A Tale Beyond Destiny

Chapter 33: Suspicion and Trust (Caleb)

I let out a sigh when I saw that Caliana sent me a text message that was almost the same as what she had been sending these past few days. She said in that message that she had to do something outside of my condominium, and that she would go back as soon as she could, though I doubt that would really be the case because she has been coming home during the nighttime and she did not even bother to explain to me what she had been doing all this time because she always exhausted.

Don’t get me wrong, huh? I mean, I was really thankful that she was telling me when she would go outside and always assured me that she would be alright, but then again, I could not seem to remove the thought that something might go wrong if she was not careful enough. After all, it had been only a week ever since that k********g had happened and I could not seem to shake off the thought that something bad would happen to her again.

I just wanted her to be safe, and what she had been doing all this time had worried me for real, though I could not even ask her about it because I saw exhaustion in her eyes as her body sagged as though she only wanted to sleep so that she could regain her strength. It was as if whatever she had been doing was enough to take away all her energy for the day, and that made me worry about her even more.

It even got to the point that I could not work that efficiently any longer because I constantly thought of her. Even now that Fabian was giving me an update on one of our major projects, I could not seem to understand anything that he was saying, and it was as though he knew that my mind was elsewhere because he stopped talking and just stared at me as if I had done something wrong to him.

“Are you alright?” he asked as he took a seat in front of me. It was as if he had planned on staying there until I would finally speak to him about my problems. “You know that I have been talking for almost an hour now, right?”

“Really?” I asked him in a bored tone, still thinking of Caliana and what she was possibly doing at this kind of hour. “I never noticed that. I think that my mind decided to shut down and never hear anything that you are saying to me.” I started to tap the pen that I had been holding all this time, as I did not bother to look up at him any longer.

“I should be angry at you and demand that you should really focus on what I have been saying because this is a major project of our company…” he sighed, but then again, he waved his hands as though he foregoed the thought of pursuing me on listening to whatever he was saying, as he even added, “But it seems as if you will never listen to me even though I will do everything just to make you do that. To be a prank, I think that you will just ignore me even if I try and beg you to listen to me.”

I shot him a deadly stare, but then, I just looked away from him, guiltily. After all, I knew that I would really do that. I knew that I was just bound to ignore everything that he would say, and we would just both waste our time on trying something that we both knew would never succeed. So instead of arguing with him, I just resorted to letting out a stressed sigh as though it was enough for me to focus, but it never helped, really.

“What is your problem this time?” he asked me as he looked at me as though he was already tired of my constant sighing and that he already had enough of my ‘problems.’ He let out a gasp that made me look at him, though I should not have done that because the moment that I saw the expression that he had on his face, I already knew that it was just some crazy thoughts that he had think of, just this moment. “Don’t tell me that you and Caliana already broke up that was why you are acting like that?” he asked me, which made me let out a sigh once again.

There it was. The crazy thought that I was talking about. That one that I knew he would have, even though it sounded too absurd for me, and even though it was really impossible given that Caliana and I were just alright, though the thought of her going out of my house has been really bothering me these past few days.

“I should have known that you would think like that way given that you are really weird when it comes to these things.” How I wished that Connor was with us as of that moment so that I would be able to talk to someone who was on his right mind though it seems like he was as if he was busy over something these past few days and he did not even bother to check on us. I never complained though, because I knew how exhausting his work was. “And no, Caliana and I were just fine and we were getting strong.” I waved off his crazy thoughts because I knew that he would think of that way until I would not confirm anything.

“So why are you acting like that way?” he asked me as he frowned, and that made me let out a sigh once again as I thought of what Caliana has been doing these past few days. “And based on your expression, even though I am wrong with the thought of the two of you breaking up, I think that whatever has been going on your mind, it was still about Caliana.” I let a sigh once again because he really hit the right one when he pointed that out.

“Yes, you are right,” I told him as I let out a sigh for who knows how many times I did that day. I contemplated if I should just tell him or not, but in the end, just like how it has always been, I decided to tell him the truth. I have decided to tell him my worries about Caliana and her constant endeavors outside of my home.

Fabian let out a hum, as though he was thinking about what I had told him, and it was as if he was thinking of some serious advice that he would tell me - and I wished that whatever he would say to me was indeed serious, because I could not seem to take any bullsh*t as of that moment. I did not think that it would be in favor to him if he had decided to make a joke at this kind of moment.

It was as though he felt my glares at him because he flinched, before he finally looked at me with both of his hands up in the air as if he had surrendered. Then, suddenly, he let out a sigh as his face turned serious, which was enough for me to become so relieved because I knew that he would not try to say something funny and he was serious about saying some advice to me.

“I do not have any relationships as of this moment, but my past relationships have told me something, have taught me something, to be exact,” he told me, and the seriousness in his voice was enough for me to anticipate whatever he wanted to say to me. “Communication is the key for stronger relationships.”

All my hopes and anticipation suddenly dropped when I heard him say that to me as he gave him a look as though I could not believe that he was saying that to me. “I already knew that,” I told him, as a matter of fact, but I saw him shake his head, furiously.

“Knowing it and really doing it are two different things, Caleb,” he told me, and I almost wanted to ask him if he was really Fabian because I never really heard him talk like that way towards me. “I know that you know that, but I doubt that you are really doing that.” He stood up from his seat as he leaned on towards me as he raised one of his eyebrows to me and asked, “Did you even try to ask her about it, huh?”

