Chasing Red: Steamy New Adult Romance

“Who the hell put that alarm clock on speaker?”

I opened one eye at the sound of Kara’s groggy, irate voice. It took me a second to realize why I was hearing her voice in the morning.

Last night was Caleb’s basketball practice and the drive-in movie we missed. Caleb… Why did it feel like I was missing something important? I racked my brain on what else we did last night.

Drinking large amounts of alcohol, gorging on pizza, Kara vomiting her guts out on the front lawn last night…or was that Beth? Something else happened, though, and it was just at the edge of my consciousness…

“M’eyes. M’head. M’mouth,” Kara lamented. “Th’ hell were we thinking, partying on a school night?”

“Going-away party for my brother. He just accepted a job in Paris.” Beth moaned. I think I heard her over to my right. Maybe she was lying on the floor?

Ugh. My body felt like it was being weighed down by a big piano.

“Gonna skip classes today,” Kara mumbled, sounding like she’d just covered her face with a blanket.

“No!” I heard Beth get up quickly. “Shite. I’m dizzy.”

I opened one eye. “You ’kay?”

She was a blur of blue hair and…was that paint on her face? What the heck did we do last night?

“I gotta go. Theo. Theo day today. What time is it?”

“It’s time to shut the fuck up and go back to sleep,” Kara grumbled.

Hmm. Yes, Kara was so smart. Time to shut up and go back to sleep.

I was thankful that I was one of those rare people who didn’t get hangovers. Well, I did, but not the normal hangover that included a headache, dry mouth, and vomiting. I just felt heavy.

“Damn. Where are the keys to my car, Ver? Ver!”

I groaned when I felt Beth shaking me.

“Lemme ’lone,” I mumbled.

“I’m listing all the reasons in my head why I shouldn’t stab you,” Kara growled at Beth.

Why wouldn’t they shut up? I burrowed deeper under the covers.

“I have to borrow a shirt from you, Kar,” Beth insisted.

I heard a thud.

“Ow. Shit,” Beth cursed.

Kara must have thrown something at her.

“You’re going to be sorry,” Beth warned.

Something hard hit my face. “Ow!”

“I’m so sorry, Ver! That was supposed to be for Kar!”

“Please feel free to shut the fuck up,” Kara barked.

“I’m shutting the fuck up once I get my shit together. Ver, where are my fucking keys?”

Her keys? I think I left them on the living room table.

“Li’ing room, ee’think,” I mumbled.

I heard her moving around, cursing and then cursing some more. “Your clothes are for five-year-olds with no tits, Kar. I can’t fit into any of your shirts!”

Kara moaned. “I am surrounded by bitches with huge tits. Why can’t I just have a little more, God, why? Even lemons are good enough, but I have grapes!”

I snorted. I heard Beth laughing. “See you later, bitches!” she yelled. The door slammed behind her, and then finally, thank God, silence. Just as I was about to fall asleep again, I heard Kara’s phone ring.

“Goddamnsumbitchmothafuck!”

She groped for her phone, and I thought she was going to kill whoever was calling. I was surprised when she answered in a sweet—if groggy—voice. “Hello? Who’s this? No way. How did you get my number? Oh, of course. Hold on.” She turned to me, holding out her phone. “It’s Caleb.”

“What?” Frowning, I wiggled my arms out from under the blanket and pressed the phone to my ear.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Red.”

Caleb sounded so chirpy in the morning. I could already see his sunny smile and cheerful green eyes laughing at me. His hair was probably still wet and combed back from the shower—until it dried, at which point it would be all over the place.

I smiled. “Hey, Caleb.”

Kara was poking my back and making small excited noises behind me.

“Do you need a ride?”

“Huh?” I propped myself up with my elbow, flicking the hair off my face.

“You told me last night you have an exam this afternoon.”

I groaned. “Dammit. I forgot.”

“I’m picking you up. Be there in ten. See you soon, Red.”

“Caleb—”

He hung up before I could say anything. I stared at the phone, dumbfounded.

“He’s picking you up?” Kara asked.

“Yeah.” I pushed my face into my pillow. “How is he going to pick me up? He doesn’t even know where you live.”

“He’s been here before to pick up…Cameron,” she said. “A long time ago.” She sighed loudly, covering her face with a pillow. “I’m going back to sleep.”

I looked at her for a moment and, when she didn’t stir, forced myself out of bed and grabbed the biggest clothes I could find in her closet before heading to the shower. I used my fingers to brush my teeth since Kara didn’t have a spare toothbrush. When I was done, I eyed her clothes dubiously. I really didn’t think they would fit me.

I jumped at the knock on the bathroom door.

“Red?”

I frowned. “Caleb?”

He was here already? I didn’t hear the doorbell.

“Did you break in?”

He chuckled. “Nothing too exciting. Kara wasn’t too happy I woke her up.” He paused. “I brought you clothes, toothbrush, and breakfast. I got you green tea too.”

What was this boy doing to me? It wasn’t even afternoon, and he was already giving me butterflies.

“Red?”

I cleared my throat. “Okay. Just leave them on the counter outside the door. Thank you.”

“Anytime.” I could imagine him winking and fought the sudden urge to see his face right away. I missed him. I could admit that now.

I missed Caleb. I missed Caleb. I missed Caleb.

Sighing, I wrapped myself in a towel and opened the door. I let out a squeak when I saw him lounging against the counter. His gaze zeroed in on my face before slowly traveling down my body, then back up again.

“What the hell, Caleb! I said leave them on the counter!”

“I did.” He nodded at the counter.

“You didn’t say you were going to stand there waiting for me!” I sputtered.

He looked like a naughty boy caught stealing from a cookie jar. He wore dark jeans and a gray crew-neck shirt that molded to his shoulders and biceps and showed off his muscled torso and narrow waist. He looked so good, and my heart pounded in response. And then he smiled. I was done for.

“You look really sexy, Red.”

I held my breath as he walked toward me, moving in very close. I could feel the heat his body was throwing off. I gripped my towel tighter around me.

The tip of his nose brushed the back of my ear, and he inhaled. I shivered.

“You smell so good,” he whispered, his voice deeper than normal. “I’m going to hang with Kara in the kitchen… See you real soon, Red.”

Right. Real soon.

By the time I headed to the kitchen, I was feeling better. I heard Kara’s defiant tone, and I knew she was talking about Cameron.

“Not anymore. I think I’m moving on,” she spat out.

Caleb sighed. “I know he still loves you.”

“It doesn’t matter when he can’t… Did he tell you that?”

Caleb looked indecisive, as if he was carefully weighing what to tell Kara. “No, but from the looks of him yesterday, he was in really bad shape.”

She snorted. “Good.” She looked down and gripped her coffee cup in her palms. “But that’s not enough for me anymore, Caleb. I need more than that. I can’t wait for him forever.”

“I think he really needs a friend right now, but he won’t let me in.” He sighed. “I think you’re the only one he’ll let in, Kar.”

She shook her head vehemently. “Look, Caleb—”

“Kar, he’s not okay.”

She closed her eyes tightly, a tear rolling down her cheek.

“Don’t give up on him when he needs you most,” Caleb pleaded.

Silently, I walked to Kara, laying my hand on her shoulder for comfort. When she opened her eyes and made eye contact with me, she broke down.

There was nothing I could do but stay by her side.