Title : Caroline and the Sham
Author : Karen Gomes (pyrie@hotmail.com)
Rating : G or PG
Type : Prose
Spoilers : Probably…shrugs
Notes : Well, the here is the third installment. I have disclaimed everything in the second chapter…so please don't sue : I own absolutely nothing. grin Well, no babble. Criticism is always welcome.
Thirdly,
Gomes.
Caroline and the Sham (Part 3)
Caroline still clutched the door knob. "…Richard…" she breathed.
Richard watched her back, and then noticed her shoulders silently jerking up and down. «You made her cry, you monster.» Richard silently cursed himself. "Caroline, don't cry." He gently put his hand on her shoulder.
Caroline burst into laughter. "Richard! That was brilliant!" She laughed as she collapsed on the floor.
Richard took a step back. "What?"
"That whole story!" She tried to speak while giggling. "Falling in love with me from day one. The love letter…" Caroline started laughing again. "He bought it. Completely." Caroline got up and tried to steady herself with the help of her fish tank. "Oooh my tummy hurts…" She said, as she clutched her sides.
"Caroline…"
"Richard…" Caroline said, shaking her head while grinning. "How can I ever thank you?"
"It's okay…I - " Richard started, getting his coat.
"No…you can stay on the couch." Caroline said, then glanced at Richard's startled expression. "It's two in the morning, Richard."
Richard sighed and hung his coat back up. "Making sure that I don't have an excuse for being late for work, tomorrow?" Richard replied as he dropped himself on the couch.
Caroline smiled. "I can't believe how well this went." She looked at Richard. "You're a great actor. It was almost too believable!" Caroline exclaimed, falling down on the couch beside Richard.
"Yeah…anything is believable." Richard said, sadly. Caroline however, didn't pick up on this.
"Imagine, you wanting to run away with me…to Paris. It would have been romantic though." Caroline smiled, as she glanced at her ring. «Richard's ring.» She mentally corrected herself. "Here. And thanks by the way." She smiled as she handed the ring back to Richard. "How come you had it with you?"
Richard sighed and looked at the ring. "My grandmother and I were very close. I always keep it near me." He took a deep breath. "While I was getting ready, the thought just occurred to me." He put the ring on the table in front of them, and kept staring at it. "What if they had asked to see the ring?"
Caroline cupped Richard's face. "It was a really sweet gesture."
Richard started to get uncomfortable. "Well, it is two in the morning…" He muttered, trying to hint at Caroline. «I can't get too close to her…I just can't…»
Caroline remained clueless. "You know Matt gave me his number. He said that if things didn't work out. I should give him a call - a second chance." Caroline grinned.
Richard swallowed hard. This conversation pained him too much. "Caroline…I'm really tired…" He started.
"Oh…sure." Caroline got up and headed for the stairs. "I wonder if Matt is still awake, wondering if I'll call him…" She thought to herself out loud.
Richard watched her ascend the stairs and sighed loudly to himself. «She wants to get back together with Matt.» «Well of course…she found out that it was a big mistake to leave him, and wants him back.» «Well what?! You thought she wanted to get together with *you*?! She was only using you to make Matt jealous!» «I know, I know…I thought there was some hope..» Richard mentally fought with himself. He looked back towards the stairs, and stood up. He was just about to walk up the stairs, when he stopped, took his jacket and exited the apartment - slowly closing the door behind him. "What a night…" he said, as he stepped out into the cold morning.
***
Richard made it back to his apartment in one piece. «What a shame…I made it home alive.» He thought monotonously to himself. He was just opening his door when the door across from his apartment opened swiftly.
"Oh…it's you." A rather large, chubby man said loudly.
"Yeah, life is full of disappointments." Richard muttered dryly without turning around.
"Oh, well you see, I was expecting a…you know…" The chubby man grinned in a rather disturbing way.
"Well…if you don't mind, blood will be pouring out of my ears momentarily, and I'd like to make it to the sink before it happens." Richard said, disgusted.
"I know what you mean : nothing gets out blood." The chubby man laughed and closed his door, leaving a confused Richard standing there.
"Well, at least he's better than my old neighbours." Richard muttered to himself, as he closed the door.
