The Truth Will Out
By T.J
"I need Coffee!" Annie walked into Caroline's loft and made straight for the Coffeepot.
"Annie!" Caroline shouted in surprise, as far as she knew Annie was supposed to be filming a television pilot in L.A. " What are you doing here?"
"Well I'm not working - that's for sure." She said angrily and after finishing her coffee in one large gulp, she turned and poured herself another.
"Annie? Oh God, what's happened?" Caroline asked with a sense of dread.
Annie's gaze dropped to the floor and her voice shook as she spoke. "I got fired from some stupid television show." Annie took another deep breath, she wasn't sure what to do - hurt someone or run to her Mom for a hug.
"I'm so sorry." Caroline ran to her friend and hugged her. "Are you gonna be alright?" She knew that Annie hated being out of work but she also knew her best friend would not feel sorry for herself for long. Soon she'd be auditioning and trawling through magazines and newspapers looking for work and grinned slightly at the thought.
"What are you grinning at? Me?" Annie asked her face showing her hurt feelings.
Caroline was quick to reassure her friend, "Nope. I'm just thinking that you'll find something else, something better, you always do."
Annie smiled pleased Caroline's confidence in her abilities always managed to surprise Annie giving her a buzz. With a lighter heart she gestured towards the sofa and they both sat down. "So, is there anything new going on? Wait, given that Richard works here - I should ask, is there anything sick and twisted happening?"
Annie watched fascinated as Caroline's back snapped straight, her face reddening. Lost in thought she didn't hear the door open admitting Del and Charlie.
Annie reached for her friend and allowed her self to think the unthinkable. "Caroline! What's wrong? Oh my God! Is Richard… you know?"
"What Jewish? I thought we all knew that." Charlie said as he rolled to the sofa. Del sat on the coffee table in front of the women, he wasn't really concerned but he did enjoy knowing the latest gossip.
Caroline looked down unwilling to meet anyone's eyes. "Well Richard met up with Julia - his ex-girlfriend, this week."
"So? Unless they're planning to take over the world what's so bad about that?" Annie asked thinking that Caroline was getting her self into a state for no reason.
"I phoned Richard last night and left a message on his machine - telling him I loved him." Caroline finished quickly and crouched lower on the sofa, waiting for her friend's reactions.
"What?" Del shouted in disbelief.
Annie was trying to swallow pass the lump in her throat but managed to croak, "You're in love with Richard. Since when?"
"Yeah, I'd like to know too, I mean, it wasn't that long ago that you and I were…." Del's voice trailed off he wasn't pleased that Caroline had thrown him aside to make way for Richard.
Caroline annoyed at her friends stood up. "Hey! I didn't plan this - it just happened."
Annie, feeling bad for judging Caroline, shot an angry glance at Del and a warning glance at Charlie. "Okay! Okay! Caroline we're sorry. Please sit down and tell us what happened."
Caroline sat down and told them about Richard asking her to pretend to be his wife because he didn't want to be seen as some loser. "It seemed like a good idea at the time and you know me, I'll help anyone."
Annie, Del and Charlie nodded knowing that that much was true.
"Anyway," Caroline continued nervously, "we agreed to meet Julia and her fiancé Macello for dinner and that's where it happened." She saw Annie nod her head encouragingly and she continued, "Julia started dancing with Richard and I realised that I was jealous." Caroline's hands cut the air in irritation. "All those times he's danced with me and kicked up a fuss but one word from her and he's like 'okay'."
"So that's when you realised you love him." Del asked softly.
"No, not exactly you see Macello cut in and danced off with Julia while I danced with Richard but as we danced I…" She looked at her hands and didn't know whether to share her sex fantasy.
"What?" Asked Charlie. "Did you fall over, I always do when I dance."
"That's because you wear those things." Annie pointed at Charlie's blades then turned back to Caroline. "You what? You may as well tell us now because the next time you're drunk you're going to spill the beans."
Caroline smiled knowing that Annie was right. "I was dancing with Richard and I had this day dream. Well is was about Richard and me you know in bed - naked."
Annie closed her eyes in pain, as if seeing her best friend in bed with the dark prince was the worst thing she'd heard. But she gathered her thoughts and stashed them to one side Caroline needed her support now not her recrimination. "And that's how you know you feel something towards Richard?"
"Look, I know this isn't what you all want to hear but after that I couldn't stop thinking about him - us." She turned to Annie, "I tried telling you but you were all excited about your show and well I didn't know what to say anyway."
"I'm sorry, honey I guess I was excited and - "
"Oh Annie I'm not blaming you, it's just that now I've discovered these feelings and Julia's in the way."
