Beyond Broken(59)
Caleb allowed himself to lie there, allowed himself to feel her warmth, savor her smell, because he knew that this wouldn't happen again. He didn't remember falling asleep, but he must've passed out shortly after her story because he didn't remember anything else.
Judging from the light pooling into the living room, it was only early morning, but Caleb knew he'd overslept. Usually, by now, he'd have been outside on his morning run. He liked the feeling of the icy air stinging his lungs. Whenever he returned, he felt refreshed, new.
Even with a hangover, Caleb wouldn't be able to function properly without his run. It calmed and centered him. He was the first to admit his addiction.
So, slowly, he pulled away from Maddie. They were both squeezed onto his couch, so it proved more difficult than he anticipated, but eventually he untangled himself. He stood over her, memorizing the softness of her face, the way her lips were parted in sleep, the dark lashes that fanned out over her cheek. A part of him couldn't believe that she was here, in his uncle's house, sleeping on his couch. He would wake up any moment from this sweet dream and be thrust back into a lonely reality.
He knew that in his dreams, though, he wouldn't have a headache that felt like a jackhammer. After pulling the blanket over Maddie, he turned down the hallway to prepare for his run. He popped some painkillers, chugged some water, brushed his teeth, and laced up his shoes.
And then he was off.
* * *
Maddie woke up alone and more than a little cold.
Slowly sitting up, she glanced around, searching for Caleb. He wasn't in the kitchen and the rest of the house was eerily quiet.
"Caleb?" she called out hesitantly. Her voice seemed to echo and she received no reply. Frowning, she wondered where he'd gone off to. His car was still back at the garage but surely he wouldn't just leave her there. She pushed off the couch to check and see if his keys were still on the entryway table, where she'd put them last night, but they were gone.
Biting her lip, she tried not to be too hurt. It wasn't like she expected anything because of last night, except, perhaps, a simple thank you. She didn't even have his cell phone number, so she could call and figure out how she was supposed to lock up his house with no keys.
She hadn't meant to fall asleep last night. Then she woke up in the middle of night and found Caleb pressed up against her, his breaths fanning out over the back of her neck, and she didn't have the will or the heart to move. So, she let herself drift back to sleep, in the arms of the man she cared too much about.
And now, he was gone.
Muttering to herself, she went to the bathroom down the hall. She splashed her face with water and didn't even feel guilty when she rummaged through his medicine cabinet, looking for a spare toothbrush or mouthwash. He owed her fresh breath and clean teeth, at the very least.
Her face burned when her eyes landed on a box of condoms, nestled on the bottom shelf, and then she swallowed, looking away. So what if Caleb had sex? Perhaps regularly? It didn't mean anything to her anyway. And it was a complete coincidence when her eyes landed on the expiration date and saw that in a few months, they'd be out of commission.
She ignored how that date made her feel a little bit better. He'd bought them a long time ago. That didn't mean she wanted to know the last time he'd used them.
She slammed the medicine cabinet door shut with a little more force than necessary after she located mouthwash and swished the blue liquid around in her mouth until her tongue burned.
Once she finished in the bathroom, she felt a little better. As she passed the closed doors in the hallway, she resisted the urge to snoop and be nosey, no matter how pressing her curiosity. That felt too private, even for her. It was obvious that even Caleb kept out of the rooms, for good reason. It was a little creepy even being here by herself and she wondered why Caleb didn't move out of the house, especially if he hated it as much as he obviously did.
Eyeing the cardboard boxes lining the walls, Maddie thought that perhaps he was in the process of moving out.
When her stomach growled, she looked through the fridge and cabinets one more time, as though they'd replenished themselves magically over night. Not finding anything, she dug into the leftover pizza, reasoning that she'd bought it. She left a few slices for Caleb anyway when she replaced the box in the fridge.
Looking at the time on her phone, she realized that she had a couple hours until she had to meet Kate for coffee in the city and then head to her job on campus. She had no classes today, but had work until five o' clock and she'd hoped to squeeze in some library time beforehand. She needed to start applying for internships at museums. Without some experience, she wouldn't be able to graduate from her program.