Chapter Text
Your next-door neighbor Caleb Xia had always been a cute kid. With bright, round eyes and an endearingly messy mop of chocolate brown hair, he looked every part the adorable heartthrob the neighborhood grannies claimed him to be. It was clear he would grow up well. But after one summer passes, he grew up a little too well, and it seemed to happen overnight. He was no longer the kid you waved to from the backseat of your parents’ SUV as your family drove to the airport for a summer holiday in Chansia City. Upon your return to Linkon, Caleb had changed: his voice was deeper, his legs were longer, and his arms were bulkier. He looked… attractive. And you weren’t sure how to feel about that.
But it doesn't matter.
On the evening before classes were set to begin, you were still figuring out how to jazz up your uniform for the first day. The navy blazer, starched white button down, and knee-length navy gingham skirt were drab, but felt deliciously new on your skin.
After all, you were now in upper secondary school.
You finally got to ditch the nerdy sweater vest and childish below-knee skirt combination of lower secondary school. You were well on your way to uni. Almost an adult. You smiled, toying with the violet bow representing your identity as a first-year. Your fingers reached for some decorative pins on your dresser before your mother’s voice broke through your reverie.
“Mary-Catherine!”
You froze.
If your mom was calling you by your full name and not your universal nickname of MC, you were in real big trouble.
“Y-yes?” You responded, voice wobbling.
The warmth of your father’s baritone voice followed immediately after. “Come out here and help us pack these leftovers.”
Easy enough. But when you trudged hesitantly down the stairs, still in your uniform, you could feel your mother’s impatience from your place at the stairwell. Her back was turned, and she spoke without turning around.
“I was calling you for ages,” she muttered, forking slices of roasted chicken into a glass tupperware container. “Help papa pack these containers into a bag. We’re gonna take these over to Josephine.”
Your ears perked up at that. Josephine was one of your favorite people on earth. The kind old woman was a retired environmental chemist, and her house always seemed to be filled with the golden warmth of a happy, peaceful home. That, and all sorts of interesting plants. And Caleb.
The sunshiney boy was two years your senior and just as nice as Josephine. He was adopted by the older woman when he was a child, but despite all the years you’ve been his friend, you didn’t know much more than that. As Josephine gets older, Caleb seems to become more helpful, and you always catch glimpses of him doing harder chores that would surely strain the lady if she were to do them herself. Caleb mowed the lawn, washed her old sedan in the driveway of their home, even did the grocery shopping by himself so she didn’t have to. You’ve even joined him a couple of times knowing he’d buy you snacks, and he always did without complaint.
Your trip to Chansia took you away from Caleb and your closest friends Zayne, Gideon, and Tara, and you were dying to reunite with your squad. Tomorrow, you would. You enthusiastically skipped down the last step and got to work helping your parents.
Roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, white rice, and baked asparagus all made their way into neatly-packed dishes, and they were stacked snugly inside two reusable grocery bags. The first was filled to the brim and quite heavy, so you left that one to your dad. You snagged the last one and skipped to the door, ready to see Caleb and take in his new look once more. You still couldn’t believe your eyes, or your ears. The need to listen to his deeper voice one more time prickled against your skin and you hummed, needing to expel your nervous energy somehow.
Your mother, with her hands free, pulled the front door open, and you all poured out into the cool fall evening. Your house was flanked by your two closest friends, and to this day you could hardly believe your luck. The Li family lived to your immediate left. Caleb and Josephine lived two houses down to your right. Across the street lived Tara and her family. You and your happy little band of idiots grew up in close proximity, and hung out together practically every day. As the new school year approached, you wished in your heart that things would stay that way.
You readjusted the bag in your hands, the clinking of the glass containers inside reverberating through the night. You couldn’t wait to see Caleb.
In a few short minutes, you and your parents were at Josephine’s door. You didn’t even have to ring or knock. Her high-tech security camera, no doubt installed by Caleb, blinked once with a red light that you knew notified the occupants inside the house of your arrival. Sure enough, Caleb himself opened the door, a happy grin spread across his face.
You stared up at him in silence.
Wow.
You laid eyes on him briefly when he waved at you from the street as you pulled into the driveway, freshly returned from Chansia. But this moment allowed you to really take him all in; he towered over you now. You both grew like weeds as kids, but once you entered your teens, your growth seemed to halt while Caleb’s accelerated. Now, he was a full head taller, if not more. His dark amethyst eyes still glittered like nebulae, but something about them was sharper now. His Adam’s apple bobbed once before he said, “Hey, guys,” then nodded at the bags you and your father were carrying. “All that for us?”
Your dad stepped forward with a smile, holding out the heavy bag full of food. Your eyes widened as Caleb took it with one arm, the muscle underneath his t-shirt rippling with the effort. Your mother chimed in, and you pulled your gaze from Caleb’s arms to your mother’s smiling face with great effort.
“We know Josephine’s been more tired lately, and you must be busy with university prep,” your mother said. “We made a little too much food, and, well, there’s only three of us to feed. The rest should go to you.”
Caleb flashed a brilliant smile, genuinely touched by her words.
