Let Him Stumble While You Climb Chapter 09

Let Him Stumble While You Climb Chapter 09

“I drove. Let me take you home,” Caleb finally said.

“You’ve been drinking, and it isn’t safe for you to get into a rideshare alone this late. Wait here. I’ll bring the car around.”

He turned and ran toward the parking lot.

I scoffed and kept walking.

It did not take long for Caleb to catch up in his car.

“Get in.”

He opened the passenger door and pushed me into the seat.

I let him fasten my seat belt. He tucked a soft cushion behind my lower back and placed a folded blanket behind my head.

“If you’re tired, lean back. Don’t rest your head against the window. It’s too hard.”

I closed my eyes and dozed off.

The engine was running, but the car never moved.

When I woke from my nap, we were still parked in the same place. Caleb was staring at me with reddened eyes.

“Aren’t we leaving?”

He finally snapped out of his daze.

“Oh… right. You were asleep, and I didn’t want to wake you.”

—

“Then let’s go.”

The car moved smoothly along the road.

Caleb and I were neighbors and lived in the same neighborhood. The bar was only a ten-minute drive from home.

On the way, we passed the intersection where Vivian and her friends had surrounded me.

While we waited at a red light, I tapped Caleb’s arm.

“Look.”

“That’s where Vivian cornered me with more than a dozen people.”

“She threw pepper-laced water in my face, pinched me, and had several people pin me to the ground and force me to bark like a dog.”

My voice gradually softened.

“Caleb, I was terrified.”

“Why did you defend her without even asking what had happened?” I shook my head. “I don’t understand. I truly don’t.”

Caleb gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white.

“Vera, I’m sorry.”

“It was all my fault. I was blind. I’m so sorry.”

His apology sounded unbearably hollow.

I closed my eyes and said nothing else.

—

When we reached the garage, Caleb did not immediately unlock the doors. Instead, he reached into the back seat and picked up a box.

“I got you some donuts from Dunkin’. They used to be your favorite.”

“Take them home and try one.”

“No,” I replied coldly.

“Open the door.”

Once I was out of the car, I headed straight toward my house.

Caleb followed me relentlessly.

“Vera, please take them. I waited in line for twenty minutes.”

“They’re the strawberry-frosted ones you always loved.”

“I said I don’t want them!”

I knocked the box from his hands.

“Get away from me!”

Caleb stared helplessly at the mess on the ground.

The donuts rolled across the pavement and became coated in dust. Caleb stared at the sugary frosting as though the sight had knocked the air from his lungs.

“Caleb, I will never forgive you.”

“I never want to see you again.”

Caleb still refused to give up. He even reached for me as though he

—

wanted to pull me into his arms.

“I know I was wrong. Please give me one more chance.”

Before I could reject him, Morgan appeared out of nowhere.

He used his greater size and strength to shove Caleb away from me.

In the end, I invited Morgan inside for coffee while Caleb waited outside the entire time.

As Morgan drank his coffee, he suddenly gave a quiet laugh.

“You know, I was planning to confess to you at the bonfire.”

“Caleb and I only became friends because of you.”

“But the bottle never landed on me. Not even once.”

“I believed that was guidance from the Moon Goddess. It wasn’t the right time.”

“But tonight, when we played the game again, the bottle pointed at me. I didn’t answer the question. I chose to drink instead.”

“Because I wanted to tell you when we were alone.”

The confession came out of nowhere.

I neither accepted nor rejected him because I had never imagined anything like this happening.

“You don’t have to give me an answer yet. Just let me stay by your side.”

“Let me try to win you over.”