"What's this Julia like anyhow?" Asked Annie, thinking of Julia as some pale faced librarian, someone boring and plain.
Charlie grinned, "Let's just say, Richard's a very lucky man."
"I'll say, she's a Grade A babe," Del said enthusiastically as his hands drew an hour glass figure, "and it's thanks to me, that he met her."
"What?" Caroline bit out.
Del hung his head realising that he'd revealed too much. "Err.. I didn't mean to. I didn't know who she was, honest." He explained about taking Richard out to meet women then going to meet Charlie's father at a restaurant, "and that's where I persuaded him to go over and talk to this woman, who had just sat down."
"And it was Julia." Caroline stated and couldn't help but feel a little anger towards Del - if it wasn't for him Richard would never have thought of chatting up someone and she wouldn't be in this situation.
Dell looked between Annie and Caroline noticing their angry scowls, he decided that it was time to go. "Caroline what ever happens I hope you'll be happy, I really do." With that he grabbed Charlie dragging him out of the apartment. "See-ya."
Annie wasn't sure what advice to give, as she was the one usually taking it, "So you told him how you felt before Julia could whisk him away?"
Caroline nodded taking a mouthful of her lukewarm coffee. The bitter taste matched her mood. Had she done the right thing or acted to hastily? "But he hasn't phoned back or anything and he's late, he's probably too embarrassed to come in. You don't think I scared him off do you? I just hate the idea that she can come back into his life and take him away from me. Do you think there's the smallest possibility that Richard could feel anything for me?"
Annie thought of the letter that Richard had written to Caroline and was disappointed that Richard had yet to contact Caroline. After all the things she had made him do in the name of blackmail she couldn't believe he still didn't feel the same. Not to mention all those times she had caught him gazing at Caroline with a dreamy smile on his face. She really couldn't understand how his feelings could have changed, was this Julia person so stunning that she could bewitch Richard? She looked at her friend's sad expression and decided that something needed to be done. "I'm sure he does. You should go around and see him."
Caroline looked surprised at the suggestion she knew she should but she had used all her courage just picking up the phone and expressing her feelings. But to say these things to his face to see his reaction, could she do it? Am I willing to sit here and allow Julia to take Richard from me?
The thought caused Caroline's heart to flutter painfully; she stood and walked towards the door with determination. "You're right Annie, it's time to get this over and done with. If he feels something for me, Great! But if not, then I'll deal with that too."
Annie jumped up and helped Caroline put on her coat. "You go girl." She kissed Caroline on the cheek. "Good luck."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
She knocked on Richard's door and waited impatiently for a response. Please be in. She prayed silently.
"Caroline." Julia stated surprised as she opened the door.
"Oh." Caroline faked a smile to cover her disappointment. "Hi Julia."
"What are you doing here?" Asked Julia, looking all too at home in Richard's apartment.
"I'm looking for Richard, is he in?"
"No, he popped out to the shops, we were in need of some refreshments." Her sly smile allowed Caroline to imagine exactly why Richard needed refreshment.
"Oh, right then. Will he be back soon?" She was anxious to see him while she was still felt strong enough to express her feelings.
Julia shrugged then smiled and whispered as if to keep from other people form hearing, "I don't know, he was so happy after our love making that when he left he was babbling about what to get for breakfast." She smiled obviously pleased with herself.
"Well when he gets back will you tell him to phone me?" Caroline asked her voice unsteady with jealousy and frustration.
"Sure."
Caroline could tell that Julia had no intention of telling Richard and her teeth ground together sending a wave of pain along her jaw. She was just about to turn away when her eyes settled on the answering machine her heart leapt to her throat. Had Richard heard the message? She looked at the machine wishing that she could take the tape.
"Oh don't worry about that." Julia, seeing where Caroline's gaze landed, pointed to the machine and smiled, "I erased the message last night while Richard was having a shower, he didn't hear it."
Her smug expression made Caroline furious and without a second thought she pushed her way into Richard's apartment. "You did what?" She felt an intense anger burn in her gut and couldn't keep quiet any longer. "You had no right to do that, that message was for Richard it was non of your business."
Julia leaned against the doorframe looking unconcerned, "I thought I was doing you a favour, Richard cannot possibly love you. If he had heard that message it would have humiliated you."
Caroline trembled with anger and frustration and hot tears threatened to spill down her cheeks, nothing had hurt her more than Julia's betrayal. Her fists clenched almost drawing blood, the injustice of it all made her want to lash out, to protest against the unfairness. She looked at Julia whose entire being was mocking her, it seeped into Caroline's soul and when she spoke her voice had a dangerous hue to it. "You've just made a big mistake Julia."
