Accordance (Significance #2)(42)

Peter nodded his head and rubbed his chin.
“Ok,” was all he said.
“Peter,” Rachel said insistently. “He’s just a-”
“Don’t say it, Rachel,” he said softly and not unkindly. “Come on, Bella.”
Then he nodded to Caleb and towed his struck mother away. Caleb looked about as bad as I felt.
He ran his hands through his hair and leaned his back on the wet Jeep and groaned in frustration. I leaned against him and put my head on his chest. His arms, as if attached to my moods themselves, wound around me and he sighed into the top of my head as the light rain continued to come down on us. We were already soaked anyway.
“I’m sorry,” he repeated.
“No need, I’m sorry.”
“No need.”
“Everything is so screwed up but I’m really proud of you.”
“What in the world for?” he asked softly like it was so hard to believe.
“For standing up to Bish and Peter, you never do anything to upset anybody.” I lifted my head to look at him. “Sometimes, you just have to do what needs to be done. People aren’t always going to like it but it’s your life. It’s our life and we both need to start taking responsibility for ourselves.”
He chuckled and wiped at my cheek.
“Still amazing,” he muttered as if to himself. We smiled at each other and then he sighed, his smile draining away. “Bish was right though, I should take you inside out of the rain. Are you cold?”
“I’m fine. If I didn’t want to be out here, I would have said so.”
“I know. I’m just so tired of everyone telling me how to take care of you. Dad and Mom are always on me about it.”
“They’re just trying to help,” I said softly and laid my head back down.
“I know but it’s just like you with the Visionary stuff. You hated it when I was trying to tell you how you should handle it.”
“Touché,” I muttered and smiled against his shirt. After we sat for a minute in thoughtful silence I broached the subject of the club. “I’m sorry I kissed Kyle.”
“I already told you I understood.”
“I know but I feel the need to apologize again.”
“Don’t worry about it. Things at the club would have been way worse if you hadn’t.”
“Yeah but I hate that you want to punch Kyle even more now.”
He outright laughed at that.
“Yeah, I do, seriously.”
“Caleb.”
“Yeah.”
“I feel like I’m messing everything up.” I looked back up to him. “I feel like I’m not this person I need to be. I can’t do this.” For some reason, everything seemed to just crash down on me at that moment. I started to cry as I croaked out my explanation. “I mean, every time I see a vision or someone’s past comes flying at me it’s always bad, horrible stuff. I don’t wanna see it. I don’t wanna know it. I don’t wanna lose control anymore. I don’t...I don’t…”“Don’t what?” he said softly. “Why are you blocking it from me?”
“I don’t want you to be disappointed in me,” I explained and sniffed.
“I would never,” he held by face by my chin, “be disappointed in you. What is it, Maggie?”
“I don’t want to be the Visionary,” I told him in a whisper.
“Baby, I know that.”
“You do?” I squeaked.
“Yes. You’re not exactly a closed book,” he said with a slight smirk.
“But I thought you’d be angry, like I was rejecting your family and abilities or something.”
“Maggie.” He chuckled. “I can’t really be mad at you in case you haven’t noticed.”
“I know, I know. The imprint,” I said begrudged.
“No, not the imprint. It’s you. You’re so sweet and you care about everybody. You hate it when people are upset with you. You love cream soda. It’s kind of hard to be mad at someone who’s like that.”
“But right now, I don’t feel that way,” I continued on and didn’t play into his joke. “I was almost angry when that vision hit me tonight. I didn’t want to…help her. I knew I was going to see all those horrible things about her and then I’d have to figure out a way to help her get away and have to use your family’s money to do it and I just…didn’t want to.”
“I think you’re being a little hard on yourself,” he chided quietly and ran his hand down my wet hair.
“I think you’re a little biased.”
“I’m definitely biased,” he said with a smile, “but it’s also true.”
I looked up to him, my rock star, my sweet guy, my open book significant. He stood up for me with Bish and his dad and Kyle. He always took care of me even though everyone made out like he didn’t.
“I am so in love with you,” I told him.
