There was a brief silence on the other end of the line. For a moment, I thought he was going to decline again, and I was already preparing my next words.
But to my surprise, he responded with a simple, "Okay."
I believed I had made my intentions clear enough for any adult to grasp.
But when we got to the hot spring, Caleb was more than three feet away from me, so far away that I couldn't even reach him.
And he kept answering his phone, engaged in endless work-related conversations.
I slid closer to his side and deliberately brushed my toes against his calf.
He gave me a look.
No surprise, no annoyance.
I figured this guy was better at this game of flirting than I was, but it was a challenge I was willing to take on.
My toes grew bolder, slowly moving up his calf.
As they crossed his knee, he leaned down slightly, grasped the back of my leg, and pulled my entire body toward him.
The hot water swirled around us as I threw myself into his arms.
"Don't touch," he whispered a warning in my ear.
Playing hard to get, eh?
I kissed him straight away.
The kiss confirmed to me that Caleb was indeed on a different level.
His kissing skills were exceptional, leaving me intoxicated and craving more.
But at that moment, my phone rang.
I pretended not to hear it.
Instead, Caleb took my shoulder and gently pushed me away, lifting his chin to my phone. "You have a call."
"I'm not answering," I said.
He glanced at the screen. "Your mom's calling."
I had been silently cursing whoever had the audacity to interrupt us at such an inopportune time.
It turned out to be my own mother!
I reluctantly released Caleb and turned to grab my cell phone, my voice tinged with a whine, "Mom, what's the matter?"
"Sarah, you need to come back right away. Your dad's in the hospital!"
"What happened?"
"He fell off the balcony trying to catch a thief!"
My mind reeled as if a bomb had gone off.
Had it not been for Caleb's swift reflexes, my phone would have slipped from my grasp and plunged into the water.
He gathered me into his arms and we left the hot spring together. His voice was a steady anchor in the chaos, "Don't panic, I'm taking you to the hospital now."
-
Upon reaching the locker room, my hands were shaking so badly that I could barely hold on to my underwear.
I'd initially booked the couples' locker room with other intentions in mind.
Caleb was in the next room.