The Last Conversation
Chapter Nine
Casey checked her watch and saw that it was close to midnight. Her friends didn't seem to want the night to end. She had promised Cappie that she'd make it over to his place, but now that it was getting so late, she didn't know if it was a good idea or not. She had stopped drinking an hour ago, so she was actually doing okay and thinking clearly. Unfortunately that couldn't be said about some of her friends. Ashleigh was completely wasted and kept crying to Casey to take care of her. Every time Casey took a step away from the group, Ashleigh would call out for her. It was actually starting to get on her nerves.
She needed to get the girls home safely. She figured the limo could take everyone back to the Four Seasons and she could take a cab to Cappie's. She looked at Rebecca who seemed pretty sober as well. If there was someone who might understand her situation, it'd be her. Casey walked over to her friend and smiled at her. "Hey Bex," Casey said.
Rebecca gave her a big smile and ran a hand through her dark hair. "Wasn't this a great night?"
Casey nodded. "You guys outdid yourself. But I'm getting pretty tired here and so are half the other girls. Will you be okay to get the girls back to the Four Seasons?"
"Of course, the limo can take us back. What about you? The limo can bring you back to your parents."
Casey knew she was blushing as she told Rebecca the truth. "Actually, I have somewhere I need to be."
Rebecca's eyes lit up. "Are you meeting Cappie?"
Casey rolled her eyes. "It's nothing like that. He stopped by here earlier and asked me to meet him. And I couldn't say no."
Rebecca's smile widened. "I told him we'd be here."
"Bex!" Casey exclaimed. "Why would you do that?"
"Well, I technically didn't tell him, it was more he called Evan to find out where we'd be and I told Evan and he told Cappie."
Casey got quiet and stared straight ahead. "What am I going to do, Bex? What if he asks me to leave Derek for him? My heart is torn between them both. How can I marry someone when I may be in love with someone else? To be honest, I'm not sure if what I'm feeling with Cappie is love; it could just be old memories stirring up emotions."
Rebecca put an arm around Casey's shoulder. "The best you can do is listen to the guy at least. And then you can decide what you want to do. I'm not going to tell you what you should or shouldn't do. It's your decision."
"I'm so happy I'm having this conversation with you and not Ashleigh. She'd probably slap me silly and tell me to forget about Cappie."
"I learned a long time ago that someone can't tell you what to do. We have the right to make our decisions and live our lives the way we want to. Just know that whatever you decide to do, I'm here for you no matter what."
"Thanks Bex," Casey said giving her friend a hug. "It definitely helps. Anyways, I'm going to take off. I think Ashleigh is too drunk to notice I'll be missing from the group. Cover for me?"
"Anytime Case." Rebecca said. "Get on out of here. I'll take care of everyone. See you tomorrow."
"See ya," Casey said as she took off the tiara and beaded necklaces. She stuffed the items into her purse and pulled her phone out and dialed Cappie's number. He picked up after the first couple of rings. "Hey, it's me," she said quietly. "I hope I didn't wake you."
Cappie cleared his throat. "Hey Casey. It's good to hear your voice."
Casey smiled. "I feel the same way. Anyways, I finally can get away from the group. Do you still want me to come over?"
"Of course, I would never refuse the company of a beautiful woman. Just buzz my apartment and I'll let you in."
"Great. I'm going to grab a cab so I'll see you in 10-15 minutes. See you soon."
"You, too," Cappie replied.
Casey knew she was smiling like an idiot as she hung up the phone. She was pulling her jacket on when she felt eyes on her. She looked up and groaned inwardly as Ashleigh gave her a somewhat menacing look. Ashleigh stumbled towards her.
"What are you doing, Casey?" Ashleigh asked, slurring her words a little.
"I'm going home," Casey told her.
"Why don't you come back to the Four Seasons with us?"
"It's okay. I'm taking a cab home. Rebecca will take good care of you." Casey told her gently.
