~
They drove away fast, Calvin’s powerful motorcycle weaving in and out of traffic. After a few minutes they were joined by Jarod, who signaled for them to pull over. The two bikes turned off the main road, finally stopping to park on a quiet residential street.
Calvin swung off the bike, running his hands up and down Caledonia’s arms as if to inspect her for damage. “Are you okay?” he asked, brushing her hair back from her face to lean in and search her eyes.
“I am now,” she said, touching his face. “You found me.” He kissed her, and she could taste his sweet relief mingling with her own. He pulled her close with a heavy sigh, enveloping her in his intense emotions. Love, worry, and happiness all blended together, cloaked in an intense violet relief.
Jarod cleared his throat. “Hey Cali, you all right?”
She looked up with an enormous smile. “Yes. You have perfect timing.”
“You’re not gonna believe how she got out of there,” Calvin said, smiling for the first time in days.
“Let’s go home and you can tell me all about it over a beer,” Jarod grinned.
“No.” Calvin shook his head, keeping her tucked in close to his body. “We’re gonna take off from here. We’re going where nobody can find us.”
“Aww, c’mon. We can figure something out. We’ll be ready for those guys if they come back around. Maybe Cali can stay at Crystal’s place for a while …”
“No way.” Calvin was adamant. “We’re leaving. We’ll come back after Cali’s birthday.” He looked around the gloomy city streets suspiciously.
Jarod sighed, stepping forward to clap his brother on the back and give Cali a bear hug. “Take good care of him,” he spoke in her ear. She nodded solemnly.
They promised Jarod they’d call when they could, waving goodbye to him as he pulled away. Calvin zipped open the pack on his bike and extracted two helmets, helping her into an extra leather jacket without commenting on her unusual attire. They had the rest of their lives to talk about what happened. For now, he was anxious to get her as far away from the professor and his goons as possible.
“Let’s get out of here,” he said, giving her one more kiss before they climbed back onto his motorcycle and sped away.
After a couple of hours on the road they pulled up to a motel that faced out over the freeway. Calvin swung off the bike and stretched his sore arms. “How are you doing?”
She stretched too. “I’m fine. Are we stopping here?”
“We should get some rest so we can get an early start. Wait right here while I get us a room.” Calvin looked around suspiciously, “If anyone comes, I want you to hide, okay?”
She nodded. “Go ahead. I’ll be fine.”
When they were safely locked away in their room, Caledonia excused herself to take a long hot shower, discarding the clothes she wore in the wastebasket. She washed away all the fear and anxiety of the past few days, purposefully sending it down the drain along with the soapy water. She stepped out and slipped into a shirt from Calvin’s bag, imagining how horrified the professor would be to see her now; the thought made her smile at herself in the mirror.
She came out of the bathroom to find Calvin pacing at the window, anxiously peeking through the drapes every time the flash of a headlight passed by. Caledonia could see how tired he was, and she came up behind him to encircle him in her arms. “You need to rest.”
He turned to look into her calm eyes and let his guard down with a sigh, allowing her to lead him to the bed. He sat down and kicked off his boots, lying back while she snuggled up to him, listening to his heartbeat with her ear pressed to his chest.
He kissed the top of her head. “I was so scared. I still can’t believe you climbed down on bedsheets …” He chuckled, his chest gently shaking her head. “That was like something out of a cartoon.”
She looked up, “Let me guess … Doofy Duck?
“Donald,” he sounded tired.
“Doofy Donald?” she asked.
He smiled wearily, too fatigued to explain. “I love you, Cali.”
She crawled up to whisper in his ear, “I know.”
Calvin’s eyelids were growing heavy, and she could tell he was fighting to stay awake. She stroked the dark hair back from his forehead, kissing his tired brow.
“It’s okay now. Go to sleep,” she whispered.
“Promise you’ll be here when I wake up,” he mumbled.
“Cross my heart,” she said softly, watching him drift off.
She pulled the blankets up around him, shuddering with a sudden overwhelming happiness. She put all of her doubts behind her, deciding to believe, without any reservations, that everything would be fine. At that moment all was right in the world, and she laid her head down beside his, watching him until she fell asleep too.
Sometime in the middle of the night Calvin woke up and clung to her, desperate for reassurance. “Oh man, I thought you were gone,” he groaned in her ear. “I was so scared.”
They came together tenderly, overcome by the joy of their reunion. Caledonia calmed him with her every touch, feeling his fear slip away as his confidence strengthened. She was happier than she’d ever been, soothing him and taking her comfort from his relief. He finally burrowed his face into her neck and fell back to sleep, his body still entwined with hers.
The bright sun streaming through a crack in the drapes woke him up, and he jumped out of bed, racing to the window to look outside. Relieved to find nothing amiss, he turned back to see Caledonia still curled up sleeping, her wrists tucked under her chin. He climbed back under the covers, arranging himself around her with a satisfied sigh.
He swore that he’d never sleep apart from her ever again, remembering how awful it had been to wake up and find her missing. He knew he should let her sleep, but he was unable to resist kissing her shoulder, trailing his lips across her soft skin, following the curve of her neck.
Her eyes opened, and she stirred, stretching as luxuriantly as a cat. “Mmm … Good morning.”
“It is,” he said, kissing her ear and making her giggle.
She rolled over to look at him, and he was struck by the beauty of her clear eyes in the morning light. “What are we going to do now?” she asked.
“I have an idea,” he said, rolling over on top of her.
“Oh, really?” she laughed, “I can tell.”