Bonded

2

The next morning, the sky was a muted gray, promising more rain later in the day. I couldn’t stop thinking about Caleb Thorn. His face, his voice, his presence—it had all been seared into my mind like an impossible daydream. I tried to convince myself it was nothing. People like him didn’t notice people like me.

But still, the memory of his eyes following my every movement made my stomach flip as I tied my apron around my waist at the café where I worked mornings.

“You’re zoning out again,” Mia, my coworker and closest thing to a friend, teased as she passed me a tray of steaming lattes.

“Sorry,” I muttered, snapping out of my thoughts. Mia was the complete opposite of me—vibrant, bold, and unfiltered. Her short, spiky red hair matched her fiery personality, and she wore her black uniform like it was a designer outfit.

“Let me guess,” she said with a sly grin, leaning on the counter. “You’re thinking about a guy.”

“What? No,” I lied, grabbing the tray.

“Oh, come on! Your cheeks are red. Who is he?”

I hesitated, debating whether to tell her. But I knew Mia wouldn’t let it go, so I mumbled, “Just someone who came into the bookstore last night.”

Mia’s eyes lit up. “And? Was he hot?”

“Um…yeah, I guess.”

“You guess?” she exclaimed, giving me a playful shove. “Details, Ivy! How hot are we talking? Like, ‘cute boy next door’ hot, or ‘tall, dark, and dangerous’ hot?”

I sighed, unable to stop the small smile that tugged at my lips. “Definitely the second one.”

Mia practically squealed. “See, this is why you need to get out more! You might meet guys like that outside of work.”

I rolled my eyes, balancing the tray as I headed toward a table of customers. Mia followed close behind, still grinning like she’d uncovered the secret to my soul.

The rest of the shift passed in a blur, and by the time I clocked out, I was exhausted. I debated going straight home to curl up with a book, but something made me turn toward the bookstore instead.

When I stepped inside, Mrs. Baker wasn’t at the counter. A younger girl, Jenny, was filling in, her bright smile welcoming me as I shrugged off my jacket.

“You didn’t have to come in today,” she said, stacking a pile of paperbacks.

“I didn’t really have plans,” I admitted, grabbing a book from the return bin to shelve.

The store was quiet, and I let myself get lost in the rhythm of organizing books. The familiar smell of paper and ink soothed my nerves.

The bell above the door chimed, and my heart skipped a beat. I turned, half expecting to see Caleb again, but it was a group of students chattering loudly as they headed to the bargain section. I shook my head at myself.

“He’s not coming back,” I muttered under my breath.

Except he did.

It was almost closing time when the door opened again, and there he was, standing in the doorway like he owned the room. The suit was gone, replaced by a black turtleneck and tailored slacks that still managed to look like they belonged on the cover of a fashion magazine.

I froze, a hardcover in my hands as his eyes found mine.

“Ivy,” he said, his voice just as smooth as I remembered.

“H-hi,” I stammered, suddenly wishing I’d done something better with my hair than throw it into a messy bun.

He walked toward me, his every step measured and deliberate. “I was hoping you’d be here.”

“Why?” The question slipped out before I could stop it.

He smiled, a slow, devastating curve of his lips. “Because I didn’t get enough time with you last night.”

I stared at him, heat rushing to my cheeks. What was he even saying?

“You didn’t have to come all the way here for that,” I managed, placing the book on the nearest shelf to give my hands something to do.

“I wanted to,” he said simply. “I don’t do anything unless I want to.”

The weight of his words made my breath hitch. He wasn’t just talking about coming back to the store.

Mrs. Baker appeared from the backroom then, her warm voice breaking the tension. “Mr. Thorn! Back again so soon?”

He turned to her, that charming smile back in place. “What can I say? Your store has a way of drawing me in.”

“Or maybe it’s Ivy,” Mrs. Baker said with a wink, making me want to disappear into the floor.

Caleb chuckled, the sound low and rich. “Maybe it is.”

I busied myself straightening a row of books, refusing to meet his gaze again. When Mrs. Baker moved to help another customer, Caleb closed the distance between us.

“You seem nervous,” he said softly, his voice low enough that only I could hear.

“I’m not,” I lied, my pulse racing.

He tilted his head, studying me. “You’re not very good at lying, Ivy.”

I looked up at him, my heart pounding in my chest. “Why are you here?”

“To see you,” he said without hesitation.

The honesty in his answer made my knees feel weak. No one had ever said something like that to me before—at least, not with the kind of intensity Caleb Thorn radiated.

“Do you always say things like that to people?” I asked, trying to sound braver than I felt.

“Only when I mean them.”

My breath caught. I didn’t know what to say, so I just stood there, staring at him.

“I’ll leave you to finish your shift,” he said after a moment, stepping back. “But I’ll be seeing you again, Ivy.”

He turned and walked out, leaving me with my heart in my throat and a thousand questions swirling in my mind. Who was Caleb Thorn, and why did I feel like my world had shifted the moment he walked into it?