Significance (Significance #1)(39)

“Mama says I’m not allowed to say sucks,” she whispered and gave me a look like I was in trouble.
We all burst out laughing, even me. “You know you’re right. I shouldn’t say that. It’s not very ladylike is it?”
“It’s ok. I won’t say anything.”
“Thanks.”
“All right, child,” Gran said. “Get gone. We’re almost done and we’re gonna be a hungry bunch when we are. Why don’t you tell your momma to have some plates ready, hmm?”
“Ok,” she said reluctantly and turned to go, but then looked back at Caleb. “Don’t let her be hurt anymore, ok?” 
He didn’t nod or say anything as she walked out, just looked at me with regret and guilt and I felt it pouring out of him. I needed to tell him, but didn’t want to in front of everyone so I focused in my mind and tried to send it to him. It worked surprisingly easy. And I felt the familiar beat of his heart as I always did when I focused on him or shared my mind with him.
Caleb.
His eyes jumped to mine and he leaned down to look at me upside down and stroke my cheek with his fingertips.
Yeah, gorgeous?
I smiled. And he smiled. But then I got serious.
You will not blame yourself for this. I was stupid. I was the one who let him tell me something that I should have known wasn’t true. You didn’t do anything wrong. You were out trying to help me.
I should have known they’d try something. I shouldn’t have gone with my father.
That sounds a lot like blame. I’m serious. None of it.
He chuckled out loud and I glanced around and saw Peter watching in awe, Gran looking pleased, and Kyle looking disgusted.
“I can’t believe you’re doing that. You know,” Peter leaned forward on his elbows with my legs still in his lap, “your mother and I tried to do that for months after we imprinted and couldn’t until much later. It’s amazing the things you two can do already.”
“She started it,” Caleb said and winked at me.
“Caleb, I mean it,” I resumed my plea out loud since he’d been diverted. “Please.”
He sighed. “I’ll try. But I mean it, too. We’ve got to figure out a way for us to be together. I can’t just let you go home and pretend everything’s normal when I know that this isn’t over. Marcus isn’t going to just stop. We have to keep you safe and I can’t do that sneaking in your window every night.”
“Sneaking in her window!” Gran said, scandalized.
“Gran, what else was I supposed to do? He was hurting her in her—” Caleb said, while Peter said, “Now, Gran. You know with our kind there have to be exceptions.”
“I know, but...Lord have mercy. Back in my day you’d have been shot for sneaking in some girl’s bedroom.”
“Well, her dad doesn’t know, Gran. Otherwise it wouldn’t work.”
She threw her hands up. “All right. Enough! My poor ears can’t take much more.” Peter and Caleb chuckled, but then Gran knelt beside me and everyone sobered. “Ready, pretty girl? Last one, worst one. Let’s be done with this.”
“Ok.”
Everyone grabbed on and Caleb resumed his previous spot, forehead to mine like he could take some of my pain away. She took a deep breath and laid her hands in line with the hand print and then pulled back.
“You’ve got a fever, Maggie.”
“I’m ok.” I glanced at Kyle and he rolled his eyes guiltily. “I’m ok, really. Go ahead.”
She leaned over me, her gray eyes swirled green, making me dizzy to watch it. She realigned her hand and I saw her half moon tattoo on her inside wrist with ‘Raymond’ wrapped around the curved side right before the reverse vision came. In reverse and slow motion, I saw Marcus and his friend yelling something and Marcus grabbing my stinging wrist. Then a hand coming across my face and his hand dropped back to his side right after I pushed off the door. Marcus’s mouth opened in a scream, then kicking him in the shin as he tried to push me into the open car door.
The whole time the vision was hitting me not only could I feel his hatred for me, I could taste it. Just like I knew Caleb’s feelings, I could feel Marcus’s. And taste. The taste was bitter and acidic, burning my tongue, pulsing the burn along with the flare of his emotions as the scene played out.I also felt my fear, as ripe as it had been when it was really happening. I didn’t realize I was crying. I didn’t realize I was yelling. I was trying to kick and push them away. I felt their grips tighten on me and with the vision at the same time it frightened me even more.
