Fifteen

Chapter 40: Open Up

There was something about Caleb that drew her in, but it seemed like a battle to get passed the surface with him. The time they spent together was fun and there was definite tension, but it was as if he held back. It also mostly seemed physical. She thought knowingly.

It was the opposite with Stefan. He was an open book and their conversations seemed so natural. There was also the way he kissed me. Aria instinctively touched her lips as if to recreate it. Her thoughts then flashed to the wake-up session she had with Caleb. The feeling she felt at her core couldn't be denied. She felt something for both of them, which just threw her off. I'm not the girl that gets the guy – let alone two guys.

She heard chimes and it took a moment to realize it was her phone. The caller had her stopping in her tracks. Caleb. "Hello." The voice on the other end was raspy and made her grin involuntarily. "Lost?" She stalled looking around her before seeing him at a nearby doorway.

She hung up the phone and walked towards him. "I was talking and walking and wasn't paying attention. I'm closer now than I was. I made it all the way to the stadium across campus." She chuckled looking into his eyes. He stood idly running his hand through his hair.

"It's pretty late. I can walk you back if you want." Aria looked straight at him and it unnerved him. They stood there for a moment. Her eyes were hypnotizing. Before he could stop himself Caleb pulled her forward and kissed her. It felt primal, instinctual as the kiss deepened. Aria wrapped her arms around his neck and stood on her tippy toes to further deepen it.

Caleb felt every synapse in his body fire as she used her nails to caress the nape of his neck. "Caleb," Aria moaned against his lips. Caleb could not deny it. He liked her. It was different than with the girls in his past and even Stephanie.

Aria was different and made him feel ways he didn't think possible, not for a guy like him. She seemed to have sensed something, because she slowly broke the kiss. They were inches apart and her scent was intoxicating.

They stood there and he took the time to study her. The sweat at her temples had turned the thick hanks of hair into springy corkscrew curls. He was already acquainted with her full lips, but it didn't stop his mild preoccupation with them. She tasted like autumn and felt like heaven, and he wanted to kiss her again.

He had to close his eyes to break the spell her gaze was causing. "I don't like you kissing Stefan, Ace." It was out before he could stop himself and he regretted it. Aria smiled at the nickname he had given her when they first met. "Why?" It was a whisper, but he heard her all the same. He looked down at her and in that instant, he knew he wanted her, no needed her.

"Get out of your head," she whispered brushing his hair back. The touch did something to his senses, but Caleb knew himself and getting involved with Aria was a recipe for disaster. He wasn't boyfriend material and more importantly, he wasn't planning on staying in Texas.

But in that moment, he was willing to risk it all. He wanted to destroy any memory she had of her kiss with Stefan. He told himself he shouldn't, but as he grabbed her hand and headed to his room, he silenced the warning signs.

When they reached his dorm, he held the door open for her and she slid inside, brushing her body against his. He grabbed her and immediately crashed his lips on top of hers. Caleb picked her up as she wrapped her legs around his waist. He took them to his bed where he lay her down and then himself on top of her, barely breaking the kiss.

Moans could be heard from both of them as Caleb kissed down her neck. He knew he should stop. That this was just making it harder for him to walk away from her, but the spell cast was so strong.