"Carlos, how could you be so stupid?"
Carlos rolled his eyes, head propped on his arm where he sat, staring out the window as Logan criticized him once more for what he had done. It didn't matter. He didn't regret it, not one bit. What he did for that girl, whatever name was, was the most genius thing he did, ever. True, he wished he could have seen her once more, but at least one night got her somewhere better. At least he hoped.
"It was one night, Logan. It's not like she's still there." Kendall told him, leaning back and staring at his friend. Logan scoffed, rolling his eyes. "She could have been some kind of serial killer, and now she knows where you live and what's in your house. . ." The dark haired boy stammered.
"Look, Loges. It was a one night thing. She didn't steal anything, she left everything and even cleaned up. And she was gone and hasn't come back. He's not dead, there's nothing missing. Just drop it." Kendall tried to calm the other boy down. Yeah it was a stupid idea, but nothing was missing, everything was fine.
Logan rolled his eyes, running a hand through his hair. "It could have been a whole lot worse." He mumbled.
"I'm surprised he didn't get her number. Or even try to make a move on her." James finally spoke up, playing with the scarf around his neck. Carlos looked up at him in disbelief. Only he would think he should try to sleep with the poor girl.
"Really? Sex is on your mind? And not your best friend's safety?" Logan snapped. James shrugged and leaned back in the booth seat.
"Well if she was pretty enough. It would have been totally worth it."
"You're a pig, James." Kendall joked, chuckling.
"A handsome pig." He joked right back. "So why didn't you try?" He asked Carlos and he just sighed angrily.
"Look, she was hurt alright? Someone had hurt her and just thrown her on the street!" He exclaimed, shutting the three boys up. "Someone had hit her across the face. She had a black eye that had to have been recent. She had two sets of clothes, one that was on her body. She was thin, and she was scared of anything. She needed help, so I gave it to her." The three boys stared at him, confused.
"Why didn't you take her to a shelter or something?" Logan finally piped up and Carlos groaned.
"I wasn't thinking at the moment, alright? It was dark and she looked ready to pass out. So I just did what I thought was better for her. Brought her where it was warm and safe." He ran a hand through his hair. "And no, James. I was not going to try and make a move on her. Sheesh, she was terrified. I wasn't going to scar her even more." He added and James sighed.
"Look, we're sorry. You just need to be careful Carlos. People aren't always what they say they are, or even look." Kendall added and Carlos groaned again, before grabbing his keys and wallet. "I did what I was though was best at the moment. I'm sorry if that's not what you think was right." He mumbled. "I'll call you guys later." He said and slid out of the booth, leaving the restaurant.
The light jingling of a bell on the door alerted the coffee shop of the newcomer. Carlos pushed the door open and smiled as the smell of coffee and food cooking alerted his senses and made his stomach growl even worse. He had been at the studio all day with Gustavo and Kelly, and he was just ready to head home and sleep for three days. But he wanted to come by, get some food.
"Ah Carlos! So good to see you!" Carlos smiled at Ruth, the elderly lady that owned the coffee shop walked up to him. He visited daily, and she lived two doors down from him. He was always there to help her when her son and his wife couldn't.
"Good afternoon, Ruth. I see your grandsons had fun decorating for Halloween." He said with a laugh and Ruth laughed along, nodding at the fake spider webs and green and orange lights around her store. She had two grandsons and a granddaughter, and they loved to tackle Carlos whenever he came in. Carlos was great with kids, what more could you possible want.
"I may need your help decorating my house for Halloween, is that alright? I can pay you." Ruth offered. Carlos chuckled.
"I would love to, but I don't need to be paid, Ruth. I'll do it for free." He said and the woman hugged him tightly. Carlos smiled.
"Go, enjoy yourself. Oh and I have a new employee. She's very sweet. You should talk to her." Ruth added and chuckled, before walking into the back. Carlos rolled his eyes and headed toward the cash register once the line had gone down.
"Hi, can I help you?"
Carlos stopped. He knew that voice, anywhere. He turned to stare into stormy gray eyes and he couldn't help but smile. She seemed to remember him as well, as a smile split across her face.
"So you found yourself a job?" The words stumbled out of his mouth, and she couldn't help but giggle.
