i won't let go

CALEB: He didn't really know what she was going to say to his reply; they were in this weird limbo of wanting to be friends but still feeling all of the effects of losing what they once had. It was monumental and there had been nothing in Caleb's life that could compare it to. When she finally spoke up, he felt that signature smirk return to his features. "One of a kind."

CALEB: Tori's words definitely stopped him in his tracks and he felt his mouth dry up and a weird twinge of something in his chest. "Yeah...I get that," Caleb nodded, clearing his throat. "I guess I was just trying to move on but it was pretty fucking frustrating. I'd get annoyed with girls 'cause they weren't like you."

CALEB: He was definitely disappointed with her reply. A sickly feeling took over and he found himself surprised feeling some weird sense of rejection. "I guess," he nodded. "And you?"

CALEB: "It's whatever. I guess I'm not really looking for anything too serious right now," he continued, quickly clearing his throat before realising what she had said. "...It's good, though?"

CALEB: Slipping his hand back into his pocket as the mood shifted, Caleb pursed his lips at the brunette's question. It wasn't as though he'd found a brand new love of his life once Tori was out of the picture - in fact, it was far from that. "I've been casually dating...as in, y'know, a few Tinder things here and there. Nothing solid."

CALEB: Reaching a hand up to scratch his chin thoughtfully, Caleb eventually nodded his head along. "Yeah...yeah, I guess I was talking about myself, huh?" He smirked. "That's a great dating history to have though, no? A solid list if you ask me."

CALEB: He let out a low whistle at her comment that was quickly followed by a laugh and shook his head slowly. "Low blow, Sanders. Real low," Caleb pointed a finger towards her quickly. "I know your dating history. You're totally into these tall, dark and handsome Chicago citizens."

CALEB: Fighting the urge to take her hand, Caleb slipped his own into his jean pockets and began to walk with her on the sidewalk; smiling as she shared his sentiment. Raising his eyebrows at the mention of her returning in a few weeks, Caleb found a new spring to his step - almost as if that meant she was coming back to see him specifically.

"Yeah, Chicago's the best for a girl's weekend. I mean, great food, great nightlife.../really/ cute boys..." Caleb smirked at the last one, peering down to the brunette to gage her reaction.

CALEB: Making his way to walk beside her, Caleb followed Tori's lead to the door and shoved his hands down his pockets to avoid the urge that kept on nagging him to reach out and take her hand.

"They always put on an awesome show. We've come a long way from just listening to them on shift, Sanders," he smirked, nudging into her gently. "I'm glad we got to see 'em though, I know they were always on our list."

Reaching out to grab the door, he held it open for the girl and followed her through it.

"So, how long are you here for?"

TORI: /I know they were always on our list./ Tori couldn’t help but analyze the way he phrased that. Our list. It meant something different, as opposed to saying that the band was on his list. It was something they shared - music, that is - and he was making a point that they still shared it, even after all of this time. It was the one thing that could bring them back to one another again and again. “Yeah, I’m glad we got to see them together, too.”

CALEB: The concert was a hit and any other night, Caleb would have been totally focused on the Flaming Lips. Only tonight Tori was here and after the show they were hanging out, so all he really wanted was for the show to be over and for everyone to get the hell out of there so that they could get to the hanging out part.

When that finally came and Caleb heard her voice, he stood tall once again with a bright smile.

"Been ready all night," Caleb nodded, moving from around the counter. "I'm /starving./" He thought it was best to add that to make him seem somewhat less pathetic.

"So, what did you think?"

TORI: Her cheeks flushed at his comment and her smile grew tenfold. Caleb was clearly looking forward to getting together with her again and she was relieved to hear that she wasn’t the only one wanting to give their relationship another go. At least, she assumed that’s how he felt, until he continued that he was starving. That seemed to be the real reason why he had been ready all night. Smile faltering, Tori gave a curt nod of her head in acknowledgement.

CALEB: She was just the same girl she'd always been and Caleb was definitely thankful for that. One thing he'd always loved about her was just how comfortable she was in her own skin. She was never trying to be something or somebody else.

"Pizza it is," he smirked, pushing himself off of the counter to stand tall and straight. "I'll keep an eye out for that dancing of yours."

TORI: Hours had passed, concertgoers cleared out of the store, and all that was left to show for it was the confetti sprawled across the old hardwood floors and the partially torn ad posters hanging on the walls. Otherwise, the store looked identical to during the day, and Tori’s eyes took in every single inch of it. She had no problem reminiscing, remembering every album she heard for the first time in the store, every time her and Caleb kissed in that store, every time she had a dance party during her shift with Celia. The memories were endless. And right at the center of them all was Caleb.

She found him shortly after, bent down behind the counter, and walked over to him. All the while she was wondering what pizza place they’d go to, whether he would remember her usual order (extra cannolis with dessert), and if he even remembered offering in the first place.

CALEB: He thought for a moment at her question, of course his immediate thought was to answer with a big fat yes, but then he took into consideration how much it would suck when she was no longer in the city and how maybe old problems would arise.

