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"nice one, caleb!" one of the guys on the court exclaims, slinging an arm around caleb. they celebrate their newest score with loud cheers and even louder laughter, sweat trickling down the sides of their sun-kissed faces.
you sit off to the side, leaning against the fence, watching with a smile of your own. caleb always looks the best like this, happy and carefree, living in the moment. it's one of your favorite versions of him. in fact, you love every version of him.
it was hard not to.
he has always been a constant presence by your side for as long as you can remember. in your library of memories, he was almost always there. warm and comforting like the sun.
and as much as he plagued you, you're confident that you have also long left your mark on him. it's only fair. after all— he is yours.
"he's super cute, isn't he?" you hear a nearby girl giggle to her friend. she sounds absolutely lovestruck. turning your head sneakily to glance at her, you spot her bashfully blushing, eyelashes fluttering in a certain direction.
following her line of sight, your eyes land on caleb.
you freeze the instant you realize what's going on.
"i saw him at the market the other day with his grandma," she says in a dreamy tone. "he's such a sweetheart. perfect husband material."
her words make you feel sick. you want to tune her out, pretend like she and her feelings don't exist, but a part of you wants to keep listening. hearing someone openly crush on caleb is a bitter reminder that he doesn't only exist for you. other people can see and perceive him. it's not just you.
"oh my gosh, are you going to ask him out?" her friend excitedly bounces up and down in place. "you two would look sooo cute together!" she squeals.
you bite down and chew on your bottom lip, narrowing your eyes at the thought of caleb with someone else. it was unfathomable. your caleb? with someone that wasn't you?
"i don't know…" the girl with a crush sighs. "he's known for turning down anyone that asks him out."
her friend persists, "but what if you're the exception?"
the girl thoughtfully hums, taking a moment to think. it takes her a whole minute before she reluctantly speaks up. "…should i really give it a shot?"
"definitely! you're the prettiest girl in our school, why would he not be interested in dating you—"
"pipsqueak!" caleb calls, approaching you with a massive smile pressed onto his lips. his eyes get caught on yours, urging you to meet him halfway.
you quickly find yourself mindlessly making your way over to him.
"all done?" you ask, now standing right in front of him. leaning on the tips of your toes, you wipe away beads of sweat from his forehead.
he stares at you, not yet answering, lost in his thoughts. thoughts that all stem from you.
"caleb?" you shift your weight onto the heels of your feet, raising an eyebrow at him. "hellooo? did you hear what i asked?"
"hmm?" he blinks. "oh, yeah. the other team gave up." he laughs.
"to be fair, you guys did destroy them." you snicker. caleb's team was nearly twenty points ahead, a hopeless predicament for their opponents.
"we sure did!" he grins, thanking you when you hand him the water bottle in your hand. he downs a few gulps, sighing happily afterwards.
"are they your friends?" he asks, briefly glancing back at the girls from earlier. he doesn't look for long, but you wished he didn't look at all. "i don't think i've ever seen you hangin' out with them."
"nope. i don't know them." you respond a little too quickly. you don't want to bring too much of his attention to those girls.
his forehead creases in confusion. "what's wrong?" he focuses on you again and you melt a little. the warmth of his gaze feels like home.
"nothing," you murmur, shaking your head side to side. "it's just hot."
"you're lying." he holds you by the wrist. you can feel his heartbeat thumping in the palm of his hand.
"are you gonna be honest or am i gonna have to pry it outta you, pip?" he asks, smiling to cover up his thinly veiled threat.
you go to answer, to get mad at him for being so annoyingly caring, but then you notice the girls from earlier. they're whispering to each other behind their hands, looking at caleb and glaring at you.
honestly, you could care less about whatever nonsense they're saying about you. it doesn't matter if they ask questions or gossip about you. what's more irritating is how they stare at caleb. they shouldn't be allowed to look at him at all.
"pipsqueak?"
you want to stuff him away in a black box where no one else can see him.
"i wanna go home." you murmur with a hardened expression.
caleb opens his mouth to speak, but quickly decides against it.
"okay." he nods, his lips pressed into a flat line. he looks more concerned than ever, his good mood replaced with something quieter.
he gently tugs you along and leads the way, keeping at a pace that won't have you stumbling to catch up. it's only when you're off the court that you realize he didn't even say anything to his friends. he left them behind just for you.
you should feel guilty about that. he shouldn't be playing favorites, picking you over the rest, but the sick sense of satisfaction you get whenever he does is addictive. you love how he cares so much about you.
"mind telling me what's goin' on in that pretty little head of yours?" caleb asks once you two get home. he turns, hands warm on the sides of your shoulders as he gives you his full attention.
"like i said, it's nothing." you huff, averting your gaze. your face feels hot now that you have calmed down.
"it's not nothing." caleb's hands trail down the length of your arms, smoothly capturing both of your hands in his own. his palm is warm and sweaty, but it's just as comforting as always.
"you're upset." he says like it's a fact, because he knows you.
"baby," he begins carefully, voice so soft it's ticklish, "you gotta let me know what's going on so i can help you."
you sigh and finally give in.
"i hate when other people talk about you." you admit, chewing on your bottom lip. "the way they look at you. think of you. it's like they're gonna take you away from me and i just hate it."
your mouth seems to have a mind of its own, each word dripping with frustration. it's a bitter ring in the air. you feel ashamed for even feeling this way, but it won't stop.
"why do you have to be so popular? and so handsome? and so smart? and—" you exhale loudly, glaring at caleb as if he's the one to blame. "you're mine, caleb. i wish you only existed for me." you mumble a few more things that he can't quite catch.
he watches as you slowly come out of it after a few minutes, staring at the floor like it offended you in the worst way possible.
in that stillness, he chuckles quietly.
you snap your head back up, frowning. "caleb."
"i'm not laughing at you," he quickly says.
"it's just that—" he laughs between his words. "it's just that you're so cute," he finally manages to say.
your eyes widen by a fraction. "what?"
"pipsqueak," he sighs sweetly. "there is only one person i care about in this entire world." he lifts your hands up to his face, resting them on his cheeks.
"can you guess who that is?" he asks with an adoring glint in his eyes.
you pause. you never doubted him, it's just…
"say it." you demand.
you need to hear it from his own lips.
"it's you." he grins. "i only care about you."
"i dunno what those girls said back there, but i promise that no one will ever take me away from you." he kisses the back of your hand in a fleeting gesture before pulling you into a hug.
"i will always be right by your side."
"…hmph." you press yourself into his warmth, secretly smiling to yourself. "you better not break your promise, caleb."
"if you break it i'll make you my prisoner," you mumble, "that way you'll never be able to leave me."
caleb chuckles. "that sounds pretty good to me, pipsqueak."