Sex and the City.
3rd time's the charm.
Chapter One – Nice Guys.
As Carrie waltzed down the street in her new black fashionable dress she'd recently acquired she couldn't help but think about what was going on around her. As was normal for the blonde anthropologist an internal monologue began to play itself out in her mind.
New York, a time for fashion, a time for feasts, but indeed as we all know not a time to sleep. Samantha had heard of a new restaurant opening up in the city called Shayz Ledahr. It was one of those stand up places where chairs seemed to be lost in the itinerary and people were more than happy to stand around in heels all evening just to say they'd been there.
"If she comes up with another restaurant tomorrow night, I swear I'm out," Miranda complained as Carrie got into the cab Miranda had promised would be waiting for her at the corner.
"Not me," Carrie sighed joyously. "Any night out on the town with my man and I'm in."
"Oh yeah," Miranda replied smiling. "I forgot about your exclusive relationship with the city. How's it going?"
"Can't complain," Carrie replied. "Never will."
As Carrie looked outside at the people walking by on the streets her internal monologue sprouted once again.
It's true what they say, New York City is the place you come to when you have no desire to rest. Why after all would it be referred to as the city that never sleeps? Stores remain open, nightclubs boom until the early hours of the morning and coffee is available at almost every second store.
"Oh by the way," Miranda began. "Can you tell that pushy boyfriend of yours to change some of his laws? I'm facing this big shot D.A. tomorrow in court and unless your boyfriend thinks that men should have rights when it comes to abortion, I think my client is going to walk out of court tomorrow a very disappointed man."
"I'll see what I can do," Carrie smiled.
"Hey guys!" Charlotte cried as she flung open the door and sat next to Carrie in the cab.
"Ugh, another email," Miranda sighed as Charlotte clipped herself into the seat.
"What's wrong Miranda?" Charlotte asked.
"Oh don't mind her," Carrie offered. "She's just upset with my boyfriend."
"Mr Big?" Charlotte asked, a tad confused.
"I'm sorry," Carrie replied. "I thought we all agreed not to mention that name anymore."
"You know I'm still willing to draw up a gag-clause for everyone if you want," Miranda said smiling while she typed a response to the offending email.
It was true, Carrie's over analytic internal mind reflected. Big and I, while happily married for 2 years including but not limited to a beautiful apartment with a closet that represented my own personal opinion of heaven, had called it quits. But that's what happens when you marry the wrong guy. I'd known it 2 years ago when he'd given me a black diamond as a promise to remember he was my husband after an unfortunate incident in Dubai when I kissed an ex of mine Aiden. I tried to work through it, but Big seemed content to poke and prod at me every chance he got and eventually I'd had enough. I took my apartment back and Big kept the one we'd acquired through our marriage.
"We're here!" Charlotte cried excitedly as the cab pulled up to Shayz Ledahr. "You know, I heard that Paula Abduel and Simon Cowell both come here regularly."
"Really?" Miranda asked skeptically. "That she recalls, not mentioning Big's name whoosh over her head."
Carrie smiled at Miranda's last as the threesome got out of the cab and made their way into the restaurant.
"Oh wow!" Carrie couldn't help but sigh, a tad disappointed.
"When they say no chairs," Miranda agreed. "They mean…no chairs."
Indeed while the place was packed assumingly owing to the news of it popularity, there didn't seem to be one place to take a seat anywhere. High-risen tables upon high-risen tables were everywhere to be seen, but not even a sofa was in sight.
"So when did this whole standing in restaurants become a thing?" Carrie enquired as she placed a cigarette between her lips and reached into her pocket for a lighter.
"About a month after the whole standing while working became a thing," Miranda replied with disdain, taking the cigarette out of Carrie's mouth and referring to a no-smoking sign on a wall nearby.
"You know I heard that standing while eating is good for your body," Charlotte chimed in to the other women's look of confusion. "It's true! It keeps the metabolism going strong or something. Very ingenious."
"If you say so," Miranda replied, looking around for their fourth friend.
