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The hum of the aircraft’s engine can’t seem to leave your ears as you step away from the aircraft and down the tarmac. Your backpack bounces off of your body with every step, the gust of air from the airplanes making your hair fly all over the place, the smell of burning fuel stinging your eyes, consuming all other smells from the country’s base. It’s almost overwhelming with how chaotic your close surroundings have become. It leaves you feeling dazed, your bones vibrating against your muscles.

The tingling sensation that courses throughout your body slowly dissipates the further you walk from Caleb’s aircraft. Your eyes remain foxed on his broad shoulders, watching as he navigates you, as well as the other soldiers from his squadron that were told to come, off the tarmac.

Every so often, though, Caleb glances behind his shoulder at you. You catch a glimpse of his violet irises behind his dark aviators, a hint of a smile flashing across his lips before he goes back into his stoic Colonel demeanor.

Every time he does this, your heart speeds up. It thumps inside your chest, the heartbeats joining the vibrations from the heavy aircrafts, before fading away once you leave his line of sight.

For once, you had the chance to see Colonel Caleb in action, in all of his glory. You’ve heard all of the stories of his impressive military career through the grapevine of all the other translators that have helped him out when he was lower ranked.

His reputation was cutthroat. Caleb never hesitated to make a choice, the correct choice, no matter how much blood was shed, although he did try to save as many lives as possible. He isn’t like Colonel Heath who was willing to sacrifice his own men in order to save his ass. Colonel Caleb was also known for how swift and decisive his missions turn out to be.

A patrol that should have taken a week turn outs to be just three days long. A traitor refused to give out information ? Call Colonel Caleb, he’ll make them squeal.

Through the past year, you never even knew it was your Caleb that is the man behind all of the rumors and stories you’ve heard. Life is weird like that, right?

You look away from his back and notice the other groups where your work friends stand. All of the groups come to gather as one with the general at the helm. The soldiers take their leave, though, and leave all of the translators and officers behind. You watch as they leave, their stoic faces remaining as they march in sync. A hand rests itself on the low of your back, your gaze drifting up and to the side, Caleb now by your side.

“Come on, pretty bird,” Caleb’s voice is cheery despite his emotionless face, “we don’t want to be the last ones there, do we?” You shake your head, the new environment now becoming all too real. Caleb guides you through the security personnel, a hard glare from his eyes letting you pass through with no inspection.

Your eyes wander around the inside of the new country’s military office. The Fleet’s uniforms, ones that you are all too used to, are black with white pants whereas the country you’re in wears deep greens and reds with hints of silver rather than the gold you’re used to. Subconsciously, you’ve stayed close to Caleb’s side, either standing right behind him, placing a subtle tap on his back to let him know that you’re there, or standing right at his side with the excuse of being his personal translator to help you get by.

Caleb is quite amused by this. He has to stop himself from looking at you while dealing with paperwork, that has already been filled out, and getting the proper security clearances for the two of you. He likes that you found him to be safe person. You could have run away to any of the other officers and translators but you stuck by his side…maybe the two of you are becoming closer than you think. Caleb is definitely not going to complain about it or point it out because he knows that as soon as he does, you’re going to go back to avoiding him and pushing him away.

It’s a risk that, quite frankly, he isn’t willing to take.

“I need you to ask them something,” Caleb’s voice draws you out from your thoughts. Your anxiety settles inside your stomach, flicking at the breakfast you had that morning. You raise an eyebrow and feel as he pulls you forward. “Ask them where your security clearance badge is.”

“Excuse me,” you begin your conversation with the intimidating woman who sits at the desk.

While you speak to them, Caleb watches from behind. The top of your head floats at the bottom of his vision while the woman sits at the center. He narrows his eyes when her eyes meet his. Her fingers tap against the desk while you explain, to the best of your ability, that you’re going to need to go where he does.

“You see,” you lean in, getting her attention, “the Colonel gets a little cranky when I’m not there with him. He doesn’t trust anyone else other than me and I doubt that you’ll want to cause your higher ups any more trouble, right?” The woman nods. A small smile spreads across your face despite the feeling that someone is watching you weighs on your shoulders. “Great! So you’ll get that for us?”

The woman nods once again and turns to the side. You take a step back and feel your back collide with Caleb’s hard chest. A few of his medals poke into your back. A silent gasp escapes your lips from the sudden contact. You move to walk away but his gloved hand rests itself on your side, holding you there. You don’t dare break away, feeling his chest push into your back with every breath he takes.

The uniformed woman pops back to her desk, badge in hand. She holds it out and Caleb reaches from behind you, plucking it from her fingers. He turns your body and moves you away from the desk.

Many eyes within the office stare at the two of you, all of which belong to the other country. Their eyes are much more darker than yours with no variety in color such as your hues and Caleb’s familiar purples. Their uniforms are pristine with no wrinkles or faults in them; every medal in the formal dress is perfectly aligned, not daring to be crooked.

You always knew that a military career was something you didn’t want for yourself. Who would want a life of rigid routine and the constant reminder that your life is dedicated to a country that is willing to use you to benefit itself?

Then again, you’ve always been on the pessimistic side of things so maybe your way of thinking isn’t a fair way to look at it. Besides, Caleb chose this life. You have to respect his profession, right?

“What did you say?” Caleb asks, his hand slipping to your lower back once again. You don’t look up at him, shrugging in response. “Let me guess,” the two of you slip into an elevator with some of your peers and their officers. Caleb stands behind you, the front of his body pushed up against your backside. He leans down, his mouth grazing the outer shell of your ear, and whispers under the voices of the elevator, “Did you say that I’m a monster and to just give in? Or did you tell her that I simply cannot be reasoned with and have to have you with me at all times, making me look like some kind of psycho?”

“I don’t have to do anything to make you look crazy, Caleb, you are more than capable of doing that on your own,” you quietly retort. Caleb chuckles and draws his head away from yours.

The elevator doors open and you, who are at the front of the pack, quickly rush out, breaking into the room with Caleb hot on your trail. You turn on your heel and your heart pounds in your chest. The man enters your close proximity once again. He wears a dark smile on his face before it vanishes in less than a second. Other officers approach him and steal him away for a conversation, barely glancing at you. A sigh escapes your lips.

You sneak away where the other translators stand and spark up a conversation of your own with them. You pick up on Caleb’s dominating and effortlessly cool voice, the sound lingering on the outskirts of your attention while you smile and laugh with the other translators.

“Do you know what your schedule looks like?” Diana, who stands to your left, asks you. You breathe out a small, hesitant chuckle and scratch the back of your neck.

“I think the Colonel and I are going to be stuck in endless meetings about the Deepspace Tunnel.” It’s the truth, yes, but you also made sure to omit the meeting he was told to attend with the General, one that will have with another country.

What’s the meeting about? You’re unsure. You have trust in Caleb, though, that it’s one for peace and not war.

“You are so lucky to be paired up with him,” Diana sighs. She looks over your shoulder, eyes soft and in a trance. You follow her gaze; she’s looking directly at Caleb. Your ears immediately heat up, cheeks following suit. “He is so cute! I got stuck with Major Wilson. He’s so…old…and so wrinkly…”

Irritation bubbles from within your chest as the other women begin to giggle and fawn over Caleb. You turn your head and rest your chin on your shoulder. Caleb stands tall over the other officers, who are much older and probably shriveled in their age, and he wears an emotionless expression. You can’t read how he’s feeling, only getting the occasional movement of his brows to let you in on his own irritation.

Whenever he shifts in his spot, the women swoon. Diana grabs onto Shiza’s arm when Caleb looks in their direction; his eyes latch onto yours for a brief moment before he turns back away. Shivers run down your spine but the annoyance you feel only grows when Diana claims that he looked at her.

“Put in a good word for me, yeah?” Diana nudges into your side with an oh so obnoxious giggle, a giggle that is like nails on a chalkboard.

Your eyes scan Diana’s face. She’s pretty, yes, but is she really Caleb’s type? No…you don’t think she is. She’s everything you’re not: fake, phony, and makes her eyebrows way too dark and way too round for her face shape. When she smiles, you spot a little black speck tucked between her teeth. Ugh, gross. Did she not check before she left for work? That’s embarrassing.

You fake a smile and fake a laugh, matching her energy, before your face falls serious.

“We are here for work, not pleasure, Diana, let’s act like it.”

The words come out of your mouth sharper than you intended them to be. Your eyes widen and you stare at Diana, who raises an eyebrow at you with a look of shock that you were so careless with your words. How can you hold back, though, when she has Caleb’s image in her mind, her desire for him so open and free for all to see.

You had to say something about it, right?

You clear your throat and tuck your hair behind your ears, avoiding her gaze as well as the others who look at you like you’re a madwoman. You shift out of the group, standing on the outside, while the others shared surprised looks and side eye of your sudden and uncharacteristic outburst.

An awkward silence fills the group. You rock back and forth on your feet, heartbeat prominent in your ears. Before anyone can say anything, the General walks in, cap tucked underneath his arm. Your group turns to him and everyone nods in sync with your hands behind your back and posture straight just like how the Fleet taught you. He smiles at your group, having known to be very nice to the translators and mediators who help him out. His smile is replaced with a scowl when he look at Caleb and the other officers.

“Change of plans. They, somehow, ran out of room. We’ll be at the hotel down the street with the other countries,” his voice is rough and low, definitely a smoker, at least one pack a day. “Be on your best behavior and don’t rack up the bill too high,” he coughs and covers his mouth, turning around before disappearing once again. The General is like that, though. Always to the point and never hears what anyone else has to say, not that there was anything to say about the hotel change.

Your gaze flickers to Caleb’s. He stares at you, the corner of his lips twitching upwards ever so slightly. You roll your eyes and look back forward, face scrunching up.

You already know that he has something bizarre planned. It’s inevitable. Caleb likes to surprise you, which is something you learned from the month he left you random gifts on your doorstep, and to be honest, you didn’t know if it you should find enjoyment in his surprises or if you should pack up your life and move back to Linkon.

“I need to figure out which room Caleb is staying in,” you hear Diana’s voice from behind you. You don’t move, not wanting to show that you’re listening in, and slowly inhale. “Maybe the Colonel needs a late night visit.”

Your face contorts. Your nostrils flare, lip curling upward, and your gaze narrows in on the elevator doors. You slowly inhale and exhale, taking deep breaths to try and calm down the sudden onset of anger that floods your body. It is so unusual that you’re reacting so viscerally to another woman wanting to flirt with Caleb.

