in!” Nora replied, glaring.
“I have an idea. Why don’t we go to Ella’s room and choose from her own clothes for the date?” Linda suggested.
“I like that idea very much.” I nodded in agreement.
“So do I! I can finally see Caleb’s room in the flesh! Or… brick in this case.” Leyla chimed in.
All three of us turned to Nora to wait for her answer, and she sighed after a while. “Fine. I’ll make an exception for this one date. Let’s go.” She puffed, standing up and leaving me in the pile of clothes she dumped on me previously.
Leyla walked over to me and grabbed my wrists, pulling me out of the pile and patting me off, making me laugh. “Thank you.”
“You’re very welcome. Hey, do you have any chips in your room?” She asked suddenly as we left Nora’s dorm.
“Leyla, you just ate popcorn and chocolate!” Linda exclaimed.
“I’m still hungry!” She responded with a frown.
I laughed at Leyla’s defensive tone. “I’ve never heard you get angry over something before. Of course it’d be about food. I’m sure we’ve got something in there for you to munch on.”
“Thank you. At least some people are accepting of my diet.” She glared at Linda, who pushed her lightly.
“So are you nervous Ella?” Nora spoke up, dragging me towards her side and linking arms.
“Not really. I don’t know him that well, so I don’t really know how to feel about it.” I shrugged.
“So in other words, ‘yes Nora. So nervous, how was I supposed to get through this day without you?’” She reassured herself.
Okay Nora, whatever you say.” I laughed as I turned the doorknob to my own room.
“Oh my god. It’s actually going to happen Linda. We’re entering Caleb’s room.” Leyla whispered behind me.
I turned around to find them looking at the gap between the door and the doorframe with wide eyes, observing the small side of my room that was showing. “It’s my room as well.”
“Yeah but like we know you. Caleb is more closed off than a safe with like a gazillion codes protecting it.” Linda pointed out, eyes still wide.
I smiled slightly in response before opening the door fully, indicating for them to enter the room. Nora shoved past me and ran straight to Caleb and I’s closet. “There’s nothing suitable in here!” I heard her call out.
“Have you even opened any of my drawers?” I called out, closing the door behind a gaping Leyla before following Nora to my closet.
I found her pouting in the centre of the room. “No.”
“I feel rather insulted that you do not deem my clothing worthy enough for a date with Mike.” I said in the most serious tone I could muster up, turning my nose up at her.
“What?!” She exclaimed loudly, her eyes growing wide. “I didn’t say that!”
“You’re implying it by the way you’re acting towards my clothes.” I raised an eyebrow, crossing my arms over my chest.
“No! No, I was totally kidding!” She began to laugh nervously, opening a drawer. “Look! See! I’m looking at your – hey, this is a really cute shirt! Why haven’t you worn it before?” Nora cut herself off, becoming distracted in the bunch of clothing.
“Hmmm. Maybe because I was waiting to use it for a night like this?” I laughed. “Don’t mess up my clothes like you did with yours, and don’t touch Caleb’s section over there; he’ll murder us both. I’m going to go see what the other two weirdos are doing.” I patted Nora’s shoulder as she nodded in approval at a floral printed shirt she held up before leaving the small room.
Linda and Leyla were standing in the centre of the room with rigid postures.
“Are… um, are you guys okay?” I asked cautiously.
“Are we allowed to sit?” Leyla asked, looking at me in uncertainty.
“Uh… yes? My bed is the one on the left…” I trailed off.
“Caleb doesn’t have much stuff around.” Linda commented, following Leyla to my bed and taking a seat on the edge.
“Yeah, he’s pretty clean thank god.”
“I thought he’d have like rock ‘n roll posters and a motorcycle or something.” Leyla sighed in disappointment.
I laughed at her painted image of Caleb’s room. “Why would you think that?”
“I don’t know… he’s always in his white shirt and leather jacket. I was just adhering to the stereotypical activities associated with the whole ‘bad boy’ image.” Leyla’s eyes suddenly turned wide again, and she clamped her mouth shut as her gaze drifted from my face.
