Memories

Nothing But A Whisper

Chapter 4

Nice to meet you, Caleb. He heard the whisper ring out again. It warmed him. The hand he was shaking suddenly grew into a longer, slender hand that was much softer. When he looked back at Hael, it wasn’t Hael. She was someone else, someone whose features were too blurred to distinguish. But again it didn’t last.

 He was looking down at Hael again. Caleb released her hand and sat down across from Nate and Sophia, pretending nothing had happened.

 Caleb returned home that night at the same time he always did, alone. Nate and Sophia had gone home with Hael after more than an hour of discussion. Hael had a couch and a double bed. She said she would take the couch and give Nate and Sophia the room for the night. Sophia and Nate both tried to decline but Hael gave them no other option. Caleb tried to offer his apartment but he only had a single bed and a reclining chair. Once the sleeping arrangements were decided Hael made Caleb promise to come back to the diner the next night to check on Sophia and Nate, who were only allowed to stay as long as Sophia stayed sober.

 Caleb was tempted to fall into his bed and allow sleep to take control, but he stopped to watch the sunrise like the day before. The colors were just as striking as the night before, yet he wasn’t watching for the colors.

 He lingered at the windowed.

 The anticipation was tortuous.

 He needed to see the woman, even if he was just go crazy. Caleb watched the sun peek up from below the horizon and slowly move into the night sky, turning it into the day. But still he saw no woman smiling at him.

 Disappointment and a sense of acceptance of his insanity fell over him, driving him to his bed. Caleb collapsed into the small bed and cocooned himself in the sheets drifting off into sleep.

Caleb could see the sun setting upon the hill in front of him. The grass flowed like waves of the sea in the breeze. The sun did not make him feel uncomfortable nor did he feel searing pain anywhere. Just warmth. He could feel the grass compress beneath his shoes as he scampered his way towards it. Exhilaration pumped through his veins, making him feel younger than he had in years. There was someone running in front of him, someone with long blonde hair that fluttered in the wind. Laughter filled the air. The laughter that freed him from pain.

 Caleb ran faster, speed that cut through the space between them. He extended his arms as far as he could and was just about able to reach her waist. She turned and saw him. His breath caught in his throat and began to strangle his heart. She was going to see him and scream. She was going to flinch away from him and look at him with disgust. He was a daemon, who had been inflicted with so much pain that now he was more scar tissue than skin.

 But she didn’t.

 Instead she slowed and allowed him to catch her. Wrap his arms around her waist and pull her close as they both decelerated. They both were struggling to breathe even after they caught their physical breath. He could see every line on her heart shaped face; her smooth jaw line, her cute button nose or her well defined cheekbones. But what he got lost in were her eyes; the olive green centers that faded into a warm, dark chocolate brown with flecks of light brown scattered throughout. She smiled a small warm smile that caused him to lose his breath all over again. Quietly, that voice whispered, “Caleb.”

 Darkness. His eyes had snapped open only to be met with an enclosed darkness. Blankets were twirl and tangled all around him, hugging him tightly. With some struggling he was able to maneuver his way out of the blankets cozy grasps. Caleb had struggled so much so that he ended up on the floor breathless. Still in complete shock, he laid on the floor staring up at the ceiling. Caleb didn’t even register that he had finally been able to dream, he could only focus on her. He memorized every inch of her face, the warmth of her smile, the sound of his name on her lips. Even as the dream began to fade, he could remember every tiny detail. He could never forget her.

 Slowly he got off the floor and surveyed the room. Other than the blankets on the floor beside him, nothing had changed. Except everything had changed. And it had all started that night he saved Hael. Caleb grabbed his jacket and shoved on his shoes as he rushed to the diner.

 Every step he took made him more and more giddy.

 Hael.

 Nate.

 Sophia.

 Each were a key to a door he never knew existed, a door that held something he couldn’t even begin to understand. A door to a place he now needed so desperately to go.

 In his excitement he sprinted part of the distance, causing him to be early. Caleb entered the diner and saw Nate sitting in his booth as well as a couple of stragglers from the late night rush. His strides were quick and bouncy as he walked over and sat on the opposite side of Nate.

 “Someone’s in a good mood,” Nate said with surprise.

 Caleb leaned closer and said in a low voice, “Thank-you. Thank-you so much!”

 “You’re welcome? But really it should be me thanking you. You did everything for us last night. Well you and Hael.” He gestured over to the other table where Hael stood wearing a light pink shirt, those same worn jeans and her half-apron.

 Caleb shot upwards and marched up to her. Before she even realized he was there he put his arms around her and pulled her in for a hug. She let out a surprise squeak but hugged back.

 “Thank-you,” he simply stated.

 “For what?”

 “Everything.”

 Sophia emerged from the kitchen in her own half-apron holding a coffee and a donut for one of their few customers. Caleb unexpectedly approached and threw his arms around her as she held the coffee and donut out for their own protection.

 “Thank-you.”

 “No,” she said as she pulled back to look him in the eye, “thank-you. You have done so much—,”

 “And you have done much more for me.”

 With a look of confusion she continued, “If it wasn’t for you, we would have never met Hael, and she gave me a good steady paying job as well as a place to stay until we find something else. On top of saving us from a loan shark and…my severe problem, which I am getting help for.”

 Caleb just said with a smile, “Yet, I could never do anything that would be enough to repay you for helping me.” Everyone looked at him awestruck and confused. He had no response, just that he wanted to keep moving. “Well can’t stay, I just can’t sit still. Goodbye, and thank-you!”

[Well, that was a nice little moment Caleb had. And I'm happy you got to share it with him! If you have any thoughts on the story, which I pray you're still with me because you can't seem to stop reading, I'd love to hear them! Anything, whether it's a nice comment on what's happening, or a question about the story and the rationale behind it, I'd love to know what you all think! That's all I could ever ask for! Now, you've Caleb through this far, Will you continue on? (DUN DUN DAAAAAA)]