The Coffee Shop Ch. 07

"I'll do?" she repeated in mock dismay.

Caleb's eyes lit up when she put her hands over his and he caught them, holding onto her fingers gently. "She liked you," he clarified. "She told me you know Othello, which has to mean we're perfect for one another."

They laughed at that and Caleb shook his head slowly, his eyes resting briefly on their hands. "She did point out something though." Peyton eyed him warily, the metal weight in her stomach building back up again.

"What's that?" she managed to whisper, suddenly nervous for a reason she couldn't give.

"That we don't know very much about one another, but we're already living together." Peyton smirked at the last bit, knowing it was supposed to be a joke. But the first part of the sentence Chelsea had hit the nail on the head.

"Perhaps we should fix that," she said quietly, gaining her confidence back now that her out-of-nowhere nervousness had dissipated. Caleb's eyes met hers again and he smirked.

"Meet me here when my shift's over," Caleb replied. "We'll grab a bite to eat." He squeezed her hands and started to stand as the doors swung open again to admit another haggle of teenagers.

"Sounds good," Peyton told him, smiling up into his face. Caleb's eyes darkened and a nervous hand lifted up to her cheek, stroking over the curve with the pad of his thumb. Peyton held her breath as he leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips, the scruff of his chin gently scraping hers in the process. It made her entire skin tingle with the sensation and she was surprised at how breathless she was when Caleb pulled away.

"See you later," Caleb murmured, his warm breath filtering over her cheek as he gave her another soft peck and moved away, striding back towards the counter with a confidence that drew the attention of the few girls in the pack.

Peyton smiled as she stood up and tossed her trash into the recycle bin. Her eyes strayed to the mounted clock on the far shop wall and felt her good mood dissipate as she mentally swore at the time. Her editor expected her newly revised draft before three and it was already well after twelve. Gathering up her book bag and satchel, Peyton threw both over her shoulder and hurriedly tucked in her chair.

"See you tomorrow!" Margaret called to her as she passed the glass counter of baked goods and treats. Peyton waved absently over her shoulder at her, catching Caleb's eye once again as she left.

She winked at him and heard as she pushed open one of the glass doors to the shop one of the teenage boys ask, "Dude, do you know her?" Peyton looked over her shoulder and was unable to fight a smile as Caleb pushed a coffee across the counter towards them.

"She's my girlfriend," Caleb admitted, his tone friendly but underneath the warning in his voice could not be missed.

Peyton walked out of the shop with a new bounce in her step, laughing under her breath at the ridiculousness of it all. Never had she felt so giggly and girly in her entire life. Hearing him state his claim to her didn't rub her the wrong way, not like it had with Efraim, who had made her status as a girlfriend sound like a privilege needed to be continuously earned, or an honor.

Her heart beat faster as she replayed his words over and over in her head, a smile growing on her face as she walked to her car.

She had been kidding herself when she thought only Caleb was coming out of his shell, changing and molting into the person she knew he could be. As she jammed her keys into the ignition and let her car roar to life, Peyton knew that it wasn't just Caleb changing and molting -- she was transforming just the same.

The afternoon whizzed by in a flurry of emails, strained phone calls with her editor, and even tenser phone calls with her agent. By the time the end of Caleb's shift rolled around, Peyton felt like she needed a breather -- and Caleb was easily the perfect distraction.

Peyton changed into a new outfit without really paying much attention into what she had thrown on, a little pressed for time. After a quick dab of clear lip gloss over her lips and a bit of perfume, she was out the door and driving like a bat out of hell down to town. She managed to catch Caleb right as was locking up the shop for the night, and they walked together down the few blocks to Ruby's Cantina, a place that despite its name served only comfort food and had an extremely homey atmosphere.

The place was packed, but they managed to get a tiny booth not too far from the kitchens, which was a blessing. Another cold front had pushed through, a mild one, but it had dropped the already low temperature down into the forties. The warmth from the ovens helped chase away the chill in Peyton's bones.

After both ordering Ruby's infamous clam chowder and cheese biscuits, Peyton sat back and closed her eyes.

"Long day?" Caleb asked slowly, curiosity coloring his tone.