Julia blinked momentarily startled by the threat that was emanating from Caroline but she was not a coward and did not scare easily. "Really?" She laughed greatly amused. "I see and what exactly are you going to do?"
Caroline wasn't sure if she knew Richard better than Julia did but she did know that Richard hated betrayal, hated being let down by others. She felt a calming wave flow through her, brushing away her anger, as she realised that she had the power, the means to take control. Her voice grew more confident as she spoke. "We both know that Richard is a man with integrity so tell me Julia, how do you think he'll react when he finds out what you did?"
Julia's smile faulted and her body lost that casual stance that she'd had since opening the door. She stopped smiling and took a step closer to Caroline her voice sounding stilted with temper. "You will not tell him, you do not have the courage."
Of all the things that Julia could have said that was the wrong thing for Caroline had had enough of people telling her she was a coward. She gave Julia a small smile, thinking that here was proof that she had courage, she was standing up for herself and she wasn't backing down.
Richard walked to his apartment, surprised to see Julia standing in the doorway. He thought of their night together and he shook his head. Why wasn't he happy? His sincere had come back so he felt like he should be celebrating but instead he was plagued with guilt.
As he approached his door he wondered what was wrong and then he noticed Caroline inside his apartment, the air crackled with tension and Richard realised why he was having these feelings. He was still ashamed with himself that he had made Caroline cry for she was the one person he'd never want to hurt. Out of all the people he knew Caroline was the one whose happiness mattered last night he'd thought that for an instant she was going to tell him the same, but the moment passed and apparently she'd been acting. Acting - he thought disappointed - if she'd had told him even saying she only thought she might feel something he would have forgotten about Julia in an instant, he coughed drawing the ladies' attention. "Err, Hi. Caroline, what are you doing here?"
Julia sashayed to Richard's side and kissed his cheek. "She was just wishing us well."
Caroline smiled sweetly refusing to let Julia intimidate her. "Indeed. Actually I came to see if you got my message but obviously you didn't."
Richard extracted his arm from Julia and stepped inside, towards Caroline. He was shocked to see her here this morning but was pleased. Maybe she's forgiven me for upsetting her. As he stepped inside and got a closer look at Caroline he was shocked by her appearance, her face was flushed and her eyes shone brightly with repressed emotion. "What message?" He asked urgently wondering what was wrong with Caroline.
"The message I left last night." Caroline said her voice quivering.
Richard seeing the seriousness on Caroline's face went to his machine and jabbed at the buttons. He listened to the tape and was he was surprised when the tape finished and Caroline's voice had yet to be heard, "See no message. Was it important?"
Caroline watched as Richard fiddled with the machine. His blonde hair shined in the morning light and Caroline was grateful that he had a tendency to allow his hair to get long. It was the sort of hair that begged to be caressed. His face looked puzzled and Caroline noticed as he bit his bottom lip in concentration it wasn't until recently that those details had an effect on her. Caroline knew that it was now or never she could lie and leave here allowing Julia to win or she could take her chance. Sure she knew that Richard might not feeling anything for her other than friendship and that by telling him her feelings she could ruin their friendship but stood here faced with the alternative, she glanced at Julia, she made her decision. "Actually it was important, well I thought it was."
"Oh." Richard was curious now and wanted to know about this infamous message. "I'm sorry I didn't get it, this machines' useless. So, do you mind if I ask what did it said?"
Caroline smiled brightly mischievously. "Well it's kind of personal." She looked at Julia then shrugged, "but what the hell." Caroline stepped forwards and kissed Richard soundly. She released all her feelings kissing him passionately, she was aware of Julia's anger but didn't stop. After what seemed like an age she was pleased when Richard responded, his lips moving firmly over hers then his tongue brushed against her lips, she opened her mouth wider allowing him access.
"Hey! Stop that!" Julia shouted indignant.
But Caroline didn't. And neither did Richard.
Richard for his part was in heaven his arms were securely around her and showed no signs of letting her go either. The moment seemed surreal but he wasn't lucky enough to be able to pass up an opportunity like this. He marvelled at how Caroline fit against his body, how perfect, how natural it seemed for them to be together like this. His was barely aware of another presence his senses overloading on Caroline. He groaned as she gently sucked on his tongue sending a surge of need to his groin.
"Reechard!" Julia screamed angrily and stamped her feet.
