“His eyes opened and he smiled at me like he understood everything, like I was everything.”

“I winced and Caleb stuck his head inside the door. "Everything alright in here?""Yes, prince," my guard said sarcastically as he crossed his arms in the corner. "A needle stick isn't supposed to feel like cherries in springtime."I snorted a laugh. Caleb raised his eyebrow at me with a twist of his lips.”

“Baby," he told me, his eyes lidded and dark, "you always taste like honey buns.”

“Maybe he doesn’t want to go back,” I countered. “Maybe he likes it here.” “With a snack like you hanging on his sleeve, I’m sure he does,” he replied wryly.”

“He looked like he always did. Jeans and a black Foo Fighters t-shirt, his hair lay over his forehead and around his ears. I pushed my hand through it."It's perfect. It's you."He grinned, shaking his head."Zeke told me to wear leather, lots of it.""And you're rebelling?" I said through a laugh."I'm telling him to subtly screw himself.”

“... I tried to glare at him but I felt terrible and I’m sure I didn’t pull it off. He was handsome, which irked me. His hair and eyes were dark and he couldn’t be more than forty five. If this was Harry Potter, he’d definitely be in Slytherin.”

“I hate this part,” I sighed in aggravation and jerked the sunglasses from my eyes, setting them atop my head into my hair. “What?” he said in a voice that clearly didn’t understand where I could be leading things. “This is where the leading man tries to save the girl from herself. She is willing to give up everything for him and he, in his misguided attempt to save her, tells her he’s skipping for the hills and she has to beg him to stay and convince him that her love is real and that she is sound of mind.”