"Charlotte sweetie?" Carrie asked. "Where exactly did you get this information from?"
"Entertainment Tonight," Charlotte answered simply as Carrie rolled her eyes. "They did this whole thing on the metabolism recently and-"
"There you are!" came the loud and expectant voice of their other friend Samantha. "You know you're late right?"
"Late and possibly not staying," Miranda corrected. "How do they expect us to eat while standing?"
"Oh Miranda," Samantha waved off. "It's the new thing! You'll learn to love it."
"Or experience the wrath of Miss Sam Jones," Carrie whispered sarcastically.
"I heard that!" Samantha protested. "That's the last time I invite you two out."
"I'm fine with it," Charlotte squeaked, hating confrontation at the best of times.
"Really?" Miranda replied. "I don't see Simon Cowell or Paula Abduel anywhere!"
In reality it was tough to understand why Charlotte liked the place so much and more to the point how Samantha did. I was definitely with Miranda on this one. No sitting, meant no Carrie Bradshaw.
"*"
Half an hour later Miranda and I had been seated at the local pizza place we always loved and had began talking about her latest case.
"So this guy I'm advocating for tomorrow," Miranda began forking a bit of spinach. "Seems like a nice guy."
"Ah yes," Carrie replied. "But that's where you're already beaten. Remember what they say about the nice guys."
"Yeah true," Miranda agreed. "But why do they always finish last? I mean I'm nice right?...right?"
"Of course sweetie," Carrie complied. "You're the nicest person I know."
"That was convincing," Miranda smiled.
Carrie didn't know what to say to that and found herself zoning out. How long she was out was beyond her, but Miranda pulled her out of it quite sharply.
"Hey!...Hello!"
"Oh, ah…what?" Carrie asked a little fluxed.
"I said how can Peter rob Paul if Paul has no money?" Miranda asked. "It was a good joke and you completely zoned out on me."
"Sorry Miranda," Carrie replied. "I'm a little…preoccupied."
"*"
After Miranda walked me home from the pizza place, I walked directly to my laptop.
"Hello old thing!" Carrie remarked blissfully.
It had been a while since she had written anything on this laptop, putting it away after she stopped writing columns.
After my latest book – the 'how to's of break-up's' didn't do as well as its predecessors I found myself back where I'd started, working for the New York Observer. As they'd hired someone to ghost write the column for me while I was away, they said the transition would be smooth. To start however I needed a column and what Miranda had said earlier had struck a chord in me.
Sometimes niceties can be linked to a lack of ambition and therefore the proverbial nice guy finishes last. Aiden was a nice guy. Sure we broke up, but all of the reasons we broke up in the first place were my fault. And when one compared Aiden to Big, it didn't take much to see who came first.
With all of this in mind I couldn't help but wonder: Just like the proverbial nice-guy;
Do nice boyfriends always finish last?
"*"
"Of course they finish last," Samantha said rather emphatically the next morning over coffee at the diner.
All four ladies were there, however the other two seemed to be rather busy on their phones.
"It doesn't happen all the time though right?" Carrie protested. "I mean look at Miranda and Steve."
Despite Carrie's break-up, Miranda had stayed with Steve and Charlotte had stayed with Harry. Smith was a fleeting thing, but Samantha had made certain to tell everyone she could never be held down by anyone.
"Miranda and Steve what?" Miranda asked continuing to be distracted.
"Well Steve's a nice guy and you- you ended up with him," Carrie pleaded.
"…needs to be confirmed no later than tomorrow morning," Miranda said out loud, reflecting what she was typing.
"I'm sorry," Carrie said indignantly. "Are we having this conversation? Or are you too pre-occupied with your phone?"
"Carrie I have a huge case coming up right now," Miranda warned.
But Carrie didn't care.
"I thought you all said you'd be there for me when I need to talk!" she replied angrily.
"Yeah about the man we no longer name in any way, shape or form," Samantha replied. "But honey, this is work. It's not…him related."