When I opened my eyes, Peter was holding my legs with both arms, Kyle was fallen back on his butt looking at me with a ‘what the’ face and Caleb was still grasping my shoulders and hovering above my face with his own. Gran was standing over us with a tired expression.
Once I realized what I had done I immediately started to apologize.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to.”
“Don’t you dare,” Peter consoled gently. He patted my leg once more. “Are you feeling better now?”
I examined myself. There was no residual pain or weird feelings from the visions. My tongue tasted normal, my skin felt normal, and I felt normal again and completely energized. I hadn’t realized how much those things were draining me until they were removed.
“Yes. I do. Thank you. I am sorry.”
Peter shook his head at me, smiled, patted my leg again and got up. “I’ll tell Rachel we’re all done in here and starving.”
“You fought back from the very beginning,” Caleb said proudly. “Good girl. I’m so proud of you.”
“All right, let’s go eat,” Kyle blurted and stood up.
“Go ahead. I need a minute with Maggie,” Caleb said.
“What? She’s hungry, let’s go eat.”
“Kyle,” Gran said sharply.
“Fine,” he said as he stalked out.
As he waltzed out, I knew right then I’d have to have another talk with him about everything because he apparently wasn’t getting it. I also felt horrible that I was the cause of their tension. They’d been best friends until literally ten minutes after I met Caleb. That one incident changed everything.
“Hey,” I looked up to Caleb’s voice and saw that Gran was gone as well, “he’s being an idiot. If the situation were reversed, I wouldn’t egg him on even if I did have a crush on the girl. It wouldn’t be fair to either of them and with the bonds being so phenomenal anyway, like this is, they wouldn’t need me being an ass.”
“I know. I can’t help but feel bad though and there’s nothing I can do about it. I can’t stand that you guys aren’t friends anymore because of me.”
“Not your fault.” He slid his fingers over my cheek before coming to sit beside me on the chaise. “He’ll get over it one day. He has to. And then we’ll be friends again.”
I sat up and he automatically pulled me to sit sideways in his lap. 
“Maggie,” he sighed. “I don’t think I can ever leave you alone again. How am I even going to finish college?”
I knew he was joking, but partly serious, too. He was so angry, so scared, so guilty. “I’ll just have to go with you.”
His gaze jumped to mine. “Really? You’re going to go to Tennessee with me in the fall?”
“Well, I still hate the idea of your family paying for it so I’ll look into student loans or whatever I have to, but...yeah. I’m coming with you.”
His face split with a grin and he took my mouth forcefully and gratefully. I fisted his shirt front as his arms went around me. I begged that we’d have no interruptions this time as his skin worked like a sponge to extract all my worries and sorrows. It felt like the room took a spike in temperature, I felt too hot, but in a good way. My hand wandered to his hair, shaggy and soft. I let him devour me until I was sure I’d die of not breathing properly.
I pulled back a little, but he didn’t release me, just let us sit so close, our lips almost touched and our foreheads did. His breath was hot and intoxicating.
“I’m so happy, Maggie. I hope you know that, even with everything that’s going on, I’m so happy I found you.”
“I’m happy, too.”
He leaned back a little to look at me. “Are you really going with me or was that just a diversion to get my mind off Kyle and Marcus?”
“No,” I laughed, “I’m really going. But that was a good idea. I should have thought of that.”
He tickled me in retaliation and we laughed. His lips skimmed my temple before he stood up and steadied me.
“Are you good? We can wait a few more minutes if you need it. I’m sure we can find something to do,” he said with inflection and clear enjoyment.
“I’m fine. I feel really good actually. Between you and Gran, I’m good as new,” I crooned making him grin.
“Awesome, because,” he let our lips graze, “as good as you taste, green eyes, I need some real food.”
“Ditto,” I said giggling at his lame line.
He took my hand and laced our fingers, pulling me along, but then stopped. “Oh, yeah, you better call work.”
“Oh, crap. I forgot about that.” I looked up to his face. I remembered last night, talking about how he didn’t think I should work today, or ever again, or at least that’s where it seemed he was going with it. He looked at me like I might rebel and tell him to go screw himself. It was comical, actually. I giggled. “Caleb, I agree with you about not working today. I’m not gonna bite your head off.”