It's a Love-Hate relationship

CHAPTER 54: White elephant

CALEB'S POV

Long chapter ahead, people. Be warned. I'm high key loving these Caleb POV's. What do you guys think?? I think you will absolutely love this one 😂😏 Thank you a billion times for 26K reads!! I love you all! ♥♥ 

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A terse shove of the door breaks me out of my reverie and my eyes narrow at the figure entering. Nonplussed at her out-of-the-blue arrival, I shoot up from my seat, halting the slow notes I was just playing on the piano. Her gaze is stuck on the floor, her legs swaying a little. She stumbles and I rush posthaste to her side, supporting her petite figure.

Is she...drunk?

Summer suddenly screams and I grimace, trying my best to cover my ears by leaning on my shoulder and holding her at the same time.

"Wh-who are you?" Her slurring words prove my doubts right and I hold her properly, shaking her shoulders slightly so that she would look at me.

"Hey, hey, Summer. Are you drunk?"

"Why does...everyone ask me that stupid fucking question?" She looks at me, blinks, and removes herself from my grip. She staggers towards the dusty countertop and places her empty wine bottle there, supporting herself with its end. I immediately catch sight of her wounded hand, the half-dried blood still leaving a slight stain on the counter.

"What happened?" I march towards her, taking in her hand and brushing her bloody knuckles. She sighs, rolling her eyes, and shakes her head.

"I punched the bloody counter."

"Why?"

"Because I was angry." She hisses and pulls her hand out of my hand. "Scratch that. I am angry."

"At who?"

"At everyone." She mutters and turns away from me. I sense her voice breaking and concern washes over me instantly. I pull her towards me slightly by her shoulders and tilt her chin upwards.

"Did someone hurt you?"

She looks into my eyes and suddenly, I see tears in Summer Jones' eyes. The girl who claimed she is strong and is practically made of steel. The girl who hates talking and feeling various kinds of emotions. The girl who stayed brave for so long but is breaking right in front of me.

I have a sudden desire to decimate whoever decided to hurt her.

I grit my teeth, pulling her into a tight embrace. Her arms instantly fly around my back and she buries her head into the crook of my neck. I run my hands through her tied hair and place a gentle kiss on the top of her head. A pang of pain shoots through my chest at the sight of how much she is hurting and I sigh loudly. I rub her back gently and slowly let go of her, leaning down to wipe her tears.

"Come." I gently mumble and walk her towards the kitchen sink. I turn the tap on, washing her hand tenderly and carefully. She does not react, if she is feeling any kind of pain, and a certain alarm goes off in my head. Wiping her hand with the hem of my t-shirt, I then lead her to where I was seated a few minutes ago. She reluctantly sits in awful silence, a look of distress clouding her red, puffy face. I kneel down, holding her hands and looking straight into her eyes.

Her eyes are still teary and I'm suddenly conscious of how I'm going to get her to calm down. My knowledge in that particular area is quite recondite, as much as I hate to admit it, and right now I don't even know if I could call up Maddie for some advice. I always found it difficult to manage Lucy as she cries sometimes and this situation as well is proving to be one hell of a difficult job.