You could care less about who he does and does not fuck! Okay, maybe fuck isn’t the right word here, but you still shouldn’t care about what he does in his private time. You are the one who made it clear to him that the two of you are acquaintances. You are the one who made for sure he knows that you aren’t interested in him. If anything, Caleb should go after Diana! He should take a peek into whatever it is she has to offer him and indulge himself in the attention he’s receiving.

And you? Well, you can watch whatever show is playing on the hotel’s television with a pint of your favorite ice cream.

I hope I’m not roomed next to either of them. You think to yourself.

A gentle touch lulls you from your inner dialogue. You open your eyes and sigh, looking up at Caleb. His hat is tucked between his arm and side, his hair slightly disheveled but somehow he makes it work, and his eyes are fixed on yours.

It’s just the two of you in the room now, unless you want to count the security cameras that cover every angle of the military’s lobby. It still unsettles you to know that your every move will be watched and every action dissected and broken down, trying to see if there are any underlying motives that you may have.

“Pretty bird…we have to go,” Caleb’s voice is low, soft. The bubbling anger turns into a meek simmer. Your fists unclench, watching as his posture straightens and he places his cap back onto his dark locks.

“Are you doing anything tonight, Colonel?” you ask, knowing damn well that it’s an attempt to get him away from Diana and all of the other translators who want a piece of him.

“What?” Caleb blurts out. He blinks at you, shocked by your sudden question. Your eyes met his and all of the oxygen in his lungs seemed to escape him. He stammered and stuttered, earning an eye roll from you.

“Never mind. Forget I even asked,” you huff out and exit the embassy’s lobby, following behind the other people from Skyhaven who pile into cars.

Caleb, now out of the limbo you’ve thrown him in, takes his place at your side. The last car pulls up and, as fate would have it, it is just the two of you who will be inside. The black car with heavily tinted windows comes to a stop next to the two of you on the curb. Caleb looks down at you, perplexed expression still on his face. He opens his mouth to say something but nothing comes out. He sighs and watches as one of the soldiers from inside steps out and opens the backseat door.

The drive to the hotel was even more awkward than you imagined. Caleb’s eyes never left the side of you face and he watched you while you watched the outside world pass by.

The capital city looks like it has been stopped in time hundred of years ago. Cobblestone still lines the streets and many of the buildings’ architecture has a gothic look to them with stained glass and sharp pointed arches. Unlike Skyhaven, many of the buildings are built from stone and lime mortar instead of reinforced steel and glass. You love how different the city looks; you wonder if there is history you can learn about the country if you ever find the time to explore between meetings and avoiding Caleb.

“I’m not doing anything tonight,” Caleb speaks. You don’t look back at him, smiling at the images of big and grand courtyards that people sit and eat in so casually.

“Okay,” you hum.

“If you wanted to do something,” he whispers so the driver cannot hear. You shrug.

“It’s fine. I can figure out what to do on my own,” you glance at his reflection in the car window. It’s faint but still there. You watch as his once hopeful face falls. He literally looks like a puppy had been told it’s about to get a bath instead of being promised treats.

“Can we—” Caleb is interrupted by the car stopping. His backdoor opens and he groans. He turns his head back to look at you but you have already left the car, closing the door behind you. His fists clench before he gets out himself, placing his hat back on his head.

Soldiers are lined up along the hotel’s perimeter. They stop passing pedestrians, asking for identification or a hotel key card to prove that they are staying there. Caleb knows that the heightened security is good, especially since you’ll be staying here. He’s going to keep a close eye on you, though, and be waiting outside your door in the morning when you’re ready to take on the long day ahead and he’ll be the last person you see when you go back to your room.

Although, if it were up to him, you’d be joining him in the suite Skyhaven is bound to give him so you’re only a room away instead of a whole different space entirely.

You follow the soldier to the safety of the hotel lobby. You flash your security clearance card to the guards at the door just in case, in which they nod and tell you to move on. The soldier then passes you off to a woman dressed in a neat and form fitting red dress. You smile at her and take the hotel keycard she hands you.

Caleb enters the hotel, blowing off soldiers and other military guards that try to stop him. Once they spot the Colonel insignia on his chest, they back away. His eyes scan the room for you, quickly spotting you just a few feet away. Out of the corner of his eye, though, movement catches his eye.

Professor Lucius crosses his field of vision, heading straight in your direction. Caleb’s blood goes cold. 

He watches the professor closely. The bony man moves across the room, going unnoticed, slipping and weaving through the few people inside with ease. His cane hangs from his fingers. It sways back and forth, slowly coming to a halt the closer he gets to you. Caleb’s feet move in your direction, picking up speed.

He can hear your screams from his nightmare. The way you cry out his name, the whines and pleas for someone to put you out of your misery while he is forced to do nothing. He moves in tandem with Professor Lucius, miming his every move.

If he moves to the left, so does Caleb.

If he take a step to the right, so does Caleb.

He can’t let the Professor get to you.

“Your luggage has already been delivered to your room. If you see that anything is missing, please call us and we will do our best to find it for you,” her voice is so soothing and so sweet. You smile at her, replying with a thank you and begin to walk away when Caleb’s fingers wrap around your waist. His fingers dig into your body, the man wanting to touch your skin once again but having to settle for the faint warmth through your clothes.

Your eyes shoot up to his face and you expect to meet his gaze but instead he stares at the woman. She hands him a separate key card and begins to say the same thing she said to you. Caleb, on the other hand, has another idea. He walk you two away, heading straight for the elevator through the near empty hotel lobby. Your gaze darts around, trying to see if anyone notices the way he’s pulled you to his side.

A tall and slender man watches you two. His tiny features send chills down your spine. He wears a brown suit with patches on the elbows, his hair as white as snow, with deep sunken cheekbones. His mere presence leaves you feeling unnerved, your hand finding itself on Caleb’s wrist, hugging his hand tighter to your side. The man gives you a simple wave of his fingers, leaning against his wooden cane. You turn your face away, body now covered in goosebumps. 

“What are you doing?” you hiss under your breath, being pushed into an empty elevator. The doors are forcefully closed behind him. He reaches to the side with ease and presses a single button. You gulp and look back up at him, wondering what’s going through his mind.

Caleb’s face is blank. His eyes, though, radiate the urgency to keep you safe, to keep you at his side. His heart pounds in his chest. The tips of his ears are pink. His grip on your waist tightens as the Professor’s distinct laugh fills his ears.

But he can’t give into his emotions. His memories of you are on the line if he does.

“Caleb,” you cross your arms over your chest, “what are you doing?”

“Stay with me.”

“What?” an unexpected chuckle leaves your mouth.

“I don’t trust these people. I need to keep you safe. Please just…stay with me,” Caleb’s eyes soften.

“Caleb…I can’t.”

The words hang in the air between you. Your eyes scan Caleb’s face, watching as the muscles underneath his skin twitch. You hold your breath, chest popped out, watching as he closes the distance. His eyes look everywhere but at your own, moving from your eyebrows to your cheeks, memorizing the way your hair falls over your shoulder and the way the jacket hangs from your body. A sigh escapes his lips and he cups one of your cheeks with his left hand. Caleb leans in and presses his forehead to yours, closing his eyes. You follow suit and reach up to hold his wrist, your thumb grazing over the top of his hand.

“Please…” he whispers, his breath mingling with yours, “I don’t know what I’d do if you get hurt because of me.”

“I’m not going to get hurt, Caleb,” you breathe out. Caleb pushes his face in but you pull back, having him follow you. You shake your head and he sighs, his hands dropping to your waist, fingers curling into the fabric of your clothes. “I’m going to be okay—”

“You don’t—!” Caleb catches himself. He takes a deep breath and lowers his voice once again. “You don’t know that.”

“I do,” you reach both hands to cup his cheeks, “you want to know how I know that?”

Caleb opens his eyes and looks down at you. You can see the wheels in his brain turning. He nods; it’s small yet desperate, his entire sanity clinging onto it. You sigh and run your thumbs back and forth over his cheekbones. His purple irises burn into yours.

“I know I’m going to be safe because you’re here with me.”

It’s the truth. You do feel safe with him, in the sanctity of his arms. To be honest, you feel as if being closer to him, by staying in his room, will only cause more trouble. Maybe some distance will be good, yeah? If anything happens, you have his phone number memorized at this point so you can call him. You know he’ll come running to save you.

The elevator doors open with a ding. The air is heavy around the two of you. Caleb gently squeezes your waist one last time before stepping backwards and out of the elevator. His Colonel comes off his head, his hair messy and slightly sticking outwards. You sigh at his appearance, your heart swooning.

Caleb looks exactly like he did on the first day of high school. He has the same tired expression on his face with his hair disheveled as always. He had just come back from an early morning run to calm his nerves, he told you. The two of you walked side by side along the sidewalk. He carried your backpack while you held his printed out schedule in his hand, comparing it to yours.

It’s memories like these that remind you that you know the Caleb outside of her. You know who he is when she isn’t around, or when anyone is around for that matter. You know the Caleb that everyone loves and adores, the Caleb that they can lean on.

But you know the Caleb that they didn’t get to see. The one that waves to you from the street before his nightly and morning run. The one that spent over an hour helping you with a math problem you couldn’t solve. The one that protected you during dodgeball in freshmen gym class. The one that gave you the first butterfly of your collection as a gift to say sorry.

Caleb was the only one who said sorry to you.

The elevator doors slowly close. Caleb’s face disappears behind the steel doors. You stand in the heavy silence, basking in all of the regret that forms on your chest, weighing you down. The elevator doesn’t move, hanging in its spot. You stare at the panel of buttons, looking at the open door button at the bottom.

You can go after him, chase him down the hallway, beg for him to let you in his warm embrace one last time. You can beg for his forgiveness for being so cold to him. You can ask him to help you with your two bags, knowing that he would take on the load himself instead of letting you do it.

Press the button. Go on, do it!

Your voice is loud inside your head. The words echo before fading into nothingness. Your hand slowly extends towards the panel of buttons, your index finger hovering over the open door button. You bite your bottom lip, rolling it back and forth between your teeth.

Why are you hesitating? What’s holding you back? Don’t you love—

The elevator begins to move. It sinks to the lower levels. You shudder, a breath escaping your mouth.

Oh.

Life made the choice for you, didn’t it?