***
Caroline lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. She glanced at her clock. «Three in the morning…I wonder if Richard's asleep.» Caroline sat up in her bed and squinted at the door in the darkness of her room, as a faint knocking could be heard. "Come in."
"Hey Caroline! I didn't think you'd be awake. What time did your little "reunion" end? Is Matt hot? How was Richard?" Annie barged into Caroline's room, flopped down on her bed and bombarded Caroline with a ton of questions.
"Annie. Annie Annie Annie!" Caroline tried to get Annie's attention. Caroline sighed and looked at Annie with an annoyed expression. Then she finally burst into a smile. "It went great! Fabulous! I mean, Matt wants me to give him a second chance! Richard was really thoughtful, he even brought a ring!" Caroline looked down at her hands, as her eye trailed to her ring finger. She could still picture it vividly, caressing her finger, the perfect size. "It fit so well, it was almost as if it was made for me." Caroline closed her eyes dreamily.
Annie rolled her eyes. "Ah, you mean the one that's downstairs on the table?" Annie asked, thinking about the ring she had seen.
Caroline nodded. "Isn't it beautiful?" She then paused. "Wait, you didn't wake Richard, did you?"
Annie was insulted. "Look Caroline, I'm not *that* loud!"
"No I mean, he's asleep on the couch."
Annie shrugged. "Richie is used to a coffin. Maybe your couch is too soft for his back." Annie smirked.
"Annie, this is serious. I mean, it's almost three in the morning! Who knows what kind of weirdoes are out there?" Caroline stood up and started going down the stairs.
"That's true! Someone has to protect the innocent from Richard." Annie grinned. "What was he sleeping on your couch for, anyway?" Annie asked, as she descended the stairs.
"It was late. And well, I was just discussing with Richard how the night went." Caroline smiled, sitting down on the couch. "I was commending Richard on how well he acted tonight."
"How well he acted?" Annie repeated.
"Yeah…you know, the whole *I'm in love with you, Caroline* façade. It was great - they bought into it." Caroline picked up the ring and began examining it.
Annie shook her head. "Uh huh…" She said, in a disbelieving tone.
"No seriously Annie…it was almost too believable." Caroline defended. "Then I told him about Matt, and how I wondered if he was thinking about me, and all Richard did was complain about it being so late - "
"- You did what?!" Annie interrupted Caroline.
"I sort of hinted that I might call Matt. Just explain the whole thing, you know?" Caroline said innocently.
Annie shook her head. "I can't believe how blind you are sometimes." Annie got up and headed towards the door. "You should open your eyes sometime." She said, as she closed the door behind her.
Caroline sat in her semi-lit apartment, wondering what Annie meant. Her eyes fell to the ring in her hand, as she quickly retrieved her jacket. Throwing it over her pajamas, Caroline raced out the door and out into the New York's rainy morning.
***
Richard sighed and looked at his canvas : a myriad of blue, black, grey filled the void space in a haunting harmony. «Well, at least pain and suffering is good for *something*» Richard muttered to himself. He took his brush and dabbed at the blood red he had just mixed up. Over the background, he traced the silhouette of a woman. «You know damn who it is.» Richard remarked to himself, as he colored the hair in a fiery red and yellow. He then proceeded to fill in the silhouette with vivid colours such as light blue, orange, greens and yellows. He then stepped back to admire his masterpiece. Suddenly, Richard heard Caroline's voice.
"Richard!" Caroline started banging on his door. "Richard, open up!" She started pounding on his door. Suddenly, the door from across the hall opened and Richard stepped out.
"Caroline...?" Richard looked at her - her hand still on the neighbour's door.
The chubby man opened the door. "What?! It's nearly four in the morning! What could be so important that - " The man paused then looked Caroline up and down. "Oh you're the - "
Richard grabbed Caroline's arm and dragged her into his apartment. "She's not a hooker, Mac. You're confusing her with her friend Annie."
"Richard!" Caroline whacked him a warning.
"Caroline…it's four in the morning." Richard said, closing his door. He then noticed that she was dripping wet. "Here." He handed her a towel as she took off her jacket and hung it up in the bathroom.
