Disclaimer: No infringement to copyright holders intended.
Caroline and the Cheat
By T.J
Richard was rubbing the shampoo in his hair as he heard the phone ring. He was having a shower. The machine will get, he thought. Besides he had more important things to do now that Julia was waiting for him in the other room.
He heard Caroline's voice but over the sound of the shower he couldn't hear her words. I'll check my messages later. But Caroline wouldn't leave his thoughts. The fact that she was, thinking of him right this very minute made him recall his recent lovemaking and guilt twisted his gut. He shook his head trying to get rid of the feeling. What does it matter if I sleep with Julia it's not like I'm with Caroline--though I wish I were. He thought ruefully.
Angry with himself for still having these feelings for Caroline, he switched off the shower and quickly towel dried himself before wrapping the towel around his waist. He looked at his reflection in the bathroom mirror and noticed the unusual sight of his eyes shining brightly with conflicted emotion. She came back to me after all this time the love of my life came back. He should have been happy but his unsaid feelings for Caroline and his doubts about Julia's sincerity clouded his judgement. Julia is here-now and Caroline-my love for her will always be unrequited.
~~~~~~
Julia glanced over to the answering machine satisfied that Richard would never hear Caroline's message. She felt no remorse. It is laughable that, that slip of a girl could think Richard would have any interest in her. He is mine and nothing will change that.
She was grateful that Richard was in the shower when the call came.
"Richard? My darling?" She called.
Richard stepped out of the bathroom to find Julia in his bed. The sheets were dropped to her waist and the subdued lighting made her look even more enticing. Her dark hair fell around her face and shoulders, the curls partially covering her breasts. She smiled brightly at him, her lips red and parted. She showed no hesitation or reserve about her nakedness or by his appraisal. He stared at her body, his desire yearning for release. It seemed so long ago since he'd been physically intimate with anyone and to his embarrassment his body betrayed his feelings. Slowly, mesmerised by her presence, he approached her and sat on the bed.
Julia saw his desire and smiled in satisfaction. See he is mine. She reached out and drew a perfectly manicured nail down his chest and felt him tremble. "My love, it has been along time." She purred.
"Yes - yes it has." He rasped his voice raw with emotion; he closed his eyes, trying to gain some control.
Julia smiled happily; she loved the control she had over him. She remembered how passionate in bed he was-how patient a lover. He would take his time, sensing her needs and fulfilling them completely. He would make love for hours worshipping her body, whispering words of love and beauty. So why shouldn't I take advantage of him now? Marcello had the money and the reputation and Richard would fulfil her sexual needs-for now. She leaned forward and pressed her lips to Richard's, thinking with both men she would want for nothing.
~~~~~~
Caroline lay in bed thinking about her little sex fantasy of Richard and how much it had shaken her to the core. Up until now the tension she had felt around Richard had remained nameless and she had learned not to dwell on it. But now she knew what it was and the feelings refused to be dismissed-she loved him.
Frustrated and with sleep evading her, she had no choice but to try to make sense of everything that had occurred. She cast her mind back trying to piece together how long she had felt this way. She had dreamed of kissing Richard a few days before marrying Del but she had resolved that by putting it up to pre wedding nerves. There were other times when the air seemed to be charged between them but nothing was said or done to acknowledge it. But this time it was different, she had been in Richard's embrace her face against his chest both moving to the music. She had been wide-awake when she had visualised herself in bed with him, kissing him and in that instant she knew she would never think of Richard as merely her friend.
The decision to phone Richard and bare her soul had taken a lot of courage and she knew that there was a possibility that he would break her heart but she still believed she'd done the right thing. She had made the call and hoped that he would phone her right back but a couple of hours of pacing and waiting she had decided to go to bed and wait for the morning.
If only it was that simple. While I know what I feel for Richard, I have no idea what he feels for Julia. She had high hopes that he had left and gone home alone but she couldn't shake the feeling that they had met up downstairs and ended up together.
"Ahhh! This is no good, I'm too nervous to sleep." She threw back the blankets and went into the bathroom. Showered and dressed she went downstairs and decided to do what she always did when she was anxious-she'd bake.
~~~~~~
Thank god that's over and done with. Annie chucked her suitcase out of the lift and wearily stepped into the hallway. She noticed the light coming from beneath Caroline's door. She glanced at her watch. Ooh great she's still up. After the flight I've had I need someone to talk to. She dragged her luggage with her and slowly opened the door.
The smell of cooking and cake mixture greeted her. She's baking at this hour-this can't be good.
"Caroline?"
Caroline jumped at the sudden noise, "Annie? What are you doing back?"
Annie dumped her luggage by the fish tank and walked over to grab a coffee. "Well let's just say things in L.A didn't go according to plan?"
Caroline grimaced. "That bad huh?"
Annie gulped down the hot coffee. "Worse. I got fired."
Caroline hugged her friend in sympathy. "I'm sorry. Are you okay?"
Annie shrugged off her friends concern. "I'm fine." She looked at the selection of baked goods on the counter. "Are you?" She watched as Caroline fidgeted and evaded her gaze. She's baking and avoiding looking at me-something must be really wrong. She touched her friends' shoulder. "Caroline, what's wrong?"
"I--er--" Caroline stammered.