"Well it's partially…him related," Carrie argued. "I mean, it's because of him and…other bad decisions I've made that I'm even wondering this."
"…aaand done," Miranda said emphatically. "What're we talking about?"
"Steve and how nice he is," Samantha said quickly. "Reply or experience the wrath of the newly instated columnist."
"Thankyou Samantha," Carrie replied annoyed. "I was trying to make the point that you and Steve ended up together and that he's a nice guy and-"
"Not lately he's not," Miranda replied. "He's so busy with the bar that he has no time for me or Brady."
"You see?" Samantha jumped in. "Not so nice guy – finished first."
"Well what about Charlotte?" Carrie asked as Charlotte finally hung up her cell.
"What about Charlotte what?" Charlotte asked, taken aback by everyone looking at her.
"You and Harry ended up together and he was a nice guy right?" Carrie begged, starting to feel like she was going crazy.
"Well," Charlotte replied uncharacteristically snooty. "That depends on what your definition of nice is. Is nice leaving me to deal with hiring the next nanny? Is nice telling the girls don't worry mommy will get it? Is nice blowing off our anniversary all because his brother needs to move!"
It seemed that no one was happy with their formerly considered nice guys. But that didn't necessarily mean they weren't nice when the girls met them. It was the same with my ex Alexander. A famed artist who was nothing but sweet and kid to me. Then suddenly after he whisked me off to Paris for the rest of my life, he turned into someone who, like that of my girlfriends husbands had no time for me.
"Besides an ex-box is one that should never be opened," Samantha said, replying to something Carrie had missed. "Throw away the key and have done with it as far as I'm concerned."
"Unless it's the game," Miranda replied. "We got an x-box for the boys, it's a great stress release. After I get home from the office, I sneak in a few minutes."
"Oh honey, no sex for you either?" Samantha asked.
"Let's just stop this topic shall we?" Charlotte asked. "Suffice it to say what's considered nice to one person is considered not nice to another."
"*"
Miranda was starting to get the impression of Charlotte's words later that day at work.
"Yes but Mr Connel, I need that deposition by tomorrow morning no later than nine oclock," she said to the man on the other end of her office phone.
"I sent you the email this morning!" she blasted.
A knock came at the door and a man poked his head around it, smiling the toothy smile Miranda had gotten used to.
"I have to go," she said rather quickly. "But I'm telling you 9am no later you hear me?"
Hanging up the phone Miranda turned to the man at the door.
"Karl, what is it this time?" she asked.
"Can't a man just come in and say hello?" the man asked with a cheeky smile.
"Not when it's you and not when you're due in court in oh, twenty minutes," Miranda replied.
Karl Turnster was a new associate to the firm, having recently just passed de bar he was more than adequate to handle certain cases, but he seemed to always need Miranda's help right before he left for the courtroom.
"You know how much I like you right?" he asked her.
"I know you like me when you need a favor Karl," Miranda replied.
Sighing she held out a hand.
"Show me the brief," she conceded, knowing there was no way he would leave till she helped him.
Karl handed the folder over to her and at the same time, plowed into the case.
"Basically it's a custody battle, but the husband signed some sort of agreement that if they break up, he would have no rights to the child," Karl said looking quite defeated.
"And you took the case?" Miranda asked. "Are you kidding me?"
"Well you know how it is when you start out," Karl reasoned. "You take what you can get."
"Yeah," Miranda agreed. "But I mean, this is…pretty unwinnable Karl."
"That's why I'm asking you to first chair," Karl replied. "We leave in 5."
Karl strode out of the office quickly but Miranda called him back.
"Karl, what do you think of Mr Turnster?" she asked cautiously.
"Won't help us win the case if that's what you're asking, I mean he doesn't practice right?" Karl asked.
"I meant as a person," she asked. "What do you think of him?"
"I like him as a person, he's quite nice actually. Always gets me what I want when I need it."
It was then that Miranda wondered about perception. Was Mr Turnster sexist? Or did he just not like Miranda?
"*"