“Well, now you know not to judge a book by its cover.” Caleb’s voice spoke up from behind me, making me turn around to face him.
“I FOUND IT!” Nora called out, running back into the room and grinning. Her smile faltered slightly once she saw Caleb. “Hey Caleb!”
“What are you all doing in my room.”
“Our room.” I corrected with a glare. “I invited them. Nora’s helping – well, actually, Nora is picking my outfit for my date with Mike tonight.”
“And I found the perfect thing for you to wear!” She announced excitedly.
“Get out.” Caleb commented flatly, opening the door fully and stepping aside for them to leave.
“What? No! Don’t listen to him.” I reassured the girls, who were already rising from their seats.
“Caleb! This is the first date Ella’s had here. She needs feminine support to get her through the pre-date period! You’re lucky we’re not insisting on post-date period as well!” Nora walked towards us before putting on her puppy dog facial expression and looking up at his tall frame.
“She doesn’t need feminine support. She’s Ella.”
“Hey!” I exclaimed angrily.
“Plus, have you checked up on your own boyfriend lately?” Caleb raised an eyebrow at Nora, whose puppy expression faltered at the mention of Jacob.
“Weren’t you just saying how hungry you were Leyla?” Linda spoke up suddenly, making the three of us turn back to the two girls who were nervously sitting on my bed.
Leyla’s eyes widened at the attention, before she cleared her throat and began to speak loudly. “Why, yes I did Linda. Why don’t we go to the cafeteria so I can get something to eat?”
Linda nodded and they both stood up at the same time. “That sounds like a great plan Leyla. Good luck with your date Ella. Text us when you get back! Uh, bye Caleb!” Linda murmured, looking down at her feet.
“Yeah, bye!” Leyla grinned, before pushing Linda out of the room.
“So…” Nora spoke up once they were gone.
“So… get out.” Caleb snapped, growing impatient.
“Caleb! How come she was allowed to stay when she was picking an outfit for me to have dinner with your parent but she isn’t allowed to stay when she’s picking an outfit for my date?” I asked with an annoyed frown.
“I know why.” Nora commented with a knowing smirk.
I turned back to her. “Why?”
Nora’s smirk curled into an evil smile and she opened her mouth to answer but was unable to due to Caleb’s large hand covering her entire face. Annoyed murmurs came from her and Caleb wrapped his free arm around her shoulder before leading her towards the door.
“Hey! Stop! I want to know!” I began to run after them both, but Caleb shut the door in my face. “He did not just do that.” I muttered to myself angrily, opening the door with the angriest expression I knew to make.
I found Nora and Caleb whispering. Nora still had the same evil grin on her face and Caleb’s glare – if possible – grew even deeper. “Never shut the door in my face again.”
“We were talking.” Caleb spoke up, looking away from Nora.
“Yeah, about me! A topic I have the full right to be involved in.” I pointed out.
“Your outfit is on hanging off the open drawer. I’ve got to go see Jacob. Call me as soon as Mike brings you back!” Nora spoke in a rushed voice, waving briefly before taking off in the same direction as Leyla and Linda.
I opened my mouth to reply but sighed once I realised it was too late. “Bye.” I murmured to myself, disregarding Caleb’s presence all together and slowly making my way back into the dorm room.
“So where is this loser taking you?” Caleb questioned in a casual tone, clicking the door shut behind him.
“To watch a movie and then have a bite to eat afterwards.”
“Whoa. That sounds like a dream date. So unique. So original. So-”
“I get it. You don’t like the guy, or the idea of us going out on a date. But could you lay off the sarcastic comments a little? You’ve already ruined my mood. Don’t make it worse for yourself.” I glared.
Caleb scoffed. “Like I care about your opinion of me.”
“I didn’t say that you did. I’m saying not to talk to me unless you have something useful to say.” I smiled tightly, before walking into the small room filled with our clothes. Nora had chosen the floral shirt that she had picked up when I had left her, and put a pair of navy coloured jeans beside it for me to wear. She also managed to find the small tangled mess of jewellery that I threw in the corner of one of the drawers, and laid out some earrings and a bunch of bracelets that suited the colours of the shirt perfectly.
