Love's Psychos

Chapter 42

Akane initially thought it strange that Caleb's mother wanted to hang out with her. Still, she would have been lying if she said she didn't enjoy her girls' day out with Angelika all the same. She couldn't remember the last time she got treated to shopping and a day spa trip. And Caleb's mom was such a fun and personable woman to hang out with, every bit as charming and charismatic as her man.

As it was, Akane returned to her family home in incredibly high spirits, nails freshly painted, bags in hand. She couldn't wait to send a picture of her new haircut to her boyfriend and tell him all about the fun day she had.

Her excitement was soon replaced with wary curiosity, however, as she slid open the front door and stepped inside. Almost immediately, Akane could tell things were different. For one, it was a fair bit warmer in her house than she was used to. What's more, all the lights were on, something she definitely wasn't used to.

"Mom? Dad?" she called out curiously while setting the bags by the door. Akane looked around at the walls and nearby table, noting a distinct lack of dust. Everything looked so much brighter than it did before. She wasn't used to it.

"Ah, good, you're here. Welcome home, babe."

Akane turned to see Caleb standing near the entrance to the living room, sleeves rolled up, a visible sweat on his brow. It didn't take long for her to put two and two together.

"Caleb? Have you been cleaning?"

He chuckled awkwardly. "Surprise! Yeah, Mom and I had been planning this for a while now. We just needed an excuse to get you out of the house first." With a smile, he then added. "I love your haircut, by the way."

She turned away meekly and blushed, running a hand through her neck-length hair. "Do you really like it? I know it's a lot shorter than it was before. But the stylist said I'd look really cute with shorter hair."

He brushed her bangs back and kissed her. "You'll always be beautiful to me. But shorter hair definitely works on you."

Akane smiled lovingly at him before gazing around the room once more. "It's so much brighter in here than it was before. I can't remember the last time there was so much...light in my home." She gazed back at Caleb and placed her hands up to her chest. "Did you...did you do all this for me?"

"There's still a lot of work to do," he admitted. "The kitchens gonna need to be fumigated, and the tatami mats in your bedroom will need to be replaced. I haven't started on the windows or cleaned any of the restrooms yet." With an excited grin, he then added. "But check this out."

Caleb took his girlfriend by the hand and led her to one of the spare rooms. All the clutter was gone, and the ugly old curtains had been replaced, allowing natural light to come pouring into the room. Along the walls, all the books and manuals she'd been hoarding in her room were now resting on brand-new bookshelves.

"I put them together myself," he admitted. "I figured this would be a more comfy place for us to come study together than your room."

"Caleb..." Akane was legitimately starting to tear up. This was easily the nicest thing anyone had ever done for her before.

"There's one more surprise," he insisted before taking her by the hand again.

Akane was led to the backyard. Though much of it was still an overgrown mess, Caleb had gone through and cleared out a small patch under the shade of the old oak tree. Resting beneath its branches was a picnic blanket with a basket set up.

"Just something I whipped up this morning," he explained. "I figured since it was finally warming up outside, we might enjoy the weather."

Her lip quivered, and she wiped the tears from her eyes before hugging and kissing Caleb gratefully.