**Chapter 21: Unintended Consequences**

The room remained silent for a moment, with the girls exchanging uneasy glances. Cinderella was the first to break the silence, her voice soft and gentle. "Caleb, it's okay, really. We understand that you were just trying to be honest with us." Tiana nodded in agreement, her eyes filled with empathy. "Yeah, we appreciate your willingness to be open with us. It's not always easy to talk about these things." Merida, however, looked a bit taken aback, her Scottish brogue tinged with a hint of discomfort. "Aye, Caleb, I think we can all agree that was a wee bit out of the blue, don't ye think?" Caleb's face flushed with embarrassment as he realized the abruptness of his question. "I'm so sorry, it was all of a sudden. I just got excited by all of you around me, I wasn't thinking straight," he said, his voice laced with apology. Aurora, who had been quiet until now, spoke up, her voice calm and soothing. "It's okay, Caleb. We know you didn't mean to make us uncomfortable. It's just that... well, that's a pretty personal question." The girls nodded in agreement, and the tension in the room began to dissipate. Snow White, who had been quiet until now, spoke up, her voice filled with kindness. "We're not mad at you, Caleb. We just need to process this, okay?" Caleb nodded, feeling a wave of relief wash over him. "I'm so sorry again, girls. I didn't mean to make things awkward. I just... I care about all of you, and I want us to be able to talk about anything." The girls smiled, and the atmosphere in the room began to return to normal. Tiana reached out and put a hand on Caleb's arm. "We care about you too, Caleb. And we appreciate your honesty. Let's just... take some time to think about this, okay?" The girls nodded in agreement, and the conversation slowly turned to other topics, though the air was still filled with a hint of unspoken understanding. Caleb breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that the girls were willing to forgive him and move forward. But he couldn't shake the feeling that this conversation was far from over.