You press the button that leads to your floor, just two floors below his, and watch as the hand on the elevator’s floor list moves closer to the ground level. It stops on yours and you slip out, keeping your head hung low as your scurry down the hall and into your bedroom.

See? you think to yourself, it was never meant to be.

The week proceeded to go by so slowly. You grew fond of a routine that you and Caleb fell into, though, one that you subconsciously looked forward to ever since the first morning you were there. 

Every morning, Caleb stands outside your hotel door while you got dressed. He knocks four times and you knocked back twice. He always had three things in hand: two coffees (one for the each of you) and an apple. Once you left your room, you took the coffee in your hand and drank half of it before reaching for the apple he always took a bite out of. You jokingly call him selfish, which he doesn’t refute, and you stand in the elevator side by side ready to deal with that day’s meetings.

You wish you could say that the meetings are interesting. They probably would be if you could keep up with what Caleb and the other leaders were talking about. While you translated for Caleb, you scribble down notes for him, mentioning anything peculiar that the person said or a phrase that you wanted to look into. He knew that keeping your hand busy was a way for you to focus better, so he didn’t mind watching as you worked.

Throughout the way, when you two are on a break, he compliments you on your penmanship in a world that is almost only digital. You laugh at him and roll your eyes, hiding your blush while looking away.

At every meeting, Caleb always pulled out your chair for you (if it was an option) and he always had his hand on your back when entering and exiting the rooms. He took the lead, as he usually does as Colonel, but also made sure that people give you the same respect that they gave him.

Caleb may not know their language, but you do. You’re the one holding all of the cards in your hands. It’s up to you to decide how to translate a word if they speak in a phrase or in slang terms. You are the one with all of the power in the room, not him. You deserve more respect than he does.

It is the morning of the last day of the peace summit. You wake up bright and early, the wind blowing in through your window, the bottom of the curtains swaying back and forth. Sitting up in bed, you yawn and stretch out your body.

The breeze is warm. It brings you immense comfort, wrapping you in a blanket. You fall back onto the bed, arms curled over your head, legs spread apart. You take up the entirety of the mattress. The white sheets are bunched up beside you, messily thrown about the bed. A tired smile creeps onto your face.

Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock.

Your gaze drifts towards the door of your hotel room. Your stomach flutters and you draw your legs together. You hesitate. There’s another knock, a little more forceful, yet still quiet just enough to break through the quiet of the morning.

“Caleb?” you call out.

“Are you not up yet?” Caleb’s voice is muffled on the other side of the door. You groan and shake your head, hoping that your silence would be answer enough for him. “Come on, open up!”

“Too lazy,” you push through words out as your stretch your body again, a small squeak escaping your lips before you relax back into the bed. “You can break in if you want, I don’t care,” you mumble, eyes drooping closed, your body slowly slipping back into sleep.

To you, it feels as if seconds have gone by when the door swings open. Your body jolts awake, eyes big and wide. You watch as Caleb saunters into the main room, well, you suppose it’s the entire room. The Fleet didn’t really go all out on lowly translators like yourself. You watch him through one open eye in bed. You’re laid on top of the sheets, slowly pulling them over your face.

Caleb sighs with content. He watches you curl back up into a bad, hiding your face from him. Your legs are exposed, wearing a simple pair of pajama shorts matched with an oversized t-shirt. They disappear under the blanket and he wishes he had just one more moment to look at them, to memorize how they look so he can imagine you waking up beside him in bed during a gloomy Skyhaven morning. Who needs the sun when you’re right here?

Caleb places the two coffees and pastry bag on the room’s desk. His hat sits next to the cups. The man glances at you from over his shoulder, a slow push of wind causing your arms to stretch up and into the air. A small smile forms on his face and his heart races in his chest. Caleb takes a couple of breaths to calm it down, not wanting to get too excited, and glides across the room. He sits down on the side of the bed. The mattress dips down and rolls you over to face him.

The white sheets slip to the side and unveil your face. A sleepy smile is on your lips, your eyes closed.

Are you still dreaming? Are you happy that I’m here?

Caleb places his hand on your hip, his thumb grazing against your soft, untouched skin. Oh, how he wants to lean down and kiss the exposed area, to show you just how much he loves you.

“Good morning,” he tilts his head to the side. You open your eyes an sigh, mumbling a ‘morning’ in return. “Let’s get ready, yeah? We have one last meeting to attend before we’re done.”

“That’s not true,” you groan, slowly getting up. Caleb wraps an arm around you, his fingers snaking under the fabric of your shirt and onto your skin. His calloused skin is a stark contrast to yours. You love how it feels against you, though. “I have a whole day of translating speeches for you.”

“That you do.”

“And I get to be stuck in a small booth when it happens. Boo.”

“Boo,” Caleb whispers and brushes the hair out of your face. Still under sleep’s trance, you lean into his touch and sigh, your body fully melting into his grip. “Come on, have some coffee, wake up.”

The coffee cup slowly floats over to the bed. He catches it and holds it out to you. You lazily take it, your fingers barely holding onto the cup so Caleb has to hold the bottom, and you bring it to your lips, the caffeine immediately hitting your body. Your eyes slowly grow bigger and bigger, the dull sleeping sensation freeing from your body.

“Thank you,” you whisper, taking another sip. Caleb nods. His fingertips trace the line of your jaw before cupping your face.

The pad of his thumb lays on your bottom lip. Your heart pounds in your chest. You suddenly become aware of the situation you are in. Old and worn out pajamas grace your body, your hair is a mess, and your breath probably smells since you haven’t brushed your teeth yet. Your eyes try to meet his but Caleb is focused on your lips. Your breathing grows shallow. He gently swipes his thumb across your lip. Caleb pulls away, his eyes finally meeting yours. For a moment, you swear you could hear his pounding heart as well.

“You had some coffee…” his words are quiet and are formed like an excuse for being to close to you, for pushing the boundary that has begun to evaporate between the two of you.

“Oh,” you breathe out. Caleb pulls away and stands. He looks down at you, then at his watch, then back to you.

“I’ll give you some time to change,” he clears his throat and slowly exits your hotel room. The door clicks behind him and you melt into the mattress, overing your face with a nearby pillow. A muffled and very frustrated yell is absorbed into the pillow. You pull it away and sigh, getting dressed.

As expected, the meeting is delayed by an hour due to technical difficulties. You sit inside a small room that overlooks the grand auditorium. You instantly spotted Caleb as soon as you stepped inside. You watched him as he moves around the room with ease, speaking with close allies and avoiding any enemies that the Fleet may have.

You also spot the tall, old man from the hotel lobby your first day here. He, like you, keeps a close eye on Caleb as well as other Farspace Fleet officers. He stands next to the General. Their heads lean into each other every so often as they observe the room. You wonder what they talk about.

Caleb sits down in his designated seat. He sighs to himself and rolls his head back, rubbing his eyes. The ear piece in his ear has been unusually quiet ever since you tested it with him earlier. He loosens his tie and looks around the room. He looks over his shoulder and looks at the line of mirrors that reflect the room. His purple eyes scan them.

Which one are you in?

“Are you trying to find me?” your voice comes from the earpiece. He inwardly chuckles, slightly nodding. “You’re close.”

Am I?

Caleb begins at the leftmost window. He slowly makes his way to the other side, listening to your soft coos of him getting warmer and warmer.

“Oof,” you shake your head from the booth. You’re practically leaned up against the two way mirror, looking down at him, your breath fogging up the glass. “You’re cold again. That’s a shame. I thought I remembered that you’d always find me.”

Caleb brings his eyes back to the left. He counts the windows before landing on one. He cocks his head to the side, a small grin appearing on his lips. You smile back, as if he can even see you, and lean back in your chair.

“Well would you look at that,” you purr, “you found me.”

You watch as his lips move. You can just hear the smugness in his silent tone, the arrogant and winning attitude shining through. Maybe show some humility next time, Caleb, girls love it.

“I need to tell you something,” you admit, rocking back and forth on your heels, “I’m going out tonight with the other translators…and a few others from other places.”

Caleb’s eyes widen. He stares at the window. Anxiety forms in his chest. His heart race slightly increases but it stays steady enough to not cause any alarm bells in his head to go off. He sits up in his chair, leaning forward. You copy his actions and sigh, knowing that it must be killing him to not be able to respond back.

“You’re going to behave, yes?” you playfully ask, wanting to lighten the mood. “And you better not be in front of my door when I get back. You won’t get…pretty bird privileges if you are. Nod so I know you understand.”

Caleb’s fists clench. You gnaw at the inside of your cheek, anticipation bubbling in your chest. You’re toying with him, yes, having a bit of fun before he goes full bodyguard when you get back. Also, Caleb deserves to have his head spin for the night, to spend hours worrying about you.

He did break into your hotel room, after all.

His fingernails threaten to break through the leather of his gloves. Caleb sighs and relaxes into his seat, knowing that he is not going to win this battle. After a few more seconds, he slowly nods. You breathe out, relieved that he’s loosening the leash he has you on.

“Thank you.”

Much to your surprise, you come back to your hotel room early that night. The dinner with all of the other translators was fun, yes, but you began to feel the win get to your head and, well, everyone knows what happens when you have a little too much to drink.

Caleb wasn’t at your door. A part of you felt relieved while the other part felt remorse for being so curt with him earlier. Poor guy didn’t even have a chance to defend himself or to protest against your wishes.

Did he even survive the few hours you were away? Guess you’ll find out tomorrow morning.

Your bed felt so comforting to get into despite it not being your bed at home. It was what you got, though, and push the complaints out of your head. You wiggle under the tight sheets, liking how it holds you against the bed like when your dad aggressively tucked you in as a child. A small smile spreads across your face, eyes closed, ready for sleep to come and take you.

But it doesn’t.

An hour of tossing and turning in bed does you no good. Your mind is wide awake despite your body ready for sleep. The ceiling is undeniably boring and against your better judgment, you get out of bed and make your way to the balcony.

The night air greets you like an old friend, warm with a slight chill to it, the perfect temperature. You sigh into the night sky. In Skyhaven, the stars shine brighter and the moon is much bigger. You...miss it. You miss the constant clouds and rainstorms. Everyday here has been nothing but hot, leaving you finding shelter near an A.C. in the hotel and building where the Summit is being held.

A slow gust of wind pushes your hair out of your face and over your shoulders, hanging over your back. You sigh and close your eyes, soaking in the warm hug of the breeze.

