Saving Us

by Ashley Johnson

  Saving Us

  Copyright 2014

  Ashley Johnson

  Published by

  Ashley Johnson

  Edited by

  Jessika Harper

  Cover by

  Robin Harper/Wicked by Design

  All characters are purely characters of fiction. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is coincidental.

  Dedication

  This book is dedicated to anyone who has ever been told they couldn’t do something. You can do whatever you set your mind to, now go out and do it!

  Chapter 1

  Crisp, clear days. These are my favorite and we don’t get to see many of these here. Fall is finally here, I can see it in the changing leaves in the trees. I love to look at the bright reds, oranges, and yellows. Matter of fact, I just got done decorating mine and Caleb’s off campus apartment last night. We were both exhausted from classes but he took the time to help me hang the large fall foliage wreath on the door. Pumpkin spice candles line the shelves in our quaint one bedroom apartment along with a little scarecrow that sits on the end of my bookshelf. We decorated before going to meet our friends Cory and Megan at a local club for 80’s night. The DJ plays mainly 80’s tunes all night and everyone dresses the part. Every few songs, he throws something more modern in and it’s a blast. We rarely miss it. Caleb held me close last night as we danced the night away and the minute we got home, we collapsed into bed.

  “Good morning Syb,” Caleb murmurs into my soft skin.

  I roll over to face him, scrunching my nose as he plants a kiss on it. “Morning babe.”

  Being in his arms is my favorite place. Not wanting to get up and go to class this morning, I snuggle closer. His erection pressing against me tells me that he doesn’t either.

  “Mmm,” I moan as he kisses my shoulder and then moves down to my breast. My nipples harden instantly at his touch.

  “I wish we could stay inside all day, away from everyone and everything. Just me and you. We could forget the world.”

  “Me too, but it’s the first day of class. Can we skip?” I ask hopeful, knowing the answer deep down.

  “I love you so much Sybil.”

  “I love you too Caleb.” I say before crushing my lips to his. He takes his time running his hands over my body, exploring every inch of me. I crumble beneath his touch, yearning for more. His hand dips below the waist of my panties and in one swift movement, they are removed. He showers me with kisses as he hovers over me preparing to take me. He reaches over opening the nightstand to grab a condom. He rips the package open with his teeth and slowly slides it over his cock. As he slides into me, I wrap my arms around his body holding him tightly. He thrusts in and out slowly, taking his time making slow sensual love to me.

  “You are mine Sybil. Forever mine.” He murmurs against my skin.

  “And you are mine.” I tell him in a raspy voice.

  His eyes never leave mine and all they show is love. Pure, raw love. Caleb is everything to me. He collapses on me breathing heavily. His breathing returns to normal but he doesn’t move, he holds me tight. I don’t complain, I love this.

  “I wasn’t trying to make us late, I just can’t resist you baby.” He smiles that crooked smile I love so much.

  “I can’t resist you either. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” I say. He is and he knows it. Life without Caleb wouldn’t be life at all.

  His smile reaches his eyes and my insides melt a little more. “Hey, you know what today is right?”

  “Yeah, we’ve already discussed that it’s the first day of school.” I say sarcastically.

  “Besides that silly. I have to take my truck to get the tires and brakes changed. Do you mind following me to the shop and then I can bring you to school? My class isn’t until this afternoon anyway.”

  I groan thinking of having to go to class. “Lucky ass, yeah babe that’s fine. Let me get ready.”

  We get dressed for our day and he links his fingers with mine as we walk out the door. Once he drops his truck off at the shop, he climbs into the passenger seat of my car. He laughs at my choice of music and I stick my tongue out as I turn the volume down just a tad.

