"Are you alright?" He asked again.

I was caught in my jumbled up thoughts. Between the sparks that were flowing through me and his eyes staring into mine I couldn't speak.

I cleared my throat and pulled my hand out from under his, the flow of electric energy suddenly stopped as I pulled away.

"Yeah...I'm fine," I said, moving to slide down the front of the Jeep. Caleb put his hand on my arm to stop me.

"Let me help you down," he said, holding his arms out towards me.

I swung my legs over the side and set my hands on his shoulders while his found their way to my hips, reigniting the electric current. I gasped at the familiar feeling, letting myself relax in it.

Caleb lifted me off of the Jeep and I lightly fell into him, my body pressed up against his. I'd never felt the sparks that ran through me now, and with our faces in such close proximity, all I could think about was kissing him. It might have been crazy but it seemed like he was thinking the same thing as his eyes flickered down to my lips.

Realizing how this all seemed, I stepped away from him, losing our connection.

"Thanks," I mumbled.

"Yeah..." he said nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "Do you need a ride?"

Only then did I notice his old pick up truck parked behind the Jeep. I was surprised I didn't hear him pull up, I guess I was just so concerned with looking for a signal that I didn't notice.

"Yes, actually," I said, grabbing my book bag out of the Jeep, "that would be kind of great."

Caleb walked me over to his truck and grabbed the handle of the passenger side door, opening it for me. I set my hand on his shoulder for support as I got in, and I hid my smile as he coughed to try and cover up his reaction to me touching him unexpectedly.

This excited me, the fact that I possibly wasn't alone in the way I was feeling.

Being in the cab of his truck, his scent consumed me. I felt my body relax in his presence, and I slowly realized this is the most relaxed I'd felt since I'd arrived in Homer.

He shut the door behind me and I watched as he made his way to the other side, getting in as well.

"What about my Jeep?" I asked.

"My dad owns a mechanic shop, I'll have one of his guys pick it up for you," he said.

I cleared my throat, trying to gain the confidence to continue. I'd wanted to talk to him for days, but now that I had my chance, with him sitting right in front of me, I couldn't get out the words. I was hesitant because I was afraid to be embarrassed.

I was afraid that I would seem crazy.

"So," I said, trying to jump start my brain, "that day in the coffee shop-"

"Yeah," he interrupted me, "I've been meaning to talk to you about that."

"Well, why didn't you come find me?"

He looked uncomfortable, but I didn't want that to get in the way of my answers.

"I didn't really know how to explain," he said, keeping his eyes trained on the road. But I noticed as he adjusted his grip on the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white. "I...um...I'm still not exactly sure..."

"Well you left a bruise on my wrist," I said, then instantly regretted it. The bruise isn't there anymore, it magically disappeared after my encounter with that wolf.

I rolled my eyes at how crazy that sounded.

"I'm sorry," he said, not sounding very sincere. He seemed flustered actually. I looked at him, but he didn't look back at me, keeping his eyes trained on the road.

I crossed my arms and huffed, as I moved in my seat to face him.

"Well, can you figure it out?" I asked, my voice sounding harsh now.

"What?"

"How to explain to me what the hell is going on?"

He pulled into the driveway of my grandmother's house and shut the truck off. He ran a nervous hand through his hair and finally looked up at me.

"I'm sorry," he said, "I know I'm being weird, I've just never had to do this before and I don't want to accidentally push you away."

I uncrossed my arms and reached over to set my hand on his arm.

"I'm listening," I said, scooting closer to him, "my mind is open. I just don't want to be so confused anymore."

Caleb looked at me with hope in his eyes, but it quickly vanished and he turned away from me, getting out of the truck.

He opened my door and reached out his hand for mine to help me down. I put my hand in his and stepped closer to him once I reached the ground. His breathing escalated, but he seemed uncomfortable and took his hand away from mine and looked at the trees behind me.

"What's happening?" I asked, my voice only a whisper.

His gazed flickered back to me, holding me in place as he spoke, "I-"

"Birdie?"

We jumped apart as my grandmother opened the front door, looking at us. Caleb took an extra step away from me and changed his whole demeanor as he addressed her.

"Sorry, Mrs. Greene. The tire of your Jeep popped a few miles back. I'm gonna have one of my dad's guys pick it up and take it to his shop if that's alright?"

"Oh..." my grandmother said, "well, alright then."

He looked back to me.

"I'll pick you up tomorrow and take you to school, if you'd like?"

I furrowed my brows, contemplating my answer. I wanted to spend more time with him, but he was being so mysterious that it put me on edge.

"Okay," I said, "pick me up at seven."