"What? You can tell me." Annie encouraged.
Caroline took a deep breath. "I left a message on Richard's answering machine telling him I loved him--and he didn't phone back."
Annie gaped at her friend and blinked several times before she could speak. She saw her friends' look of disappointment and knew that whatever she felt for Richard personally, she didn't want to see Caroline upset. "Well you know maybe he just hasn't heard it."
"That's not all though--" She told Annie all about her pretend marriage and Julia. All the while Annie nodded in disbelief. I leave for a few weeks and everything goes to hell. I mean she asked Del for advice, she must--my god she must really be in love with Richard. The though caused her to smile because she knew Richard felt the same way. And even though she was exhausted she decided to stay up with Caroline and wait for Richard's arrival. I can't wait to see the look on Caroline's face when Richard tells her his feelings.
~~~~~~~
Caroline and Annie had spent the last hour cleaning the apartment.
While Caroline might find cooking therapeutic it did leave an awful lot of washing up to do. Annie though tiredly as she slouched on the sofa nursing a black coffee.
Caroline nervously dried her hands on a towel. "He'll be coming in soon."
"Don't worry, everything will be fine, trust me." Annie smiled reassuringly confident in Richard's feelings for Caroline.
The door opened and Caroline turned expectantly. "Oh." She said disappointedly. "Hi Del."
Del saw the look and sighed, "Well hi to you too." He said clearly hurt.
Caroline shook head. "I'm sorry Del but I've got a lot on my mind."
"Hey, cake!" He walked over to the counter and grabbed a knife from the drawer. "Oh, is this a Strawberry sponge cake?" He didn't wait for a reply and cut a large chuck out, placing it on some kitchen paper. He looked up as he took a bite and saw the look of annoyance on both women's' faces. He swallowed quickly and remembering what Caroline had said, asked, "So, what is on your mind?"
Annie gestured Del to sit next to her on the sofa. "She took your advice and left a message on Richard's answering machine telling him she loves him."
Del smiled. "Well that's great news," He watched as Caroline sat heavily on her chair facing them her shoulders drooped miserably. "Isn't it?"
Annie continued. "We haven't heard back from him yet."
He looked at the time. "Well he'll be in soon, so you don't have long to wait for an answer."
Caroline absently looked down and noticed her flour stained T-shirt. "Oh no, I've got to get changed." She ran upstairs.
"Ouch!" Del hissed as Annie hit him. "What did you do that for?"
"That's for telling Caroline to tell Richard she's loves him."
"Well what if he loves her back."
Annie looked away guiltily but Del didn't miss it.
"Is there something I should know?"
Annie decided it was best to get everything out in the open and quickly told him about Richard's love letter to Caroline.
"I knew it! I told Caroline that I always felt there was something between those two."
"You did?" Annie asked surprised. "So you're not bothered about Caroline and Richard getting together?"
"Yep, and if Richard makes Caroline happy, I don't mind at all."
"Del you're full of surprises." She said affectionately as Caroline returned.
She had changed from jeans and T-shirt into a black short skirt and dark blue top. "How do I look?"
Del looked her over. "Nervous." He said, helpfully.
"Thanks Del." Caroline said irritably. "You really know how to--" she stopped talking as she heard a key rattle in her door. "On my god, he's here!"
Annie stood and hugged her friend quickly. "Calm down, relax."
They turned to face Richard as he entered. "Hi Richie." Annie taunted.
Richard sneered at her. "What back already? I must say it didn't take you long to sleep your way through L.A."
"I missed you too, pencil neck." Annie bit back. She saw the hesitant glance he threw at Caroline and grabbed Del. "Well I should go, things to do."
Del, for once catching her meaning, made an excuse also and they both left.
Out in the hallway Del headed for the stairs. Annie leapt at him and took his arm. "Del where are you going?" She whispered.
"To the gym. Why?"
"No, get back here and be quiet. Don't you want to find out whether those two get together?"
Del grinned and joined her and together they crouched at the door listening….
~~~~~~~~
"So?" Caroline watched Richard as he walked into the room. She noticed that he seemed to be avoiding her gaze. I really hope that's a good sign, she prayed.
"So?" Richard asked then fell silent. He felt nervous and unsure how to approach the subject of his feelings.
"Richard about last night…"
"About last night..."
They both spoke at the same time then stopped and smiled at each other nervously. "You go first." Richard said.
Caroline shook her head needing to hear his words. "No you go first."
"Ok." Richard paced a bit gathering his courage then turned to face her. "First off I want to apologise about last night, I never meant to hurt you."
Caroline smiled touched by his concern. "That's ok I understand. I'm sorry I slapped you."
Richard rubbed his cheek. "I probably deserved it." He saw the kindness in her eyes and suddenly the news that he had to give her lodged in his throat. He looked away, her gaze unnerving him. "Anyway--wow--this is hard to say--"
"Then just say it, that's what my Grandma Duffy says." Caroline added. The suspense was killing her and she wished he would just get to the point.
He nodded again. "Well last night after I left here, I caught up with Julia downstairs and we talked --"
"You did?" She gasped then winced, hoping he hadn't noticed her disappointment. Apparently he didn't because he continued, his voice and smile revealing his happiness.
"Yeah and well we've decide to give it another go." He couldn't quite believe it himself but saying it out loud did make it seem real.