Smiling, I bunched up the outfit and grabbed a pair of underwear before making my way over to the bathroom to have a quick shower before starting to get ready.
I felt my phone vibrate in my back pocket as I placed my clothes on the closed toilet lid in the bathroom and took off my shirt before opening the text message from Dylan. Hey, have fun on your date tonight. Remember to be careful and don’t let him try anything funny or I’ll come over there and kick his ass! Fill me in whenever you get the chance. Miss you heaps.
I smiled at his text and responded with a quick thank you before stripping completely and jumping into the shower.
Once I was convinced I was clean enough, I gave my hair a quick blow-dry and got dressed before leaving the foggy bathroom eagerly. I had 10 minutes to put on a bit of makeup and the jewellery Nora had set out for me, as well as make sure my bag was packed properly in case of any minor emergencies that may occur on the way.
I decided to pack my bag first, organising it with a small smile on my face as I placed an unopened packet of wipes inside it.
“You’re weird.” Caleb commented, coming up beside me and observing my movement.
“I like to be prepared for any potential harm that can happen to others or myself.” I spoke up, placing a Band-Aid into the bag.
“Why don’t you pack normal girl stuff? You know, like a brush or nail polish or something.”
I laughed. “What girl would take nail polish out on a date?”
He shrugged before scratching the back of his head. “I don’t know. I just said anything that girls use.”
I looked down at my own plain nails. “I don’t have nail polish on. Does that mean I’m not a girl?”
Caleb glared. “You’re twisting my words. You know what I meant; besides, you’re not like the others.”
“So you’ve told me. I can’t figure out whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing with you.” I muttered to myself quietly.
Caleb, being right beside me, still managed to make out my mutter. “It’s a good thing.”
This time I turned to face him fully out of shock, not expecting the words to leave his mouth. “I, uh… thank you, I guess.” I bit my lip unconsciously, not knowing what else to do in the situation before turning back and zipping my bag up quietly before picking up my phone.
“You shouldn’t be going with him.” Caleb spoke up again once I began to walk away from where he was standing.
His words made me turn back to him in shock again. “What?”
“You shouldn’t go with him.” He restated, jaw clenching.
I sighed, “Why not, Caleb?”
“He’s not your type.”
“Oh, okay.” I laughed bitterly, before my eyes narrowed towards him and I crossed my arms over my chest. “And you know my type?”
“I know you’re not going to like him the way he’d want you to.”
“No, you don’t know that. You don’t even know me. Stop trying to make assumptions based on what I put on show for the rest of the world to see.” I turned to the table that was holding the small television and quickly slipped the collection of bracelets on before Caleb could get a chance to reply again.
Somehow, I had managed to put on my earrings as well as slip into my combat boots before his response came. “I may not know you as well as your friend does, but I know you enough to know that you won’t like a nice, boring guy like Mike.”
“Whoa. Did you just call him by his name?” I asked in mock horror.
Caleb glared in response. “You’re going to get bored with him. You’re better off not going.”
“Okay, let’s play along with this just for your sake for a second. What do you suggest I do Caleb?”
“Stay here.”
“Wow. That sounds like so much more fun than going to see a movie! I can’t believe I didn’t think of that before!” I gushed sarcastically.
“We’ll watch something here. You don’t have to be all dressed up and we’ve got plenty of food in the fridge if that’s what you’re so adamant on doing.”
I raised my eyebrows at his suggestion. “As in… you and me?”
Caleb hesitated before responding. “Yeah.”
My phone began to vibrate in my hands before I could reply, “It’s Mike. I have to take this. Sorry.” I turned away to answer, but Caleb spoke up again.
“Come on, what does he have that I don’t?” He asked with a frustrated frown.
“Hmm, let me think… a heart?” I replied sarcastically, adjusting one of the earrings on my ears before holding up the phone to answer.
“I have a heart.” Caleb grumbled to himself, before snatching the phone out of my hands.
“Hey! Give it back!” I called out angrily.