Caleb is also out on his balcony right now. Instead of the stars and moon, he watches the blinking lights of flying planes overhead. In Skyhaven, one can see the blinking lights of satellites and space ships. A slow breath leaves his lips. A plane disappears behind a fluffy, gray cloud. Oh, how he wishes he was in the sky right now, his second home (the first being in your arms, of course).

He is just about to go back inside when he catches a glimpse of the top of your head. You’re two floors down and two rooms to the right. The Colonel steps to the edge of his balcony, looking down at you. He leans against the metal railing. His purple eyes focus on your tiny frame, the large t-shirt sliding off of your shoulder. He watches as you slowly inhale and exhale, the Colonel quickly joining in.

Is this you in your true self? The you that can be seen when nobody is watching? He loves it.

You open your eyes and stare at the bright, white moon. Its full body makes the night sky bright with the stars being mere specks of white that litters the black sky. It truly is a sight to be seen. You can’t help but wonder if Caleb is awake.

“Psst…pretty bird.”

Holy shit. Are you a psychic? 

You look above you. Caleb’s chuckles fall down to you.

“You’re very cold right now.”

Ah, so he is to the left of you. You follow the direction of his voice, hands gripping the metal railing of the balcony. You look up, craning your neck to look around other balconies. Caleb’s face comes into view and you proudly smile, leaning against the metal bars.

“Is this what it feels like to be found?” Caleb quips. You can’t help but laugh and shake your head at him.

“It feels nice, doesn’t it?” you shoot back. Caleb nods. “What are you doing up so late?”

“Couldn’t sleep. You?”

“Same,” you huff and turn away, looking back into the night sky. “The moon is pretty tonight.”

“You’re even more beautiful,” Caleb mumbles under his breath. “Do you need a sleeping pill or something?” He calls out. You shake your head and look back up at him.

“Hey…this reminds me of something,” you lean back over the edge of the railing, looking up at him. He raises his eyebrow, looking down at you. “Freshmen year. Miss Hart’s English class. She made us recite the Romeo and Juliet balcony scene in class. Except, you’re Juliet and I’m Romeo.”

Did we? Caleb inwardly sighs. I…I don’t remember.

You watch Caleb’s face contort once again like it did not even a few days ago. Silence overtakes your body. You nod and look away, catching the hint.

Of course, he didn’t remember. It probably wasn’t important enough to remember, anyways. It was stupid of you to bring up. You wipe a stray tear that falls from your eye, the sting of rejection and defeat all too familiar to you.

“Pretty bird?” Caleb catches your attention. You stare at him, hiding your glossy eyes from him. “Let’s not reminisce in the past. Let’s make new memories.”

“New memories,” you sigh to yourself. Your head rolls back, neck exposed.

Caleb stares at your skin under the moonlight; he wishes he could be down there with you, to hold you in his arms. He’ll never let go. He’ll recite any damn passage from Romeo and Juliet if it meant that you would look at him the same way you did that morning.

“Sure, why not,” you call out to him. His face lights up.

“Do you mean that?” he asks. You nod and his heart grows three sizes. “Let me come down there. Let’s make a new memory. Maybe I can help you fall asleep, too.”

“If you’re trying to get my pants off, Juliet,” you look up at him and narrow your eyes, “it isn’t going to work.” Caleb scoffs and rolls his eyes, not that you can see it very well, and his face scrunches up.

“Well, Romeo,” Caleb’s laugh is breathy with just the right amount of rasp to make your brain do a double take, “I was thinking more of us watching a shitty hotel movie.”

“Oh.” You look away, feeling the heat rise up on your cheeks.

Just a movie. Okay. Yeah, you can do that. It wasn’t really what you were expecting. Maybe a part of you was expecting the pants off part but this works too!

“Your place or mine?” you ask with a small smile, not looking in his direction. When you don’t hear a quippy or lighthearted answer from your childhood friend, you finally look up at Caleb’s balcony to see that he is —

Not there?

You lean forward and over the railing, trying to get a better look. Where could he have possibly gone? Does he not want to hang out with you? Well…damn. You never thought that Caleb would ever reject you—

Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock.

Your heart stops. You slowly turn to look at the door, the only light coming from the small peephole in the middle of the stocky wooden panel. A few seconds pass. Your heart starts to beat again. You come back inside the room, creeping closer to the door. With every step you take, your heart skips a beat, beating faster and faster as the distance between you and him slowly diminishes. You grab the doorknob and push it downwards. The man on the other side pushes it open.

Caleb stands in the doorway, his hand flat against the door above your head. He looks down at you. The light from the hallway seeps through his messy hair, creating a halo like effect around his head. He takes a step forward, his broad shoulders filling the diameter of the frame. You take a step backwards and let go of the handle.

Caleb and you take each step slowly; every move is deliberate and calculated. The door clicks shut behind him. The two of you stand in darkness. You don’t dare to move but Caleb does, entering your close proximity. His faded blue shirt brushes against your purple one. You struggle to watch him in the darkness.

The light above your head flicks on. A small breath leaves your mouth, eyes wide open when you tilt your chin up to him. His eyes latch onto yours. His gaze alone sends chills to the spot between your legs. He doesn’t look away.

“Nice room.”

“It’s shitty and you know it,” your breathing is shaky, suddenly becoming aware that Caleb is here. He is here in your small hotel room, invading your space.

The funny thing? You don’t seem to mind anymore.

“You should have stayed with me when I offered,” a small smile twitches on his lips before his face falls again. You nod and stifle a laugh behind a closed mouth.

Being the first one to move, you turn away and scramble for the bed, tripping over your own feet but recovering quick enough for him to just barely notice. You pull back the bed’s sheets. The side of the bed closest to the balcony is yours.

Selfishly, you took this side because if an intruder were to come in, Caleb would be closest to them. While he fights them off, you’d make your escape to the balcony and hop to the neighboring one to seek refuge.

The mattress dips beside you. Your breath gets caught in your throat. Caleb’s shoulder brushes against yours, a spark of electricity igniting between you two. Your legs are tiny compared to his. He’s just a hunk of a man, gargantuan in every way possible.

Well, that’s not true. You don’t exactly know what he’s packing downstairs.

“What should we watch?” Caleb’s voice draws your face to look at him. He watches you from the corner of his eye. He turns the television on and the light paints his skin in the faint colors from the vibrant musical that plays. You silently gulp and look at the screen, needing a break from his dominant demeanor.

“Anything is good with me…as long as it isn’t horribly depressing or grotesque or has that one actress with the weird nose to forehead ratio or is basically propaganda from the Farspace Fleet.”

Caleb slowly turns to look at you, his mouth slightly agape from your list of no’s. You glance over and briefly meet his gaze before immediately turning back away. You grab one of the decorative pillows that separate your bodies and pull it to your chest, tucking your chin into the material.

“Alright…I can find something along your very relaxed guidelines,” Caleb muses with an amused chuckle.

After a few minutes of him clicking through channels, and you endlessly vetoing what he has to offer, you have found yourself tucked into his side. His arm is wrapped around your waist, pinned against the headboard. The tips of his fingers slipped beneath your shirt, gently swirling circles and stars into your skin. The side of your face is placed against his shoulder, one hand on his chest. You shake your head as he clicks through the channels. He smells even better than before. His cologne is intoxicating, the underlying musk drawing you in, making you want to stay attached to his side the rest of your life.

You truly don’t care what you watch with him, as long as it’s good and entertaining. All you really want to do is sit here with him and listen to his slow and steady heartbeat.

“Pretty bird,” Caleb breathes out, giving your side a gentle squeeze, “let’s pick somethin’, yeah?” You nod with a quiet yawn, already feeling the effects of sleep working on you.

He clicks through a few more channels before it lands on a romcom from decades ago. You don’t shake your head, which causes Caleb to look at you. Your tired eyes widen from the snappy dialogue. You love just how sarcastic and witty the love interests are with each other; the push and pull between them is absolutely electric. Caleb smiles and places the remote down, finally happy that you found something good to watch.

Every other minute or so, the two of you laugh. The laughs are tired and sometimes mixed in with a shared yawn. Your eyes begin to droop, your head fully leaning into Caleb’s shoulder. Quiet breaths, borderline snores, leave your mouth. You’ve succumbed to the blissfulness of sleep. You tried to fight it off as best you could but your efforts were futile. His embrace tightens. He feels your body relaxing, melting into his. He’ll sit upright all night long with you if it means that you’re able to get a peaceful night of sleep, that you won’t be harmed by nightmares like he is.

Soon, he follows, the quiet sound of the romantic comedy lulling him to sleep and, for once, he isn’t burdened with a nightmare.

Caleb wakes up to the sound of you rummaging through your luggage. He’s typically a light sleeper but with you he didn’t wake up once through the entire night. That’s a success, truly. The Colonel leans his head up, being sure not to move too much to alarm you. You’re dressed in a suit, one that hugs your curves just right while being loose enough to allow your body to breathe. A smile spreads across his face.

“Mornin’, pretty bird.”

You jump in your skin, standing up right with loose earrings in your hands. You turn to face Caleb, whose hair is messy, eyes half-lidded from sleep. The sight of him makes your heart flutter, your stomach quivering from your budding school-girl crush on him. His eyes scan up and down your body, heading tilting to the side. His brows knit together before they come back up to your gaze.

“We…we don’t have any meetings planned today. all we have is the gala tonight. Why are you…” his voice falls off, unable to find the proper words to string together. You sigh and run your fingers through your freshly dried hair, smelling like the hotel’s clean shampoo.

“The General called the room this morning. He asked me to assist him and…” you stammer, circling around to his side of the bed. You struggle to put your earrings in, a frustrated chuckle emitting from your throat. “I mean, you know how it is. Can’t really say no, can you? When they say jump, we say—”

“How high.” Caleb finishes your sentence, disappointment tinged in his voice. He looks in the other direction, looking out of your open balcony door and into the morning light.

Caleb knows what it’s like to be a lapdog to those who hold power over you. He knows exactly how it feels to be summoned in the middle of the night because the power above him, one that he plans on breaking free from, wishes for him to make someone disappear.

“I’ll be back soon…hopefully…but I will definitely be back for the gala, so…save me a dance, okay?” you smile at him, half out of breath, fastening the last piece of jewelry to your body. Caleb finally looks back over to you, a small and weak smile appearing on his face. You’re too busy and frazzled to notice the strain in his face, the anxiety that rips throughout his body while he watches you leave the hotel room.