"But I want you to take care of me." Ashleigh reached a hand out to Casey.
"Ash, thanks so much for planning my party. It was wonderful, but I'm tired and I want to go home and sleep in my bed." Casey told her.
Asheligh's eyes narrowed. "You mean you want to sleep in Cappie's bed." She said coldly.
Casey gasped. "No, that's not what I meant. I'm going home."
"You're such a bad liar, Casey," Ashleigh's voice was getting louder by now. "You just want to get over to Cappie's so you can have sex with him."
"Ashleigh!" Casey exclaimed. "What is wrong with you?"
"If you want to be a slut, just don't lie about it. I mean, you've already slept with him once, who's to say you won't do it again."
Casey felt like she'd been slapped. "Do you want the truth? Fine, I am going over to Cappie's, but I don't have any intentions of sleeping with him. I want to give him the benefit of the doubt to tell me what he needs to. I owe him that at least."
Ashleigh was laughing by now. "Casey, you are so naïve. That bastard dumped your ass seven years ago, and now that you're getting married, he wants to come back into your life and you're just letting him! You're so pathetic. Derek doesn't deserve this."
"How come all of a sudden you're such a supporter for Derek? It's always Derek this and Derek that, maybe you're the pathetic one pining over my fiancé." Casey replied.
"How dare you?" Ashleigh screamed. "How could you say something like that to me?"
"Like calling me a slut makes you a saint?" Casey retorted. By now, their friends were observing them with their mouth's hanging open. Casey felt ashamed as she looked at their faces. "I'm so sorry," she said to them. "I'm completely out of line." She turned to Ashleigh, "Look, Ash, I know you're looking out for me, but you have to believe me and trust me when I say that I'm going over to Cappie's to talk to him. He was a big part of my life and I can't get married until things are cleared up and finalized between us."
Ashleigh sighed. "Whatever. It's your grave." She turned her back on Casey and made her way towards the VIP room.
Casey blinked the tears back. She wasn't going to cry in front of everyone. She gave her friends a small smile and made her way towards the doors. She breathed in some fresh air as she waited for a cab. It didn't take more than three minutes before she could hail one. As she gave the driver Cappie's address, she sat back and closed her eyes. She just hoped that tonight would clear things up between her and Cappie. She needed for this thing to be over. She was going to marry Derek on Saturday which meant her and Cappie's relationship would be over for good. Despite knowing that this was the best decision, Casey was dreading their conversation. It was going to be a long night.
Cappie opened a cabernet sauvignon and poured himself a generous glass. He was allowing the wine to breathe a bit before taking more sips. He was so happy that Casey was coming over. When he saw her earlier at Club Avia, she looked gorgeous. Her blonde hair fell in waves down her back. Her outfit accentuated her figure. He promised himself he'd behave. They would talk and nothing more. Unless Casey initiates it, he thought with a smile.
He checked his watch; almost 25 minutes had gone by since he talked to her. He hoped she hadn't chickened out and decided not to come. Just then Cappie's buzzer went off. He smiled as he pressed the button to let Casey into the building. Any minute now, he thought. Now that the realization hit that she was on her way up to his place, he started getting nervous.
There was a soft knock at the door. Cappie went over to open it and gave Casey a big smile as she walked into his place. "Hi," he told her.
Casey blushed. "Hi back," she teased.
"Would you care for a glass of wine?" Cappie offered.
"Sure, that sounds lovely." Casey took off her jacket and laid it over a chair.
Cappie snuck a peek at her from the kitchen where he was pouring wine into a glass. The shirt she was wearing hugged her curves in all the right places and the skirt was tight, in a good way. Must keep hands to myself, he thought. He brought the glass of wine out to Casey and gestured for her to sit on the couch. He sat next to her.
"Thanks Cap," Casey said, taking a sip. "This is delicious."
"I went to Napa over the summer and had a bunch of wine shipped back to Chicago. This is a Duckhorn Cab. Good stuff."