Peyton opened one eye and then the other to look at him, smiling apologetically. "Sorry, I don't usually take naps on dates." Caleb laughed but waited for a response to his question. "Yea, it was," she admitted. "You see...I used to work for The Pacific Review, Los Angeles' response to The New Yorker. I was...I...resigned because of how the magazine was run. I wrote an article about it and well, it was picked up by an agent and now it's going to be published. I've been working on drafts for months now and today the final revisions were due, so I've been on the phone, writing emails, reading page after page of material to make sure I hadn't missed a word or date or misspelled a name..."

Peyton sighed and gave Caleb a weak smile. "I'm just glad it's over with," she laughed tiredly.

Caleb squeezed her hand and returned her smile. "So you're a writer, then?"

Peyton shrugged one shoulder, a little afraid to answer. "I love writing," she admitted. "But I'm not so sure I'm very good at it -- granted, I'm better at it than a lot of other people, but not enough to make it my livelihood."

Then Peyton paused and met Caleb's eyes. Both of them snorted and laughed.

"Okay, let me rephrase that," Peyton laughed. "What I mean is that..." Peyton sighed and sat back in her booth. "Actually, I don't know what I'm saying."

Caleb smiled and leaned on his forearms, his eyes watching as he gently massaged the fingers and palm of her left hand. "So what did you do at Pacific Review?" he asked.

"Whatever Amelie St. Clair told me to," Peyton admitted with a humorless laugh. "But mainly I just wrote articles and interviewed people. I always took my own photographs if I had a large enough spread, which was pretty cool. I wasn't paid an obscene amount of money or anything, but I could get by on my own, which was all I really wanted."

"The independence," they said in unison, smiling a little at one another.

"Right," Peyton agreed. She tilted her head a little and he paused from taking a sip of his drink.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Caleb asked with a slight smile.

"Chelsea told me you are very smart," Peyton said slowly. "As in you could have been valedictorian smart. She bragged about your intelligence quite a bit, which makes me wonder why you didn't finish school -- and if you are going to."

Caleb took a deep dive into his drink before putting it down and released his hold on her hand as he leaned back to the safety of his side of the booth. Peyton waited patiently, not wanting to push him.

"I will," Caleb said finally, his eyes meeting hers. "I didn't mind school. I just hated everybody who was in it."

Peyton arched an eyebrow. "Not Chelsea."

"That's different," Caleb laughed, leaning forward again. "She's...she's an outsider, like me. When she first came here she could barely speak a word of English. French is all her parents speak at home, so when she got to school she never knew what was going on and everyone made fun of her because of her accent when she tried to talk. In exchange for teaching her English, she became my friend and taught me French." He shrugged as though that explained everything.

"So you're her friend out of convenience, then?"

Caleb's eyes flashed with irritation until he caught onto what Peyton was doing. He sighed and put his chin in his hand. "No, she's my best friend," he admitted, shaking his head a little.

"Any idea what you're going to do once you get your diploma?" she asked him.

"College," he admitted. "But I honestly don't know what field I'd go into. I like a bit of everything."

Nothing wrong with that, Peyton thought to herself. "You'll think of something."

It wasn't long after that their food came, which Peyton attacked with gusto. She hadn't realized how hungry she was until her steaming hot baked potato and large bowl of chowder were under her nose. Throughout dinner Peyton and Caleb talked, surprisingly more him than her, which was perfectly fine.

Caleb knew a little about everything, but not braggingly so. His strong points were easily science and mathematics, but because both subjects had such a strong founding in history, Peyton was able to inject facts and "did-you-know" just as often as he did.

But Caleb's absolute weakness, and this just about tickled Peyton pink, was anything and everything to do with engines. Boat engines, car engines, diesel train engines, motorcycle engines...if it moved or carried people, Caleb knew about it and only wanted to know more.

That was Caleb's thing -- he wanted to know how things worked. He wanted to know why. His curiosity and his desire to learn were so obvious -- and so refreshing. Peyton had been surrounded by people in Los Angeles who felt like they knew all they needed to and who didn't have the incentive to learn more. Everyone was more concerned about Facebook statuses or Jersey Shore or who wore conflicting designer labels, and for once, it was nice to have something else to talk about that didn't revolve around people's appearances or petty gossip.

"...I'm boring you, aren't I?" Caleb asked.

