65 Chapter 65
65 Chapter 65
Seraphina’s POV 1
Damien stood there like a marble statue of masculine territorial fury, his jaw clenched so tightly | was genuinely
concerned about his
dental health. His silver-blue eyes were fixed on Caleb.
Meanwhile, Caleb was maintaining his perfectly polite.
Ophelia nudged Damien with her elbow in a gesture so casual and familiar that it would have been sisterly if not
for the mischievous
glint in her brown eyes.
“Damien,” she said in a stage whisper that was absolutely meant to be heard by everyone present, “are you
jealous?”
He didn’t acknowledge Ophelia’s question. Didn't even look at her. Just continued glaring at Caleb like he was
personally responsible for
every inconvenience that had ever occurred in the history of the world.
The awkwardness reached new and previously unexplored heights.
Adrian, who had been remarkably patient with all the adult weirdness swirling around him, finally decided he’d
had enough of being
ignored and tugged on Damien’s pant leg.
“Are we still having dinner?” he asked with the kind of practical five-year-old logic that cut straight through all
the emotional nonsense.
“Because I'm really hungry, and the pasta smells really good.”
Caleb immediately stepped forward, that easy smile returning to his face as he focused on Adrian rather than the
adults who were
apparently incapable of normal social interaction.
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“You know what, buddy?” he said, his voice warm and genuinely friendly. “I think I should probably find a hotel
for tonight anyway. | don’t
want to impose on your family dinner any more than | already have.”
The guilt hitlike a physical blow. Here was this man who had drivenhsafely, helped cook dinner,
charmed my son, and
somehow managed to remain pleasant despite Damien's barely concealed hostility, and now he was gracefully
trying to remove himself
from a situation that had becuncomfortable entirely because of our relationship .
“Caleb,” | started, but he held up a hand to stop me.
“Really, Sera, it's no trouble at all,” he said, and | could tell he meant it. “I saw a few decent-looking places on
the way into town. I'll just
grab a room for the night and head back north first thing in the morning.”
“This is ridiculous,” | said, my frustration finally bubbling over. “Caleb, you drovehsafely, helped me
carry my things, cooked
dinner with us, and were nothing but kind and helpful...” | gestured helplessly, searching for words that could
adequately express how
wrong this felt. “It’s not fair”
“I think that’s a wonderful idea!” she said with far too much enthusiasm. “Damien, you'd be happy to have Caleb
stay with you, wouldn't
you?”
The look Damien shot her could have melted steel. “Ophelia="
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65 Chapter 65
“I mean, it's the neighborly thing to do,” she continued, completely ignoring his warning tone. “And Caleb seems
like such pleasant. company. I'm sure you two will get along famously once you get to know each other better.”
Finally, Damien turned to Caleb with what could generously be described as resigned acceptance.
“Of course,” he said, his voice carefully controlled. “You're welcto stay in my guest room tonight.”
The words sounded like they were being extracted from him with pliers, but at least he was saying them.
Caleb studied Damien for a long moment, and | could practically see him weighing his options. He could
gracefully decline and remove
himself from this obviously uncomfortable situation. Or he could accept the offer and spend the evening in what
would probably be the
most awkward sleepover in the history of adult male friendships.
To my surprise, he smiled-a genuine, warm expression that somehow managed to be both friendly and slightly
challenging.
“I appreciate the offer,” he said. “And | accept.”
Finally, after what felt like hours but was probably only twenty minutes, Damien and Caleb were ready to leave.
They stood by my front
door, Damien looking like he was facing a root canal and Caleb looking like he was finding the whole situation far
more amusing than he
probably should.
“Thank you for dinner,” Caleb said to me, his smile warm and genuine. “And for the company. It’s been a long
tsince I've had such an
enjoyable evening.”
Then he turned to include Adrian, Ophelia, andin his final farewell, and the words that cout of his mouth
were so perfectly,
charmingly ridiculous that | had to bite my lip to keep from laughing out loud.
“Good night, two beautiful ladies and one talented little boy.”
Adrian giggled delightedly at being called talented, Ophelia practically preened under the compliment, and |
found myself shaking my
head in amused disbelief at the man’s sheer audacity.
And then they were gone. Ophelia and | stood in the doorway, watching their retreating figures disappear down
the hallway toward the
elevator. The silence stretched between us as we listened to the faint ding of the elevator arrival, the soft
whoosh of doors opening and
closing, and then nothing.
“Well,” Ophelia said eventually, her voice rich with amusement, “that was certainly educational.”
| snorted with laughter, all the tension of the evening finally finding an outlet.
“I give it about two hours before one of them kills the other,” she continued thoughtfully, “Though I'm not sure
which one my money
should be on
“They're grown men, | said, though even | could hear the lack of conviction in my voice. “I'm sure they'll be
perfectly civil.
Ophelia turned to look atwith one eyebrow raised in the kind of expression that suggested she thought I'd
lost my mind.
“Sera, sweetie,” she said gently, “the sexual tension in that room was so thick I'm surprised we didn’t all
suffocate. And I'm not talking
about the romantic kind.”
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We stood there for another moment, both of us staring down the empty hallway like we expected to hear the
sounds of combat echoing from the elevator shaft.
“Hope they will not kill each other.”
Finally, | sighed and closed the door.
“Con,” | said to Ophelia, “let's go have swine and pretend we didn’t just unleash the most awkward
sleepover in the history of adult masculinity.”