hearing her passionately defend animals made him grin; he hadn’t fully realized how much he missed simply talking to her until that night. she was slowly shedding her reservations, he could tell, and becoming more comfortable in the conversation. as a california-bred boy, he’d never really spent time around farm animals or learned how to care for them before meeting petra. everything and anything he knew about the topic, she’d taught him. this was her element, and he loved watching her in it. “ well, i know for a fact that you love them and they definitely love you. you even got this city boy to ride a horse, ” caleb quipped, raising his eyebrows playfully. that memory was a fond one – visiting her family’s farm, breathing in fresh air, enjoying a full day with her that was uninterrupted – it still brought a smile to his face. at first, he was somewhat bewildered by the bashful look on her face, but then he remembered his own reactions to seeing some of her projects for the first time. his own cheeks had been pretty pink, too; she was gorgeous, and there was no denying that. he tried to keep his cool. “ i’ve heard someone say that you’re the second coming of claudia schiffer, so you’ve earned it. ”
cal very nearly breathed a sigh of relief when she accepted his offer and made her own joke. just from knowing how kind petra was, he would’ve expected her to do the former – that was simply the kind of person she was – but her wisecrack signified that she probably really did mean it. amused, he deadpanned in response, “ oh, it’s very versatile. even if there’s a zombie apocalypse, a smoke signal will do the trick. ” for a moment, he was caught off guard by her question, his lips parted in surprise. and then, without warning, he burst into laughter. of course, in her own gentle way, she wouldn’t let him get away with a bullshit answer; he should’ve known better than to treat her the way he’d treat almost anyone else. she did know him well still. “ i missed you, ” he admitted casually, unable to realize what he was saying until he’d already said it. not allowing himself the time to get embarrassed, he added, “ really, though, it was what i needed. i was pretty burnt out going in. kinda weird that a lot of people already had an opinion of me, though. they almost couldn’t believe it when i told them i was there to just, like, be a college kid and read byron and take showers wearing flip flops. ” it was unsettling that, even on his very first day, many of the people he met openly viewed him with disgust, intrigue, or something in between. but he’d handled it in his usual way – with humor and a bit of charm, if necessary. curiosity in his eyes, he asked, “ have you had weird experiences with people who recognize you in l.a. ??” he was interested to hear how fan encounters were different in the world of modeling.
“and you weren’t half bad!” petra immediately smiled softly at the memory. she had been incredibly nervous for weeks leading up to his visit, expecting the doctors to change their minds at any moment and say it was too dangerous for him. she would’ve understood, but she would’ve been devastated. to show him where she had grown up far from the bustle of detroit and watch the joy in his eyes as he, even as a city boy, appreciated her animals and the serene rolling acres of land had been one of the greatest days of her life to date. she scratched the side of her face just to give herself an excuse to naturally hide as much of her blushing cheeks as she could before running her fingers through her blonde locks. caleb caught her attention - as if he didn’t already have it completely undivided - with the mention of the supermodel and she stared at him with wide eyes. “that’s absolutely insane,” she shook her head, “you’re either making it up or that person was talking about someone else.” it was still so strange to her that she had somehow made a career out of modeling. there was an unspoken side of her that felt like she was taking someone else’s more deserving spot because the whole thing had sort of just fallen into her lap, albeit with a few years of disappointment and professional rejection.
the blonde let out a giggle at his response, shaking her head as she looked at him with admiration. he’d always, without fail, made her laugh, no matter her mood. granted, they hadn’t dealt with many times that he had tried to make her laugh after she was upset from his doing, but it was something he was clearly capable at without even trying. hearing caleb’s familiar laugh, though now a few octaves lower, made her heart burst instantly. and then his comment on top of that? she was a mess on the inside. outwardly, petra smiled at him as warmth filled her being at the thought that they were going to be okay. no matter what they’d been through, they were going to come out on the other side stronger. they had to. “i missed you, too,” she admitted quietly when she got a chance after he finished speaking. even if he wanted to roll past the comment, she needed him to know. “you weirdo,” she said endearingly with a laugh and shake of her head, “most kids would do anything not to go to college.” honestly, she respected his decision to step away from the spotlight for a few years to pursue higher education, and she was sure that would come out eventually as they worked on repairing their relationship. “i don’t get recognized a ton,” she shrugged her shoulders. it wasn’t something she was upset about. honestly, seeing the way some of her colleagues were treated, she preferred the relative anonymity. “i don’t really have ‘fans’ like you or someone else does. i don’t think people really recognize me when they see me on the street in yoga pants when they’re so used to seeing me in professional photos all done up -- if they’ve even seen one at all. but usually, it’s just asking for a quick photo - oh, and my workout routine. i get that question a lot.”
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