"We could do that." Caleb nodded, swallowing thickly. Against his better judgement, he listened to that part of him - the selfish part that just wanted to spend time with her. "We can grab a drink or some pizza, just let me know what you feel like."

TORI: He didn't sound overall excited, but that was likely because Caleb was trying to play cool, too. They both knew how things ended last time - why things ended - but it could be different the second time around. Tori was that much closer to finishing school, and it wasn't /that/ hard to spend weekends going back and forth at one another's place if they felt like the relationship was worth it. That's what they'd have to decide, though - was it?

CALEB: "I wasn't /jealous/," he huffed out, reaching a hand up to run through his messy hair. "He was just...annoying. And always hitting on you." Which wasn't a lie whatsoever; that guy was always hitting on her.

Putting all that aside as Tori gave him a little something in return, Caleb bit down on his bottom lip to try and stop his grin from taking over his face but it was no use.

"I missed you, too," Caleb nodded, feeling as though they were the only two people in the room. "Like, really, really missed you."

TORI: "Uh-huh," Tori commented, not convinced by his attempt at persuading her that his feelings for Marcus weren't tainted with possessiveness. It was only natural for him to feel that way, considering she felt the exact same about Jade when she discovered they had been sleeping together. But that was all in the past now, it seemed, and the two of them were finally able to admit how they really felt to one another. He missed her, too. God, that felt good to hear.

CALEB: Tori almost seemed as though she was about to burst into song and dance over his revelation about Jade. Secretly, he was happy to see she was so happy about it - there was obviously feelings there between them, even after so much time had passed.

A similar sensation took over Caleb as Tori confirmed that there was nothing going on with Marcus either. During their time together, Caleb always knew Marcus had a thing for Tori and it pissed him off to no end.

"Well, I was gonna play it super cool and pretend like I don't care but that makes me super fucking happy," Caleb chuckled, reaching over to brush the strand of hair she'd been reaching for over her shoulder. "I never liked that guy."

TORI: A long, dramatic roll of her eyes came at Caleb's reaction. "You were jealous," she pointed out, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm sure if you didn't feel like he was hitting on me every chance he got, you two could have gotten along." It was true that sometimes jealousy got between two people who otherwise may have gotten along just fine. She was guilty of it a few times herself.

CALEB: A mischievous grin threatened to take over his face as Tori's reply let him know she wasn't just here for the band tonight but he tried his best to keep it at bay.

"I don't really know what Jade's interested in these days," he admitted with a shrug. "We don't really talk...or see each other. Strictly band business these days."

Glancing around to make sure she wasn't there with a date herself - and a very specific date at that - he returned his focus back to Tori.

"No Marcus?"

TORI: An eyebrow quirked at his comment. Did that mean they weren't sleeping together anymore? Luckily, Tori didn't have to wonder for too long, as Caleb quickly responded to her thoughts, explaining that, no, he didn't really hang out with Jade anymore. An overwhelming smile stretched across her lips and she didn't even try to stop it. Although he may not be sleeping with Jade, it was possible he was sleeping with /someone./ Still, Tori was going to be positive about this.

CALEB: There was a small voice inside of his head saying that Tori would completely ignore him and pretend like he didn't exist. Maybe she was here for the music and solely the music. After all, their last interaction hadn't been the best - she'd been visibly hurt when he'd told her about what had happened with Jade. Maybe she was done.

Thankfully, he felt a breath of relief leave his body as she made her way over to him and as soon as she good up close, Caleb felt his heart pound in his chest. She was as beautiful as ever.

"Hey," he returned; acknowledging the crown but refusing to take his eyes off of hers. "Yeah, it's not bad, right? Looks like the Flaming Lips even managed to bring back some old faces."

TORI: Her cheeks brightened at his direct comment regarding her presence. “The Flaming Lips, right, that’s why I’m here.” She wasn’t the least bit convincing, but she would attempt to hide behind the facade regardless. He already made her feel like a fool at the party; she didn’t want to relive that feeling again today, so she’d keep herself believing the lie as long as she could.

CALEB: After what was probably the most monumentally awful reunion with his ex-girlfriend, Caleb had tried to get back to normal life. He adored Tori, he'd loved being her boyfriend and he could have spent a long time being bitter about their break up but the truth was she deserved a whole lot more than he could ever give her.

Since that fateful night, he'd been on a few Tinder dates (hookups) but nothing was ever really serious enough to make him want to start something exclusively.

With the Flaming Lips taking over the store, Caleb tried to make sure everything was right. They had been an old favorite of his and Tori's, so he thought keeping busy might distract him from thinking about her.

Hearing his co-worker speak, Caleb wondered just how strong that joint he'd just smoked was because he could have sworn he heard her say Tori.

Turning his head, he saw her right there in the flesh. She caught his eye, too. Not wanting to interrupt, he leaned back against the counter and sent her a small, inviting smirk - letting her know he was ready to greet her when she was done with that exchange.

TORI: Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him. Tall, dark, handsome, and sporting the same smirk that always made her legs tremble and her knees weak. She would give him anything because of that damn smirk, sexy as ever. It was clear he wouldn’t be coming over to her, and she was tempted to see how long he’d last if she didn’t give in and go to him first, but Tori never was that strong.