"I love it. Good on the palate." Casey cleared her throat and gave him a small smile. "Well, I'm here. What more do we need to talk about?"
Cappie cleared his throat and set his glass on the coffee table. He took one of Casey's hands in his. "I hate that you're getting married. I just wish there was time for us to be together again."
Casey nodded. "I know. I wish there was more time for us, too."
"Do you have to get married?" Cappie asked with a chuckle.
Casey wasn't laughing. Instead she reached out and put a hand against Cappie's cheek. "I wish I could say no," she told him quietly.
He leaned his cheek into her palm. "Yeah," he agreed. "This sucks. I don't want to lose you Case."
"I wish I could say 'let's be friends' but it'd be too hard. I guess we had our time and we lost it. We can't go back."
"We could move forward together." He gave her a hopeful look.
Casey gave him a small smile. "I wish we could, Cap, but it's too late. I've vowed to spend the rest of my life with Derek. He's been my life for the past three years. I owe him that much to meet him at the altar."
Cappie turned his gaze away from hers and sighed. "I'm going to respect your wishes then. I'm not going to sit here and try to convince you to change your mind."
Casey was a little shocked. She hadn't expected Cappie to comply with all this. "I'm surprised. I thought you'd make it harder for me."
"Truth be told, I would've but then I ran into Ashleigh at the club and she said some pretty brutal things. And I guess in some ways she's right." Cappie shrugged and took a sip of his wine.
Casey groaned. "What did she say?"
"That I'm an idiot. I was the one that let you go all those years ago. I have no right to try and come back into your life."
"I'm sorry, Cap," Casey said, putting a hand on his. "She's been pretty opinionated about you and me all week. I've gotten some choice words from her, too. Please don't let what she said get to you."
"I'm trying not to let it get to me, but it definitely hurts to hear it. I guess a part of me believed that you'd leave him and you'd want to be with me again." Cappie said.
"Well, I'll be honest, up until two weeks ago, I was pretty certain about Derek, but seeing you again has definitely challenged that certainty. I'm not sure if what I'm feeling about you right now is real or just a trip down memory lane." Casey said with a small smile.
"I'm sorry that I tried to break you guys up. Maybe I'm just trying to hold on to this as long as I can so that I don't actually have to try with another woman." Cappie leaned back against the couch and tilted his head back and sighed.
"Yeah," was all Casey could mutter.
Cappie squeezed her hand and looked at her. "You were the one, Case. And I will always regret letting you go. I'll have to live with it for the rest of my life."
Casey grabbed a tissue and dabbed at her eyes and thought about what Cappie just said. "I really wished things were different, too. I used to imagine us getting married one day."
Cappie pulled Casey against his chest for a hug. "Oh Case," he sighed.
Casey closed her eyes as she leaned against his chest and breathed in his familiar scent. It felt so right to be in his arms like this. She ran a hand through his hair. "Cappie?" She asked quietly.
"Yeah?" Cappie responded.
Casey leaned her head back and looked at him. She looked into his blue eyes and touched a hand against his cheek. "I don't want to get your hopes up about anything."
"What do you mean?" Cappie asked quietly.
"I don't know what's going to happen on Saturday, but right now all I want is you." Casey whispered to him.
Cappie could feel a smile spreading on his face. "And how should I respond to a phrase like that?"
"Like this," Casey smiled as she brought Cappie's face towards hers and kissed him.
Cappie groaned with pleasure and deepened the kiss. Cappie knew he was setting himself up for disappointment, but he didn't care. He had Casey in his arms at that very moment and he was going to hold on to her as long as he could. Everything happening between them felt right.
Casey loved the feel of Cappie's lips against hers. She had no idea what had convinced her to kiss Cappie, but she knew being here with him at this moment was the only thing that mattered. She would figure everything out later.
A/N: I promise to get the rest of the fanfic out next week. We're almost to the end. :) Happy reading!!