  There’s a few things in life that I’m certain of, one being I’m lucky. I’m beyond lucky. I know that every morning I will wake up to Caleb. I know he will kiss me on the nose every morning and tell me how much he loves me. I know he’ll be there when I get home from class and I know he is everything I’ll never need. We met our freshman year here in Baton Rouge, Louisiana when we bumped into each other on the way to class. My head was in my phone, I had nowhere to be and I walked right into him. I mumbled that I was sorry, but my heart dropped the minute I looked up into his Hershey-brown eyes resting above two perfect dimples. He ran his hands casually through his messy brown hair while I fidgeted uncomfortably. I apologized as calmly as I could hoping he wouldn’t think I was a klutz. The next day, he stood in the very same spot just so he could talk to me.

  Caleb’s father is a hotshot lawyer and I learned Caleb is going to follow in his footsteps. He’s extremely goal-oriented and goes for what he wants. I learned this when I turned him down once or twice. He’s extremely persistent. Who wants the girl who came from nothing? He didn’t know that at the time, but I refused to burden him with my issues. I was hoping just to survive college.

  My parents died when I was a young girl. A drunk driver hit them one night on their way home. I barely remember them, which hurts like hell. Every time I see a picture, it’s like opening the wound all over again. I wish I knew them but Granny always made sure she told me about them. My Granny was my Mom’s mom. She passed away last year peacefully in her bed. That day was hard for me, but I knew she was in a better place. She was one of the best people I’ve ever known. She took me in immediately without question and raised me to be a respectable young woman. Without her, I’m not sure I would have even made it through high school, let alone get to college. When she passed, I found out my parents left me a pretty large trust fund. I had no clue about it and wondered how they were able to set something up like that. The agreement stated that once I turned 18, each month I would be allowed a certain amount. That sure helped with school and other things but I didn’t like spending much of it.

  Two years, that’s how long Caleb and I have been together. We’ve dated for one year before getting engaged. His parents love me and I love them. We all agreed that we should finish school before getting married so it’s been a slow but exciting engagement. I like not feeling rushed to get it over with, I want that day to be so perfect when I give my whole life to him.

  It’s the first day of our junior year and I am glad that we only have one year left. Then Caleb can fully get on board with his father’s firm and I can begin applying for jobs at local elementary schools. I really want to teach kindergarten. I love young kids.

  My phone buzzes bringing me out of my trance. The screen is lighting up with the reminder that I need to get to my class. Clicking the reminder away, I turn to look at Caleb. He leans in pulling me closer to his body. I breathe him in as he kisses my head. “I love you Sybil, I’ll be here after your classes, my truck should be done by then.”

  “I love you too. Don’t you forget about me.” I warn him.

  “Someone clearly spends too much time at 80’s night. Don’t you, forget about me. Don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t!” he sings to me.

  I roll my eyes laughing as I open the car door. “Bye babe, I have to go learn things. I love you.”

  “I love you too babe.”

  The strap of my bag clings to my shoulder and I steady it with one arm while holding my balance.

  I can see Lockett Hall from where I stand and my first class is in there. My mind is set and read
y for the first day of school. You can do this Sybil. You’ve worked so hard for this. I brush a piece of my wavy chestnut colored hair behind my ear and grip my bag tighter.

  The first class goes by entirely too slow and I’m instantly relieved when the professor lets us leave. I walk to a bench and sit waiting for my last class of the day.

  “Hey Sybil!” A voice comes from nowhere almost sending phone airborne. I turn to find our friend Megan calling my name.

  “Hey Megan, I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you at first.”

  “Well, get your head out of the clouds missy. How was your first class?”

  “Boring. I really hope the next one isn’t bad.”

  “I didn’t see your car out in the parking lot, I looked for it.” She says sitting down beside me.

  “Caleb dropped me off. His truck is in the shop. He’ll be here to get me when he’s done.”

  “Gotcha. We should have planned better schedules. I hate waking up early.”

  “Shit, me too.”

  “Hey Megan, what’s up Sybil.” Cory says as he stands in front of us. Cory is Caleb’s best friend. They grew up together and plan on both working for Caleb’s dad once both of them graduate.

  “Hey Cory.” I grab my phone to check the time. “Looks like you have a shitty schedule like us.”