"What?" She blurted out, too shocked to hide the look of hurt that blazed in her eyes
Which Richard missed because he was to caught up in the moment, he laughed merrily, "I know it's crazy but she wants another chance and at one time we did--" He was interrupted as Del and Annie burst in the apartment.
"You can't do that." Del shouted.
Richard turned and tensed up, wondering why Annie and Del had come back. "I can't do what? And what business is this of yours, anyway?" He asked clearly angry.
"But--" Del looked at Annie and Caroline then back at Richard. "Didn't you get the message?"
Richard shook his head impatiently. "What message?"
Annie nudged Del. "He didn't get the message."
"What message?" Richard repeated beginning to feel confused.
"You didn't get the message?" Del asked again.
Richard turned to Caroline. "What message? He asked annoyed.
Caroline blushed with humiliation, she wasn't sure whether he had got the message or if he was pretending not to have heard it. "Oh it was nothing." She said trying vainly not to look mortified.
Richard tried to read her eyes for any hint of what was going on but she looked away. "Well those two seem to think it was."
"Well it wasn't." Caroline snapped crossly. "So please let's just forget it. It wasn't important."
Richard didn't know whether to believe her. "You sure?"
She looked at Del and Annie warningly. "Yes." It occurred to her then that Richard seemed genuinely ignorant about the message. Maybe he didn't get it …and if he didn't maybe I have time to erase it! She stepped forward urgently. "Oh, look at the time! I've got to go-dental appointment. Will you come with me?" She asked Annie. "You know just in case they anaesthetise me?" She grabbed Annie then her coat and bag and left.
Out in the hallway she pressed the button to summon the elevator and slumped against the wall.
Annie shook her head. What the hell happened to Richards' feelings for Caroline? She thought confused. "I can't believe this. It's not like Richard to jump into something like this."
Caroline held her head as if in pain. "I know, but the important thing right now is that we go to Richard's apartment and erase my message."
"Good idea." Annie agreed as the elevator arrived.
~~~~~~
Richard sat in his chair replaying what had just happened. "Del what the was all that about?" He asked confused. He knew something was going on cause Caroline was being weird.
"What?" Del asked innocently
Richard waved his hand towards the door. "That!"
"I dunno."
Richard watched, as Del suddenly became interested in the afghan that hung over the sofa. What is up with everyone today? "Really." He said not buying a word of it.
Del looked up. "Hey, they've probably got P.M.T."
Richards' brow creased in disbelief. How did this man ever come to have two wives and Caroline? He thought amazed. What did Caroline ever see in him?
Del grinned knowingly. "Oh yeah, it makes women act all weird and stuff. One time I was dating this girl and she--"
"Del!" Richard cut in. " As much as I'd love to hear about one of your conquests, I've got work to do."
"Ok fine." Del snapped not liking Richard's interruption. "I'm going but remind Caroline I need the Sunday strip before Friday, okay?"
Richard picked up a blue pencil and began colouring. "Fine, I'll let Caroline know when she gets back."
Del left and Richard, finding he had a lot of work to do, didn't have time to ponder the mornings' events.
~~~~~~
Caroline and Annie had made it round to Richards' apartment in record time. She walked down the corridor. "We won't be long. We'll just go in, erase my message and leave." She looked at Annie. "And don't you dare touch anything, ok?"
Annie rolled her eyes at the suggestion that she would do something like that. Caroline glared at her and she relented. "Ok, I promise."
Caroline nodded satisfied and fished out Richard's key from her purse. She was about to put it in the lock when they heard a voice from within his apartment.
"Marcello darling, of course I love you."
Caroline snatched her hand back from the door and looked at Annie. She's cheating on Richard. She mouthed.
I know. Annie mouthed back. They leaned against the wall and continued to listen to the one sided conversation.
"I spent last night in some hotel and all I could think about was you."
"Lunch? That would be lovely."
"Ok. Why don't we meet at Marlons' say at 1pm?"
"Excellent I shall see you then. Bye my love."
They heard Julia laugh delightfully. "I love you too."
Caroline grabbed Annie and they tiptoed back down the corridor. She waited until they were on the street before letting loose with an expletive. "The bitch!" She shouted angrily. She looked at Annie. "How can she do this to Richard?"
Annie shrugged thinking that after what he had done to Caroline he deserved to be hurt. "Well he's not exactly Hercules."
Caroline scowled. "Annie she's cheating on him. It took Richard three years to get over her the last time. I don't want him to through that again."
"Why are you defending him anyway?" Annie asked incredulously. "It's not like he answered your message."
Caroline looked away not wanting Annie to see just how badly that fact hurt her. "Whatever he feels or doesn't feel for me doesn't change the fact that I'm still his friend."
Annie seeing her friends' resolve asked, "Well, what are you going to do?"
Caroline spotted a phone booth and walked over to it. She picked up the directory and flicked through the pages. She smiled conspiratorially at Annie. "I'm taking Richard out to lunch."
~~~~~~~~
Caroline left Annie and went home, she needed to collar Richard before he made lunch plans. "Hi Richard." She said merrily as she entered.
"Hi Caroline." He looked her over trying to work out whether she was okay. Her behaviour this morning had confused him. She knew that she acted crazy when she had a problem and he wanted to help. "How was the appointment? He asked carefully.
