Chapter 6- Del... And Annie?
Caroline arrived back at home, after attending a cartoonist seminar. She collapsed on the sofa and kicked off her shoes, putting her feet up on the table. 'ahh, now that was 3 hours of my life that I couldn't get back' as she reminiced what a waste of time it was having to sit alongside a bunch of strangers she never met and enduring people talking about things she had no interest in. Then, all of a sudden she heard laughter upstairs. A female voice seemingly laughing and making wierd sex noises. Caroline wanted to know what on earth was going on, so she went upstairs to her bedroom and noticed the door was unlocked and left open. She went inside and saw Annie lying in her bed with a white sheet covering her body. Caroline gasped at what she witnessed: 'Annie?!'. Annie tried to put on a straight face but to no avail: 'Hey Care, how was the seminar?, 'It sucked. I don't wanna talk about it. Besides, what on earth are you doing in my bed?' 'Um, I was, um, sleeping?' 'On your own perhaps?', 'Well, as a matter of fact, yes I was', 'Then why is there a guy lying next to you?', Annie looked next to her, pretending as if she hadn't known there was naked guy next to her: 'Is there?' 'Um yes', then he showed his face. eventually, Caroline was surprised as anyone: 'Del?', 'Oh Caroline, Annie told me you were at the cartoonist's seminar. I just saw Annie across the hall and thought she needed some company and so we got together and...' 'yep, you guessed it, me and Del are in love with each other'. 'Wow! OMG! And so how long has this been going on?' Caroline asked. 'Oh for a while, Care' Annie replied. 'Actually, it all started when you and Richard were at the airport... and later on that same day, Annie and I got a little frisky with each other. Eventually, we both settled on a no- strings attached- type of relationship and since then, we couldn't keep our eyes off each other' Del concluded. Annie went on: 'Look, Caroline, as much as you were shocked by this, I was hoping that you'd feel OK about us being a couple, well, as in falling in love'. Her best friend had no qualms about Annie sleeping with her EX: 'Guys, I'm happy for the two of you. You know, I'd never have guessed that you'd get it together. You do make an interesting pair', 'And for a moment, I thought you were talking about Annie's breasts!' Del joked. 'Del shut up!' Annie moaned. 'Ok sweetie I will. I'm sorry'. The pair kissed only for Caroline to intervene: 'Ahem, you guys, shouldn't you two continue your nookie somewhere else?', 'Oh of course Caroline' Annie laughed. 'C'mon Del let's go back to my place?', 'But isn't your mom still living with you?' 'No I hooked her up with Mr Mazzone, Julia's father and they're still in Sicily so to speak'. Del and Annie eventually got dressed and sheepishly left Caroline's apartment. Caroline meanwhile was getting rid of the bedsheets that the pair had made love in and went to the laundry room to have them washed and drycleaned. She was still baffled about Del and Annie's attraction to one another, but nevertheless, it didn't bother her for one moment that her ex-fiance fell for her best friend.
Later on that night, Richard arrived at Caroline's apartment. He was a little nervy, considering it had been a long while since he last saw Caroline at the church with Randy in Peshtigo. He couldn't back down now, not this time: he had to confront Caroline and attempt to try and set the record straight between himself and herself, respectively. He went up to Caroline's door with Stefano in tow and was about to knock on the door, when he heard people giggling in the background. Richard noticed it was in Annie's apartment and twisted the door handle and went inside: he saw Annie and Del in bed naked. 'What the hell?!', Del tried to clear up the situation: 'Richard, before you say anything I just wanna say, it happened one night when...' Richard intervened 'spare me the gory details, Del. What are your doing with Annie, and more importantly, what do you see in her?' 'well, it just so happens that Annie and I have a lot of chemistry together', 'Yeah, and so if you have a problem with it Richie, tough'. Richard was laughing his arse off; despite the so-called seriousness of the situation, he couldn't help but rub Annie's face in it', 'Y'know Annie, you've done some pretty ridiculous things in your time. But this one tops the lot'. 'Ha-de ha! Laugh all you want, but face it prince of darkness, we love each other and that's that', Annie scowled. 'Besides, shouldn't you be with Julia? I mean, you are Stefano's father and she is his mother, and yes you were the one that had to break Caroline's heart', 'For your information Annie, Julia left the Mazzone mansion and I was left to attend to Stefano- therefore, she cannot be regarded as a mother, if one abandons her child in the way Julia has done'. Besides, I know that what I said at the time was beyond terrible, but now I love being a father and I love Caroline and I want her to be part of my future, as well as Stefano's', 'And so you came back for Caroline? 'Richard, I don't think that this is a good time to see her'. 'You know Del, Charlie said the exact thing that you've just said to me, and frankly, I cannot bear to spend my life alone or with anyone else but Caroline and so whether you guys like it or not, I came back to make sure that it isn't too late for Caroline and I to put things right and move on'. Annie and Del looked at each other and both apologised for their outbursts: Del went first: 'Richard, we're sorry for what we said', 'Yeah Richie we are, Annie followed. 'You know, life for Caroline just wasn't the same afterwards since Randy died. Well actually, since you two split up'. But it seems as if Caroline has never gotten over you'. 'Yeah, she still thinks about you Richard' Del noted. 'She does?' Richard questioned. 'She sure does'. 'OMG. you know I have to go and see her now. oh and by the way, Del, Annie, this is Stefano- my son, Richard said proudly. 'Ooh, he's just adorable' cooed Annie, 'Yeah, he's looks cute. you're gonna do great as a father', insisted Del. Richard took note of this and graciously acknowledged the pair: 'Thanks Del. thanks guys. Hope it works out for the both of you'. Annie and Del egged him on: 'Good luck Richie!' 'Go and get your woman!'. Richard picked up Stefano and together they left Annie's apartment. He now stared at Caroline 's door, he knocked on it and took a deep breath, awaiting for her to welcome him in. The door was finally open and there stood Caroline and Richard, face-to-face opposite each other, for the first time in God knows how many months. They stared at each other for what looked like forever almost, as Richard was about to give into her affections, whilst Caroline looked a little dazed and surprised by his showing at her apartment, on his long return to the city.
... continued in Chapter 7