Right in Time

by Dahlia Potter

  A moment later though, she was on her feet causing Caleb to fully awaken at the jolt of her springing from his arms, whatever tiredness she was feeling was pushed out of her. “Yes, I am on my way, I am so sorry. I can be there in 20 minutes.” Maggie spat out as she rushed around trying to find where her shoes were discarded, only to stop a minute later. “Oh, well, of course I understand. Once again, I’m so sorry. I got delayed with...a delivery... Of course, 10am tomorrow would be perfect. Thank you, bye.” Maggie finished and hung up the phone slightly defeated. She walked over to where she had been laying with Caleb the past few hours and where he still remained, sitting upright looking at her expectantly. Melting back down in to the blanket, Maggie responded. “I had a consultation for a wedding cake this morning. I was supposed to have been there...15 minutes ago.” she said checking her watch.

  “Oh man,” Caleb replied, running his hand through his hair. “I’m so sorry, Maggie.”

  “No, no, it’s not your fault. I should have set my alarm. Heck, I usually set at least two of them. This is my fault.”

  “But it is my fault for keeping you...preoccupied.”

  Maggie couldn’t help but laugh at his remark and the look on his face was just too adorable to resist. “But I like it when you keep me preoccupied.” A cheeky little grin played upon her lips, but Caleb’s face still bore a bit of a frown that made him look like a puppy dog. “Seriously, we have it rescheduled for tomorrow. And I’ll give her a discount on the set up and delivery too, it will all be fine.”

  “Really?” Caleb questioned, knowing that Maggie wasn’t really someone who let things go this easily, especially with her business.

  “Sure, I’m mad at myself, but it’ll work itself out. I mean, it already has.”

  “Wow, I’m impressed.”

  “What can I say, you bring out the best in me.” This time Caleb’s face changed in to a smile that matched Maggie’s.

  “Well, I’m happy to hear that. So, seeing as your morning is now clear and I have to be at the airport in five hours, how about we go get some breakfast?”

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  “One week isn’t that long, babe.” Caleb told her reassuringly as he got his boarding pass ready, the two of them now standing on the outskirts of security.

  “I know, but it is when we haven’t spent that much time apart. I mean, with class and actual dates...”

  “I’ll miss you too.” Caleb finished, kissing her softly on her lips. As he began to pull away, Maggie grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him in to her once again, deepening the kiss.

  “Call me when you land?” Maggie asked when she finally pulled away.

  Caleb picked up his bag that was resting on the floor beside him and swung it over his shoulder. “No.” he replied jokingly as he started walking towards the security check point.

  “Jerk!” Maggie called after him, causing Caleb to break in to laughter. She stood there with a huge smile on her face as she watched Caleb go through the security steps until he was finally far enough away that he couldn’t see him anymore.

  “Wow,” she mused to herself, “this week is going to suck.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Maggie found herself busy from the minute Caleb left and that was something that she was very thankful for. With no dance class and no man, she had only her work to keep her busy, as well as a girls’ night out that was long overdue.

  The morning after Caleb left, Maggie had her consultation with the bride-to-be that she stood up. Her name was Sarah and she was around the same age as Maggie and her friends and was just so happily in love that she didn’t let anything faze her, even the rescheduling. As it turned out, she was a guest at one of the weddings Maggie did the cake for a few months back and knew that was who she wanted to do her cake. She had it all planned out and Maggie was only too happy to accommodate her wishes. Her cake ideas were gorgeous and the three tiered design was simple, but it was also one that would allow Maggie to experiment with techniques that she had yet to use. The wedding was three months away, marking it as her last cake of the summer season and Maggie was just really excited about this job.

  “What makes this one so different?” Callie asked Maggie later that night, pausing to take a sip from her martini.

  The four friends had decided to plan a girls’ night out seeing as that particular weekend was one in which they were all boyfriend-less. With Caleb in Toronto, Paul back East too for his cousin’s wedding, and Jake and Scott (Yes, Scott was still a presence and managed to hook Callie. Maggie knew he was special and it seems she was right!) in Los Angeles visiting family and recording, they were all flying solo.

  “I don’t know. It just is.” Maggie responded simply and honestly.

  “Could it be because you yourself are in love?” Callie continued to press.

  “What?!” Taylor interjected, catching only the last remark made for she and Alexis had been busy discussing something of their own.

  “Thanks, Cal.” Maggie said sarcastically.

  “You’re in love?!” Taylor questioned, Alexis turning to face Maggie with the same wide-eyed questioning look.

  “No!” she replied adamantly, but her friends continued to look at her. “Maybe?” she questioned. With this smiles started forming on the three other girls’ faces. “I dunno!” Maggie yelled. She honestly hadn’t really thought about it. It had only been a month, a fact which she voiced to her friends.

  “There’s no time limit on love, Maggie.” Callie voiced.