"Aww, my PJs are soaked!" Caroline whined.
Richard sighed. "Here." He gave her a checkered pajama ensemble.
Caroline smiled and went into the bathroom as Richard continued staring in her direction, even after the door had closed. He dropped his head and looked at the ground. «Why me?» He asked himself as he went to cover up his painting.
Caroline finally immerged from the bathroom, clad in Richard's pajamas. They were obviously too long for her. "Richard…I need to know something."
"Look Caroline…it's late or early - I can't decide this right now." Richard sighed. "And anyway, I have work tomorrow, and my boss hates it when I'm late." Richard sat down on his Murphy bed and took off his glasses.
"It wasn't an act, was it?" Caroline asked softly.
"Why does it matter?"
Caroline didn't take her eyes off of Richard as she slowly walked towards him, stopping only inches away. "I need to know…" Caroline knelt down in front of Richard, looking up at him - searching his eyes. "Because I never thought of us … as an 'us'." Caroline started, taking Richard's hand in her own. "But then I thought to myself, of course I have. Unconsciously, I've always fancied the idea, but I've only realized this just now."
"Caroline, you had a little too much wine to drink." Richard said, as he swallowed hard. "Of course it was an act." That was the hardest thing Richard had to say in his life. His heart shattered at that moment, but what he didn't realized was, that Caroline's heart was near-breaking as well.
"So I'm mistaken." Caroline said, releasing Richard's hand from her grip. She picked up her wet jacket and put it on. "Look Richard, I know this is awkward, and damn I wish this never happened, but as a friend, I'm asking you to forget this ever happened?" Caroline closed her eyes as a few tears slipped. "…please?" She whispered.
Richard couldn't take his eyes off Caroline. "Don't leave. It's…" He breathed hard.
"It's okay." Caroline finished his sentence. "Look, it's late and you can have the day off today." Caroline said, almost in tears. "I'm not in the mood to work." She said, as she opened Richard's door.
"Caroline…"
Caroline didn't look back - she just walked down the hall, leaving behind a trail of tears, as Richard silently watched from his apartment door.
**End of Part Three**
Author : Karen Gomes (pyrie@hotmail.com)
Rating : G or PG
Type : Prose
Spoilers : Probably…shrugs
Notes : Well, the here is the third installment. I have disclaimed everything in the second chapter…so please don't sue : I own absolutely nothing. grin Well, no babble. Criticism is always welcome.
Thirdly,
Gomes.
Caroline and the Sham (Part 3)
Caroline still clutched the door knob. "…Richard…" she breathed.
Richard watched her back, and then noticed her shoulders silently jerking up and down. «You made her cry, you monster.» Richard silently cursed himself. "Caroline, don't cry." He gently put his hand on her shoulder.
Caroline burst into laughter. "Richard! That was brilliant!" She laughed as she collapsed on the floor.
Richard took a step back. "What?"
"That whole story!" She tried to speak while giggling. "Falling in love with me from day one. The love letter…" Caroline started laughing again. "He bought it. Completely." Caroline got up and tried to steady herself with the help of her fish tank. "Oooh my tummy hurts…" She said, as she clutched her sides.
"Caroline…"
"Richard…" Caroline said, shaking her head while grinning. "How can I ever thank you?"
"It's okay…I - " Richard started, getting his coat.
"No…you can stay on the couch." Caroline said, then glanced at Richard's startled expression. "It's two in the morning, Richard."
Richard sighed and hung his coat back up. "Making sure that I don't have an excuse for being late for work, tomorrow?" Richard replied as he dropped himself on the couch.
Caroline smiled. "I can't believe how well this went." She looked at Richard. "You're a great actor. It was almost too believable!" Caroline exclaimed, falling down on the couch beside Richard.
"Yeah…anything is believable." Richard said, sadly. Caroline however, didn't pick up on this.
"Imagine, you wanting to run away with me…to Paris. It would have been romantic though." Caroline smiled, as she glanced at her ring. «Richard's ring.» She mentally corrected herself. "Here. And thanks by the way." She smiled as she handed the ring back to Richard. "How come you had it with you?"