He smiled graciously and pressed his nose and cheek to mine with a hand on my jaw.
“I’m so in love with you.”
“I know,” I said happily and smiled through the rain on my cheeks. Maybe there was some tears mixed in too but right then, I didn’t care.
He bent down the last inch and kissed me. He kissed me, and kissed me, and kissed me until my bones were noodles and my troubles forgotten for the moment. As the rain fell, my spirits lifted. My significant was perfection for my needs. 
~ Twenty One ~
By the time we made it back inside, everyone was pretty much packed and getting into bed. I listened for Beck as Caleb went to get us a couple towels but she must have been asleep already because her mind was quiet. Rachel was at the table with Ecstasy who was chowing down on a bowl of ravioli.
“Hey,” I said to announce us as Caleb handed me my towel and I dried my arms.
“Are you ok, honey?” Rachel asked me.
“Yeah.”
“Caleb. You ok?”
“Yeah, Mom, I’m fine. I’m sorry about earlier.” She nodded and he sat with a plop in the chair across from Ecstasy. “Ok, so have you thought about where you want to go?” he asked her.
“Um,” she mumbled. “Not really. It doesn’t really matter, I told you. I don’t know anyone anywhere. I don’t have money. It doesn’t really matter to me.”
“Well, we’re leaving in the morning so why don’t you just come with us to the airport. We’ll figure it out then.”
“Whatever.”
“Ok, kids, I’m going to go to bed.” Rachel came to hug Caleb around his shoulders from behind and he patted her hand. Then she hugged me, long and hard. “It’s all going to be ok, Maggie. You have to know that, right?”
“Sure, thanks.”
She pulled back to look at me. She smiled sadly and said her goodnights. Bish and Jen moseyed in through the other door right at that moment. I saw in Jen’s mind that she had taken him for a walk on the beach to calm him. She looked up embarrassed because it might look to Caleb like she was taking sides.
Bish and Caleb stared at each other. Neither of them seemed as riled as before but they were far from BFF’s. I did the only thing I could think of to keep the peace and take the focus off them and put it on me.
“Ok, Ecstasy, I’ll take you up your offer to practice if you still want to.”
“Yeah, absolutely.”
“Me too,” Jen chimed.
Bish looked at her and put a hand out in front of her to stop her but didn’t touch her.
“Whoa, what? Practice what?”
“My ability.”
“You’re not practicing anything on Jenna.”
Jenna? Even I didn’t know her real name was Jenna. I bit my lip to stop the smile. Bish had it bad. I looked at Caleb who had turned red in the face. Oh boy, I didn’t think we could stop them anymore. It was only a matter of time.
Caleb shot me a look to say he wasn’t thrilled with my thought. I just shrugged at him.
They don’t want to be told how to live their lives anymore than we do, Caleb. I shook my head and took his hand. How hypocritical have we been?
He sighed and nodded, pulling me to him. He kissed my forehead.
My family is going to be so pissed.
His words rang a harsh truth but he laughed. I looked up at him and smiled. When I looked back to Bish he was watching us.
“So, all those times you two were being weird you were talking to each other…in your minds?” Bish asked with a fascinated look on his face.
“Yep,” I said with a smirk.“Ok,” Ecstasy sang and stood from the table. “This is accommodatingly awkward. Can we move on to my being target practice, please?”
“Let’s take it to the garage so we don’t wake anyone up,” Caleb suggested and towed me behind him without waiting for someone else to say anything.
I heard them following us. Bella followed too and I heard Jen tell her to stay as she closed the door.
We had to walk by the chest freezer…the one Caleb sat me on when Bish found us with my shirt open. I gnawed my lip as my cheeks flushed at the memory. I looked up to see Caleb grinning at me in standard male satisfaction.
He touched my cheek, tracing the crimson pattern.
I think it’s been too long since I’ve made you blush.
I felt the flush burn hotter and blaze down my neck.
Enough you.
He laughed as we made our way to the center.
Bish wasn’t as intrigued by his memory of this garage as we were with ours. He glared at the freezer and then at Caleb.