  “Wait, what?” Taylor questioned, shifting her gaze to Callie, one that was followed by Maggie and Alexis.

  “What? People are allowed to change!” Callie stated defending herself.

  With that, the three girls broke out in excited squeals and hugged Callie. Her last comment though made her think. She was right, there was no time limit on love. Sure, a month seemed quick to be feeling these things, but what’s to say she didn’t love him? She tried not to think about it and enjoy her time with her friends. Whatever it was she was feeling, it would work itself out and make itself clear when the time was right...or so she hoped.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Caleb couldn’t have helped but think about Maggie en route to Toronto. With six hours on a plane to kill and what happened last night still fresh in his mind, how could you blame him. Maggie made him smile, but the thought of getting serious with someone new still frightened him. Sure, he knew that probably wasn’t the manliest thing to admit, and with being a dancer already knocking him down a few pegs in that department in many people’s eyes, he kept it to himself.

  But the facts were the facts.

  The honest truth was that every time a new woman entered the picture, he saw Kendall’s face. It had been nine months since that relationship ended and while that may seem like a long amount of time, in comparison to how long they had been together, it was nothing.

  Caleb had met Kendall at one of his competitions when he was 23 years old. She was there with her twin sister Kelsey who was competing. Although she wasn’t a dancer herself, Kendall had a love for it, but knew early on that her two left feet would not lead to a career as a prima ballerina. Yes, Caleb was of the belief that anyone could learn how to dance and Kendall was definitely not shy about busting a move at any given moment, but being a professional was not in her cards. Despite that, they were able to bond on their love of the art and as that summer competition circuit went on, Caleb found himself secretly counting down the days between shows and keeping an eye out for her at each stop.

  The competition circuit was one that was busy, especially during the summer, drawing out the younger dancers during their breaks from school. During the year, it wasn’t guaranteed that you’d see the same dancers every weekend, but during this season, it sometimes became the norm which Caleb found himself so thankful for.

  Each time he showed up at that week’s venue and spotted Kendall in the ballroom, he couldn’t help but smile. This was the first time Caleb fo
und himself chasing the girl and while he didn’t know what had gotten in to him, he also couldn’t help himself. There was just something about her. She had such an outgoing personality that drew him in. Her smile and especially her laugh were magnetic. And she had this head full of wild auburn curls that appeared to have a mind of their own that made him laugh as she tried to blow a stray out of her face, and want to run his fingers through them all at the same time.

  As the summer neared its end, Caleb had gotten it in his head that he would never get the girl. Sure, they hung out after the competitions, but they usually ended up being joined by Kelsey or any number of other dancers they all knew. Despite the anticipation and happiness he got from seeing her, Caleb just wasn’t able to make his move. Resolved, Caleb chalked it up to bad timing only to have Kendall finally step up to him.

  “So, I know we hang out and stuff, but are you ever going to ask me out?” Kendall asked him point blank after he got off the stage from his final number. He could tell by the look on her face after she said those words that she knew she totally went “middle school” on him, but in her eyes he could see that she pushed the thought away and resumed eye contact with him with a stern, expecting look.

  “Well, I…yeah, I mean…”

  Way to go, Caleb.

  The right side of Kendall’s mouth cocked in to a sly grin. “Right. Well, I’ll be at U of T for my final year starting in September. You have my number. Use it.”

  And with that she walked away. Caleb’s grin grew in to a huge smile and he spun on his toes to go backstage and await the awards. Pleased with himself despite the fact that he really, literally did nothing.

  A couple weeks later when September rolled around, Caleb made use of Kendall’s number. And even after her graduation a year later, and his sporadic and sometimes constant touring, the two of them (not without their own bumps in the road, mind you) had made it through three years together. Even though the time apart sucked, Caleb was a big fan of the reunions. Yeah, no one could question his manhood in that department.

  Nearing their four year anniversary though, Kendall came bouncing in to the apartment that they were sharing downtown. They both had settled in to a domestic pace for the past three months and it was nice. Her smiles and excitement dwindled though about twenty minutes later when the realization sunk in that something had to give. More specifically, someone had to give. And neither of them was willing to do that.

  Kendall had an amazing opportunity to be transferred to her marketing company’s London office and with a big promotion in sight, she knew it was the route she needed to take. And while the ballroom market was great in London, Caleb was just starting to establish himself in Toronto. And he had started going back and forth to Vancouver quite a bit the past couple months, that he felt that he needed to stay…well, on that continent at least. The two of them were no strangers to long distance and they opted to try that route, but it slowly fizzled. And nothing sucks more than breaking up with the girl you thought was The One via video chat at two in the morning.

