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Rays spilled across the russet horizon like molten gold. Not too long ago, Caleb thought he’d never see a sky like this, never again hear her voice, or have her barrel towards him for a warm embrace. He’d come out of that near-disastrous flight relatively intact. Recovery came fast, but returning to his life as it was before was nearly impossible.
Strange dreams haunted him ever since he returned from the deep-space tunnel. It brought with it moments of dissonance, making him feel like this life was but one of many. Dreams vivid and clear as if he’d been the one who lived them. All of them had the same thing in common: she was by his side, and none of those lives included spending at least 100 years with her.
A life where they were nothing but weapons in a world laid to ruin. Where she had a fate destined to burn bright and herald oblivion.
Another where he’d left her behind, only for his precious person to crumble in his absence. There, too, they were split apart again, and again.
Each dream made an inescapable longing tear into his flesh and draw out a deprivation that would never be sated. So, when his scheduled return to Linkon for his Birthday arrived, he was the first to call her when he reached the platform.
Time. He just wanted all of her time. No calls from her friends from college asking her to meet, and no sneaking away to surprise him for his birthday. He didn’t want to even make room for Gran to take them out to a traditional ‘birthday family dinner.’ Caleb would much rather stay in their house, away from prying eyes, and be fully and completely home with her.
But when he heard her voice filled with such excitement, laying out “Caleb’s Adrenaline-Filled Adventure Party” itinerary, he couldn’t help but feel happy, even if he wasn’t too thrilled at sharing their time with their old schoolmates.
Caleb didn’t have the heart to tell her he was still sore and recovering. And he would never tell her about the accident, let alone his homesickness, or that the thought of spending his precious free time with anyone else but her made his skin crawl.
In some strange way, he was actually thankful for almost dying. It made him realize what was important. Who was most important.
So, to have that very precious person, almost break her neck at that very party she all-so-meticulously planned, was enough to make him almost bring the entire Linkon Adventure Park down.
“I’m sorry. I feel like I ruined your birthday,” She said, her voice muffled and soft as she nuzzled his neck, no doubt trying to dry her tears.
Caleb sighed, readjusting her limp form against his back. He’d coaxed her to let him carry her piggyback home. All it took was promising to make her favorite chicken wings later, and she folded without fuss.
“There’s nothing for you to apologise for, if anything, I should for letting you try rockclimbing with such weak soles on your shoes.”
He should have been faster to catch her when she slipped.
How could I look away from her for just one second?
Never again.
“That’s not your fault either,” she groaned, her slack arms wrapped tighter around his shoulders. “You caught me! I was just clumsy enough to lose my footing in the first place. I just hate that your party ended early.”
“I think it ended right on time, if you ask me,” Caleb mumbled.
Unbothered, she leaned forward to peer at his profile.“Really? How so?”
At her round eyes, he swallowed hard. Even just her breath against his cheek was enough to send his heart racing. Her pursed lips, supple and a deep pink, twisted into a wry smile. “Were you homesick, Caleb? Did you actually want to be a complete homebody this weekend?”
All the tension left his body as he stifled a laugh. “Can’t hide anything from you, huh? You’re right, I wanted to do absolutely nothing at home with you all day.”
“If you wanted that, then why didn’t you just tell me?” She whined, lightly kicking her feet.
“My cute lil’ cupcake planned an extra special day for me. Why wouldn’t I attend such a grand event hosted only once a year by the pipsqueak?”
“Alright, alright! I admit I went overboard inviting your high school classmates and your college friends– but Gideon mentioned you’ve been a little down lately, so I just…well…”
“You wanted me to let loose, huh” Caleb chuckled, his gaze transfixed on the ground. “Do you remember back when we were kids–– the time we snuck away from my birthday to go to one of our secret bases?”
“Yeah. We took the cake with us and finished it all by ourselves under the stars. Got absolutely sick the next day from it and covered in mosquito bites,” She groaned, leaning forward to press her chin against the crown of his head. He felt her take a deep breath, and a strange heaviness rose and fell in his chest at the sound. “Itchiest birthday ever, I felt so bad about it. I was the one who cried and made you sneak out with me.”
“It was the itchiest and best birthday ever for me. Sure, we were miserable after, but at the time, I just thought, ‘Wow, we really got away with leaving everything behind.’ Not just the cake, but even telling stories about the constellations until you fell asleep was sweet.”
She pressed her index fingers to the corners of his lips and lifted them upwards into a smile. “Caleb is such a softie, being extra nice when a certain brat ruined his birthday not once, but twice.”
