The Resolution of Callie & Kayden (The Coincidence, #6)

Callie: No, he just left … why?

Kayden: Just wondering … I’m heading there now. Be there in like 10.

Callie: K :) And I have something really important I want to talk to you about … It’s about us

I grow uneasy, wondering what it is, that she might want to take a break from us or something else equally as bad. I really don’t think that is it, but my mind always seems to go to that dark place whenever there’s an unknown in front of me. I can’t help worrying Callie will hurt me because she has the power to. She owns my heart and soul completely and she could easily break it.

Lost in my worries, I pull out onto the road and drive toward my dorm building. By the time I’m parking the car, it’s snowing like a blizzard. Massive snowflakes splatter against the windshield and instantly soak through my clothes as I hop out and jog across the frosted grass to the entrance doors. I breathe in the warmth as I step into the foyer area.

It’s nearing Halloween and everything is decorated in black and orange, fake spider webs everywhere, along with this stupid skeleton that makes spooky noises every time someone walks by. There are a few people sitting around in the lounging area, laughing and talking, a couple of whom I know, so I give them a wave and say hello before going to the elevator.

The closer I get to my room, the more eager I get to touch Callie, wishing I could do it all the time. Unfortunately, I’m not in the same dorm building as her and it makes staying together all night a bit of a pain in the ass. Honestly, it’d be easier if we just lived together, but that is one hell of a big step and I’m not sure if I’m – we’re – ready for that or if she’d even want to.

When I arrive at my room, I punch in the code and walk in, smiling even before I see her. But then I frown the moment I step over the threshold when I discover the room is empty, just two unmade twin beds, some empty Dorito bags, and a lot of Coke cans on the floor, which makes me miss Luke as a roommate and his need to keep everything clean and organized. There’s also a stack of DVDs on my nightstand, which I’m assuming Callie brought over since they weren’t here earlier.

I’m scratching my head, wondering where she went when my phone vibrates from inside my pocket. My eyebrows knit as I take it out and swipe my finger across the screen.

Callie: Put your coat on and meet me outside on the east side of the campus yard.

Me: Why does this sound so suspicious … you’re not planning my murder, r u?

Callie: Not tonight. I saved my roll of duct tape and shovel for another time ;)

I can’t help but chuckle at her adorableness.

Me: All right, just as long as no shovel and tape are involved, I’ll b out in a few :)

Callie: k, see ya soon :)

I stuff my phone back into my pocket, wondering what she’s up to. She’s been so happy lately, even with the fact that Caleb – the guy who raped her when she was twelve – is still out there somewhere in the world, living his life, without paying for what he did not just to Callie, but Luke’s sister as well, along with a few others. He likely won’t ever have to pay for what he did to them. He’ll go on living his life, doing whatever he wants, while his victims are left to cope with the destruction. A huge flaw in life and one I understand way too well.

Shaking the depressing thought from my head, I tug my beanie over my brown hair before I depart toward the cold again. I try to stay upbeat as I take the elevator to the bottom floor, go back outside, and wind around the building, heading to the side where Callie instructed me to go. The leafless trees around the building are decorated with lights that reflect against the ice covering everything. It’s freaking freezing out here, my breath puffing out in a cloud in front of my face. I should have worn a heavier coat. But once I step out into the open area on the east side between a few benches and rows of trees I stop caring that I’m outdoors and freezing my ass off.

Callie is standing in the middle of the frosted trees and lights, staring down at the ground. She has her head tipped down, her coat zipped up to her chin, and she’s kicking at the snow with the tip of her boot. Her hood is down and snowflakes dot her long brown hair, but she doesn’t seem to mind, lost in her thoughts.

She’s beautiful.

Amazing.

Perfect.

I give myself a moment to appreciate everything that’s her before I walk toward her and make my presence known. She must hear my boots crunch against the snow because her gaze lifts and finds me before I reach her. Snow dots her eyelashes, her cheeks are flushed, and she has a smile on her face, her eyes so full of love I seriously nearly turn around and look over my shoulder to make sure there’s no one else standing there that she could be looking at.

‘Hey you,’ she says, still grinning at me. Then she shifts her weight and a hint of her nerves slips through, which makes me nervous as well.

Why would she be nervous?

‘Hey you, back.’ My feet move toward her on their own, wanting – needing – to be near her. ‘Why are you standing out here in the freezing cold?’

She holds up her finger, indicating to wait just a second. Then she glances at the leafless, snow-bitten tree beside her before she ducks behind it. A heartbeat later, music envelops me. When she steps back out from behind the tree, she’s smiling as the snowflakes swirl around us, almost moving with the slow rhythm of the song.

‘What do you have back there?’ I ask. ‘An iPod dock or something?’

She shakes her head as she hikes through the snow toward me, reducing the space between us, something I’m ridiculously grateful for. In fact, I want it all gone – not a single drop of space left between our bodies.

‘No, it’s Luke’s stereo. Seth borrowed it from him so I could use it for this.’

My smile rises, the first time I’ve smiled all day. ‘God, he’s so weird with all that old crap he keeps around, right?’

‘Like all his mix tapes?’ she says with a soft laugh as she stops in front of me and tips her head back to look up at me.

I eliminate the rest of the space between us and put my hands on her hips. Suddenly, I become warm in the midst of the cold. ‘I seriously think he belongs in the eighties.’

‘Maybe he does.’ She loops her arms around the back of my neck and draws me closer. ‘What era do you think we’d belong in if we could go live in a different one?’

I consider what she said. ‘How about the sixties?’

She beams up at me. ‘We’d be all about the peace, love, and happiness.’

‘I think that sounds a lot like you.’ I tuck a strand of her damp hair behind her ear. ‘I’m not sure about me, though.’

Her forehead creases as I stroke her cheek with my finger, mesmerized by the softness of her skin. I’ve touched it a thousand times, yet every time is as amazing as the first.

‘You’ve seemed a little bit down lately. Has something been bothering you?’

‘I’ve just been thinking about some stuff.’ I trace a path up her jawline to her temple.

‘About family stuff?’

‘Yeah … I can’t help it … with the holidays coming. It’s just got me thinking.’

‘About your family?’

I swallow the stupid lump that has wedged its way up my throat. ‘Yeah, about my lack of one.’ I don’t really mean to say it because I don’t want to be a downer when clearly she had some sort of fun night planned, but it just slips out.

‘You have me,’ she says quietly, placing a hand on my stubbly cheek. ‘You always will.’