Late Night Perks | Caleb

The rain drummed softly against the attic window, streaking down the glass in lazy rivulets. The warm glow of the desk lamp cast golden light over the cluttered wooden space—scattered blueprints, old trinkets, a half-finished model ship from years ago. The air was thick with the scent of aged wood and a hint of Caleb’s cologne, something crisp and subtly familiar.

Soft R&B music hummed from the Bluetooth speaker placed on the windowsill, blending with the pouring storm brewing outside. Caleb, who was seated on the wooden floor with his back pressed against the couch, flipped through the latest issue of The Linkon Machina Digest. His eyes slowly browsed through each page, his expression relaxed. A loose lock of his dark hair hung over his forehead, his white tank top hugged is lean figure in all the right places, his black sweatpants hanging just enough to see his toned abs. He looked good—not that his childhood best friend, Cassie, was going to admit to him out loud (that guy has an ego the size of the sun, and she wasn’t going to hear the end of it).

Cassie was lying on the rug nearby, scrolling on her phone, trying to distract herself. But Caleb’s presence in the room was hard to ignore, as much as she wanted to. After all, this was the first time they had hung out in person after a year of talking online while he was away at the Aerospace Academy in Skyhaven studying to become a pilot.

“What’s with the staring pipsqueak?” his voice cut through the soft lull of rain and music, smooth and teasing.

“Huh?” Cassie responded, blinking dumbfounded.

“Could it be that I look different after a year at Skyhaven, or you just missed me that much?” He said, without looking up and flipped to the next page.

Cassie scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Jeez. God forbid a girl minds her business and reads on her phone.”

A playful smirk tugged the corner of his mouth, along with a low chuckle that vibrated through the attic. “I said, staring. I didn’t say anything about reading on your phone.”

“Staring? I wasn’t staring.”

He flipped another page, eyes scanning the article, his smirk widening. “Right. ‘Cause you were so engrossed in your mobile talking device that you barely notice that I could strip naked at any moment I want.”

Cassie threw a cushion at him. "Ya nasty.”

He caught the cushion before it could hit his face and burst out laughing. “Jesus, Cassie. I was joking. Relax.” He tossed the pillow back at her.

“Sure, you were,” Cassie muttered, rolling her eyes again.

“Be honest. You were awfully invested in how I look since the moment you picked me up from the airport.”

“Well, you look… different.”

He arched an eyebrow, closing the magazine and setting it aside. “Good different or bad different,” he inquired, folding his arms to his chest and tilting his head to the side, giving her his full attention.

“Well…” she started, shifting to her side and plopping her head against her fist, “It’s not too bad with just the right amount of good.”

A slow, satisfied smirk spread across Caleb’s face at her reluctant compliment. He stretched his arms above his head, pulling his shirt taut against his abs. “Just the right amount of good, huh? Well, I guess Skyhaven treated me all right then.”

He winked playfully, which made her roll her eyes again.

“How was it there?” Cassie asked.

He lowered his arms, leaning back with a contented sigh. “It was okay, though the classes were brutal the first couple of weeks,” he chuckled and shook his head. “But with time, I found my footing and really got into the engineering stuff. The people there were cool too, made a couple of friends here and there, but…” He paused, his eyes averted from hers with a thoughtful expression. "I dunno… it was kinda lonely sometimes.”

“How so?”

He hesitated, shrugging his shoulders. “It just felt that way. Being surrounded by all these people and faces, talking and laughing with them, but still feeling alone, you know?” He finally met her gaze. “Like there’s this void or something missing.”

He forced a laugh and shifted his gace to the window, where the rain continued its soothing patter. “Stupid, right?”

“Nah. I get what you mean,” Cassie said thoughtfully. “ Like you exist around these people, but you’re not truly part of them or taking up space.”

His eyes widened slightly, his guard lowering. “Yeah,” he muttered softly, nodding his head. “Like everyone’s talking and laughing, but you’re not really part of it. You just smile and laugh at the right times, but…” He trailed off, struck by how deeply she understood.

“There’s a disconnect.” She finished for him.

He nodded again, his expression thoughtful. “Exactly. A disconnect.” He leaned forward again, elbows on his knees, studying her with newfound appreciation and respect. “You get it, don’t you? Have you ever felt that way, too?”

“Yeah, sometimes,” Cassie shrugged. “I always think it’s because I got so used to being alone that I find it hard connecting with people.”

“But you’re connected to me,” Caleb pointed out.

“Yeah, but you’re different,” Cassie replied.

“Different how?” he asked, tilting his head, genuinely curious. He leaned back again, crossing his arms over his chest as if preparing for a meaningful conversation. “Because I get you? Or because we have this weird connection that doesn’t require constant talking?”

“Well, yeah that’s part of it. But it’s also because I’ve known you since we were kids. We practically grew up together,” Cassie said. “It was a lot easier connecting with people back when we were kids than it is now as adults.”

He uncrossed his arms, nodding thoughtfully. “You used to be really social as a kid. Everyone loved you,” he recalled softly. “So, what changed? Why’s it hard now?” His tone was careful, avoiding any hint of accusation.

Cassie flipped onto her back and stared at the ceiling. “Life. Growing up. I think as kids we didn’t have a lot to worry about. It was just vibes. Fun. Games. Now as adults, we have responsibilities and obligations,” she started. “We have to wake up super early and work like eight hours a day to be able to afford basic stuff. We have to deal with people with sticks so far up their ass and make it our problem. We get so caught up with all of this that sometimes it feels like a chore to want to make friends or stay in touch with friends and family because having personal time feels like a luxury.”

Caleb moved to lay down beside her, mirroring her position, their shoulders brushing. His hand reached out hesitantly, hovering near hers before gently intertwining their fingers. "That’s… really fucking depressing,” he admitted quietly. “But I get it.” His thumb stroked her knuckles in slow, soothing circles.

“Life’s depressing. Being an adult is like a premium subscription that we can’t cancel until we’re like at retirement age or something,” Cassie joked, trying to lighten the mood.

He chuckled softly, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. “Yeah. And the customer service is pretty awful,” he added, playing along.

“Plus, we don’t get any refunds,” Cassie replied.

They both shared a laugh before settling into a comfortable silence, their fingers still intertwined. The sounds of the gentle patter of the rain and the music playing softly in the background filling the silence in the attic.

“Cassie?” Caleb’s voice was quiet, almost vulnerable.

“Yeah?”

“Do you ever… just wanna go back?” He turned his head slightly to look at her. “To when we were kids? No responsibilities, no worries, just running around having fun…” His thumb continued its rhythmic stroking against her skin.

She exhaled softly. “Sometimes.”

He nodded slowly, looking back at the ceiling. “Sometimes I just… I miss that. Miss being carefree and stupid,” he admitted with a small laugh. “Now everything feels so heavy, you know?” His grip on her hand tightened slightly, seeking comfort in her presence.

“Well… on the plus side, we don’t have to worry about any rules and curfews,” Cassie said, nudging his ribs playfully.

He laughed softly, nudging her back. “True,” he agreed, turning his head to smile at her. His eyes were warm and gentle, reflecting the soft light from the window. “We can stay up all night watching movies or play video games without Granny switching off the TV and telling us to go to bed.”

"We go and stay out all night and sleep for as long as we want to on the weekends.”

“Exactly,” he grinned wider, his thumb rubbing soothing circles on her palm. “No alarms going off at 7 AM anymore—well, except when you have to wake up early to make it in time for lectures and work.” He paused, then added teasingly, “You know what else is good about being adults?”

“What?”