Peyton cracked up laughing at the worried look in Caleb's eyes. "No, you aren't! This is the first conversation I think I've had in years where I actually learned something or felt genuinely interested in what came out of the other person's mouth."

Caleb didn't seem to believe her. "I'm talking about engines," he stated.

Peyton laughed and squeezed Caleb's hand reassuringly. "I know. You're talking about the EMD 265, or the H-Engine. I've been listening."

Caleb shook his head slowly. "Unbelievable," he said in awe.

The waitress, Tanya, interrupted them then, and Caleb quickly put down the money for the bill before Peyton could even get a chance to reach for her purse. They finished up their drinks and grabbed their coats before walking hand-in-hand out of the restaurant and into the crisp air of late afternoon.

"Thank you for dinner," Peyton said honestly, relieved that for once she didn't have to cook. While she was glad to do it usually, it was nice for the break, even if it was only for a night.

"Honestly I was just glad to have you to myself," Caleb said with a soft laugh as he put his arm around Peyton's shoulders, pulling her in close. "Dinner was just a nice bonus." Peyton smiled and put her arms around his waist, not caring if it meant she had to walk funny. The smell of his cologne, warm baked bread, and the ever-lingering scent of coffee and Caleb's natural musk filled her nose and Peyton had to suppress the desire to not bury her face in his chest so she could never be rid of the smell.

"Keys," Caleb murmured as they walked to her car. Peyton fished them out of her coat pocket and handed them over, trying not to giggle when Caleb unlocked the car and held her door open for her.

"Wait."

Caleb caught her arm and Peyton stopped from getting inside to turn a look at him. Caleb cupped her face in his hands and brought his lips down over hers in a kiss of quiet passion, leaving the taste of dark promises behind when he pulled away.

Caleb didn't break the silence to speak, instead just stroked the curve of her cheek before dropping his hands to hers to help her into the car. Peyton let him, unable to keep the smile off her lips when Caleb gave her hand one final squeeze before releasing her completely to shut the car door.

The drive back to the Barn was quiet, but not uncomfortable. And the entire time, Caleb held her hand in his, his thumb lazily brushing over her knuckles and the back of her hand.

That night, Peyton had just settled down into bed when there was a soft knock on her door. When it wasn't accompanied by Lola's voice, Peyton knew that only one person could be on the other side. Quickly she threw off the covers and checked her reflection in the floor length mirror on her closet door and tucked away her retainer back in its case.

All she was wearing was a long rock concert tee and a rather blah pair of white virginal-like underwear that she quickly exchanged for something a bit more pleasing to the eye. Peyton then went to the door and did a little jig to settle her nerves before pulling it open a crack.

Amused green eyes met hers and Peyton opened the door a bit wider. "Caleb?" she asked tentatively, feeling a flush build up from her neck to her face when Caleb's eyes darkened to a deep forest green.

"May I come in?" Caleb asked quietly, his gaze never leaving hers.

Peyton hesitated and bit down on her bottom lip in thought. Caleb's confidence never wavered as the seconds passed and Peyton found herself running out of excuses to keep him away.

Demurely she stepped back and let him pass, her cheeks burning as she the shut the door behind him.

There was no turning back now.

Caleb stepped further into the room, his eyes trailing over her walls. Peyton nervously watched him take in the magazine spreads that included her own and her absolute favorite articles, photos she had shot while on vacations with her parents or out with her friends, the signed memorabilia like vinyl records or the napkin signed by "Dimebag" Darrel, and lingered on the poster of Jimi Hendrix.

"This was not what I expected," Caleb said slowly, turning to look at her.

Peyton smiled a little. "You've been in my room before. It hasn't changed," she reminded him.

Caleb smiled back. "Honestly, I didn't look around then. I was little more focused on the girl and my own nerves than what was on your walls."

Caleb's eyes went above her head, to the long row of vintage vinyl records that was tacked up from wall to wall above her bedroom door. "And I never pegged you for a Thelonious Monk fan," he muttered as he took a step forward to get a better look.

Peyton shrugged. "We don't know much about one another," she said honestly. "I don't even know what kind of music you like," she pointed out.

Caleb's eyes dropped from the records and a single eyebrow went up. Peyton noted in that moment that he was wearing a large black Marilyn Manson tee and felt her face heat up.

