The Redemption of Callie & Kayden

curb.
    Luke takes some money out of his wallet, hands it to the cab driver, and then glides the door open. “You guys are paying for the drinks.” He hops out and I shake my head as Seth slides over and climbs out.
    I wait for Callie, but she doesn’t move. When I finally dare to glance over my shoulder at her, I find that she’s watching me. I rest my arm on the back of the seat and twist my stomach so I can turn to face her.
    “Is everything okay?” I ask her.
    She brings her bottom lip into her mouth and shakes her head. “No.”
    I fight the urge to touch her. “What’s wrong?”
    She releases her lip and slides to the edge of the seat. “I don’t know who you are.”
    My jaw nearly drops to the ground. “What?”
    She lets out a shaky breath as she swings her feet out of the cab. “I don’t know who you are. Not really, and it hurts.” She doesn’t say anything more as she climbs out, pulling at the bottom of her dress, and joins Seth and Luke on the curb.
    I don’t know how to feel about what she said. I’ve told her more than anyone else. But really, when I think about it, I’ve told everyone else nothing and her the bare minimum. My boots scuff against the gravel on the road as I slam the door. The cab drives off, tires skidding, and I’m left standing on the curb.
    Callie has taken ahold of Seth’s arm, but I can’t tell who’s holding onto whom. Luke is already reaching for his cigarettes and pops one into his mouth. We walk up to the end of the line and Luke flicks the lighter and the paper burns. People are talking, laughing, having fun, but the inside of my head is twisting.
    She doesn’t know me.
    She really doesn’t.
    And that’s because I won’t let her.
    Suddenly I feel like an asshole. I owe her an explanation for why she found me bleeding out on the floor.
    I’m stuck in my own head as the line moves forward and we walk inside the building. Luke found an eighteen-and-over club so we don’t need fake IDs to get in. As soon as we step over the door’s threshold, the atmosphere becomes suffocating. There are too many damn people crammed tightly into the small room. The air is stifling, but luckily there’s no smoking allowed. The music is deafening and the floor is vibrating from it. I’ve never minded these kinds of places before, but suddenly I’m feeling a little claustrophobic. I think Callie is too, because she’s clinging onto the back of Seth’s jacket like her life depends on it as he walks in front of her, shoving through the crowd. Luke’s disappears into the mob completely.
    Someone stumbles back from the bar and spills beer all over the floor next to Callie’s feet. As she jumps out of the way, her fingers lose hold of Seth and she reaches for him. But the people are closing in and I can tell she’s trying not to panic.
    I take a few long strides and grab hold of her waist. Her body goes rigid, but I quickly kiss her head and whisper, “Relax, it’s me.”
    She nods at the sound of my voice and her shoulders unravel. I inch closer to her until my chest is pressed against the back of her head, and then I circle my arms around her waist and pull her securely against me as I maneuver us through the crowd. I make sure to keep my elbows out so no one can get close enough to touch her and when we finally break out of the crowd and into the table section we both take a deep breath.
    My arms relax around her, but I don’t let her go as we walk to the corner table where Luke and Seth are sitting. I let go of her only to pull a chair out for her and she gives me a tentative smile as she sits down. I round to the other side of the table and take a seat myself, wishing I wasn’t here.
    “God, it’s fucking crazy in here,” Luke says, ruffling his hair as he glances around at the bar, the crowd near the door, and the dance floor over in the corner. “And hot.”
    Seth nods in agreement as he reaches for his cigarettes that are in his front pocket. But then his face sinks and he gazes at the tables around us. “Wait a minute. There’s no smoking in here, is there?”
    Luke shakes his head as he leans back into the chair and his muscles flex as he crosses his arms. “No… It’s going to fucking kill me.”
    “I think it’s the cigarettes that are going to kill you,” Callie jokes nervously as her eyes flick to the dance floor.
    Luke shoots her a death glare, but then shakes his head and grins. “Well, if I can’t smoke than I’m at least going to