The hum of the aircraft’s engine can’t seem to leave your ears as you step away from the aircraft and down the tarmac. Your backpack bounces off of your body with every step, the gust of air from the airplanes making your hair fly all over the place, the smell of burning fuel stinging your eyes, consuming all other smells from the country’s base. It’s almost overwhelming with how chaotic your close surroundings have become. It leaves you feeling dazed, your bones vibrating against your muscles.

The tingling sensation that courses throughout your body slowly dissipates the further you walk from Caleb’s aircraft. Your eyes remain foxed on his broad shoulders, watching as he navigates you, as well as the other soldiers from his squadron that were told to come, off the tarmac.

Every so often, though, Caleb glances behind his shoulder at you. You catch a glimpse of his violet irises behind his dark aviators, a hint of a smile flashing across his lips before he goes back into his stoic Colonel demeanor.

Every time he does this, your heart speeds up. It thumps inside your chest, the heartbeats joining the vibrations from the heavy aircrafts, before fading away once you leave his line of sight.

For once, you had the chance to see Colonel Caleb in action, in all of his glory. You’ve heard all of the stories of his impressive military career through the grapevine of all the other translators that have helped him out when he was lower ranked.

His reputation was cutthroat. Caleb never hesitated to make a choice, the correct choice, no matter how much blood was shed, although he did try to save as many lives as possible. He isn’t like Colonel Heath who was willing to sacrifice his own men in order to save his ass. Colonel Caleb was also known for how swift and decisive his missions turn out to be.

A patrol that should have taken a week turn outs to be just three days long. A traitor refused to give out information ? Call Colonel Caleb, he’ll make them squeal.

Through the past year, you never even knew it was your Caleb that is the man behind all of the rumors and stories you’ve heard. Life is weird like that, right?

You look away from his back and notice the other groups where your work friends stand. All of the groups come to gather as one with the general at the helm. The soldiers take their leave, though, and leave all of the translators and officers behind. You watch as they leave, their stoic faces remaining as they march in sync. A hand rests itself on the low of your back, your gaze drifting up and to the side, Caleb now by your side.

“Come on, pretty bird,” Caleb’s voice is cheery despite his emotionless face, “we don’t want to be the last ones there, do we?” You shake your head, the new environment now becoming all too real. Caleb guides you through the security personnel, a hard glare from his eyes letting you pass through with no inspection.

Your eyes wander around the inside of the new country’s military office. The Fleet’s uniforms, ones that you are all too used to, are black with white pants whereas the country you’re in wears deep greens and reds with hints of silver rather than the gold you’re used to. Subconsciously, you’ve stayed close to Caleb’s side, either standing right behind him, placing a subtle tap on his back to let him know that you’re there, or standing right at his side with the excuse of being his personal translator to help you get by.

Caleb is quite amused by this. He has to stop himself from looking at you while dealing with paperwork, that has already been filled out, and getting the proper security clearances for the two of you. He likes that you found him to be safe person. You could have run away to any of the other officers and translators but you stuck by his side…maybe the two of you are becoming closer than you think. Caleb is definitely not going to complain about it or point it out because he knows that as soon as he does, you’re going to go back to avoiding him and pushing him away.

It’s a risk that, quite frankly, he isn’t willing to take.

“I need you to ask them something,” Caleb’s voice draws you out from your thoughts. Your anxiety settles inside your stomach, flicking at the breakfast you had that morning. You raise an eyebrow and feel as he pulls you forward. “Ask them where your security clearance badge is.”

“Excuse me,” you begin your conversation with the intimidating woman who sits at the desk.

While you speak to them, Caleb watches from behind. The top of your head floats at the bottom of his vision while the woman sits at the center. He narrows his eyes when her eyes meet his. Her fingers tap against the desk while you explain, to the best of your ability, that you’re going to need to go where he does.

“You see,” you lean in, getting her attention, “the Colonel gets a little cranky when I’m not there with him. He doesn’t trust anyone else other than me and I doubt that you’ll want to cause your higher ups any more trouble, right?” The woman nods. A small smile spreads across your face despite the feeling that someone is watching you weighs on your shoulders. “Great! So you’ll get that for us?”

The woman nods once again and turns to the side. You take a step back and feel your back collide with Caleb’s hard chest. A few of his medals poke into your back. A silent gasp escapes your lips from the sudden contact. You move to walk away but his gloved hand rests itself on your side, holding you there. You don’t dare break away, feeling his chest push into your back with every breath he takes.

The uniformed woman pops back to her desk, badge in hand. She holds it out and Caleb reaches from behind you, plucking it from her fingers. He turns your body and moves you away from the desk.

Many eyes within the office stare at the two of you, all of which belong to the other country. Their eyes are much more darker than yours with no variety in color such as your hues and Caleb’s familiar purples. Their uniforms are pristine with no wrinkles or faults in them; every medal in the formal dress is perfectly aligned, not daring to be crooked.

You always knew that a military career was something you didn’t want for yourself. Who would want a life of rigid routine and the constant reminder that your life is dedicated to a country that is willing to use you to benefit itself?

Then again, you’ve always been on the pessimistic side of things so maybe your way of thinking isn’t a fair way to look at it. Besides, Caleb chose this life. You have to respect his profession, right?

“What did you say?” Caleb asks, his hand slipping to your lower back once again. You don’t look up at him, shrugging in response. “Let me guess,” the two of you slip into an elevator with some of your peers and their officers. Caleb stands behind you, the front of his body pushed up against your backside. He leans down, his mouth grazing the outer shell of your ear, and whispers under the voices of the elevator, “Did you say that I’m a monster and to just give in? Or did you tell her that I simply cannot be reasoned with and have to have you with me at all times, making me look like some kind of psycho?”

“I don’t have to do anything to make you look crazy, Caleb, you are more than capable of doing that on your own,” you quietly retort. Caleb chuckles and draws his head away from yours.

The elevator doors open and you, who are at the front of the pack, quickly rush out, breaking into the room with Caleb hot on your trail. You turn on your heel and your heart pounds in your chest. The man enters your close proximity once again. He wears a dark smile on his face before it vanishes in less than a second. Other officers approach him and steal him away for a conversation, barely glancing at you. A sigh escapes your lips.

You sneak away where the other translators stand and spark up a conversation of your own with them. You pick up on Caleb’s dominating and effortlessly cool voice, the sound lingering on the outskirts of your attention while you smile and laugh with the other translators.

“Do you know what your schedule looks like?” Diana, who stands to your left, asks you. You breathe out a small, hesitant chuckle and scratch the back of your neck.

“I think the Colonel and I are going to be stuck in endless meetings about the Deepspace Tunnel.” It’s the truth, yes, but you also made sure to omit the meeting he was told to attend with the General, one that will have with another country.

What’s the meeting about? You’re unsure. You have trust in Caleb, though, that it’s one for peace and not war.

“You are so lucky to be paired up with him,” Diana sighs. She looks over your shoulder, eyes soft and in a trance. You follow her gaze; she’s looking directly at Caleb. Your ears immediately heat up, cheeks following suit. “He is so cute! I got stuck with Major Wilson. He’s so…old…and so wrinkly…”

Irritation bubbles from within your chest as the other women begin to giggle and fawn over Caleb. You turn your head and rest your chin on your shoulder. Caleb stands tall over the other officers, who are much older and probably shriveled in their age, and he wears an emotionless expression. You can’t read how he’s feeling, only getting the occasional movement of his brows to let you in on his own irritation.

Whenever he shifts in his spot, the women swoon. Diana grabs onto Shiza’s arm when Caleb looks in their direction; his eyes latch onto yours for a brief moment before he turns back away. Shivers run down your spine but the annoyance you feel only grows when Diana claims that he looked at her.

“Put in a good word for me, yeah?” Diana nudges into your side with an oh so obnoxious giggle, a giggle that is like nails on a chalkboard.

Your eyes scan Diana’s face. She’s pretty, yes, but is she really Caleb’s type? No…you don’t think she is. She’s everything you’re not: fake, phony, and makes her eyebrows way too dark and way too round for her face shape. When she smiles, you spot a little black speck tucked between her teeth. Ugh, gross. Did she not check before she left for work? That’s embarrassing.

You fake a smile and fake a laugh, matching her energy, before your face falls serious.

“We are here for work, not pleasure, Diana, let’s act like it.”

The words come out of your mouth sharper than you intended them to be. Your eyes widen and you stare at Diana, who raises an eyebrow at you with a look of shock that you were so careless with your words. How can you hold back, though, when she has Caleb’s image in her mind, her desire for him so open and free for all to see.

You had to say something about it, right?

You clear your throat and tuck your hair behind your ears, avoiding her gaze as well as the others who look at you like you’re a madwoman. You shift out of the group, standing on the outside, while the others shared surprised looks and side eye of your sudden and uncharacteristic outburst.

An awkward silence fills the group. You rock back and forth on your feet, heartbeat prominent in your ears. Before anyone can say anything, the General walks in, cap tucked underneath his arm. Your group turns to him and everyone nods in sync with your hands behind your back and posture straight just like how the Fleet taught you. He smiles at your group, having known to be very nice to the translators and mediators who help him out. His smile is replaced with a scowl when he look at Caleb and the other officers.

“Change of plans. They, somehow, ran out of room. We’ll be at the hotel down the street with the other countries,” his voice is rough and low, definitely a smoker, at least one pack a day. “Be on your best behavior and don’t rack up the bill too high,” he coughs and covers his mouth, turning around before disappearing once again. The General is like that, though. Always to the point and never hears what anyone else has to say, not that there was anything to say about the hotel change.

Your gaze flickers to Caleb’s. He stares at you, the corner of his lips twitching upwards ever so slightly. You roll your eyes and look back forward, face scrunching up.

You already know that he has something bizarre planned. It’s inevitable. Caleb likes to surprise you, which is something you learned from the month he left you random gifts on your doorstep, and to be honest, you didn’t know if it you should find enjoyment in his surprises or if you should pack up your life and move back to Linkon.

“I need to figure out which room Caleb is staying in,” you hear Diana’s voice from behind you. You don’t move, not wanting to show that you’re listening in, and slowly inhale. “Maybe the Colonel needs a late night visit.”

Your face contorts. Your nostrils flare, lip curling upward, and your gaze narrows in on the elevator doors. You slowly inhale and exhale, taking deep breaths to try and calm down the sudden onset of anger that floods your body. It is so unusual that you’re reacting so viscerally to another woman wanting to flirt with Caleb.

