The Raven and The Dove

Chapter 3

It had been almost two weeks, since the little episode in the hallway, and Melia had been unable to get it out of her head. Those blue eyes. She had never seen anything like them. They gave her a feeling of staring at a calm ocean. Tranquil and safe, not a wave in sight. Her work hadn’t been affected by it, fortunately, but it was still something that bothered her a bit. She didn’t even know the guy, aside from name and reputation! No reason to be so hung up on him.

A sigh escapes her as she slowly sits up in bed and runs her fingers through her hair. Why couldn’t she just go through her days as usual, not worrying about a stupid guy? They hadn’t even talked since, only barely nodding at eachother if their eyes met in the hallway. There was nothing to justify her brain’s apparent obsession with Caleb. At all. Yet, she still found herself attracted to him, much against her will. 

Melia looks at her alarm when it goes off again, directing a glare at the noisy clock before she turns it off. She had already hit snooze a few times, so it was probably time to get up. Not that she felt like it, but since it was Friday, it should be doable.

Letting her blanket slide off her legs as she gets out of bed, a long yawn escapes her. She stretches and lets out a relieved sigh, before making her way towards the bathroom, reemerging about ten minutes later. Her hair is now brushed and in the usual high ponytail. She twirls a lock between her fingers, staring at the color that had already started fading a bit. Maybe it was time to start thinking about her next color. She shrugs a bit, dismissing the thought for now as she rummages through her closet.

A string of curses leave her lips, when she realizes she’d forgotten to do her laundry. All of her usual school clothes was stuffed in the hamper in the bathroom, leaving only her “off-day” and work clothes. Just her luck. She could just go buy some, under normal circumstances, but she was already running late and she’d rather not get to school late. It’d ruin her perfect attendance, which she needed.

A few minutes later, Melia is making her way out the door, an apple in her mouth, bag on her shoulder and keys in her hand. In the end, she had chosen to wear a pair of black, low-waist skinny jeans and a one-shoulder, dark purple top that hugged her curves, emphasizing her hourglass figure. Since she already had no choice, but to wear that outfit, she had chosen to go all-in and putting on her dark brown cowboy boots, which she normally never wore to school. If she was gonna gain attention, she might as well do it properly.

Jumping in her car - an old Trans Am - she takes the apple out of her mouth and starts the car, making her way towards school. It was too late to not take the car.

Caleb was trying to catch his breath, having barely made it to school on time. Having to run all the way, because your bike decides to have a flat and the bus is already gone, really sucked. He wasn’t really in bad shape, as such, but he had been sprinting at full speed, almost the entire way from his house. That was way too much, first thing in the morning. 

He makes his way across the parking lot, still trying to calm his breath while jogging towards the entrance, before a honk grabs his attention and causes him to quickly move, to make room for the black Trans Am that’s making its way towards the parking spot, he was currently standing in front. So someone else was running late, huh?

He stops walking when he hears the engine turn off, curious about who owned a car like that, only to drop his jaw when he sees the head of sunset hair emerging from the driver’s side. Melia?! She had a car? Not to mention such a sweet ride? It looked to be in perfect condition!

His thoughts are quickly torn from the car, however, when Melia steps out from behind the car, quickly moving towards the entrance. Was he dreaming? He had to be. There was no way, that he was currently seeing Melia, not only looking hot as hell in her tight-fitting clothes, but even running late from school and arriving in a car like that. Yeah, he definitely had to be dreaming.

He can’t help but stay in his spot, however, his eyes resting on her as she lifts her gaze and slowly stops a bit away from him, her eyes meeting his with an almost cautious glance. Was she still nervous about last time? He hoped not, but as he turns to face her fully, a flash of something he doesn’t recognize, crosses over her face. Fear? Suddenly, he felt nervous.

“Hi..” she says slowly, her voice low and careful, but loud enough for him to hear.

A smile spreads on his lips, though it just as quickly disappears again. He wasn’t going to get his hopes up, just because she said hi.

“Hi.” he answers, his voice rather tame.

They’re quiet for a few seconds, before the bell suddenly sounds, making them both snap their head towards the doors, a ‘crap’ sounding from both of them. This makes them look at eachother, soon both laughing as they move towards the doors.

“I’m really sorry, about last time.” Caleb says as he opens the door for Melia, entering after her. “I meant no harm.”

“I know.” is her response, sending a smile at him before speeding up towards her locker. “I’m not holding a grudge. Besides…” She pulls a few books out of her locker, double-checks her schedule and then looks at him again as she slams the locker closed. “I don’t think I would mind, if you did it again.” 

Caleb’s eyes widen, not just at her words, but also at the little wink she sends him, right before running down the hallway towards her class, leaving Caleb stunned and unable to move.