“Just twice? Really, you can’t think of any other birthday where things didn’t go as planned? That’s what makes it fun, not ruined. Plus, any birthday with you is the best birthday ever. So this is a happy accident, besides you getting hurt. That I’m not too thrilled about.”
Caleb focused his gaze on the horizon. He saw the outline of Grans’ rooftop, illuminated in a soft orange glow. It was still so far. He could use his evol to get there faster, but then he’d be cutting short his alone time with pipsqueak.
“Really? Then I guess all ends well.” Her bubbling laughter filled the air, bringing with it the light, gentle breeze of summer. Her grip tightened, embracing him as if the mere act was just to assure him of something. “Happy Birthday Caleb. If every birthday requires me to be there to be the best, then just don’t be so far away that I can’t come. Ok?”
A familiar ache tightened in his chest. He wanted to say he’d never go anywhere she couldn’t go.
He glanced down at his necklace. The words ‘When U Come Back’ both comforted and cursed him. After the crash, he’d planned never to wear it on a flight again.
“Ok. I’ll try not to.”
❀*ੈ✩‧₊˚
Caleb woke up to a muted ceiling.
No longer in Linkon.
This is Skyhaven.
He put his hands over his eyes, took in a deep breath, and slowly exhaled.
A dream of the past again, back when all he had to worry about was coming home to her. At the time, he didn’t know how precious that freedom was.
He sat up and greeted the dawn, his right hand running across the sheets in search of her traces. The temperature readings reflected subtle warmth. A wry smile crossed his lips. To think, she woke up before him for once.
Caleb knew something was up the moment he stepped into a fully lit hallway. Dawn had only just broken, coloring his dark and cold apartment with an orange tint. Drawn back curtains guided him to her hunched-over form, buried in a familiar album in front of his bookcase on the floor. She was dressed in one of his old t-shirts, with her hair tied up with the apple hairclip he’d bought her the day before.Her focus was so intense that Caleb was able to sit down next to her without her even noticing.
He stared at her for a while, expecting some reaction. When there was none, he laid his head on her shoulder and nuzzled the crook of her neck.
That made her finally look up.
Round eyes met his as the slightest hint of surprise melted into a bright smile. “Oh, you’re awake. Welcome back to the land of early risers, Caleb.”
“I was beginning to become a bit jealous of this album,” he teased, pulling her into his arms. One arm slipped behind her waist while the other pulled her to him, eliciting a squeak as he moved her to sit between his legs.
She happily leaned up against his chest. “Now you have my full attention, happy?”
“Hmm, not yet.” Caleb shot her a challenging smirk and made a move to pluck the book from her grasp. “One of our many albums, I see,” Caleb held the album just out of reach to take a closer look, ignoring her whines to return it.
The page was open to a photo of them from his academy days. She was on his back, her shoes off and in his hands, giving two peace signs at presumably Gran holding the camera. Caleb was smiling widely in the photo, his gaze fixed on her. When was this? It took him a moment to notice a faint red mark on her ankle. His eyes widened.
Just then, pipsqueak used her full weight to push him down on the floor. Playfully, she laid on his chest and triumphantly plucked the book from his hands. “When did you grab this from the attic, huh?” She gave him a light kiss, melting his surprise into a sheepish grin.
Caleb laughed. It was ironic to think he’d dreamed about that very summer. “Right after Gran let us out of the attic. Didn’t feel right keeping it in storage.”
She giggled, then poked his cheek. “Good job, past Caleb. You saved even more memories than I thought. I almost forgot we took a photo that day. Then again, I only recall one time we didn’t get a photo on your birthday,” her voice softened, as if the mere memory of the year before still haunted her.
It did him too.
Caleb caressed her cheek then traced his thumb across the outline of her lips. “How are you going to make it up to me?”
“Hmm, I was going to wait and surprise you, but–don’t you think it’s time we retire this album and start a new one? And maybe stay in all day for your birthday? Watch old movies, stuff our faces, and then put all our recent photos in the shiny new album I got you.”
Caleb wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed her down closer to his chest. Her subtle squeak only enticed him to kiss her. He captured her achingly soft lips with his own, the taste of fresh citrus lingering from the tea she’d had just a few minutes before. To think that was what touched her lips first this morning. A hint of jealousy made him dare to deepen the kiss, eliciting a soft, pleasurable moan. He wanted to tease her, dare her into wanting more.
He pulled back, relishing in the sight of her glistening eyes, almost drunk on how insufferable it was to have something so warm and comforting taken away.
“Sounds perfect to me,” he said, deep and drawn out, in that way he knew would trap her. “But I don’t want to share you with even an old movie just yet. I can be extra selfish on a day like today, right?”
“Naturally.”
Just like every year, he’d always want one thing for his birthday.
And that would never change.