"Yeah. And I want to thank you for that. I guess a shower and clean clothes helps out with interviews." She said and blushed. Carlos chuckled, before turning to look at the line that had formed.
"What time do you get off?" He asked.
"In fifteen minutes, why?" She asked, confused.
"And what's your favorite items here?"
"The grilled ham and cheese and iced tea?"
"Good, then in fifteen minutes, I want two of each of those, to share with you." He flashed one of his famous Carlos Garcia smiles. She felt her blush creep up brightly across her pale cheeks and looked down, before nodding. After paying for their food, he moved to sit and wait.
He leaned back and waited in the small booth next to the window. His favorite, because he could look out and watch whatever he wanted to. Two plates and drinks where suddenly in front of him, and he looked up at the beautiful girl in front of him. She smiled and slid into the booth across from him, obviously nervous. The bruise on her eye had since cleared up, but there was a faint blue to it. He was just happy to see her look a bit better than he had seen her before.
"L-Look. I wanted to thank you, but I could have paid for my own food." She stammered.
He shook his head. "Save it. You're going to need it. . " He still didn't know her name. "I'm going to start calling you Cinderella unless I know your name." He joked and she giggled, pulling back from her sandwich and wiping her mouth with a napkin.
"Amara. My name's Amara." She finally said and smiled. Carlos nodded. Amara. Her name just fit her beauty perfectly. "Well, Amara. I'm Carlos. It's very nice to meet you." He said and she grinned. "It's very nice to meet you." She said and smiled.
There was silence as the two ate, before he looked up. "How long have you been on the streets, if you don't mind me asking?" Amara looked at him, pushing her hair from her face.
"A few weeks. It's a long story."
"Are you staying anywhere now?" At that, Amara looked down, pushing her hair from her face once more. "Um. . No, not really. Ruth gave me a key because she trusts me so much. And when I close up, I usually sleep on the floor to get out of the cold. . ." She was terrified. Terrified he would tell Ruth. She needed a home.
Carlos shook his head. "I won't tell." He whispered and she sighed in relief, terrified. "But the floor of a bakery is not a good place to sleep." He added and she looked at him.
"N-No. Carlos. I couldn't. The one time was enough but . . . ." She started.
"Look, you need a place to stay. A place that's safe and warm and this isn't going to cut it. You need a bed and clothes. I've got all that, and I have plenty of room, okay? Just until you get another leg up in the world." He explained to her, trying to persuade her. She needed this. She watched as she chewed her lip, a blush across her face.
Carlos thought she had never looked more beautiful.
After a few silent moments, she sighed. "Okay, fine. But I really owe you Carlos. You saved my life." She said softly. Carlos silently cheered, winning this battle. "Anything you need okay? I can help you." He said and she smiled.
"Thank you Carlos." She whispered and he shrugged it off. It was all he could do for her.
"You got some new clothes."
Carlos stood there in the guest room, watching Amara as she tried to make herself at home without feeling like she was intruding. She looked at the old blue dress in her hands. "Yeah well. I had some money and needed more, so I went down to the thrift store." She said, putting the dress on a hanger and closing the closet. Sydney laid beside the door, watching the new roommate with interested eyes.
He wanted to help her, but she seemed very protective of her items, so he left it alone. He moved to sit on her bed, and two books fell out of a bag, plopping on the ground and scattering pictures around. He immediately moved to scoop them up and put them up, seeing one journal full of writing, another full of pictures. Before he knew it, she had snatched it from his hands, looking at him, before moving and putting them in the bedside table.
"You write? And draw?" he asked. Amara smiled at him and nodded. "I love the arts. I love to draw and paint and write. That's what I wanted to before. . ." She stopped.
"Before what?" He pressed on, but she shook her head. He let the matter drop. But he knew now what to get her as a welcoming present.
Once she had finished getting things cleaned up, he stood up, looking at her, before handing her the silver key attached to a purple heart chain. Amara smiled, taking the key. This smile was serious, everything he wanted to see.
"Welcome home, Amara." He said, before he stumbled, the girl's arms going around his waist and burying her head in his chest. He laughed, wrapping his arms around her back. "You're welcome." He said softly and smiled at her. He just wanted to hold her, but he let her pull her back.
She smiled and looked down, before following him downstairs to eat.
What were they waiting for?
