The Raven and The Dove

Chapter 7

The ride is spent mostly in silence, Melia just enjoying the quiet and Caleb sneaking glances at her, once in a while. Whenever they do say something, it’s either Melia trying to ask where they’re going, but failing, or Caleb teasing her about her seeming reluctance against surprises.

When the car comes to a halt, Melia looks at the building they’ve parked in front, surprise on her face before a smile shows as she turns to Caleb.

“Bowling?” she asks, lifting an eyebrow as if disapproving, but she can’t help the amused tone in her voice. “Are you sure you’re ready to lose to me, on our first date?”

Caleb lets out a laugh as he gets out of the car, though he frowns a bit when she doesn’t even give him time to come open the door for her. She definitely wasn’t one of those girls, who expected him to be at her beck and call, but he would lie if he said he didn’t like that.

Placing his hand on the small of her back, he walks with her towards the entrance. “I hope you won’t get offended, when I win.” he finally responds, opening the door for her.

His remark causes Melia to childishly stick her tongue out at him, causing him to chuckle and her letting out a small laugh. He would never have expected her, to have this side to her, though he had already seen a slightly different side, than the overly serious studious type, this was another welcome surprise.

Melia doesn’t wait for him, as she makes her way to the guy with the shoes, quickly scanning the shelves for her size. When she spots the right size, she informs Caleb, who asks for shoes for them both. Honestly, she felt a bit bad about him paying for everything, but he had insisted during the ride here, and she didn’t feel like arguing about it. He obviously knew she could spare the money, but he didn’t care, which she also found a bit adorable.

As they put on their shoes, sitting next to the lane they’ve been assigned, Melia looks around the place. There weren’t a lot of people, but the place had a nice atmosphere. It was calm, almost tranquil, yet somehow also full of life. She felt herself relax a bit, the slight tension in her body now almost gone.

Caleb already had his shoes on, not worried about their surroundings, and he simply looks at Melia with a smile on his lips. When he notices her body posture changing a bit, he realizes she was only now relaxing. How had he not noticed how tense she was? Maybe he should pay more attention. 

He moves his gaze from her, just as she looks towards him, and clears his throat lightly to make sure his voice was under control. What the hell did she do to him?

“I have to warn you, I’m pretty good at this, if I say so myself.” he says teasingly, as he types in their names. Melia’s of course being first. 

“I’m sure you are.”

Laughing lightly, Melia leans towards him a bit, deliberately enhancing her cleavage at the movement, a teasing look in her eyes. 

“Please, give me a chance, Caleb?” she asks sweetly, giving him a small pout.

She didn’t expect it to be effective, but the expression on his face was priceless. He looked as if he was torn between his pride or giving into her, along with something she couldn’t define. 

Caleb simply nods, doing his best to not stare too much at her cleavage. He actually did pretty good, and gave himself a mental pat on the back, ignoring the fact that he had still stared a bit much. Her voice had him severely distracted, though, and he wanted so bad to give in to her request, but somehow he really doubted that she even needed a chance. 

His eyes linger on her pouting lips, his tongue briefly licking his own as he convinces himself not to claim them for himself. They were so inviting, that he finds himself leaning slightly forward, though he quickly realizes and stands up, making it almost seem like that was his intention all along.

A small chuckle makes Caleb’s cheeks heat up slightly. Melia had obviously not missed the movement, but to his relief she doesn’t say anything about it, simply joining him in finding a bowling ball that fit.

They bowl until their time is up, then handing back the shoes and ordering some food from the menu. Caleb had been surprised at Melia, staring at her as she was ordering more food than he could probably eat himself, then looked at him to get him to order for himself. Was she really going to eat all of that?!

This time, Melia insists on paying for the food, not even allowing Caleb time to find his wallet. Her argument was, that she had ordered so much more than him, that it was only fair, and somehow he couldn’t disagree with that. Honestly, he was almost relieved when he saw her swipe her card, the amount being big enough to put a bigger dent in his budget, than he had accounted for. 

They talk and eat for a while, Melia getting through her food surprisingly quickly, before she jumps slightly when her phone starts ringing. A small row of curses leaves her as she quickly wipes her fingers and mouth in a napkin, before answering her phone as she sends Caleb and apologetic look.

“Yeah?” She listens for a bit, her eyebrows slowly closing in on eachother as her frown deepens. 

“When? Now? I told him I’m out tonight.” she grumbles.

A heavy sigh leaves her after a bit, and she pinches the bridge of her nose as she wills herself to calm down. 

“Five minutes.” she says, surrendering, though she rolls her eyes at the response. “Fine!”

She hangs up and practically throws her phone back in her purse, before looking at Caleb again, smiling a bit at his curious expression.

“Work.” she says, looking apologetic. “Apparently I have to go in.”

Caleb looks even more confused when she stands. “Wait, where are you-?”

His words are cut off when Melia leans down and plants a soft, lingering kiss on his lips.

“It was fun.” she mumbles against his lips, before straightening herself and walking out, leaving Caleb speechless and just staring at her leaving figure.

Outside, Melia glares towards the black car, but still makes her way towards it, the driver opening the door for her immediately, closing it again after she gets in. She pulls off her heels, dropping them to the floor of the car, as she looks towards the bag next to her.

“Are you ready, miss?” the driver asks, looking at her in the rearview mirror.

Melia simply nods and pushes the button to roll up the screen between front and back, giving her some privacy.