  “No, actually I don’t. I needed to meet with my advisor this morning.” He smiles.

  I’m getting ready to give him a smart ass comment when my phone rings. Caleb’s picture pops up and I can’t contain the smile that spreads across my face.

  “Hey babe, your truck’s done?” The other end of the line is silent besides the occasional breathing. “Caleb?”

  “Sybil,” his voice breaks and I’m on high alert that something could be wrong.

  “Caleb, are you ok?”

  Cory’s eyes dart up to meet mine. My brow creases as I try to figure out what is going on. He seemed so happy earlier and now, not so much.

  “I’m so sorry Sybil.”

  “What are you sorry for? Oh god, did you get in a wreck? It’s just a car Caleb, as long as you’re ok….”

  “No wreck Sybil,” he interrupts me. “I can’t do this anymore.”

  “Can’t do what Caleb, please talk to me. It’s me, Sybil. You can tell me anything you know that.”

  A lone tear slides down my cheek and I hurry to wipe it away. I don’t know that I have a legitimate reason to be crying, other than I’m worried to death right now. What the hell is going on?

  “Sybil,” his voice cracks. My attention snaps back to the conversation as he continues to speak. “I love you so much. Never forget that ok?”

  My eyes grow wide. Why is he talking like this? “I love you too Caleb. Always. Come pick me up and we’ll go back to the apartment and we can talk about whatever this is.”

  “I can’t do that Syb,” he cries. My heart continues to split in two as I listen to him cry. Cory stands in front of me barely moving.

  “What do you mean you can’t? Just come get me ok?” Cory looks at me trying to understand and I don’t know what to tell him. “Do you want to talk to Cory maybe? Is it something you’d be more comfortable telling him?”

  He begs me not to hand the phone over but Cory practically rips it from my hands. “Caleb, man, Sybil is over here scared shitless. What’s going on?”

  Whatever Caleb is telling him, has got to be the same thing I’m hearing. Nothing. Cory runs his hands through his hair as he sighs. “Man, don’t talk like that. Just come get her or Megan can bring her to our place and you and I can talk.”

  My eyes shut tight trying to process this conversation. I don’t understand what is going on and I’m hurt. I’m broken in more ways than I could ever explain right now. I’m confused, I’m heartbroken, and I am a lot of things right now.

  Cory stands there continuing to talk to him, “Come on Caleb. This can all be sorted out. Quit talking like this. It’s me and you at the firm once we graduate remember? We have a plan. I have to stand beside you when you and Sybil get married. We have plans, remember?”

  Cory hands the phone back to me and I put it back to my ear. The tears won’t stop no matter how hard I try to get them to. “Caleb, please baby. Please do this for me.”

  “I love you Sybil, so much and I am doing this for you.”

  The call ends abruptly and I try to call him again but the phone goes straight to voicemail. I look up at Cory and frown. “It went to voicemail. What is going on?”

  “I have no clue. Maybe he’s just having a bad day and his phone dropped the call.”

  “I hope so.” I look at my phone and practically jump up. “I’m going to be late for class. If I hear back from him, I’ll text one of you.”

  Megan stands and hugs me, “His phone probably dropped the call, I’ll check with you after class.”

  I walk numbly to class knowing I won’t be able to concentrate on anything at all. The professor begins droning on with notes for us to take. I rip my notebook out and begin scribbling as quickly as my hands will move. An hour into the lecture, my phone begins to ring. My face turns a bright shade of red as I realize the volume on my phone is up. The professor stops and stares at me making the situation more uncomfortable.

  The number is one I don’t recognize and my first thought is Caleb is calling from the auto shop. I grab my purse and excuse myself. Once I’m in the hall, I hurry and answer before the call goes to voicemail.

  “Hello?”

  “Hi, is this Sybil Hayes?”

  “Yes sir.”

