Shirley’s trail

Melanie and Caleb stand frozen, their eyes locked in a profound connection. Time seemed to fade away as they delved deeper into each other’s souls. The air is charged with an unspoken understanding, a sense of vulnerability and openness.

Caleb’s gaze wanders through Melanie’s chocolate brown eyes, searching for answers to unspoken questions and Melanie in turn, finds herself lost in the golden flecks dancing within Caleb’s irises, like caramel-colored leather.

Their face inclines as if drawn by an invisible force, their lips barely an inch apart. The tension between them is palpable, a spark waiting to ignite.

“Housekeeping!” unexpectedly, a knock on the door shatters the spell and Melanie’s eyes snap back to reality, while Caleb’s face mirrors her surprise.

“Right,” Melanie stammers, taking a step back.

“Breakfast.” She remembers, and Caleb clears his throat.

“Yeah, we should go,” He says as they reluctantly part ways and Melanie smoothens her hair, attempting to compose herself, while Caleb adjusts his watch, his eyes never leaving hers.

“Shall we?” He asks, offering her his arm.

Melanie feels like he is doing too much, so she doesn’t take his hands but after telling herself that his mother may have raised him to be a thorough gentleman, she takes his hand, with her hand brushing against his and the spark remains, simmering beneath the surface.

As they exit the room, the housekeeping staff bustle in, oblivious to the interrupted moment, and the two of them make their way downstairs where the hotel’s dining area is filled with the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and baked goods. Melanie and Caleb exchanged a glance, the unspoken connection still lingering.

“I didn’t remember to ask you if you would like to have your breakfast in this hotel or if you have a go-to breakfast spot here,” Caleb asks her, which makes her smile because she rarely eats breakfast…more like she has a really toxic relationship with breakfast.

“The food’s aroma has done a good job in awakening my taste buds, so we can just eat here” Melanie answers and Caleb guides her through the hotel’s elegant lobby, his hand resting on the small of her back.

They weave past the plush armchairs’ and polished marble. The soft murmur of the conversations and clinking china fills the air as they enter the breakfast room proper. The enticing aromas of freshly baked pastries, sizzling meats, and steaming coffee envelops them and Melanie’s stomach growls in anticipation.

“Shall we?” Caleb asks, gesturing to the buffet spread.

“I’ll have a bit of everything please,” Melanie says as she gestures to one of the waiters.

“I’ve got this.” Caleb dismisses the waiter and takes charge.

He expertly navigates the buffet, selecting a variety of dishes, scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, grilled sausages, toasted mushrooms, and golden-brown hash browns and Melanie watches impressed, as Caleb constructs two identical plates, his thoughtfulness evident, and after Caleb is done constructing their plates, he returns to their table.

“Thank you,” Melanie says, as he hands her a plate, while he sets down his plate before taking his seat.

“So, what is your strategy for finding Shirley?” Caleb asks her as they begin their meal and Melanie takes a bite of her eggs, savoring the flavors.

“We need to retrace her steps back to her house, then if she is not there we will talk to people that she interacted with before she went missing.” She answers.

“I also have some contacts here in Pearl Coast, so we can ask them for help” Caleb nods, his expression thoughtful.

“That is perfect. We should also try to track the location of her phone, and if possible, we will check her phone records, to trace the source of any suspicious calls, if there is one” Melanie’s eyes light up.

“I’ll get my team on it” he informs Mel as he pulls out his phone and starts typing on it.

“You have a team?” Melanie asks him confused and he nods as he steps outside to inform his team, while Mel eats her food.

It doesn’t take long before he comes back and they start discussing their plan, their conversation flows effortlessly, and their collaboration is seamless as they enjoy their breakfast.

Melanie gazes at Caleb across the breakfast table, she can't help but notice the way he is taking charge, ensuring she's taken care of. His protective nature, though subtle, is unmistakable. At first, Melanie feels a flutter of unease. She's always been independent, and capable of handling herself. Yet, Caleb's gentle assertiveness disarms her. His actions speak louder than words: The way he constructed her breakfast plate, anticipating her needs, His thoughtful questions, ensuring she's comfortable and prepared and His calm, confident demeanor, reassuring her they'll find Shirley.

Melanie's mind wanders to their intimate encounter the previous night, Caleb's tenderness, his consideration, had been a surprise. She hadn't expected such vulnerability from someone so self-assured. As she observes Caleb now, Melanie realizes his protectiveness isn't about controlling her, but about caring for her. It's a novel sensation, one she's hesitant to admit she enjoys. A part of her worries about losing autonomy, but another part, a growing part, appreciates Caleb's support. It's been a long time since someone has made her feel truly safe.

"Is this what it means to have a partner? Someone who has your back, without suffocating you?" Melanie's thoughts swirl and her chest tight end because she has not experienced that with any of her exes. She glances at Caleb, catching his eye.

For a moment, they just connect the air thick with unspoken understanding. Melanie's cheeks warm, and she looks away her heart racing. She's unsure what the future holds, but she's willing to explore this newfound dynamic.

"Ready to tackle the day?" Caleb's voice breaks the silence and Melanie smiles, her voice barely above a whisper, "Yeah, I'm ready." she answers and they pack up their plates before leaving the breakfast spot.

Melanie had no idea that Caleb had the time to plan extensively and put together an actual team because, after breakfast, he leads Melanie to a place that looked like a CIA base because of the coordination and the amount people there, busy working on their laptop and when he mentioned his team to Melanie, she thought it will be a maximum of two to three people but when she lays her eyes on his actual team, she realizes that they are actually a community of people and that blew Melanie’s mind because she kept on thinking of what the odds are that Caleb comes on an unplanned journey to look for somebody that he has no information about and he has these many people on deck.

After Melanie was introduced to the team, she was asked to provide basic information about Shirley as if it was an actual police investigation, and as she did, she just couldn’t stop thanking God for bringing such a massive support system like Caleb into her life that is not just willing to help but also has the resources to be of help to her.

After providing all the information they required like Shirley’s physical appearance, her house address, and a few relatives’ contact, they asked Melanie and Caleb if they will locate Shirley by tracking her phone, so there is nothing much that they can do there and they are free to return back to the hotel since there is nothing to do at the base again.

Caleb barely packed clothes for his journey and even though he trusts and believes in his teams efficiency, he still wants to be prepared for anything that may crop, so he tells Melanie that he wants to stop by the mall to pick up a few clothes while Melanie wanted to also pick up a new phone at the mall so they get into the car but instead of been driven by the designated driver, Caleb gets into the driver’s seat and asks the driver to just hail a cab back home, dismissing him for the day because he wanted to have the conversation that Melanie has been dreading since she woke up with her