"The appointment?" She asked confused then after a moment her eyes lit up. "Oh that, I'm fine. My dentist said I have a perfect set of teeth." She smiled brightly at him. "See."
Richard laughed. "He's right they are perfect." Just like the rest of you. Shocked by his thoughts he stammered, "Del--said he-er-wants the Sunday strip in by Friday." He quickly looked down hoping his eyes hadn't betrayed his desire. I'm with Julia so why can't I get her out of my mind. He asked himself angrily. This morning after Del had left and when hunger had began to gnaw at his stomach causing him to stop colouring, he thought of Julia and Caroline. In the stark daylight he realised that Julia could never replace Caroline, that his love for his petite red head would never fade or die. So what am I doing with Julia? He had asked himself and the answer had come to him-he knew he had no chance with Caroline so he was settling for Julia.
Caroline saw Richard quickly look away and went into the kitchen area, her back to him. Oh god, he must have got my message. He must be humiliated for me. Well I can't take him out to lunch now it would be too awkward. She dared a glance at him and to her surprise found him looking at her. He smiled and looked down again. Look at him, he's so happy with Julia how can I let him find out that she's cheating on him? The answer came to her immediately. You're his friend and you don't want to see him hurt. Caroline nodded to herself. It's best that he gets hurt now than to prolong the pain.
Damn it! Richard reprimanded himself. Stop staring at her cause she'll find out how you really feel and you'll have no choice to leave town again. He berated himself harshly.
"Richard? I thought maybe you're getting hungry and if you have no plans with Julia we could go out for lunch." Caroline asked trying to sound casual.
He smiled at her caring nature. "No - lunch would be great. Julia phoned before, she's meeting her father for lunch."
Yeah, as if. She scoffed silently but aloud she said, "Great, well then, I'll make us reservations at Marlons for 1 O'clock, my treat."
"Marlons? Isn't that a bit expensive for lunch?"
Caroline laughed. "I'm celebrating my clean bill of dental health."
Richard laughed at her joke. "Well okay but I don't know how your dentist will feel about this blatant disregard for your teeth."
Caroline smiled. "Let me worry about that." She picked up the phone and walked around the corner pretending to make a reservation. Afterwards she sat at her desk and for the rest of the morning they both worked steadily.
~~~~
"Don't park too close. They'll recognise the car." Annie warned from the passenger seat.
"Okay, okay." Del drove farther down the street then parked up. "This okay?" He asked patiently.
Annie rubbed her hands excitedly then unbuckled her seat belt. "Yeah. Come on, let's go."
Annie had told Del about Julia's secret liaison and they had both decided to go along secretly, to see what happens. Del being well known had used his credentials to get a late reservation.
They entered the restaurant cautiously even though Julia had never laid eyes on her or Del.
"There she is!" Del whispered pointing discreetly to a table.
Annie removed her coat while giving the table the once over. "Wow! She's hot." Annie exclaimed, thinking how the hell did Richard pull a woman like that?
"I know I though that too when he told me about her."
Annie blushed slightly not realising she'd spoken aloud. "Well come on, let's grab a table before Caroline arrives."
A man appeared and showed them to a table in the centre of the room.
"No, I can't sit here." Annie cried. "Caroline will spot us easily if we sit here." She whispered to Del.
She smiled as the waiter, who stared at her. "I get cold easily." She looked around and spotted the perfect table. "How about that table?" It was partially concealed by a large plant so they could observe Julia's table without drawing attention and it also hid them from the entrance.
The waiter shrugged and showed them to the corner.
"Good thinking Annie," Del said as they sat down, "this is a much better table." From this angle they were sat across the room but had a clear view of the other couple.
While Del ordered drinks she casually looked over to Julia's table to get a good look at them. She saw that Julia was indeed a beautiful woman and that Macello was gorgeous. "I can't believe she's cheating on him with our little Richard."
Del nodded in agreement. "Maybe Richard has hidden talents." He joked, and then grimaced, thinking, man, that's not something I want to imagine.
Annie laughed at his face. "There are some things about Richard that I'd rather not know." But secretly she wondered what Julia saw in him and wondered if Caroline would ever find out.
They both settled down with their drinks and using the menus as face shields, waited for Caroline to arrive.
~~~~~~~
Richard entered Marlons' with Caroline and was immediately impressed with the décor. He looked at Caroline and thought, she must be really pleased with her teeth to eat here. He leaned in close. "Are you sure you wouldn't prefer Remo's?" He asked thinking that this place was far too expensive.
Caroline nudged him in the ribs as she removed her coat. "Don't worry Richard this is my treat, plus it's been a while since I last maxed out my credit card."
He knew her mind was made up, so he shrugged off his coat too, giving in. "Well okay, it's your money."
Caroline nodded in satisfaction and spoke to the reservation clerk. "Table for two, for Caroline Duffy."
The clerk quickly scanned his book. "Ah, yes, here you are. Please, may I check your coats?"
They both handed them over and the clerk snapped his fingers at a waiter, who promptly stepped to their side. "Please escort them to table 14." The waiter nodded and turned. "Please follow me."