Caroline finished her kiss her mouth lingered over Richard's for a moment before quickly pressing a light kiss against his soft lips. She leaned back and gazed directly into his face, not wanting to hide the significance of what she'd just done. He looked shock and bewildered and Caroline smiled. "That was the general gist of my message."
"Really?" Richard swallowed his voice was husky but a smile lit up his face.
"If you had heard my message you would of heard me say that I have feelings for you that I'd hope you'd return those feelings and want us to be more than friends but Julia apparently took it upon herself to erase the message."
Richard, whose smile had become wider as he heard Caroline confess her feelings, blinked as Caroline's last sentence sank in. He scowled, realising that his hands were still on Caroline's hips, he squeezed her reassuringly before letting go and turning to Julia.
"You erased Caroline's message? Why?" His voice was low and pained.
"I didn't not think you would be interested in someone so…perky. She is not your type but I am." Julia struck a seductive pose and pouted sexily, "I know exactly what you like."
"Do you?" He stood there feeling sick thinking how close he'd come to never knowing what she had done. "I see and when did you learn that I like to be lied to?" He went on, his voice shook with repressed anger. "I asked you last night who was that on the phone and you said it was just some saleswoman. What gives you the right to decided who I should be involved with?" He glanced at Caroline and turned back to Julia. "I can't believe I was willing to get back with you."
"Richard, no!" Julia stood forward a look of panic on her face. "After last night you can't toss me aside, we spent the night making love, surely it meant something to you."
"We were barely together for a few hours and already you've betrayed me. You can't just lie to me and pretend it doesn't matter." He explained angrily.
Caroline watched as Julia approached Richard and ran her hand down his chest.
"Reechard please."
"Julia, no." He stepped back and Julia's hand slipped from his body. "You haven't changed at all have you? But I have, I've grown up and I'll never be satisfied with what you have to offer. Goodbye Julia."
Julia glared at him for a moment then turned going through his apartment, collecting her things. Her words angrily spoken where in Italian and Caroline shrugged not caring that she didn't understand. She watched as Richard closed the door his back to her, his head resting against the door. Caroline's elation turned to horror, she couldn't quite believe what she'd done. Oh god! This is bad. She looked at the floor disgusted with her self, she'd broken up a relationship; something she'd never done before or ever thought she would do.
Richard felt bad knowing that Caroline's feelings had been hurt. He looked at her and saw the dejection in her slumped body. "Caroline?"
Caroline's gaze remained on the floor, her voice filled with remorse. "Richard I'm so sorry, I can't even believe I did that."
Richard closed his eyes fearing he was about to hear her confess to merely acting again.
"I didn't come here intent on wrecking your relationship." Caroline whispered regretfully.
"Then why did you come?" He asked with a mixture of hope and denial written on his face.
"I came to see why you never replied to my message."
Richard's head, shot up at her reply, the message was real, he thought happily. "You meant it? About us, I mean?" He moved away from the door to stand in front of her.
"Yes." Caroline wondered why he seemed so surprised, surely the kiss had confirmed her message.
Richard let out a breath quickly in relief. "In that case, I'm glad you did do something, because I feel the same way."
Caroline gasped, shocked but very pleased, "You do?"
"Yes." Finally able to say what he'd his heart craved, he smiled his face glowing with love. "I've been in love with you for ages, I just never had the courage to say anything. I also didn't think you could ever love me."
Caroline smiled too. "Believe me I've had those same thought myself but what about Julia? You must have had feelings for her?"
Richard winced at the vulnerability in her voice. "Not really. I know that's a horrible thing to say but by knowing you, your warmth and compassion, a relationship with Julia would have been a poor substitute. Julia's the same woman she was all those years ago but I'm not the same man." He smiled self critically, "What I mean is, that since knowing you I've learned a lot myself, about relationships and friendships and about love."
"So does this mean?" Caroline smiled hopefully.
Richard noticed that his face ached and he realised it was because he was smiling, really smiling. "I love you Caroline, I've been falling in love with you from the first moment I saw you."
"And I thought I just drove you mad."
"You do but in the nicest possible way." He kissed her softly merely a press of his lips against hers. He looked into her eyes and whispered, "Say it Caroline."
"Say what?" Caroline only half teased her smile bright and impish.
Richard lowered his mouth so it was a hairs' width over hers and he whispered quietly again, "Say it."
Caroline looked into Richard's eyes and with a single breath whispered against his lips, "I love you Richard."
He crushed her to him needing to feel her body against his; this simple embrace binding them in so much love and acceptance that he was loathed to let go. They stood enjoying the freedom that came with acknowledging their feelings and the realisation of a future together and kissed again.
The End