Home [hohm] adj.
*A place that feels like a tight hug: Where time stands still for just a moment, where the noise of the outside world is blocked out and where you can breathe it all out after being tense all day. From the moment you enter the door, you are safe, you are warm and you are exceptionally loved. *
That’s what Caleb was to you—he was home. His always joyful smile could brighten a room in seconds, causing everyone around him to mirror that same expression. Caleb had an effect on people, and you were no exception.
He brightened even your darkest days, lifting you out of them. There was a time when you had no desire to keep going, when you wished for life to end. Then came Caleb, striding in like a hero from a fantasy novel.
He knew you needed him, and he needed you too…
It had been two years since you last saw Caleb. You both graduated high school together, and though he was accepted to Berkeley, UCLA, and Stanford, he chose to take a gap year to travel Europe with his aunt. One year turned into two, and though you stayed in touch at first, life gradually pulled you both in different directions.
Home for spring break, your mom asked you to water the magnolias—odd, since she usually had a gardener. Still, you went to the garage. As the garage door opened, you froze. There he was, Caleb, standing in the driveway with that familiar, sheepish smile.
“Your mom said I’d find you here,” he said softly, his eyes glimmering with happiness. “I had hoped I didn’t miss you.”