~~~~~
Annie glared at Julia, while she had no great love for Richard she did consider him a friend. As she watched Julia flirt with Macello, she understood why Richard would want to be with her. It seemed that Julia knew she was beautiful and used her assets to captivate her men. And let's face it, when she offers herself so blatantly, what man would resist? Her earlier thoughts, that Richard deserved to be hurt, left her but she couldn't help wondering about his feelings for Caroline? Had they just disappeared? "You know Del, I really hope this time, she's the one who's hurt." She exclaimed angrily.
Del looked over surprised at Annie's outburst but he agreed wholeheartedly. "I know." He though of Caroline and how devastated she'd been this morning. "I still don't understand why Richard didn't reply to Caroline's message." He muttered to himself.
But Annie heard him. "I've been thinking about that too." She tapped her glass as an idea came to her. "We know that he spent last night with Julia, right?" Del nodded consent. "So maybe he didn't hear the message."
"What do you mean?" He asked.
"What if Julia heard Caroline's message and erased it?"
Del nodded thoughtfully. "That would explain why he hasn't mentioned it."
"Exactly!" She exclaimed shooting a dirty look at Julia. "I bet the slut erased the message so she could have Richard all to herself." She turned to Del and just in time spotted Caroline as she entered the restaurant. "Duck! They're here."
They grabbed their drinks holding them besides their faces and hid. After a moment four eyes appeared as the pair peeked from behind their menus.
"This is it." Del whispered nervously.
~~~~~~
Caroline entered the restaurant wide-eyed. "Wow!" She whispered. "This is really posh."
Richard smiled at Caroline's awe and wished that he could take pleasure in life - as she did. "Well, you get what you pay for, I guess."
A shadow fell across Caroline's eyes for a moment. "Don't be a grouch, Richard. This is supposed to be a treat. What - don't you like people treating you?" She asked kindly, knowing that his life hadn't been easy.
He shrugged matter-of-factly. "In my life Caroline, I've rarely encountered the kindness of others."
Caroline stopped and touched his arm tenderly and she looked deeply into his eyes, wishing she had the ability to wipe away everything bad that had happened to him. "I care about you. You do know that, right?"
He smiled, seeing the truth and his heart cried out to embrace her. "I know." He said simply. The waiter caught his eye and he indicated to Caroline to continue on their path towards their table.
Richard pulled out the chair and waited for Caroline to sit before seating himself. He smiled at the top of her head as he breathed in her subtle perfume. I wish she'd think of me as more than as a friend. He was about to sit when he heard a familiar laugh, he turned and inhaled quickly in shock. "Julia!"
Caroline, hearing Richard, stood guiltily. You knew this was going to happen, don't back out now. "Richard?" She questioned.
"Julia is here and not with her father either." He left the table and walked over to where Julia was sitting. I can't believe she lied, he thought angrily. He watched Macello kissing the back of Julia's hand, whispering things that made her laugh. I just knew it wouldn't last! He berated himself and found his voice at last. "Hello Julia."
"What?" She turned and her hand flew to her neck in shock and she let Macello's hand fall from hers. "Richard! What are you doing here?"
Richard smiled without humour. "I could ask you the same thing, I thought you were meeting your father."
Macello stood smiling. "Richard, how are you?"
Richard noticed that Macello had no idea what was going on and felt a little better knowing that Julia had betrayed someone else too. "I'm fine Macello." He looked down at Julia. "So - last night meant nothing?" He quizzed her.
"What do you mean?" Asked Macello suspiciously, he turned to Julia. "What happened last night?"
Julia stood rubbing her hands nervously. "Nothing happened." Her eyes pleaded with Richard but he was far from feeling merciful.
"Oh, didn't she mention she spent last night with me?"
Macello stepped towards Richard menacingly. "What! No! You lie."
Richard smiled sadly. "I wish I was but I've got the nail marks on my back to prove otherwise."
Caroline, who had been standing behind Richard, looked away feeling like a heel and his admission, didn't please her either. For a moment she thought Macello was going to explode, his face had turned bright red with anger.
"You slept with him and he is a married man, no less. Is this true?" He asked Julia quietly.
Julia looked between Richard and Macello, desperately. "Yes, but he forced me!" She accused.
Caroline, furious with Julia's outburst, stepped forward. "That's a lie!"
Julia swung round and glared at Caroline. "I should have known you'd be here."
Macello looked at Caroline. "Your husband slept with Julia and yet you don't seem bothered - why?"
Richard answered before she could speak.
"I'm not really married."
Macello looked agitated. "But you said--".
Richard shook his head. "I just said I was married because I didn't want Julia to think I was pathetic. Caroline kindly agreed, to pretend, to be me wife."
"See, he wasn't really married." Julia said jubilantly.
"True," Macello conceded, "but you did sleep with him, didn't you?"
Julia looked horrified at being caught. "It was a mistake Macello, I love you."
Macello reached inside his jacket and pulled out a few bills, which he threw on the table. "How can I be with someone who lies and cheats? Good bye Julia." He nodded at Richard and Caroline then left.
Julia looked at Richard. "Why did you do this?" She asked.
"I didn't do this Julia - you did." He looked at her pityingly. "Good - bye Julia, I really hope someday you'll grow up." He turned and walked away, back to the table.
Julia, needing someone to blame, turned on Caroline. "You bitch! You did this didn't you?"