  The first three months following the break-up, Caleb continued to trek back and forth between Toronto and Vancouver, throwing in band gigs across the US just for the heck of it. The man knew he needed to keep busy. When he spotted the dance studio available for purchase in Vancouver though, he thought of it as a project he could dive head first in to. And he knew he ultimately couldn’t keep running forever. And almost one year later leads us back to the present. Jumping in head first with Maggie was something that scared the shit out of him. He knew she wasn’t the type of girl that would be in to a one night stand and when he got to know her more, he found himself aching for more than that himself. With Samantha’s pushing, he finally made the leap.

  The one thing that still stuck in the back of his mind though was that he knew Maggie had been hurt before. He swore to her that he would never do that, but he kept having flashes of Kendall on his computer screen, crying as they finally ended everything. He was not without tears himself, but regardless, he couldn’t help but see the hurt he had put upon her. What Thomas had done to Maggie was completely different, but he still couldn’t help but worry that things may fall by the wayside again, for both of them. The closer and closer he got to Toronto he couldn’t help but think about the possibility of seeing her again. His friends had mentioned casually that she was in town for work. His mind toyed with this. Toronto was a big city, he surely didn’t have to see her. But deep down, he was also aching at the chance to.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Caleb’s first two days in Toronto played out like a jetlagged, hungover blur. Purely because he was both jetlagged and hungover.

  Once his friends got a hold of him, it was like he had never left. Only things were amped up even more because he was only in town for a week. Seeing his family, going to his old hang outs; he truly did love this city. On Tuesday night, he and his band had picked up their old time slot at their regular gig at a bar downtown. Just as they were finishing setting up their equipment and ready to go on, he heard Bryan yell out to a face he had yet to spot in the crowd.

  Kendall.

  Caleb couldn’t help but feel the pit in his stomach grow. He hadn't seen her since they broke up and being in the same room as her put this wash of emotions over him. He turned around and instantly spotted her. Actually, it was her auburn hair he spotted first from across the room; she hadn’t changed a bit. Except for the fact that he could easily spot the nervousness that was behind her smile. She was just as beautiful as he remembered. The beer hadn't kicked in yet so it wasn't the liquor talking as an excuse and all he could do was shake his head to get that thought out of his head.

  “Hey guys.” She said as she approached the stage. The rest of the band jumped off the stage to give her hugs and when done, he could see her looking at him, still on stage, from the corner of her eye. He could sense that she wanted to say something and he did too, but in that moment, he couldn’t think for the life of him what that would be. Thankfully, he was saved by the bar’s manager letting them know it was show time. Watching her in the audience, the memories started coming back to him. And post-show, when he actually manned up and said hi to her, it only got worse.

  And the liquor didn’t help.

  He found himself laughing at inside jokes again and the little quirks she had triggered various things in his mind. She had the softest lips and had a tendency to bite his lower lip every now and then when they kissed which would always illicit a growl from him. And a cheeky smile from her.

  His mind kept wandering to more and more of the things he shouldn't be thinking about any more if you catch the drift. Caleb just found himself falling back in to an old routine. Same city, same friends, same girl.

  Chapter Twenty

  Caleb woke up the next morning with the hangover from hell. He was starting to think that that was going to be a running theme this trip and would most likely continue for the next three days he was in town. Sitting up (much too quickly) caused his head to spin and him to groan at the pain that combated him. That groan only intensified when his phone started to ring. How did that ringer get so loud?! He couldn’t help but think to himself.

  “Hello?”

  A short pause was finally followed by a “Hi.” In a voice that instantly made him wake up.

  “Kendall. Hi.”

  “How are you feeling this morning?”

  “Well, my head is about to explode. Besides that, not too shabby. You?”

  “Yeah, similar. I’ll be a lot better once I get some coffee in me.”

  Caleb knew this was a hint, but he still wasn’t sure if he should take the bait. Last night threw him for such a loop. Not that he did anything inappropriate; no, he knew his boundaries, but that still didn't stop him from feeling bad that his girlfriend was on the other side of the country while he was out drinking and dancing with his ex-girlfriend who, at one point, he thought was 'the one.'

  “Cal…”

  “Yeah, I don’t know,
Kendall.”

  “It’s just coffee. My flight’s in a couple hours.”

  Caleb sat there in silence before finally getting out a simple “okay.”

  An hour later, Caleb and Kendall sat across from each other in the cafe next to his hotel, barely able to make eye contact.

  “How’s Vancouver?” Kendall asked, finally breaking the silence.

  “It’s good. Things at the school are going well. And London?”

  “It’s great, actually. It took me a while to adjust to being there, but the city is great.”

  “That’s great. Great.” Caleb said, his eyes returning to his cup of coffee. Maybe it had just been the liquor, he thought to himself. A little liquid courage.

  “Do you love her?” Kendall asked barely above a whisper.

  “What?”

  “I had lunch with Sam yesterday.”

  Maggie. She was talking about Maggie. “I…I don’t know. It hasn’t been that long, but… I really like her. She’s amazing.” He said, smiling at his own comment. He looked up and saw a slight look of sadness on Kendall’s. “I’m sorry.”