Caleb ran to the other side of the room and placed the phone up in the air. I ran after him and jumped up in an attempt to get the phone off him, and watched helplessly as his thumb pressed the answer button. “Hey Ella, are you ready?” I heard Mike’s cheery voice answer.
I opened my mouth to respond loudly but my mouth was covered by Caleb’s large hand. “This is her roommate, Caleb. She’s just come up with a really bad cough and can’t make it tonight. Her voice is deeper than Darth Vader’s at the moment so she made me call on behalf of her. She’ll reschedule when she gets better. Bye.” He hung up and threw my phone onto his bed before looking down at me with a smirk and uncovering my mouth.
“You’re a dick!” I scowled, shoving him slightly before rushing to his bed and picking up my phone to re-dial Mike’s number.
“If you call him now he’s going to think you’re attention seeking or really desperate for his attention.”
I glared. “Or I can tell him what a douchebag my roommate is and how he likes to interfere with my life a lot and he’ll understand and go along with the night as planned.”
“He’s a guy. He’s not going to be understanding like you are.” Caleb responded in a bored tone.
“That’s so sexist!” I exclaimed angrily.
“Whoops. Too late to call back now. So I was thinking we should watch The Shawshank Redemption. Do you have any other ideas?” Caleb asked with a curious look on his face.
My angered expression deepened into a look of outrage. “Are you kidding me right now?! Caleb, you just cancelled a date that I was supposed to go on without my permission and you expect me to act all fine and dandy with you?!”
“You’re being a drama queen.” He commented with a glare.
“Oh, you did not just fucking go there.” I began angrily, taking a step towards him. “I’m the drama queen? Who’s the one who has been complaining all freaking week about me going on a date with a guy I’ve never seen you speak to before? Who kicked out all my friends because they were helping me prepare for the same date you were so adamant on ruining for me? Who, just now, cancelled the date making some excuse that I didn’t even agree on! Don’t call me the drama queen when you’re so wrapped up in our own selfish desire to ruin my fun.”
“You think I cancelled your bloody date to ruin your fun?” Caleb asked, laughing bitterly. He took a step closer towards me to the point where our noses were almost touching, before his voice turned low and his ice blue eyes turned hard in anger. “I don’t know how someone has naïve and lost as Leyla can pick up on it and you can’t. Do you honestly think I bother to have the time of day to pay attention to anyone’s personal life at any point in my lifetime?”
“So then why do you always want to interfere with mine?” I spoke up angrily, cutting him off.
“Well if you let me fucking finish, I would get there.” He snapped, glaring down at me.
My nostrils flared in further anger. “If you weren’t so fucking rude all the time, maybe I’d actually want to listen to your reason! But you know what? I don’t even care anymore because you’re-”
Caleb cut me off by wrapping his arms around my waist and pressing his lips against mine firmly, catching me completely off guard. I stood there in complete shock for a moment, before my own lips started to move in sync with his. My arms wrapped around his neck and his other arm made its way around my waist, pulling me closer to him and deepening the effect of the kiss.
It took me a while to realise I was kissing Caleb Hunter, and I pulled away abruptly once the realisation of the action hit me like a ton of bricks. My lips were throbbing slightly from the aftermath of the kiss and my fingertips unconsciously made their way to them before I looked up with wide eyes.
“Ella-” Caleb began in a husky voice.
I blinked back into reality once his voice broke the silence in the room, and I took one last look at his breathless figure before I ran.
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Woooooooooooooooooooop! Haven’t had a chapter this long in a while!
How are we all? ;)
Do you know how awesome this feeling is? I sleep whenever I’m tired and wake up whenever I believe I’ve had enough sleep. I do nothing but watch shows and eat all day and HAVE NOTHING TO DO! Which is why I’m 3 days late on uploading this chapter LOL sorry! I’ve lost track of time and days of the week :P
Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Not how I wanted to go but eh, whatever :P Btw, who here has watched Love, Rosie?! Oh my god that movie pulled on my heart strings more than life itself :’( for that reason, Sam Claflin will be today’s picture & eye candy.
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Dedicated to loserluxury for pointing out (and unconsciously getting rid of!) someone who was copying this book! xx
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