Caroline smiled triumphantly. "Next time someone leaves a message for someone else, perhaps you should let them hear it." And with that, she left, leaving Julia miserable and alone.
~~~~~~~
"Did you see that?" Annie asked excitedly.
Del smiled back, clearly proud of his friend. "Yeah, who said Caroline was a walk over?"
Annie laughed. "Well, actually, I seem to remember a time when you said--"
"Okay! Okay! It was a rhetorical question. Jeez!" He complained.
Annie turned away and watched, satisfied, as Julia still stood by her table looking furious, embarrassed and lost, all at the same time. She smiled brightly, that's what you get when you mess with Caroline, she thought as Julia grabbed her bag. She threw a dirty look at Caroline and Richard then left in a huff.
"What do you think will happen now?" Del asked.
Annie shrugged. "I don't know but I hope something good comes out of all this."
"So do I."
They continued to watch the lovestruck friends but nothing much seemed to be happening. Caroline looked tense and Richard looked forlorn.
"Do you think we should go over?" Del asked acutely, noticing how uncomfortable they looked.
~~~~~
Caroline sat down, opposite Richard. "Are you okay?"
Richard though about that - he was upset but not as much as he should be. "Actually, I'm fine." He replied and it was true, sure, he did feel like a fool and his ego was bruised but his heart wasn't broken. He finally realised then, that Julia couldn't touch that part of him for he'd already given his heart to Caroline.
"I'm glad." She replied.
And Richard smiled at her obvious relief. "So, what is it about this message?"
Caroline looked down. "I don't know what do you mean."
He sighed, knowing that Caroline was lying to him. "I heard what you said to Julia. I get the impression that I disregarded that message you left, too easily." He waited for an answer but Caroline was looking at her clasped hands and silence descended.
"So?" Richard asked kindly. What has got into her today? She's been acting crazy.
She played with the napkin refusing to meet his gaze. The silence dragged on.
"Hi-ya." Annie said cheerfully.
Richard jumped, surprised and irritated by her arrival.
"What are you doing here?" Caroline gasped. "Did you follow us?"
"No!" Annie and Del answered in union, looking clearly hurt by the accusation.
"We just wanted to see what happened." Del added then gasped realising too late he'd given too much away.
Annie hit him in the stomach. "Idiot!" She saw the killer look Caroline gave them and grabbed Del's arm. "Oh I mean..er..Oh! Look at the time, we have to go." They backed away slowly then turned and almost ran out of the restaurant.
Caroline looked down again, nervously tearing the napkin into strips.
Caroline peeked at him and Richard crossing his arms looked at her curiously. "Aren't you going to tell my what this was all about?" He reached for her hand and felt her tremble. "Caroline, please tell me."
She looked at him, her eyes filled with sadness. "This morning I went around to your place to erase my message."
Richard was about to question about the content of that message but Caroline quickly butted in.
"Don't say anything, just let me get this out. As I was saying, I was about to open your door, with that spare key you gave me, when we heard…"
"We?" He asked then groaned. "Annie was with you? Right?"
Caroline nodded.
"Well that explains why the gruesome twosome were here."
"I honestly didn't know they'd be here." She said sadly, then continued. "Anyway, Julia was inside your apartment, talking to Macello. She was saying that she had spent last night alone and that she loved him. I heard her make arrangements to meet Macello here."
"So you brought me here, so I'd catch them together - is that right?" He asked at the picture became clearer.
"Yes." She replied quietly, almost fearfully, he thought. "I know it was wrong but I remember you telling me how heart broken you were the last time and I didn't want you to go through that again." She dared to look at him. "I'm so sorry Richard. I hope you can forgive me."
He should have been angry that she'd tricked him but he was used to her involving herself in his life. He also knew she always did so, to help him. "I'm not angry Caroline, in a way I guess I should thank you."
She looked up at him. "Are you sure? I mean, don't you love her?"
"No, I--" Then stopped, he couldn't tell her the real reason why he had slept with Julia because he would have to disclose his feelings for Caroline. "Let's just say, that this morning, I realised that Julia just wasn't the woman for me."
Caroline smiled obviously pleased with his forgiveness.
"So, do you want to stay for a meal or should we get back to work? I've kinda lost my appetite."
Richard nodded. "Me too."
"Why don't you have the rest of the day off? We can start a fresh tomorrow?"
"Okay." They made their way to the reception and got their coats back. Outside Richard stopped her. "There is just one more thing Caroline - What was your message about?" He watched as Caroline blushed.
"It…er …I "
He watched fascinated as she tried to explain herself. After a moment her eyes lit up and she smiled at him. "I know, why don't you go home and hear the message yourself, then we'll talk."
He opened his mouth to protest, needing the answers now, the curiosity killing him.
"Please?" She pleaded. "It will make everything much clearer, I promise."
She walked off quickly, nearly running and Richard watched her, frowning.
~~~~~~~~~
"Can you see them yet?" Del asked from the sofa in Caroline's loft.
"No, not yet." Annie sat on the windowsill looking down the street for any sign of Caroline and Richard. She glanced over her shoulder. "I wonder how it went."
"I don't know but its about time Richard told Caroline his feelings. I mean what's he waiting for?" Del scoffed.