You could care less about who he does and does not fuck! Okay, maybe fuck isn’t the right word here, but you still shouldn’t care about what he does in his private time. You are the one who made it clear to him that the two of you are acquaintances. You are the one who made for sure he knows that you aren’t interested in him. If anything, Caleb should go after Diana! He should take a peek into whatever it is she has to offer him and indulge himself in the attention he’s receiving.

And you? Well, you can watch whatever show is playing on the hotel’s television with a pint of your favorite ice cream.

I hope I’m not roomed next to either of them. You think to yourself.

A gentle touch lulls you from your inner dialogue. You open your eyes and sigh, looking up at Caleb. His hat is tucked between his arm and side, his hair slightly disheveled but somehow he makes it work, and his eyes are fixed on yours.

It’s just the two of you in the room now, unless you want to count the security cameras that cover every angle of the military’s lobby. It still unsettles you to know that your every move will be watched and every action dissected and broken down, trying to see if there are any underlying motives that you may have.

“Pretty bird…we have to go,” Caleb’s voice is low, soft. The bubbling anger turns into a meek simmer. Your fists unclench, watching as his posture straightens and he places his cap back onto his dark locks.

“Are you doing anything tonight, Colonel?” you ask, knowing damn well that it’s an attempt to get him away from Diana and all of the other translators who want a piece of him.

“What?” Caleb blurts out. He blinks at you, shocked by your sudden question. Your eyes met his and all of the oxygen in his lungs seemed to escape him. He stammered and stuttered, earning an eye roll from you.

“Never mind. Forget I even asked,” you huff out and exit the embassy’s lobby, following behind the other people from Skyhaven who pile into cars.

Caleb, now out of the limbo you’ve thrown him in, takes his place at your side. The last car pulls up and, as fate would have it, it is just the two of you who will be inside. The black car with heavily tinted windows comes to a stop next to the two of you on the curb. Caleb looks down at you, perplexed expression still on his face. He opens his mouth to say something but nothing comes out. He sighs and watches as one of the soldiers from inside steps out and opens the backseat door.

The drive to the hotel was even more awkward than you imagined. Caleb’s eyes never left the side of you face and he watched you while you watched the outside world pass by.

The capital city looks like it has been stopped in time hundred of years ago. Cobblestone still lines the streets and many of the buildings’ architecture has a gothic look to them with stained glass and sharp pointed arches. Unlike Skyhaven, many of the buildings are built from stone and lime mortar instead of reinforced steel and glass. You love how different the city looks; you wonder if there is history you can learn about the country if you ever find the time to explore between meetings and avoiding Caleb.

“I’m not doing anything tonight,” Caleb speaks. You don’t look back at him, smiling at the images of big and grand courtyards that people sit and eat in so casually.

“Okay,” you hum.

“If you wanted to do something,” he whispers so the driver cannot hear. You shrug.

“It’s fine. I can figure out what to do on my own,” you glance at his reflection in the car window. It’s faint but still there. You watch as his once hopeful face falls. He literally looks like a puppy had been told it’s about to get a bath instead of being promised treats.

“Can we—” Caleb is interrupted by the car stopping. His backdoor opens and he groans. He turns his head back to look at you but you have already left the car, closing the door behind you. His fists clench before he gets out himself, placing his hat back on his head.

Soldiers are lined up along the hotel’s perimeter. They stop passing pedestrians, asking for identification or a hotel key card to prove that they are staying there. Caleb knows that the heightened security is good, especially since you’ll be staying here. He’s going to keep a close eye on you, though, and be waiting outside your door in the morning when you’re ready to take on the long day ahead and he’ll be the last person you see when you go back to your room.

Although, if it were up to him, you’d be joining him in the suite Skyhaven is bound to give him so you’re only a room away instead of a whole different space entirely.

You follow the soldier to the safety of the hotel lobby. You flash your security clearance card to the guards at the door just in case, in which they nod and tell you to move on. The soldier then passes you off to a woman dressed in a neat and form fitting red dress. You smile at her and take the hotel keycard she hands you.

Caleb enters the hotel, blowing off soldiers and other military guards that try to stop him. Once they spot the Colonel insignia on his chest, they back away. His eyes scan the room for you, quickly spotting you just a few feet away. Out of the corner of his eye, though, movement catches his eye.

Professor Lucius crosses his field of vision, heading straight in your direction. Caleb’s blood goes cold. 

He watches the professor closely. The bony man moves across the room, going unnoticed, slipping and weaving through the few people inside with ease. His cane hangs from his fingers. It sways back and forth, slowly coming to a halt the closer he gets to you. Caleb’s feet move in your direction, picking up speed.

He can hear your screams from his nightmare. The way you cry out his name, the whines and pleas for someone to put you out of your misery while he is forced to do nothing. He moves in tandem with Professor Lucius, miming his every move.

If he moves to the left, so does Caleb.

If he take a step to the right, so does Caleb.

He can’t let the Professor get to you.

“Your luggage has already been delivered to your room. If you see that anything is missing, please call us and we will do our best to find it for you,” her voice is so soothing and so sweet. You smile at her, replying with a thank you and begin to walk away when Caleb’s fingers wrap around your waist. His fingers dig into your body, the man wanting to touch your skin once again but having to settle for the faint warmth through your clothes.

Your eyes shoot up to his face and you expect to meet his gaze but instead he stares at the woman. She hands him a separate key card and begins to say the same thing she said to you. Caleb, on the other hand, has another idea. He walk you two away, heading straight for the elevator through the near empty hotel lobby. Your gaze darts around, trying to see if anyone notices the way he’s pulled you to his side.

A tall and slender man watches you two. His tiny features send chills down your spine. He wears a brown suit with patches on the elbows, his hair as white as snow, with deep sunken cheekbones. His mere presence leaves you feeling unnerved, your hand finding itself on Caleb’s wrist, hugging his hand tighter to your side. The man gives you a simple wave of his fingers, leaning against his wooden cane. You turn your face away, body now covered in goosebumps. 

“What are you doing?” you hiss under your breath, being pushed into an empty elevator. The doors are forcefully closed behind him. He reaches to the side with ease and presses a single button. You gulp and look back up at him, wondering what’s going through his mind.

Caleb’s face is blank. His eyes, though, radiate the urgency to keep you safe, to keep you at his side. His heart pounds in his chest. The tips of his ears are pink. His grip on your waist tightens as the Professor’s distinct laugh fills his ears.

But he can’t give into his emotions. His memories of you are on the line if he does.

“Caleb,” you cross your arms over your chest, “what are you doing?”

“Stay with me.”

“What?” an unexpected chuckle leaves your mouth.

“I don’t trust these people. I need to keep you safe. Please just…stay with me,” Caleb’s eyes soften.

“Caleb…I can’t.”

The words hang in the air between you. Your eyes scan Caleb’s face, watching as the muscles underneath his skin twitch. You hold your breath, chest popped out, watching as he closes the distance. His eyes look everywhere but at your own, moving from your eyebrows to your cheeks, memorizing the way your hair falls over your shoulder and the way the jacket hangs from your body. A sigh escapes his lips and he cups one of your cheeks with his left hand. Caleb leans in and presses his forehead to yours, closing his eyes. You follow suit and reach up to hold his wrist, your thumb grazing over the top of his hand.

“Please…” he whispers, his breath mingling with yours, “I don’t know what I’d do if you get hurt because of me.”

“I’m not going to get hurt, Caleb,” you breathe out. Caleb pushes his face in but you pull back, having him follow you. You shake your head and he sighs, his hands dropping to your waist, fingers curling into the fabric of your clothes. “I’m going to be okay—”

“You don’t—!” Caleb catches himself. He takes a deep breath and lowers his voice once again. “You don’t know that.”

“I do,” you reach both hands to cup his cheeks, “you want to know how I know that?”

Caleb opens his eyes and looks down at you. You can see the wheels in his brain turning. He nods; it’s small yet desperate, his entire sanity clinging onto it. You sigh and run your thumbs back and forth over his cheekbones. His purple irises burn into yours.

“I know I’m going to be safe because you’re here with me.”

It’s the truth. You do feel safe with him, in the sanctity of his arms. To be honest, you feel as if being closer to him, by staying in his room, will only cause more trouble. Maybe some distance will be good, yeah? If anything happens, you have his phone number memorized at this point so you can call him. You know he’ll come running to save you.

The elevator doors open with a ding. The air is heavy around the two of you. Caleb gently squeezes your waist one last time before stepping backwards and out of the elevator. His Colonel comes off his head, his hair messy and slightly sticking outwards. You sigh at his appearance, your heart swooning.

Caleb looks exactly like he did on the first day of high school. He has the same tired expression on his face with his hair disheveled as always. He had just come back from an early morning run to calm his nerves, he told you. The two of you walked side by side along the sidewalk. He carried your backpack while you held his printed out schedule in his hand, comparing it to yours.

It’s memories like these that remind you that you know the Caleb outside of her. You know who he is when she isn’t around, or when anyone is around for that matter. You know the Caleb that everyone loves and adores, the Caleb that they can lean on.

But you know the Caleb that they didn’t get to see. The one that waves to you from the street before his nightly and morning run. The one that spent over an hour helping you with a math problem you couldn’t solve. The one that protected you during dodgeball in freshmen gym class. The one that gave you the first butterfly of your collection as a gift to say sorry.

Caleb was the only one who said sorry to you.

The elevator doors slowly close. Caleb’s face disappears behind the steel doors. You stand in the heavy silence, basking in all of the regret that forms on your chest, weighing you down. The elevator doesn’t move, hanging in its spot. You stare at the panel of buttons, looking at the open door button at the bottom.

You can go after him, chase him down the hallway, beg for him to let you in his warm embrace one last time. You can beg for his forgiveness for being so cold to him. You can ask him to help you with your two bags, knowing that he would take on the load himself instead of letting you do it.

Press the button. Go on, do it!

Your voice is loud inside your head. The words echo before fading into nothingness. Your hand slowly extends towards the panel of buttons, your index finger hovering over the open door button. You bite your bottom lip, rolling it back and forth between your teeth.

Why are you hesitating? What’s holding you back? Don’t you love—

The elevator begins to move. It sinks to the lower levels. You shudder, a breath escaping your mouth.

Oh.

Life made the choice for you, didn’t it?

