Page 132 of Fame & Chaos

Her bottom lip trembles. “I swear to God, Caleb, if you cheat on me—”

“That will never happen.”

“Or if you hurt me—”

“Not going to happen either. I love you, Indi. I always have. Nothing is going to make me fuck this up. I won’t lose you again.” A slow smile spreads across her face, and mine follows instantly. “You should have talked to me instead of leaving six years ago,” I say gently. “We could’ve avoided all this chaos.”

“I know.” She swallows hard. “I’m sorry. I saw you with Maddie, and all my trust went out the window. I was already broken, Caleb. I only had one piece of my heart left that was holding on, and seeing you with her shattered it. I wish I’d stayed. I wish I’d known nothing had happened. I wish so many things had been different, but we can’t take it back now. All we can do is make up for the last six years.”

I smile brightly. “Then we’ve got a lot of time to catch up on.”

“So we’re doing this?” she asks softly. “But very slowly?”

I nod and rest my forehead against hers. “As slowly or as quickly as you need. I’m in this, Indi. I just need to know you’re in it with me. I know you’re still worried about us turning out like your parents, but we won’t let that happen. Okay?”

She nods, biting her bottom lip as her gaze drops to my mouth. “I’m in this, Caleb. After hanging up on you today, I couldn’t pull myself out of the despair I was feeling. I wanted to be with you so badly, but my trust issues kept making me question everything. I couldn’t trust you, but knowing nothing happened with Maddie changes everything.” Her eyes lift to mine. “I trust you, Caleb. I can see in your eyes that you love me the same way I love you, and being with you has always felt right. It feels right now. I just feel stupid that we could’ve avoided all this heartache if we’d talked to each other sooner.”

“Say it again.”

She furrows her brows. “Which bit?”

“That you love me.”

Her smile softens as she wraps her arms around my neck and pulls me closer, leaving only inches between us. “Caleb, I love you. I always have.”

I bite my bottom lip hard to stop myself from breaking down like a fucking baby. I don’t want to seem weak right now, so I slide my hand to the back of her head and pull her closer until her lips barely brush mine.

“I love you, Indi.” Then I finally crash my mouth to hers.

She opens for me instantly, and I slide my tongue against hers as she moves onto my lap, straddling me and pinning me to the couch. One hand slips beneath her pajama top and up her back while the other threads through her hair, holding her close.

Kissing her, knowing she loves me the way I love her, fills me with so much joy. Every inch of me tingles as Indi makes out with me in her living room, and for the first time in six years, everything feels right again.

Tonight is the start of something absolutely earth-shattering.

The beginning of Caleb and Indi…

Chapter Twenty-Two

The Beginning of Forever

Indi

As I make out with Caleb on my couch, I can’t help but feel like a massive weight has finally been lifted from my shoulders. For six long years, I believed Maddie and Caleb had done something behind the school building, and that single moment became the foundation for every trust issue I carried afterward. Now I know the truth. Caleb never let her touch her, and somehow that changes everything.

I know he’s telling the truth because I’ve always been able to tell when he’s lying. His eyes give him away every single time.

Which means I’ve spent years hurting both of us over a misunderstanding.

We could have been together this whole time.

We could have been happy.

And it’s my own stupid fault for running away before giving him the chance to explain, and I don’t know if I’ll ever fully forgive myself for that.

But right now, with Caleb kissing me so passionately, my knees feel weak, and all I can feel is relief that we finally talked honestly instead of dancing around each other like we’ve been doing since reconnecting. If I hadn’t broken down tonight and admitted the truth, we’d probably still be trapped in this ridiculous ‘do we–don’t we’ cycle we both seemed weirdly talented at maintaining.

And honestly? I’m so damn happy we’re finally in this together.