The Night I Let Our Stars Fall Chapter 09
Caleb’s Point-of-View
I dropped my parents off at their house that evening and then drove Ruth’s parents back to their hotel after spending the whole day entertaining them.
Ruth sat in the passenger seat once things finally settled down and reached over to straighten my windblown collar. “Do you want me to take the wheel? You must be exhausted since you came back overnight, Caleb.”
I merely hummed and said, “You should get some sleep. I’ll wake you up when we get there.”
Ruth nodded, but she couldn’t seem to settle into a deep sleep, keeping her head turned toward the window.
I couldn’t help but ask, “How did you manage to hold on for so long, Ruth?”
Ruth reached out with her left hand, grabbed my hand, and squeezed it gently. “You should thank me for holding on for so long-and also for attending the graduation trip, Caleb.”
I brought the car to a stop at a red light and turned to look at her.
Ruth continued softly, “I came to Borrengate ahead of time and had basically mapped out my future. I’d also like to thank your parents for the job offer…”
I merely nodded and said, “You shouldn’t let it weigh on you; after all, your grades are way above what that company usually looks for. Mom and Dad just dropped off our résumés for us. They clearly hired you based entirely on your qualifications, not because of favoritism.”
Ruth chuckled and gave my hand another squeeze. “I’m still incredibly grateful, though. I really have to thank you for absolutely everything since I finally got exactly what I wanted.”
I let her hold my hand for a brief moment before pulling away for safety reasons to focus on the road, driving by the familiar landscape I had known since childhood.
I had initially planned to stay in Sundermere for Faye. That company’s hiring process was grueling-I had eight interviews, each one mentally draining, leaving me a wreck afterward.
I kept thinking that if I passed, I could get Faye in through an internal referral so we could work together. That way, we could be together forever in the future.
It was just unfortunate that things didn’t go as planned.
I pulled up outside my apartment building, and just as I yawned and stepped out of the car, Ruth rushed over and asked, “What is she doing here, Caleb?”
I looked over and noticed Faye running toward us.
Faye was breathless and sweating profusely while standing under the streetlights. She was still gasping for breath as she spoke up, saying, “You can’t just find some random woman to be with just because you’re angry with me, Caleb.
“I’ve already agreed with my parents that I’ll move to Borrengate to develop my career in the future. I don’t want the job in Sundermere anymore. I’m going to post our relationship status online right now for everyone to
see, so come over here, Caleb.”
I looked at her with a bewildered expression. “What relationship do we have, Faye?”
Faye stood upright, wiping away her tears. “You ought to stop joking around, Caleb. If you keep doing this, everyone will think you two are actually together. I already told Richard and the others about our relationship before I got on the plane, so I’m going to make it official online now.”
I immediately understood her intention. Faye probably believed that I was acting out of spite and that Ruth and I were simply putting on a show. I simply wrapped my arm around Ruth’s shoulder and chuckled softly. “I haven’t been acting out, Faye.
“Ruth told me how she truly felt back when we drew lots for the rooms-and I accepted her confession. That’s exactly why she brought her parents out here to meet mine right away. Ruth and I are getting engaged next month, Faye.”
Faye immediately broke down. “How could that be? How could you accept her confession when we didn’t even break up that night?”
“Why were you sharing a room with another man when we hadn’t even broken up, then?”
“That’s because…” Faye trailed off. She then pressed forward since she was unwilling to give up, saying, “I didn’t mean to do that. I just didn’t want everyone else finding out about us. Richard was already acting that way, so I was just going along with the crowd.”
