Continued from here | @caleb-price
She wanted to forget he was there -- no, she wanted to forget he existed. What was it about this man that kept him on her mind? Since they'd first met at his shop Caleb had managed to creep into her thoughts here and there, often with a huff of frustration. Maybe that was why he pissed her off so easily, she wasn't used to this invasion on her conscious and the memory of a kiss that she couldn't shake off.
So she tried to lose herself in the music, as she so often did. Already the alcohol was taking a hazy effect around the edges -- that spot between sober and intoxicated, a gentle hum. Others were dancing too, and among the growing throng, and with her eyes closed, Valentina didn't notice Caleb approach.
He grabbed her arm, and her natural reaction to yank it away grew half-hearted as he pulled her close. "What the f--." He cut her off, and Valentina allowed herself to be pulled through the crowd towards the exit. Caleb's grip was firm as he led the way, and the woman was again caught between the urge to pull away, and move her body closer still.
In the end the security guards were waiting for them at the exit, and Valentina was pleasantly surprised to find that they weren't drunk on their meager power as they led the pair outside.
After the darkness of the Planetarium, the afternoon sun was nearly blinding, and Valentina squinted shielded her eyes as she put some distance between herself and Caleb. He broke the silence first, and dropping her hand, the woman turned to face him. Maybe it was the heat, or maybe she hadn't been as tipsy as she felt amongst the music, but Valentina suddenly felt sober.
"Why are we here, Caleb?" She asked, cutting to the chase. "Hm? I saw you talking to someone, and you knew about...", she gestured to the science center, "...this. C'mon, don't fuck with me." She kept her distance as she talked, all too aware of the kiss they had just shared.