You press the button that leads to your floor, just two floors below his, and watch as the hand on the elevator’s floor list moves closer to the ground level. It stops on yours and you slip out, keeping your head hung low as your scurry down the hall and into your bedroom.

See? you think to yourself, it was never meant to be.

The week proceeded to go by so slowly. You grew fond of a routine that you and Caleb fell into, though, one that you subconsciously looked forward to ever since the first morning you were there. 

Every morning, Caleb stands outside your hotel door while you got dressed. He knocks four times and you knocked back twice. He always had three things in hand: two coffees (one for the each of you) and an apple. Once you left your room, you took the coffee in your hand and drank half of it before reaching for the apple he always took a bite out of. You jokingly call him selfish, which he doesn’t refute, and you stand in the elevator side by side ready to deal with that day’s meetings.

You wish you could say that the meetings are interesting. They probably would be if you could keep up with what Caleb and the other leaders were talking about. While you translated for Caleb, you scribble down notes for him, mentioning anything peculiar that the person said or a phrase that you wanted to look into. He knew that keeping your hand busy was a way for you to focus better, so he didn’t mind watching as you worked.

Throughout the way, when you two are on a break, he compliments you on your penmanship in a world that is almost only digital. You laugh at him and roll your eyes, hiding your blush while looking away.

At every meeting, Caleb always pulled out your chair for you (if it was an option) and he always had his hand on your back when entering and exiting the rooms. He took the lead, as he usually does as Colonel, but also made sure that people give you the same respect that they gave him.

Caleb may not know their language, but you do. You’re the one holding all of the cards in your hands. It’s up to you to decide how to translate a word if they speak in a phrase or in slang terms. You are the one with all of the power in the room, not him. You deserve more respect than he does.

It is the morning of the last day of the peace summit. You wake up bright and early, the wind blowing in through your window, the bottom of the curtains swaying back and forth. Sitting up in bed, you yawn and stretch out your body.

The breeze is warm. It brings you immense comfort, wrapping you in a blanket. You fall back onto the bed, arms curled over your head, legs spread apart. You take up the entirety of the mattress. The white sheets are bunched up beside you, messily thrown about the bed. A tired smile creeps onto your face.

Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock.

Your gaze drifts towards the door of your hotel room. Your stomach flutters and you draw your legs together. You hesitate. There’s another knock, a little more forceful, yet still quiet just enough to break through the quiet of the morning.

“Caleb?” you call out.

“Are you not up yet?” Caleb’s voice is muffled on the other side of the door. You groan and shake your head, hoping that your silence would be answer enough for him. “Come on, open up!”

“Too lazy,” you push through words out as your stretch your body again, a small squeak escaping your lips before you relax back into the bed. “You can break in if you want, I don’t care,” you mumble, eyes drooping closed, your body slowly slipping back into sleep.

To you, it feels as if seconds have gone by when the door swings open. Your body jolts awake, eyes big and wide. You watch as Caleb saunters into the main room, well, you suppose it’s the entire room. The Fleet didn’t really go all out on lowly translators like yourself. You watch him through one open eye in bed. You’re laid on top of the sheets, slowly pulling them over your face.

Caleb sighs with content. He watches you curl back up into a bad, hiding your face from him. Your legs are exposed, wearing a simple pair of pajama shorts matched with an oversized t-shirt. They disappear under the blanket and he wishes he had just one more moment to look at them, to memorize how they look so he can imagine you waking up beside him in bed during a gloomy Skyhaven morning. Who needs the sun when you’re right here?

Caleb places the two coffees and pastry bag on the room’s desk. His hat sits next to the cups. The man glances at you from over his shoulder, a slow push of wind causing your arms to stretch up and into the air. A small smile forms on his face and his heart races in his chest. Caleb takes a couple of breaths to calm it down, not wanting to get too excited, and glides across the room. He sits down on the side of the bed. The mattress dips down and rolls you over to face him.

The white sheets slip to the side and unveil your face. A sleepy smile is on your lips, your eyes closed.

Are you still dreaming? Are you happy that I’m here?

Caleb places his hand on your hip, his thumb grazing against your soft, untouched skin. Oh, how he wants to lean down and kiss the exposed area, to show you just how much he loves you.

“Good morning,” he tilts his head to the side. You open your eyes an sigh, mumbling a ‘morning’ in return. “Let’s get ready, yeah? We have one last meeting to attend before we’re done.”

“That’s not true,” you groan, slowly getting up. Caleb wraps an arm around you, his fingers snaking under the fabric of your shirt and onto your skin. His calloused skin is a stark contrast to yours. You love how it feels against you, though. “I have a whole day of translating speeches for you.”

“That you do.”

“And I get to be stuck in a small booth when it happens. Boo.”

“Boo,” Caleb whispers and brushes the hair out of your face. Still under sleep’s trance, you lean into his touch and sigh, your body fully melting into his grip. “Come on, have some coffee, wake up.”

The coffee cup slowly floats over to the bed. He catches it and holds it out to you. You lazily take it, your fingers barely holding onto the cup so Caleb has to hold the bottom, and you bring it to your lips, the caffeine immediately hitting your body. Your eyes slowly grow bigger and bigger, the dull sleeping sensation freeing from your body.

“Thank you,” you whisper, taking another sip. Caleb nods. His fingertips trace the line of your jaw before cupping your face.

The pad of his thumb lays on your bottom lip. Your heart pounds in your chest. You suddenly become aware of the situation you are in. Old and worn out pajamas grace your body, your hair is a mess, and your breath probably smells since you haven’t brushed your teeth yet. Your eyes try to meet his but Caleb is focused on your lips. Your breathing grows shallow. He gently swipes his thumb across your lip. Caleb pulls away, his eyes finally meeting yours. For a moment, you swear you could hear his pounding heart as well.

“You had some coffee…” his words are quiet and are formed like an excuse for being to close to you, for pushing the boundary that has begun to evaporate between the two of you.

“Oh,” you breathe out. Caleb pulls away and stands. He looks down at you, then at his watch, then back to you.

“I’ll give you some time to change,” he clears his throat and slowly exits your hotel room. The door clicks behind him and you melt into the mattress, overing your face with a nearby pillow. A muffled and very frustrated yell is absorbed into the pillow. You pull it away and sigh, getting dressed.

As expected, the meeting is delayed by an hour due to technical difficulties. You sit inside a small room that overlooks the grand auditorium. You instantly spotted Caleb as soon as you stepped inside. You watched him as he moves around the room with ease, speaking with close allies and avoiding any enemies that the Fleet may have.

You also spot the tall, old man from the hotel lobby your first day here. He, like you, keeps a close eye on Caleb as well as other Farspace Fleet officers. He stands next to the General. Their heads lean into each other every so often as they observe the room. You wonder what they talk about.

Caleb sits down in his designated seat. He sighs to himself and rolls his head back, rubbing his eyes. The ear piece in his ear has been unusually quiet ever since you tested it with him earlier. He loosens his tie and looks around the room. He looks over his shoulder and looks at the line of mirrors that reflect the room. His purple eyes scan them.

Which one are you in?

“Are you trying to find me?” your voice comes from the earpiece. He inwardly chuckles, slightly nodding. “You’re close.”

Am I?

Caleb begins at the leftmost window. He slowly makes his way to the other side, listening to your soft coos of him getting warmer and warmer.

“Oof,” you shake your head from the booth. You’re practically leaned up against the two way mirror, looking down at him, your breath fogging up the glass. “You’re cold again. That’s a shame. I thought I remembered that you’d always find me.”

Caleb brings his eyes back to the left. He counts the windows before landing on one. He cocks his head to the side, a small grin appearing on his lips. You smile back, as if he can even see you, and lean back in your chair.

“Well would you look at that,” you purr, “you found me.”

You watch as his lips move. You can just hear the smugness in his silent tone, the arrogant and winning attitude shining through. Maybe show some humility next time, Caleb, girls love it.

“I need to tell you something,” you admit, rocking back and forth on your heels, “I’m going out tonight with the other translators…and a few others from other places.”

Caleb’s eyes widen. He stares at the window. Anxiety forms in his chest. His heart race slightly increases but it stays steady enough to not cause any alarm bells in his head to go off. He sits up in his chair, leaning forward. You copy his actions and sigh, knowing that it must be killing him to not be able to respond back.

“You’re going to behave, yes?” you playfully ask, wanting to lighten the mood. “And you better not be in front of my door when I get back. You won’t get…pretty bird privileges if you are. Nod so I know you understand.”

Caleb’s fists clench. You gnaw at the inside of your cheek, anticipation bubbling in your chest. You’re toying with him, yes, having a bit of fun before he goes full bodyguard when you get back. Also, Caleb deserves to have his head spin for the night, to spend hours worrying about you.

He did break into your hotel room, after all.

His fingernails threaten to break through the leather of his gloves. Caleb sighs and relaxes into his seat, knowing that he is not going to win this battle. After a few more seconds, he slowly nods. You breathe out, relieved that he’s loosening the leash he has you on.

“Thank you.”

Much to your surprise, you come back to your hotel room early that night. The dinner with all of the other translators was fun, yes, but you began to feel the win get to your head and, well, everyone knows what happens when you have a little too much to drink.

Caleb wasn’t at your door. A part of you felt relieved while the other part felt remorse for being so curt with him earlier. Poor guy didn’t even have a chance to defend himself or to protest against your wishes.

Did he even survive the few hours you were away? Guess you’ll find out tomorrow morning.

Your bed felt so comforting to get into despite it not being your bed at home. It was what you got, though, and push the complaints out of your head. You wiggle under the tight sheets, liking how it holds you against the bed like when your dad aggressively tucked you in as a child. A small smile spreads across your face, eyes closed, ready for sleep to come and take you.

But it doesn’t.

An hour of tossing and turning in bed does you no good. Your mind is wide awake despite your body ready for sleep. The ceiling is undeniably boring and against your better judgment, you get out of bed and make your way to the balcony.

The night air greets you like an old friend, warm with a slight chill to it, the perfect temperature. You sigh into the night sky. In Skyhaven, the stars shine brighter and the moon is much bigger. You...miss it. You miss the constant clouds and rainstorms. Everyday here has been nothing but hot, leaving you finding shelter near an A.C. in the hotel and building where the Summit is being held.

A slow gust of wind pushes your hair out of your face and over your shoulders, hanging over your back. You sigh and close your eyes, soaking in the warm hug of the breeze.

