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Back The Infinite Noise Save as PDF
Chapters (70)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Notice
  3. Dedication
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. 44
  48. 45
  49. 46
  50. 47
  51. 48
  52. 49
  53. 50
  54. 51
  55. 52
  56. 53
  57. 54
  58. 55
  59. 56
  60. 57
  61. 58
  62. 59
  63. 60
  64. 61
  65. 62
  66. 63
  67. 64
  68. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  69. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  70. Newsletter Sign-up

His hold on me relaxes as he starts to move backward. I notice I’ve been standing on tiptoes, and I’m thrown off-balance by his retreat. I panic and pull him back to me with the lapels of his jacket.

“No, no—” I assure him, “no, I just—I didn’t think you would. I thought it was just me.”

“I’m sorry I was so weird about everything—” He’s trying to apologize for something that neither of us understands.

“No, you weren’t weird, I was weird—” I interrupt.

“But you…” He swallows, looking away from me for the first time. “You too? I mean, with the feelings and stuff?”

It’s not an actual sentence but I get what he means. I want to tell him how endearing it is that the boy who can feel everyone’s feelings can’t for the life of him talk about it, but then I realize I’m not much better.

“Yeah, I do.” I nod. “Have the feelings and stuff.”

“That’s good.” He echoes the end of our phone call.

“It’s you that I can’t…” I shake my head, unable to say it out loud.

“What?” Caleb tilts his head.

“You’re you,” I say, like that explains everything. “Of course I like you. I just can’t believe you feel the same way. It doesn’t—it just doesn’t compute.”

“Okay, brainiac.” He’s smiling again, touching my cheek like he can’t help himself, and that’s good. “Think you can wrap your head around it long enough to let me walk you home?”

“Yeah,” I breathe, “yeah, I think I can manage that.”

“Good.” He’s doing that thing again—looking at me like I hold all the answers. Like I am the answer.

That’s another thing that doesn’t make any sense. How is this even possible? He’s telling me it’s true and I can see it on his face but this is so much harder to believe than the existence of superpowers.

Caleb is grinning like he has the answer but I’m stuck on the equation that got us there.

But then he kisses me again and I realize it doesn’t matter how we got there. Caleb is every answer that I need.

40

CALEB

I didn’t realize it could be this good.

Now that Adam and I are officially together, my happiness is doubled, tripled, an endless loop of joy. He’s happy, which makes me happy, which makes him happy—he doesn’t even need an empath power, he just sees me smile—and we just go round and round until we’re grinning at each other like total nutjobs.