  “This is Lt. Brian Murphy with the Baton Rouge Police Department.” A sickening feeling fills my stomach and my heart begins racing in my chest. Maybe he really did get in a wreck and was too scared to tell me, but why would he have been talking like he was?

  “Is-is everything ok?”

  “Ma’am, I regret to inform you there’s been an accident.”

  “What kind of accident? Is Caleb ok? Can I talk to him?” I ask quickly.

  “Ms. Hayes, I’m going to need you to come down to the station.”

  “I’m sorry, what for?” I ask him confused.

  “You drive a 2005 Nissan Altima correct Ms. Hayes?” Oh my god, I can’t breathe. Tears sting my eyes as I try to concentrate on taking deep, even breaths. It’s not working.

  “Yes, sir.” I choke out.

  “Please come down to the station as soon as you can…” Lt. Murphy continues to talk but I hear nothing he says. I’m not quite sure I understand.

  He ends the call and I sit there in the hall and stare at my phone. Class will be getting out soon and I can’t sit out here any longer. Quickly, I get to my feet and run towards the doors of the building. Once I’m out in the open, I fumble for Cory or Megan’s number.

  Cory answers on the second ring. I can’t figure out why I need to be at the station. I hope Caleb isn’t in any sort of trouble. The cop wouldn’t tell me anything over the phone. “Hello?”

  “Are you out of class?”

  “Just got out actually, you hear from Caleb?” he asks.

  “I got a call from a cop that needs me to go down to the station. Caleb has my car, can you bring me?”

  “Yeah, let me text Megan. Meet me in the parking lot.” A few minutes later, Cory meets me in the parking lot and I climb into his truck. “What do you think it is Sybil?”

  “I don’t know. I haven’t heard from Caleb and then his call ended abruptly earlier so I have no clue.”

  Cory parks at the station and I have to take a deep breath before I can pull myself out of the truck. A thousand scenarios fill my head but I block all them out. I just want to see Caleb again. The receptionist smiles warmly at me and I try to reciprocate it but I’m failing miserably.

  “My name is Sybil Hayes and I got a phone call from Lt. Murphy.”

  She dials his number, says something into the phone then smiles at me again. “He’ll be right up.”

  I stand off to the side trying to fight this sickenin
g feeling in my gut. Cory answers his phone and talks to Megan again while we wait. Lt. Murphy comes walking up and I wish I could read his face but there is nothing.

  “Ms. Hayes? Thank you for coming. It appears your car was involved in an accident…”

  “What kind of accident? Is Caleb here? Is he ok?”

  “Follow me Ms. Hayes.”

  I grab Cory’s hand and drag him with me. I just want to talk to Caleb and know he is ok. I don’t care what happened, as long as he is ok. Lt. Murphy stops at a cubicle and my eyes dart around the area looking for where Caleb could be. I’m getting ready to ask again when it feels my eyes are playing tricks on me. This is no trick as I realize Caleb’s parents are here as well.

  “Lillian?”

  Caleb’s mom, Lillian, turns to face me with bloodshot eyes and a tear stained face. Oh no, what is wrong? My body tenses as she continues to stand there with David holding her. Cory notices and begins to walk towards them with me on his heels.

  Lillian is clearly in no shape to speak to anyone. Her sobs have gotten worse and this sinking feeling takes over me. “David, what’s going on?” Cory asks quietly. “Sybil got a call that her car had been in an accident so that’s why we’re here.”

  “There was an accident,” he says. “I don’t know how to say this.” His eyes move to me and my heart stops beating.

  I turn to see Lt. Murphy watching me, the look on his face is grim. What do they know that they aren’t telling me? My eyes meet the sign on the door that David and Lillian are in front of. I want to vomit when I read the word Morgue.

  “Why are we standing right here? Someone please tell me something.” I beg.

  Lillian sobs even louder as David reaches for the door. My body freezes as he turns the doorknob. The sight of the room freaks me out and it turns to pure fear as I see a table with a body covered with a sheet. No, this can’t be happening. That isn’t him under there.