Caleb is also out on his balcony right now. Instead of the stars and moon, he watches the blinking lights of flying planes overhead. In Skyhaven, one can see the blinking lights of satellites and space ships. A slow breath leaves his lips. A plane disappears behind a fluffy, gray cloud. Oh, how he wishes he was in the sky right now, his second home (the first being in your arms, of course).

He is just about to go back inside when he catches a glimpse of the top of your head. You’re two floors down and two rooms to the right. The Colonel steps to the edge of his balcony, looking down at you. He leans against the metal railing. His purple eyes focus on your tiny frame, the large t-shirt sliding off of your shoulder. He watches as you slowly inhale and exhale, the Colonel quickly joining in.

Is this you in your true self? The you that can be seen when nobody is watching? He loves it.

You open your eyes and stare at the bright, white moon. Its full body makes the night sky bright with the stars being mere specks of white that litters the black sky. It truly is a sight to be seen. You can’t help but wonder if Caleb is awake.

“Psst…pretty bird.”

Holy shit. Are you a psychic? 

You look above you. Caleb’s chuckles fall down to you.

“You’re very cold right now.”

Ah, so he is to the left of you. You follow the direction of his voice, hands gripping the metal railing of the balcony. You look up, craning your neck to look around other balconies. Caleb’s face comes into view and you proudly smile, leaning against the metal bars.

“Is this what it feels like to be found?” Caleb quips. You can’t help but laugh and shake your head at him.

“It feels nice, doesn’t it?” you shoot back. Caleb nods. “What are you doing up so late?”

“Couldn’t sleep. You?”

“Same,” you huff and turn away, looking back into the night sky. “The moon is pretty tonight.”

“You’re even more beautiful,” Caleb mumbles under his breath. “Do you need a sleeping pill or something?” He calls out. You shake your head and look back up at him.

“Hey…this reminds me of something,” you lean back over the edge of the railing, looking up at him. He raises his eyebrow, looking down at you. “Freshmen year. Miss Hart’s English class. She made us recite the Romeo and Juliet balcony scene in class. Except, you’re Juliet and I’m Romeo.”

Did we? Caleb inwardly sighs. I…I don’t remember.

You watch Caleb’s face contort once again like it did not even a few days ago. Silence overtakes your body. You nod and look away, catching the hint.

Of course, he didn’t remember. It probably wasn’t important enough to remember, anyways. It was stupid of you to bring up. You wipe a stray tear that falls from your eye, the sting of rejection and defeat all too familiar to you.

“Pretty bird?” Caleb catches your attention. You stare at him, hiding your glossy eyes from him. “Let’s not reminisce in the past. Let’s make new memories.”

“New memories,” you sigh to yourself. Your head rolls back, neck exposed.

Caleb stares at your skin under the moonlight; he wishes he could be down there with you, to hold you in his arms. He’ll never let go. He’ll recite any damn passage from Romeo and Juliet if it meant that you would look at him the same way you did that morning.

“Sure, why not,” you call out to him. His face lights up.

“Do you mean that?” he asks. You nod and his heart grows three sizes. “Let me come down there. Let’s make a new memory. Maybe I can help you fall asleep, too.”

“If you’re trying to get my pants off, Juliet,” you look up at him and narrow your eyes, “it isn’t going to work.” Caleb scoffs and rolls his eyes, not that you can see it very well, and his face scrunches up.

“Well, Romeo,” Caleb’s laugh is breathy with just the right amount of rasp to make your brain do a double take, “I was thinking more of us watching a shitty hotel movie.”

“Oh.” You look away, feeling the heat rise up on your cheeks.

Just a movie. Okay. Yeah, you can do that. It wasn’t really what you were expecting. Maybe a part of you was expecting the pants off part but this works too!

“Your place or mine?” you ask with a small smile, not looking in his direction. When you don’t hear a quippy or lighthearted answer from your childhood friend, you finally look up at Caleb’s balcony to see that he is —

Not there?

You lean forward and over the railing, trying to get a better look. Where could he have possibly gone? Does he not want to hang out with you? Well…damn. You never thought that Caleb would ever reject you—

Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock.

Your heart stops. You slowly turn to look at the door, the only light coming from the small peephole in the middle of the stocky wooden panel. A few seconds pass. Your heart starts to beat again. You come back inside the room, creeping closer to the door. With every step you take, your heart skips a beat, beating faster and faster as the distance between you and him slowly diminishes. You grab the doorknob and push it downwards. The man on the other side pushes it open.

Caleb stands in the doorway, his hand flat against the door above your head. He looks down at you. The light from the hallway seeps through his messy hair, creating a halo like effect around his head. He takes a step forward, his broad shoulders filling the diameter of the frame. You take a step backwards and let go of the handle.

Caleb and you take each step slowly; every move is deliberate and calculated. The door clicks shut behind him. The two of you stand in darkness. You don’t dare to move but Caleb does, entering your close proximity. His faded blue shirt brushes against your purple one. You struggle to watch him in the darkness.

The light above your head flicks on. A small breath leaves your mouth, eyes wide open when you tilt your chin up to him. His eyes latch onto yours. His gaze alone sends chills to the spot between your legs. He doesn’t look away.

“Nice room.”

“It’s shitty and you know it,” your breathing is shaky, suddenly becoming aware that Caleb is here. He is here in your small hotel room, invading your space.

The funny thing? You don’t seem to mind anymore.

“You should have stayed with me when I offered,” a small smile twitches on his lips before his face falls again. You nod and stifle a laugh behind a closed mouth.

Being the first one to move, you turn away and scramble for the bed, tripping over your own feet but recovering quick enough for him to just barely notice. You pull back the bed’s sheets. The side of the bed closest to the balcony is yours.

Selfishly, you took this side because if an intruder were to come in, Caleb would be closest to them. While he fights them off, you’d make your escape to the balcony and hop to the neighboring one to seek refuge.

The mattress dips beside you. Your breath gets caught in your throat. Caleb’s shoulder brushes against yours, a spark of electricity igniting between you two. Your legs are tiny compared to his. He’s just a hunk of a man, gargantuan in every way possible.

Well, that’s not true. You don’t exactly know what he’s packing downstairs.

“What should we watch?” Caleb’s voice draws your face to look at him. He watches you from the corner of his eye. He turns the television on and the light paints his skin in the faint colors from the vibrant musical that plays. You silently gulp and look at the screen, needing a break from his dominant demeanor.

“Anything is good with me…as long as it isn’t horribly depressing or grotesque or has that one actress with the weird nose to forehead ratio or is basically propaganda from the Farspace Fleet.”

Caleb slowly turns to look at you, his mouth slightly agape from your list of no’s. You glance over and briefly meet his gaze before immediately turning back away. You grab one of the decorative pillows that separate your bodies and pull it to your chest, tucking your chin into the material.

“Alright…I can find something along your very relaxed guidelines,” Caleb muses with an amused chuckle.

After a few minutes of him clicking through channels, and you endlessly vetoing what he has to offer, you have found yourself tucked into his side. His arm is wrapped around your waist, pinned against the headboard. The tips of his fingers slipped beneath your shirt, gently swirling circles and stars into your skin. The side of your face is placed against his shoulder, one hand on his chest. You shake your head as he clicks through the channels. He smells even better than before. His cologne is intoxicating, the underlying musk drawing you in, making you want to stay attached to his side the rest of your life.

You truly don’t care what you watch with him, as long as it’s good and entertaining. All you really want to do is sit here with him and listen to his slow and steady heartbeat.

“Pretty bird,” Caleb breathes out, giving your side a gentle squeeze, “let’s pick somethin’, yeah?” You nod with a quiet yawn, already feeling the effects of sleep working on you.

He clicks through a few more channels before it lands on a romcom from decades ago. You don’t shake your head, which causes Caleb to look at you. Your tired eyes widen from the snappy dialogue. You love just how sarcastic and witty the love interests are with each other; the push and pull between them is absolutely electric. Caleb smiles and places the remote down, finally happy that you found something good to watch.

Every other minute or so, the two of you laugh. The laughs are tired and sometimes mixed in with a shared yawn. Your eyes begin to droop, your head fully leaning into Caleb’s shoulder. Quiet breaths, borderline snores, leave your mouth. You’ve succumbed to the blissfulness of sleep. You tried to fight it off as best you could but your efforts were futile. His embrace tightens. He feels your body relaxing, melting into his. He’ll sit upright all night long with you if it means that you’re able to get a peaceful night of sleep, that you won’t be harmed by nightmares like he is.

Soon, he follows, the quiet sound of the romantic comedy lulling him to sleep and, for once, he isn’t burdened with a nightmare.

Caleb wakes up to the sound of you rummaging through your luggage. He’s typically a light sleeper but with you he didn’t wake up once through the entire night. That’s a success, truly. The Colonel leans his head up, being sure not to move too much to alarm you. You’re dressed in a suit, one that hugs your curves just right while being loose enough to allow your body to breathe. A smile spreads across his face.

“Mornin’, pretty bird.”

You jump in your skin, standing up right with loose earrings in your hands. You turn to face Caleb, whose hair is messy, eyes half-lidded from sleep. The sight of him makes your heart flutter, your stomach quivering from your budding school-girl crush on him. His eyes scan up and down your body, heading tilting to the side. His brows knit together before they come back up to your gaze.

“We…we don’t have any meetings planned today. all we have is the gala tonight. Why are you…” his voice falls off, unable to find the proper words to string together. You sigh and run your fingers through your freshly dried hair, smelling like the hotel’s clean shampoo.

“The General called the room this morning. He asked me to assist him and…” you stammer, circling around to his side of the bed. You struggle to put your earrings in, a frustrated chuckle emitting from your throat. “I mean, you know how it is. Can’t really say no, can you? When they say jump, we say—”

“How high.” Caleb finishes your sentence, disappointment tinged in his voice. He looks in the other direction, looking out of your open balcony door and into the morning light.

Caleb knows what it’s like to be a lapdog to those who hold power over you. He knows exactly how it feels to be summoned in the middle of the night because the power above him, one that he plans on breaking free from, wishes for him to make someone disappear.

“I’ll be back soon…hopefully…but I will definitely be back for the gala, so…save me a dance, okay?” you smile at him, half out of breath, fastening the last piece of jewelry to your body. Caleb finally looks back over to you, a small and weak smile appearing on his face. You’re too busy and frazzled to notice the strain in his face, the anxiety that rips throughout his body while he watches you leave the hotel room.