He nodded and turned around to get back in his truck, giving a wave to my grandmother as he left.

"I didn't know you knew Caleb Gardner?" She asked me as I walked into the house.

"I don't really," I said, "how do you know him?"

"It's a small town, dear. If you don't know someone personally, you'll at least know their face," she said, walking into the kitchen.

I followed her, "Do you know anything about the Gardner family?"

"Not really, they keep to themselves," she said. She walked back over to me and set the back of her hand on my forehead. "Are you feeling alright?"

I stand up, brushing off her hand.

"I'm fine," I said, before making my way up the stairs.

I did feel warm, however. Once I got to my room I shut the door and pulled open my dresser changing into shorts and a t-shirt. I grabbed my grandmother's book and got into bed.

I hadn't planned on falling asleep.

I woke up hours later and threw the covers off of my legs, trying to cool down. I was covered in a layer of sweat and my body felt like it was burning up.

I walked over to the window and pushed it open, trying to bring in some cool air.

As I grabbed a hair tie and threw my hair up I heard something that made me turn around.

Standing in front of my window was Caleb Gardner.

What concerned me most wasn't the stranger in my room. It was the fact that I was so happy he was there in the first place.

He was breathing heavily, his large shoulders moving up and down. He gripped onto the wall next to him and put his other hand on his forehead.

"I'm sorry," he said, his voice strained, "I know I shouldn't be here..."

I walked over to him, and I was surprised with how my mind had no say in my movements anymore.

My body had taken over.

I pulled his hand from his face and wrapped my arms around his neck, holding him close to me. I could still feel myself burning, but, somehow, his body against mine dulled the pain.

He didn't waste any time wrapping his arms around me. He gripped the back of my leg with one hand and lifted me up so I could wrap my legs around his waist.

I needed him closer. All I could think about was how much I needed him closer to me.

Caleb walked us over to my bed and sat down, with me on top of him, still straddling him. I moved my face from where I had nuzzled it into his neck and pressed my forehead to his. Our ragged breathing matched as we looked into each other's eyes.

I didn't let my mind second guess my actions as I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his. I felt a lighting bolt of electricity burst through me as he moaned against my lips.

Quickly, Caleb flipped us over onto the mattress so that he hovered over me.

Our kisses were rushed and hot and our bodies were just a tangle of limbs as we grabbed at each other, never getting enough.

His mouth moved from mine and he began to pepper kisses down my neck. I wrapped my fingers in his dark hair, pulling slightly. I smiled as I was rewarded with a groan from Caleb. His hands clawed at my waist and thighs, so rough that it almost hurt, but I couldn't get enough.

His mouth stopped at the crook of my neck and I gasped as I felt a sharp prick against my skin.

Caleb's body grew rigid and tight as he moved and quickly grabbed my wrists to hold them above my head, pushing them into the mattress.

The fact that he stopped was driving me mad and I started to squirm under his grip involuntarily.

"Stop," he growled, "don't move."

I threw my head back into the bed, to try and get some air. My chest heaved up and down as Caleb hovered over me, and I could feel my body begin to heat up again. Every second became more unbearable than the last.

After what felt like forever Caleb released my hands and I immediately threw them around his neck again, holding him close to me. He moved his face from the crook of my neck and kissed me roughly once more.

"More," I begged, tugging at the hem of his shirt.

He sat up quickly and discarded the fabric before returning his lips to mine. One of his hands trailed down my leg and I gasped as he dug his fingers into my thigh.

"Fuck," he growled. His other hand grabbed the headboard of my bed and I could practically hear the wood splinter under his grip.

One of my hands wrapped around the back of his head, my fingers getting lost in his hair, and the other was around his neck, trying to keep him as close to me as possible.

I threw my head back and moaned as he ground his hips into mine. Caleb slapped a hand onto my mouth trying to keep me quiet.

"We can't..." he whispered, "I can't...we can't..."

He sounded exhausted, like he was using all of his strength to resist taking things too far. He removed his hand from my mouth and rested it gently on my cheek.

"Please," I begged, sounding just as winded as him. I could already feel the fire reignite on my skin.

"Not now," he said, his nose resting against mine. "I should go..."

As he pulled away I wrapped my arms around his shoulders.

"No," I pleaded, "just stay, please stay with me."

He sighed into my neck and pulled my arms from around him. A whimper escaped my lips before he laid next to me, wrapping his arms around my waist and holding me tightly against his chest.

I moved as close to him as I could, wrapping my arms tightly around his waist. His close proximity was enough to subside the burn, but it still took a long time before my eyes grew heavy and my breath evened out, lulling me back to sleep.