"What did you expect? He's spent his entire life hiding his feelings, I guess he's scared of being hurt again."
"Well, I can understand that." Del said. "I've been married twice and engaged to Caroline, I'm no stranger to a broken heart. Sometimes I wonder if I'll ever meet someone I can share my life with."
Annie sat down next to Del, surprised by his candour. "I didn't realise you were looking for love, I just thought you were after sex."
"So did I but lately I've been asking myself, What's the point in sleeping around? I want someone to be at my side, I want someone to share my happiness and console me when things get tough." He looked at Annie sadly. "To be honest, I sleep around so I don't have to face the fact that I'll fail miserably if I try to make a commitment to someone."
Annie patted his knee kindly. "I'm sure you'll find someone some day - as soon as you grow up!"
"Gee, thanks." He drawled sarcastically. "Well, what about you? Your relationships never last longer than 8 hours. Don't you ever think about settling down?"
"Hey! I've got time." Annie snapped defensively.
"You sound like you're trying to convince yourself, believe me I know - I do it all the time."
Annie bit her lip in consideration. "Okay I'll admit that recently I've been thinking about finding someone and settling down but it's so hard meeting someone who's real. I meet plenty of guys but they expect me to 'put out'." She noticed Del gaping at her. "I don't always feel like sex, you know but there's just a lot of pressure and plus I'm excellent at 'it'."
"Well, I've had my fair share of compliments but I'm beginning to think that it would mean more if I had feelings for the woman I'm with. I'm such a loser."
"I don't think you're a loser - well not really."
"Cheers, and I'm sure one day you'll find someone who appreciates your 'talent'."
"What?" Annie asked as Del laughed.
"I was just thinking, we're both good in bed but what if we slept together - I bet that would be a night to remember."
Annie grinned. "I bet it would."
The air between them became charged and they both leaned in, their lips meeting. They heard the door handle turn and they jumped apart.
Annie shot a guilty look at Del then stood facing Caroline. "So, what happened? Did you tell him?" Annie asked barely concealing her excitement.
"No I couldn't." Caroline mumbled sadly.
"Why not? That was the perfect time to tell him." Del accused.
"And after everything we went through too - man, you should - "
"What do you mean, after what you went through?" Caroline snapped interrupting Annie, who looked at Del before answering.
"We were in there for over half an hour waiting for the showdown."
"Well, I'm sorry I disappointed you." Caroline snarled.
Del stood and put his arm around Caroline. "I'm sorry Caroline but we hoped that with Julia out of the way, you two would get together."
Caroline smiled. "It's okay. I'm sorry I snapped, it's been a very stressful day."
"I'm sure it has. Why don't I make us some tea? You do have tea - don't you?" Annie asked.
Caroline laughed. "Yes, on the bottom shelf of the cupboard."
"So," Del asked carefully, "how did you leave things with Richard?"
"I told him to go home and listen to the message I left last night."
Annie looked up from pouring the water. "You know, we were thinking about that before and I'm positive that Julia must have done some thing to your message."
"Yeah," Del agreed, "we think she erased it."
Caroline nodded in agreement. "I've been thinking that too."
"What are you gonna do, if she did?" Annie asked as she and Del settled down with Caroline, giving her the shoulders to cry on, if they were needed.
~~~~~~~~~~
Richard sat, his brush still balanced in his hand and stared at the canvass. His latest piece depicted today's events. Betrayal, guilt and off to one side confusion. He had spent most of the day getting his feelings onto the canvass - his therapy.
Last night was about sex and old memories and he was appalled that he had let those things cloud his judgement. He wasn't proud of what he had done and it bothered him that his weakness had upset Caroline.
He thought back to earlier in the evening when Julia had practically begged Caroline to allow her to stay the night. It was torture being so close to Caroline and not being able to touch her or tell her his feelings. She seemed so upset when she caught us kissing. He remembered the slap and ran his hand over his cheek. He had never seen Caroline so angry before and he felt sick because he was the cause. Perhaps if I hadn't been so preoccupied with thoughts of Julia I wouldn't have been so gullible.
He was dying to know what Caroline's message was about but the message wasn't on his machine. He recalled last night's events and - Julia! He bet Julia had something to do with it, he could have phoned and asked her but he couldn't face talking to someone who had treated him so badly. He refreshed his brush and smeared paint on the canvass…
~~~~~~~~
Caroline looked at the clock and decided to phone Richard. If he'd got my message, surely he would have been in touch by now. Now willing to wait any longer she quick dialled his number and waited.
"Hello?"
"Hi Richard."
"Hi Caroline."
"So - did you get my message?" She asked nervously.
"No, I've checked my machine and it wasn't there."
"I thought there might not be, Julia must have erased it."
"Why would she have done that?"
She had though about this and decided to recreate last night. "Because of what I said. Look, why don't I just pretend that I'm talking to your machine and leave the same message I left last night? Then you'll know why I've been acting so crazy."
"Have you been acting crazy? I hadn't noticed." He joked.
Caroline laughed too then became serious. "After I leave the message I'm gonna hang up, just like I did last night. Then we can talk when you come in tomorrow - if you want to. Okay?"
She imagined that she could almost see his brow crease in puzzlement but after a moment he replied.
"Okay."