"Duly noted," she told him, gesturing to the shirt. Caleb smiled and took her hand in his before leading her to the bed. "Caleb..." Peyton trailed off when Caleb reached down and pulled off his shirt, tossing it at her face. The sound of her bed giving in prompted her to remove the shirt off her head and she felt her breath catch in her throat when she saw Caleb stretched out in nothing but his boxers over her bed sheets.

He crooked a finger at her with a smile. "Come here."

Mechanically Peyton walked forward, drinking in the sight of Caleb's lean, muscled frame. He definitely looked more defined than he had since she last saw him without a shirt, and the result of his exercising diligence made her mouth dry.

Suddenly Caleb held up a hand and she stopped at the bed side. He pointed to the shirt in her hands. "You can leave that on the floor." Peyton dropped it without another word, earning her a smirk. She took another step forward only to have Caleb stop her with his hand around her upper arm. "You can leave your underwear on the floor too."

Caleb grinned when she just blinked at him in shock. "It's a new rule in the bedroom," he joked as he tugged her closer to him. "Do you want me to help you?" he asked quietly, his eyes darkening with promise.

Peyton shook her head and he released her arm to lean back onto the pillows, his hands behind his head. He radiated confidence and desire, the waves of them so strong that it was almost tangible.

Peyton mentally shook her head from the mindless fog she was in and fought against a smile. If Caleb wanted to play the alpha male, she'd let him. But she sure as hell wasn't going to make it easy for him.

Taking a step back away from the bed, Peyton slowly smiled and turned away from Caleb's hungry, inquisitive stare, her heart racing in her chest as she began to sway and move to music only she could hear. The sound of weight shifting on the mattress had Peyton dancing out of Caleb's reach before his hands could grab her and with a coy smile she began to lift the hem of her long tee up her thighs until the bottom of her ass began to show.

Caleb gulped audibly and Peyton fought a laugh as she twirled away from his eyes again, this time sashaying the shirt up the curves of her hips so Caleb could see the devil red lace underwear and the see-through fabric that revealed she was in fact a natural redhead. She slipped her fingers under the hem and teasingly folded down one side as she turned, bearing a smooth caramel thigh to Caleb's gaze. Caleb's Adam's apple bobbed when she did the same to the other side, not once pulling the fabric down off her thighs.

"You're going to kill me, Peyton," Caleb bit out gruffly. "But at least I'll die happy."

Peyton grinned and had a burst of inspiration strike her. With a giggle she got on the bed and crawled to where he was reclined on the pillows. She swung her right leg over his to straddle him and sat up as he did. Placing both of his hands on her ass, Peyton waited.

With a slow smile, Caleb pulled her closer to him, his warm palms gently kneading the flesh he covered. "You want me to undress you?" he clarified, tilting his head a little when she lowered her body down so they were eye level. Peyton nodded. Caleb laughed softly and slipped his fingers into the hem of her underwear, his eyes dropping so he could watch as he slid the fabric down her smooth thighs to her knees.

"Would you believe me if I said I had originally come here just so we could sleep in the same bed?" he chuckled as he fingered the lacy fabric.

"No," Peyton said with a smile as she rolled off of him and sat so he could continue pulling her underwear down her legs.

Caleb opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out when Peyton lifted up her legs and hummed in her throat. Caleb swallowed hard again as he stroked the skin down to her ankles and dropped her underwear to the floor.

"Then what was your idea?" Peyton asked in a teasing murmur as Caleb's torso crossed over hers, his body pressing against the length of her left side. Caleb smiled crookedly down at her, his green eyes blazing with desire.

"It's a secret," Caleb teased back. "But, if you want to know badly enough, I'm sure there's something you can do that might convince me to tell you."

Peyton's eyes grew heavy and she sent him a promising smile. "I think I know exactly what to do to make you talk." Using the element of surprise, Peyton pushed Caleb over onto his back and rose above him again. Snaking out her body, she pressed her warm, wet center against the bump of his arousal, letting Caleb feel exactly how much this was turning her on.

But this wasn't about her, she reminded herself, not yet. Peyton wanted to have Caleb spouting all his secrets, to tell her anything she wanted to know by the time she was finished. The primal instinct of making him hers, of erasing every thought in his head but the thought of what she was doing to him was nearly driving her mad.