Page 196 of Fame & Chaos

“I was going to make a grand gesture.”

A watery laugh escapes her as she shakes her head. “Well, this was a dramatic way of getting my attention.”

I half laugh, but pain rips through my side, cutting me off with a groan.

“Don’t move.” She’s on her feet instantly, her hands pressing carefully to my torso to keep me still. “You’ve had surgery.”

Even through the sheets, the feel of her hands on me sends something warm and aching through my chest.

“Surgery?”

“Your spleen was badly injured,” she says carefully. “They had to remove it. There was an arterial bleed, but they found it and repaired it. You’re going to be fine, Caleb, but it could’ve been so much w-worse.” Her voice cracks on the last word, and she looks down before forcing her eyes back to mine. “What were you thinking?” she asks, her voice rising.

She’s mad.

And honestly, she has every right to be.

“I just wanted to be near you. I’ve missed you so much, Indi. I know I fucked up—”

“Shh,” she says, her voice softening again. “We don’t need to talk about this now.”

“Yes… we d-do.” My voice shakes, but I don’t care. “I’ve been without you for five weeks. Apparently I nearly died tonight, so I need you to know. I didn’t cheat on you. I didn’t leak our story. And I love you so much I would die for you.” Tears burn my eyes before I can stop them. “I nearly did die for you.” A tear slides down my cheek, and I swipe it away angrily, but Indi just stares at me, her bottom lip trembling.

“How could you be so reckless?” she cries. “How could you get behind the wheel like that?”

“I needed to get to you—”

“Then get to me sober!” she snaps, tears spilling over. “Don’t fucking kill yourself in the process. I could have lost you, Caleb. I could’ve lost you!” She breaks, lowering her head to my chest as sobs shake through her body. Her weight hurts like hell against my side, but I wouldn’t move her for anything. If she needs comfort, I’ll take the pain.

“I thought I’d lost you,” I whisper, sliding my hand carefully into her hair. “I gave you time like you wanted, and you weren’t coming back. I missed you so fucking much, Indi. I love you so much.”

She cries harder, and after five weeks of emptiness, having her here, clinging to me like she never wants to let go, makes my heart pound so hard I can barely breathe.

But I still don’t know where we stand.

“Indi,” I say quietly, stroking the back of her head. “I swear to you, I didn’t cheat. I slept with Sasha once. You wanted to be friends, and I was confused, hurt, and drunk. That doesn’t excuse it. I own what I did. But I don’t remember calling her, and I barely remember anything that happened. I woke up next to her the next day and felt sick because even though we weren’t together, it felt like I’d betrayed you.”

Indi lifts her head slightly, listening through her tears.

“I’m not blaming you. I’m not. That was my mistake. But after that, nothing happened with her. I saw her again because I was desperate and needed someone to talk to, so I told her everything about us and our past. I asked for advice, and she told me to tell you how I felt. So I did. That’s when we made things official. After that, she wanted more from me, and when I said no, she lost it.”

“So Sasha leaked my past and our story to the media?” Indi asks quietly.

“Yes.” Shame burns through me. “And I’m so sorry. I should never have told her any of it. That part is on me. I was confused and hurting, and I made the wrong person my sounding board.”

“It’s okay,” she interrupts. I stare at her. She sits straighter, taking both my hands in hers. “I don’t care anymore. Not about what happened or what didn’t happen. I nearly lost you tonight, and that puts everything into perspective.” Her voice trembles. “You’re the love of my life, Caleb. Seeing you wheeled in here in agony tore my heart out.”

My throat constricts.

“I don’t want another minute to go by without you in my life. We have issues, serious ones, and we need to work through them together. It’s going to take time and patience, and I need to change some things too. But if you still want to give this a real go, then I’m in.”

I can’t breathe.

“I don’t even care if our love is the kind that destroys us both,” she whispers. “Because watching you tonight made me realize I’m already at that point where if you weren’t here, I wouldn’t want to be either. I’m in too deep, Caleb. And I don’t care. I love you so much I can’t function without you.”

I try to hold myself together, but it’s useless. Emotion rips through me while my body shakes.

“Oh, Caleb,” Indi whispers, standing and leaning over me.