I looked away from him as I slightly shook my head, because no, I never really asked her anything because I think that she would really tell me what she has been doing if she was already ready to really tell me, but then, now that I think of it, I think that asking her was really the only way for me to know what she has been doing these past few days.

He snapped his fingers and that made me look at him once again, though I was taken aback because of how he looked so determined just because of this talk that we had. “See?” he told me as though he had made a point, which was really the case as of this moment. “Sometimes, you just have to ask her so that you will know what she has been doing. Sometimes, it is alright for you to ask her just so you will rest assured that she is just alright!”

He suddenly turned his back on me, which made me frown at him and ask, “Where are you going?” I was very confused because I did not think that he would end our conversation right there, though the moment that he turned his head towards me again, I was taken aback once again.

“I will cancel everything that you have to do this day,” he told me with a tone that was saying that I did not have any choice but to agree with him, though I doubt that was really the best thing that I would do today. “You have to talk to her, and I will never take no for an answer because you really needed it.” I raised one of my eyebrows at him, which made him let out a loud sigh. “She is a sweet girl, Caleb, and I know that you are really in love with her that is why I am doing this.”

I let out a fond smile because of what he said. I never thought that Connor and he would be able to accept Caliana that easily, but then again, I guess that her charms were really that strong and even they were not able to resist and it resulted in this, which I was thankful for, because I wanted the people who were really close to me to have some bond and connection with one another.

“See what I mean?” he said, which made me snap out of my thoughts as I looked at him once again. He was pointing at me, with that kind of look on his face that was telling me that he was proud that he figured that much, and I just let out a short laugh as I shook my head from side to side. “That is why you needed to talk to her, alright?”

I let out a smile as I nodded my head at him to tell him that I would really do what he just said to me. “Alright,” I even said to him before I prepared to stand up from my seat. “I will go now, and talk to her just like what you said.”

I heard him let out a loud “Yes,” but I did not look back at him any longer as I pushed the buttons on the elevator that would lead me into the underground parking lot. Unlike before, everything was going smoothly and I reached my car in no time. There was no traffic too, as though fate was on my side this time and had decided to support me for whatever I was about to do, which I was so thankful for because I did not think that I would be able to calm down - if I had to wait for the traffic to be gone in an hour.

I also decided to call Caliana when I could already see the condominium building so that I would be able to know that she was already inside of my home and not at that somewhere she had been visiting these past few days.

In no time at all, I had confirmed that she was already home and was just lazing around again, and that made me smile as I imagined the way she would hang her head on the edge of the sofa as though she had nothing better to do than to just lie down on our sofa and do absolutely nothing.

I shook my head as I tried to keep my smile all to myself as I told her that I was already in the parking lot and was about to go home. It made her so shocked, for real, and it was as if she never expected that to happen, though I told her that I wanted to talk to her about something, which made her so silent as though she had already figured out what I wanted to talk about.

A minute, or maybe, two had passed and I already found myself outside of my home, typing my passcode as I prepared myself to really ask Caliana what she had been doing all this time, because I figured that I really would not be able to calm down - if ever I would not be able to know what she has been doing these past few days.

The moment that I opened the door, I already saw Caliana who was leaning on the wall as though she had been waiting for my arrival, which made me smile and I immediately strode onto where she had been standing and enveloped her in a warm hug.

“So, what are we going to talk about?” Caliana asked me as soon as we took a seat on one of the sofas in my living room. I could also tell that she was somehow nervous about this, though I could not seem to figure out why she was feeling that way. After all, I just wanted to know what she has been doing all this time and nothing else. It would not hurt her in any way, right?

I looked at her for a brief second, and I could see some hesitation in her eyes as though she was uncomfortable with this, but I really think that I needed to have an answer to the question that I had on my mind, or else, I could not really stop myself from thinking about it over and over again.

After a few seconds of having second thoughts, I finally decided to ask her, “I just wanted to know what you have been doing outside of the house these past few days?” There was a hesitation in my voice, but still, I was able to really ask her that question. I could see how she had contemplated answering my question, so I added, “Don’t get me wrong, alright? I just really could not get it out of my mind and I figured that I needed to somehow know what you have been doing so that I would rest assured that you are just alright.”

Caliana stared at me for a whole minute, before she finally looked away from me as if she wanted to prepare herself for whatever she was about to say to me. She even took a deep breath, before she turned her attention on me again, though I was taken aback because of the serious expression on her face.

“Actually…” She hesitated at first, but in the end, it seemed as though she had decided to tell me because she let out a sigh and said to me, “I have been in contact with Connor over something that I cannot really reveal to you as of this moment.”

I frowned at her because of what she said. I already knew that Connor had other work other than being a policeman, though I never bothered to ask him that because I knew that he would just evade the question and never fully tell me what it was. And now that Caliana was saying something like this, I think that it was connected to that ‘work’ that Connor had.

My lips formed a thin line as I asked her, “Will you tell me if it was already alright for you to do so?”

Caliana immediately nodded her head at me. “Of course, I will do that. After all, I really did not like to keep any secret from you.” I really believed her when I heard her say that, so I nodded my head at her. She smiled at me as she grasped my hand before she whispered to me, “I promise that I will tell you everything once I am sure that it is alright for me to do so.”