A pause then Caroline began speaking -
"Hi Richard, it's me Caroline, although you probably already knew that. Look I'm just going to say this to your machine because a machine can't laugh at me…"
~~~~~~~~~~
Annie stepped out into the hall as Del exited from the elevator.
"Hi Annie."
"Del." She greeted him awkwardly.
"Look, about what happened yesterday.."
"No! Look it was a silly mistake, let's just forget it, okay?"
Del stared at her, his gaze wavered for a moment. "It wasn't THAT big a mistake."
Annie looked at him realising he was serious. "Maybe you're right…"
They looked at each other for a long moment and Annie felt drawn to him. She had spent last night thinking of him, seeing him in a new light.
Caroline's door opened. "Oh! I thought you were Richard." She said interrupting them.
"We weren't doing anything!" Annie shouted embarrassed at being caught.
"Yeah, I just this second got here." Del echoed.
Caroline looked between them, suspiciously. "Oh, okay." She replied slowly and they followed her back into her loft.
Annie smelled the air. Oh boy, she's cooking again. "Now what's wrong?"
Caroline turned and faced her. "I left a message on Richard's answering machine last night, telling him I loved him."
Annie blinked. "Oh my god! Am I stuck in some kind of Star Trek time loop?"
Caroline laughed and told them about her talk with Richard last night.
"So, he's gonna come here and give you his answer, like he would have done if Julia hadn't erased the original message?" Del clarified.
Caroline nodded. "I hope so."
"You know, that's kinda cute." Annie said happily.
"I know." Caroline smiled and looked at the clock display on her microwave.
Annie followed her gaze, getting the hint. "Do you want us to leave or--?"
She was so nervous but she needed to face Richard alone. She knew that if he did share her feelings, he wouldn't display them publicly. "Leave please, you don't mind do you?"
"Nope." Del smiled, "Good luck Caroline." And winked at her encouragingly.
"I'm sure everything's gonna be fine." Annie hugged her friend and followed Del out.
"Oh, and no listening at the door okay?" Caroline warned.
"Oh sure, absolutely." Annie agreed quickly.
"As if." Del replied, shooting a look at Annie.
"By the way - " Caroline said loudly
They turned to face Caroline. "What?" Asked Del.
"I think you two will make a great couple."
Caroline laughed as Annie spluttered and Del blushed.
"How did..??"
Caroline smirked. "I'm not blind or deaf. Now go!" She instructed barely stopping herself from laughing.
~~~~~~~
Caroline was sitting at her desk drawing when she heard the key rattle in the lock and was swept away with nerves. She was consumed by joy but wanted this to go right. She controlled her emotions so that when she eventually turned around, her face didn't give away her hope.
"Good morning Richard."
"Good morning Caroline." Her back was to him and he let out a small grin.
"I thought we'd start the Easter cards. So we don't get caught in a crunch. That okay?"
"I don't care, whatever."
Caroline turned and smiled as she got a good look at Richard. He was wearing an extremely flattering suit and holding a dozen red roses. She smiled. "Do I take it you got my message or did you get a job with InterFlora?" She joked nervously.
He smiled reassuringly. "No I'm still your assistant." He held out the flowers. "These are for you."
Caroline stood and approached him taking the Roses. She breathed in deeply enjoying their scent. "Thank you, they're wonderful."
"Not half as wonderful as you." He gushed.
Caroline blushed as the adoration in his eyes and went into the kitchen for a vase.
"I wish I'd heard your original message, I'm so sorry I didn't."
Caroline placed the flowers in the vase and put them on the counter. "It wasn't your fault. I'm just glad you're here."
"So am I." He stepped outside and Caroline wondered what he was doing.
"Richard?"
He came back inside holding a large canvass a big smiled lighting his face. "I stayed up all last night and painted you this."
Caroline approached him and looked at the painting, a myriad of bright colours covered the surface and she smiled. "Richard you know I don't know much about abstract art but this doesn't look anything like I've seen of your work."
"It isn't. I was so happy after hearing your message that I had to get all my emotions down." He looked into her eyes his own shining brightly. "This is a testament to my love for you." He told her tenderly.
"I love you Richard." She whispered happily as tears fell down her face. She stepped forward to take the canvass off him so she could remove the barrier between them.
"Er - it's still wet." He warned softly. He ached to seal his love with her touch, so he leaned the painting against the counter and took Caroline in his arms. He breathed in deeply, drowning in her scent.
Caroline felt Richard trembling and knew it was because of her. She smiled into his chest hearing the rapid beating of his heart. "I love you." She repeated.
Richard closed his eyes and let out a breath. "Thank god." He smiled and felt tears filling his eyes. After so much heartache and suffering he finally saw a light at the end of the tunnel. Caroline was creating his future - right now and he couldn't help but be moved. "I love you Caroline. God! I love you too!" He shouted happily.
More tears fell down her face and she pulled back from his embrace and lovingly reached up and touched his face. "I'm so happy you feel the same way."
"I've felt this way for so long but I never allowed myself to hope that you'd ever be mine." He hugged her hard. "This is the best day of my life!" He cried in joy.
Caroline pulled away from him slightly. "There just one thing that could make this day even better." She smiled impishly.
"There is?" He replied smiling widely. "What?"
"This." She reached up and kissed him passionately.
The End.