“Thank you so much,” he moved aside, using his free hand to beckon you all inside. “Come on in so Gran can thank the folks who saved her from yet another night in front of the stove.”
You laughed at that, hurrying inside and kicking off your shoes. There was a series of guest slippers lined up by the door, one pair already molded to your feet because you’ve been here a thousand times. You stuck your little feet into the pair designated for you—yellow, fuzzy, and embroidered with green apples. You made your way to the kitchen, setting the bag noisily onto the dining table, before dashing into the living room in search of Josephine.
The old woman was in her favorite leather recliner, rocking slightly in front of the TV. You threw your arms around her neck from behind, and her low chuckle filled your chest with warmth and safety. She patted your arm lovingly.
“My, my. You’ve only just gotten back, and the first thing you do is visit little old us.”
You shook your head with a breathless smile. “Grandma, we brought you and Caleb some food!” You paused, and thought about what the older woman just said. “And your house is my favorite place in the world!”
Josephine’s wrinkled hand moved from your arm to your face, smoothing her thumb over your cheek. “What a cutie. Caleb, did you hear that?”
Caleb approached, hands shoved into the pockets of his basketball shorts.
“Yeah, Gran. We don’t need to add sugar to our tea anymore. We’ve got all the sweetness in the world right here.”
Caleb stopped just behind you, hands still in his pockets, and rested his chin on the very top of your head. It was an odd feeling; prior to this summer, Caleb wouldn’t have been able to do that because he wasn’t tall enough. The lower timbre of his voice seemed to reverberate through not just his own chest, but yours. You spend a second reveling in his newfound transformation before cracking a joke to offset the weird feelings fluttering around in your brain.
You jabbed your thumb backwards at Caleb. “Grandma, who is this guy anyway? This stranger ate Caleb!”
You felt Caleb’s laughter against your back as his chest vibrated with laughter. Josephine laughed at this too as your parents entered the living room in slipper-clad feet.
“Food’s all put away. Wow, he’s really shot up, hasn’t he?” Your father said, jerking his head towards Caleb as he plopped onto the couch beside Josephine’s recliner.
Josephine nodded and hummed her agreement, still rocking calmly in her chair.
“Just like one of my plants, he bloomed overnight. I imagine he’s going to have a lot of fun on the basketball team this year. He might even make captain now that the seniors have graduated.”
Caleb stayed rooted to the spot, chin keeping you in place as well. When he eventually spoke, you could hear the smile in his voice.
“All of the vegetables I ate on MC’s behalf finally blessed me. I got a return on my investment.”
Your mother lifted a brow, throwing the two of you a sharp look. At the exact same time, you and Caleb raised your arms in surrender.
“Erm… he’s just kidding!”
After a few more minutes of conversation, you and Caleb gravitated upstairs and left the adults to chat. You laid sideways on his bed, head hanging off the edge. Caleb clutched a mini basketball in his hand, then shot it at his over-the-door-basketball hoop perched on his bedroom door. It sailed through with a satisfying swish.
You piped up.
“Yeah, you’re definitely becoming captain.”
Caleb retrieved the ball.
“Thanks, pipsqueak. If I do, I hope I actually see you at my games.”
Something about the word “actually” landed funny in your chest. You sat up and tried to arrange your legs comfortably while wearing a skirt. Caleb noticed and threw his comforter over your legs, enabling you to sit any way you’d like. You smiled at his care without even needing to say anything before inquiring about what he meant.
“Hey, I came to most of your games last year. I was busy with club activities, too!”
You weren’t lying. Unless meetings were canceled, or you simply skipped to go do something else, your afterschool afternoons belonged to the archery club. Besides, this is the first time in three years that you and Caleb attended the same school. Last year, if you wanted to catch a basketball game at Linkon Preparatory School, you had to run several blocks from your school to make it in time. And it always made you feel childish sitting there in your kid-like school uniform while surrounded by older students.
But now, you were in the same school. And while Caleb, who was two years your senior, was gearing up for exams, you finally saw yourself as somewhat of his equal.
Caleb shrugged one shoulder and pursed his lips. You thought he was going to say something else, but he changed the subject.
“Anyway,” he cleared his throat. “Thanks again for the food. We were this close to ordering a pizza tonight,” he said, bringing his thumb and index finger together. You don’t speak, opting to snuggle into his sheets instead. You inhaled the scent of his spicy body wash and the underlying scent of pure him—Caleb’s skin, his essence.
Caleb threw you a look.
“You’re gettin’ real cozy in my bed when we have school tomorrow. And you’re wrinklin’ your poor uniform.”
You looked down and frowned. Despite the joking lilt in his tone, Caleb was right. Your mom would definitely grumble about having to re-press your pleats and blazer. Fighting a yawn, you moved slowly to untangle yourself from Caleb’s sheets. His eyes tracked every motion before he eventually chuckled and offered you a hand. You thought he would release you, but he gathered you into a hug once your feet hit the ground.
“Welcome back, pips. I’m really happy to have you back.”
You lifted your head and smiled.
“Glad to be back, Hugleb.” You pinched his side. “Man, you must have really missed me.”
He flashed yet another dazzling smile.
“You have no idea.”