Richard sighed and looked at the ring. "My grandmother and I were very close. I always keep it near me." He took a deep breath. "While I was getting ready, the thought just occurred to me." He put the ring on the table in front of them, and kept staring at it. "What if they had asked to see the ring?"
Caroline cupped Richard's face. "It was a really sweet gesture."
Richard started to get uncomfortable. "Well, it is two in the morning…" He muttered, trying to hint at Caroline. «I can't get too close to her…I just can't…»
Caroline remained clueless. "You know Matt gave me his number. He said that if things didn't work out. I should give him a call - a second chance." Caroline grinned.
Richard swallowed hard. This conversation pained him too much. "Caroline…I'm really tired…" He started.
"Oh…sure." Caroline got up and headed for the stairs. "I wonder if Matt is still awake, wondering if I'll call him…" She thought to herself out loud.
Richard watched her ascend the stairs and sighed loudly to himself. «She wants to get back together with Matt.» «Well of course…she found out that it was a big mistake to leave him, and wants him back.» «Well what?! You thought she wanted to get together with *you*?! She was only using you to make Matt jealous!» «I know, I know…I thought there was some hope..» Richard mentally fought with himself. He looked back towards the stairs, and stood up. He was just about to walk up the stairs, when he stopped, took his jacket and exited the apartment - slowly closing the door behind him. "What a night…" he said, as he stepped out into the cold morning.
***
Richard made it back to his apartment in one piece. «What a shame…I made it home alive.» He thought monotonously to himself. He was just opening his door when the door across from his apartment opened swiftly.
"Oh…it's you." A rather large, chubby man said loudly.
"Yeah, life is full of disappointments." Richard muttered dryly without turning around.
"Oh, well you see, I was expecting a…you know…" The chubby man grinned in a rather disturbing way.
"Well…if you don't mind, blood will be pouring out of my ears momentarily, and I'd like to make it to the sink before it happens." Richard said, disgusted.
"I know what you mean : nothing gets out blood." The chubby man laughed and closed his door, leaving a confused Richard standing there.
"Well, at least he's better than my old neighbours." Richard muttered to himself, as he closed the door.
***
Caroline lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. She glanced at her clock. «Three in the morning…I wonder if Richard's asleep.» Caroline sat up in her bed and squinted at the door in the darkness of her room, as a faint knocking could be heard. "Come in."
"Hey Caroline! I didn't think you'd be awake. What time did your little "reunion" end? Is Matt hot? How was Richard?" Annie barged into Caroline's room, flopped down on her bed and bombarded Caroline with a ton of questions.
"Annie. Annie Annie Annie!" Caroline tried to get Annie's attention. Caroline sighed and looked at Annie with an annoyed expression. Then she finally burst into a smile. "It went great! Fabulous! I mean, Matt wants me to give him a second chance! Richard was really thoughtful, he even brought a ring!" Caroline looked down at her hands, as her eye trailed to her ring finger. She could still picture it vividly, caressing her finger, the perfect size. "It fit so well, it was almost as if it was made for me." Caroline closed her eyes dreamily.
Annie rolled her eyes. "Ah, you mean the one that's downstairs on the table?" Annie asked, thinking about the ring she had seen.
Caroline nodded. "Isn't it beautiful?" She then paused. "Wait, you didn't wake Richard, did you?"
Annie was insulted. "Look Caroline, I'm not *that* loud!"
"No I mean, he's asleep on the couch."
Annie shrugged. "Richie is used to a coffin. Maybe your couch is too soft for his back." Annie smirked.
"Annie, this is serious. I mean, it's almost three in the morning! Who knows what kind of weirdoes are out there?" Caroline stood up and started going down the stairs.
"That's true! Someone has to protect the innocent from Richard." Annie grinned. "What was he sleeping on your couch for, anyway?" Annie asked, as she descended the stairs.
"It was late. And well, I was just discussing with Richard how the night went." Caroline smiled, sitting down on the couch. "I was commending Richard on how well he acted tonight."
"How well he acted?" Annie repeated.
"Yeah…you know, the whole *I'm in love with you, Caroline* façade. It was great - they bought into it." Caroline picked up the ring and began examining it.
