TANK | specops guy

02 | two

AVALON

Caleb and I began to walk towards his car after I finally stopped gawking at him. Whilst we were walking, I looked around me, admiring the aftermath of the protest. My feet crunched above the broken glass as I stepped on it, signs were on the floor and the air was still very thick and dense with remaining tear gas canisters and the smoke from the fires.

We eventually reached his car and just as I was about to open the door, Caleb stepped in front of me, grabbing the door handle and motioning his hand in.

I blushed, never having experienced real chivalry as most women probably wouldn't have either these days anyway.

"Thanks," I said as he stepped into the driver's seat.

He nodded at me, a small smile on his lips as he began to start the car.

"My house is very closeby, it's only a five-minute drive," He informed me after the car had started.

As we were driving, I could still see protesters walking home, most of them hunched over in exhaustion, barely being able to see the path in front of them due to the darkness of the night.

I opened my phone, thinking I should try and call Amelia. I was very worried, she hadn't answered any of my calls and it had been over three hours since we were separated. I bring the phone to my ear as it begins to ring. I anxiously wait for her to answer and eventually sigh in defeat.

"Hello? Avalon?" I hear just as I was about to hang up.

"Amelia, where have you been? I've been so worried about you," I told her frantically.

Amelia and I continued talking for a few minutes She told me that after we had been separated, she was looking for me in another part of the street where the protests had been taking place when the police began firing rubber bullets. Thankfully, she had escaped without any scratches but she had ultimately decided to go home as the cops were arresting people that were even just standing outside.

I placed my phone down after we had said we would see each other the next day and I would meet her at a certain location to continue protesting.

My shoulders relaxed and my mind was a little bit more at ease. I closed my eyes and lay my head on the back of the seat.

"Everything alright?" I heard Caleb ask, concerned.

"Yeah, she's fine, we agreed to meet up tomorrow to continue protesting," I told him, opening my eyes slightly and looked at him with a smile.

"That's good to hear, hopefully, protests tomorrow don't get too violent," He replied, glancing at me with gentle eyes for just a second before looking back at the road.

After a few minutes, we had arrived at his house. As I entered his home, I noticed how well put-together it was. The walls were white with pictures hanging up and his furniture was classy with dark accents to create contrast.

"Do you want to take a shower? It's probably better to get all the chemicals off." He offered, as he ran his hands through his hair, taking off his gear.

I began staring at his exposed biceps after he had taken off his gear, but soon enough nodded my head and entered the bathroom in his bedroom after he had shown me the way. I placed my backpack down on the floor of the bedroom and stepped into the bathroom. I sighed as I placed my hands on the sides of the sink and stared at myself in the mirror, thoughts swirling in my head like a tornado.

God, why was he so hot? It was genuinely hard to concentrate. I had known him for a few hours and the immense attraction I felt to him was a bit concerning? This had never happened before.

I shook my head, trying to get the thoughts out of my head. I hopped into the shower and scrubbed my body hard, making sure to not have anything left on me.

I got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around me, stepping out into the bedroom. Just as I did, I heard a knock. I opened the door, looking a mess with my hair still damp and a towel that just barely covered my body.

I was soon met with a slightly nervous-looking Caleb as he took in my current appearance.

"Uh, I brought you some of my clothes," He said with a nervous smile, handing me the neatly folded clothes.

"You can't wear your other ones until we get them washed just for your safety," He continued, slightly looking down, not wanting to stare at my barely covered body.

"Thank you, and don't worry about the clothes I can wash them when I get home," I replied with a nervous smile, not wanting to bother him.

He nodded and took one more glance at me before walking away.

I looked at the clothes that he had given me, a long shirt that although I was quite tall standing at 5'9, would still be quite large on me considering he was 7'0 tall, and a pair of basketball shorts.

I put on the clothes quickly and looked at my reflection in the mirror one last time before leaving the room.

I walked into the living room to find Caleb in only a white tank top and the black pants that he was wearing earlier, arranging his gear and placing his equipment in a box.

My mind began to muster up thoughts that were a little too sinful as I stared at him, he still hadn't realized I was standing behind him.

Soon enough, he looked up and I swear I could've seen the faintest smirk on his face.

I looked back at him, with a knowing but playful glare.

"Do you want some dinner? I'm kinda hungry, maybe we could order in," He asked as he continued staring at me.

"I can cook something up if you want, plus it will save some poor delivery driver having to deal with the closed roads," I proposed, with a small smile as I tilted my head to the side.

"Sounds great, do you want me to help you?" He asked, a grateful smile present on his features.

"Sure, I don't mind. Is it fine for me to look around here?" I asked, just wanting to make sure.

"Of course, make yourself at home," He replied happily.

I proposed that we made a pizza considering the lack of ingredients in his fridge. He began working on the sauce as I began working on the dough. As I was kneading the dough, I felt a powder being thrown onto my face, more specifically, flour.

I slowly turned my head, making eye contact with Caleb who could barely hold in his laughter. Just the sight made me join him as I too exploded with laughter right after I had thrown flour back at his face.

We continued playfighting, throwing flour at each other and laughing like it was the funniest thing in the world. Eventually, just as I was about to coat his face in one last layer of flour, he caught my arms right before I was about to throw it.

He brought my arms down and looked into my eyes, joy sparkling in his. I smiled back up at him, feeling butterflies blossom in my stomach. His eyes slowly moved down to my lips as my heartbeat accelerated.

He slowly began to lean in and I matched his movements, eager to place his lips on mine. Our matched breathing was the only thing I could hear as my heart almost seemed to echo in my head.

He gently placed his lips on mine and kissed me softly. I kissed him back, enjoying the sweetness of our first kiss and the velvet texture of his lips. I brought my hands up to his hair, running my fingers through it as he brought his hands down to my waist.

After a few minutes, I pulled back for the sole reason of my lack of breath. I breathed heavily as we parted, his forehead lowered to rest on mine as he looked back down at me once more.

"I guess we won't get to finish that pizza then?" He said, also out of breath, looking around the mess we had made in his kitchen.

"I guess not," I replied with a chuckle, bringing his head back down to mine to meet my lips once more.