When I Decided to Love Him

For the fourth time, I invited Caleb to join me at the hot springs.

He asked, “How many people?”

"Just you and me," I replied.

There was a brief silence on the other end of the line. For a moment, I thought he was going to decline again, and I was already preparing my next words.

But to my surprise, he responded with a simple, "Okay."

I believed I had made my intentions clear enough for any adult to grasp.

But when we got to the hot spring, Caleb was more than three feet away from me, so far away that I couldn't even reach him.

And he kept answering his phone, engaged in endless work-related conversations.

I slid closer to his side and deliberately brushed my toes against his calf.

He gave me a look.

No surprise, no annoyance.

I figured this guy was better at this game of flirting than I was, but it was a challenge I was willing to take on.

My toes grew bolder, slowly moving up his calf.

As they crossed his knee, he leaned down slightly, grasped the back of my leg, and pulled my entire body toward him.

The hot water swirled around us as I threw myself into his arms.

"Don't touch," he whispered a warning in my ear.

Playing hard to get, eh?

I kissed him straight away.

The kiss confirmed to me that Caleb was indeed on a different level.

His kissing skills were exceptional, leaving me intoxicated and craving more.

But at that moment, my phone rang.

I pretended not to hear it.

Instead, Caleb took my shoulder and gently pushed me away, lifting his chin to my phone. "You have a call."

"I'm not answering," I said.

He glanced at the screen. "Your mom's calling."

I had been silently cursing whoever had the audacity to interrupt us at such an inopportune time.

It turned out to be my own mother!

I reluctantly released Caleb and turned to grab my cell phone, my voice tinged with a whine, "Mom, what's the matter?"

"Sarah, you need to come back right away. Your dad's in the hospital!"

"What happened?"

"He fell off the balcony trying to catch a thief!"

My mind reeled as if a bomb had gone off.

Had it not been for Caleb's swift reflexes, my phone would have slipped from my grasp and plunged into the water.

He gathered me into his arms and we left the hot spring together. His voice was a steady anchor in the chaos, "Don't panic, I'm taking you to the hospital now."

-

Upon reaching the locker room, my hands were shaking so badly that I could barely hold on to my underwear.

I'd initially booked the couples' locker room with other intentions in mind.

Caleb was in the next room.

Sensing my distress, he finished changing and knocked on the partition, inquiring, "Are you able to dress yourself?"

I couldn't. My limbs felt like jelly.

But he wasn't going to come over and help me, was he?

To my surprise, he did.

Caleb was always the calm gentleman, even in the most embarrassing situations.

He regarded me with an intense look of desire as he took in my disheveled state.

He scrutinized me from head to toe, his gaze so piercing that time seemed to stand still.

Yet, his hands moved with swift precision, and in no time, he had me dressed and ready to face the emergency that awaited us.

It took him only fifteen minutes to make the twenty-minute trip from the hot spring to the hospital.

After pulling up, we both got out of the car.

With his height and long strides, Caleb quickly outpaced me.

To an outsider, it might have seemed that it was his father who had been injured, not mine.

I was about to hurry to catch up when he paused, turned, and extended his hand to me.

If he'd shown this much thoughtfulness and initiative just half an hour earlier, I would have been overjoyed.

Now, it felt more like he was just feeling sorry for me.

Perhaps he even thought I was someone who only panics in the face of trouble.

But that was okay, wasn't it? Love often started with compassion.

Hand in hand, we walked towards the hospital room.

Maybe it wasn't the right moment to indulge in romantic musings, but I felt certain that my father would understand.

Five minutes later, I realized I didn't need his understanding at all！

I thought it might be a serious fall from a balcony, maybe even requiring intensive care.

It turned out the 'balcony' was on the first floor!

My dad was playing hero for a neighbor, trying to look cool. But he slipped and fell on the lawn.

His head injury was a mere scratch from a small stone—one that would have likely healed by itself had he arrived at the hospital any later.

My mom was pretty embarrassed. She was rubbing her hands and trying to smile as she explained, "The property manager didn't explain the situation clearly over the phone, and with all the neighbors there, I thought it was urgent and called you."

"..."

After four attempts to ask Caleb out and finally getting such a great opportunity today, my own parents had to go and spoil it!

Speechless was indeed the word of the night.