Annie shook her head. "Uh huh…" She said, in a disbelieving tone.
"No seriously Annie…it was almost too believable." Caroline defended. "Then I told him about Matt, and how I wondered if he was thinking about me, and all Richard did was complain about it being so late - "
"- You did what?!" Annie interrupted Caroline.
"I sort of hinted that I might call Matt. Just explain the whole thing, you know?" Caroline said innocently.
Annie shook her head. "I can't believe how blind you are sometimes." Annie got up and headed towards the door. "You should open your eyes sometime." She said, as she closed the door behind her.
Caroline sat in her semi-lit apartment, wondering what Annie meant. Her eyes fell to the ring in her hand, as she quickly retrieved her jacket. Throwing it over her pajamas, Caroline raced out the door and out into the New York's rainy morning.
***
Richard sighed and looked at his canvas : a myriad of blue, black, grey filled the void space in a haunting harmony. «Well, at least pain and suffering is good for *something*» Richard muttered to himself. He took his brush and dabbed at the blood red he had just mixed up. Over the background, he traced the silhouette of a woman. «You know damn who it is.» Richard remarked to himself, as he colored the hair in a fiery red and yellow. He then proceeded to fill in the silhouette with vivid colours such as light blue, orange, greens and yellows. He then stepped back to admire his masterpiece. Suddenly, Richard heard Caroline's voice.
"Richard!" Caroline started banging on his door. "Richard, open up!" She started pounding on his door. Suddenly, the door from across the hall opened and Richard stepped out.
"Caroline...?" Richard looked at her - her hand still on the neighbour's door.
The chubby man opened the door. "What?! It's nearly four in the morning! What could be so important that - " The man paused then looked Caroline up and down. "Oh you're the - "
Richard grabbed Caroline's arm and dragged her into his apartment. "She's not a hooker, Mac. You're confusing her with her friend Annie."
"Richard!" Caroline whacked him a warning.
"Caroline…it's four in the morning." Richard said, closing his door. He then noticed that she was dripping wet. "Here." He handed her a towel as she took off her jacket and hung it up in the bathroom.
"Aww, my PJs are soaked!" Caroline whined.
Richard sighed. "Here." He gave her a checkered pajama ensemble.
Caroline smiled and went into the bathroom as Richard continued staring in her direction, even after the door had closed. He dropped his head and looked at the ground. «Why me?» He asked himself as he went to cover up his painting.
Caroline finally immerged from the bathroom, clad in Richard's pajamas. They were obviously too long for her. "Richard…I need to know something."
"Look Caroline…it's late or early - I can't decide this right now." Richard sighed. "And anyway, I have work tomorrow, and my boss hates it when I'm late." Richard sat down on his Murphy bed and took off his glasses.
"It wasn't an act, was it?" Caroline asked softly.
"Why does it matter?"
Caroline didn't take her eyes off of Richard as she slowly walked towards him, stopping only inches away. "I need to know…" Caroline knelt down in front of Richard, looking up at him - searching his eyes. "Because I never thought of us … as an 'us'." Caroline started, taking Richard's hand in her own. "But then I thought to myself, of course I have. Unconsciously, I've always fancied the idea, but I've only realized this just now."
"Caroline, you had a little too much wine to drink." Richard said, as he swallowed hard. "Of course it was an act." That was the hardest thing Richard had to say in his life. His heart shattered at that moment, but what he didn't realized was, that Caroline's heart was near-breaking as well.
"So I'm mistaken." Caroline said, releasing Richard's hand from her grip. She picked up her wet jacket and put it on. "Look Richard, I know this is awkward, and damn I wish this never happened, but as a friend, I'm asking you to forget this ever happened?" Caroline closed her eyes as a few tears slipped. "…please?" She whispered.
Richard couldn't take his eyes off Caroline. "Don't leave. It's…" He breathed hard.
"It's okay." Caroline finished his sentence. "Look, it's late and you can have the day off today." Caroline said, almost in tears. "I'm not in the mood to work." She said, as she opened Richard's door.
"Caroline…"
Caroline didn't look back - she just walked down the hall, leaving behind a trail of tears, as Richard silently watched from his apartment door.
**End of Part Three**
