Upon arriving home Abby was fed up of thinking about the whole situation.
She had been unable to erase it from her mind at work. Now she was at home she wanted nothing more than
to just sit down be able to forget about Carter.
But it was so hard. He knew her better than she thought she knew herself. No one had ever really
taken time to get to know her-accept her. But Carter had. He had embraced all that she was as a friend-
always been kind and supportive and considerate.
*So why did things have to change?* she thought miserably.
*Maybe we're better off as friends. I mean we never had any problems before. Perhaps we
are screwing up a good friendship by thinking about a relationship.*
No-she assured herself-it wasn't about that; it was about that Lewis woman. Not so long ago she had
still thought of Carter as a type of soul mate. From the time he'd asked her to be his sponsour to
the day he'd helped her smuggle in a damn fish tank-she'd always felt a deep connection. Something she'd
just never felt with anyone else. Things had only changed since Susan returned.
*Maybe I should forget about the whole thing.* she pondered. *If he wants to be with that *woman* then
fine, let her have him. It's his loss.*
It brought her a fleeting sense of comfort to be able to think that. But it was short lived. Underneath it all
she didn't want to let go. She couldn't let go.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the telephone.
She picked it up gingerly.
"H-Hello?" she asked nervously.
"Abby?"
She sighed-uncertain whether or not it was out of disspointment or relief.
"Yeah it's me, hi Luka."
"I just wanted to see if you were OK. You seemed quite upset when you left the hospital."
"I'm fine-why do you care?" she uttered defensively.
"Abby, I just do. Why are you getting defensive?" she replied in his thck foreign accent.
She shut her eyes feeling regret at having been so short with him.
"I'm sorry Luka-I'm just...just having 'one of those days', you know?"
"I see" he replied not really believing her. "Abby?"
"I never stopped caring. I always cared-I still do. It was because I cared I thought it was best if we...
you know, parted ways. I only want you to be happy. You never seemed happy with me." he said in
soft tone.
Suddenly he heard her sob at the other end of the phone.
"Abby-what's the matter, why are you crying?"
"Oh -i-it's nothing Luka, OK I'm just tired and...that's all it is."
"The hell it is, I'm coming over."
"Luka don't be silly..."
"I'm not being silly, you just sound as if you could use a friend right now. I'll bring muffins." he quipped
smiling his half crooked smile as he always did when cracking a joke.
"...Ok, thanks." she muttered feeling an overwhelming need to take comfort on a friendly shoulder.
Not that she could ever reach his shoulder.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Meanwhile.....
John had stayed out on the riverside longer than he'd intended to before finally setting off for home.
He had been unable to quiet the burning question in mis mind. Did he still feel something for Susan?
Of course not-we're friends. Just friends. It was Abby he liked. It was Abby that he'd harboured feelings for-for
over a year. He didn't have those feelings for Susan.
Then it occured to him that if he didn't-WHY didn't he?
*Let's think about this rationally.* he thought playing devil's advocate.
*Abby is sill clearly hung up on luka-God knows when or if she'll ever get over that. Meanwhile Susan
is a brilliant woman. She's smart, she's funny-she makes me laugh. She's kind and sweet.
She's beautiful...and when she flashes that wide grin of hers she can light up a room. And we
clearly enjoy eachother's company. So why don't I pursue her instead?*
He needed ponder it only a second, for he well knew the answer.
*She's not *Abby*.*
At the end of it all-you can't choose love. Love chooses you.
*Well-the heart wants what it wants.* he thought as he made his mind up. He wasn't about
to let Abby go. He wasn't giving up on her so easily.
She had been his guardian angel. He had been hers. She had guided him through the rocky roads of
recovery from his addiction-and probably saved his life. He had been her support when her mother
had gone A-wall. He'd been there for her-like she had been there for him.
They'd always had a place in eachother's hearts that nobody else could touch. Not Susan. Not Rena.
Not anyone, Not even Luka.
It suddenly dawned on him. He and Abby had a deeper history. One that transcended her relationship with Luka.
If only she had some time to adjust or something-he knew they could make this work.
Time. There is never enough of it. He had wasted so much-he'd be damned if he wasted anymore.
He changed lanes in his car and and turned off in the direction of Abby's department.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Meanwhile back at Abby's apartment...
Abby answered her apartment door to find Luka standing there as promised with a bag of blue berry muffins.
"Oh-Luka, you know-you didn't have to do this."
"What are friends for?" he quipped flashing his crooked smile.
She couldn't help but smile back.
"Well nonetheless I appreciate it. " she said warmly before adding a little cautiously: "What does Nicole
think about this."
"This?"
"You know-running off at all hours of the night to meet your ex girlfriend." she laughed.
Luka laughed and replied: "She's cool."
"So I see. You like her?" she asked earnestly before sitting down and munching on a muffin.
Luka paused a moment as he sat down opposite her. He seemed lost in thought for a moment.
"She's a lovely person but we're just friends. But..."
"You hope there might be something more?" she finnished.
He scratched his head and chuckled: "Yeah. Yeah that's right." He smiled again and laughed.
"What's so funny?" she giggled.
"It occurs to me that we get along so much better when we're NOT a couple. Before we could never seem
to tell what the hell the other was thinking and now you're finnishing my sentences for me!"
They laughed at the ironic situation they found themselves in.
"Well if anything at least in that case we KNOW we made the right choice!" she said.
"Guess you're right." He raised a muffin in a fake toast gesture as they laughed again.
"What about you and Carter?" he asked seemingly out of the blue.
"Huh?" she exclaimed in surprise.
"You like him." :Luka said in more of of a matter a fact tone than as a question.
"Oh-uh..." she stammered a little. "Yeah-we're great friends..."
"You just hope it's something more?"
She didn't answer for a moment. She seemed lost in her thought before replying.
"Yeah-guess so." she shrugged.
"Well-if he's lucky-it'll all work out. He's a fool if he doesn't see how amazing and special you are."
"I thought I wasn't that pretty OR special." she said in a strained voice.
Luka looked embarrased as Abby quickly realised what she'd blurted.
"Sorry..." she began.
"No-*I* am sorry." interrupted Luka. "I was wrong to say such things. "
He took her hand in his and said: "Nothing could be further from the truth!"
She let the tears that she'd fought back fall freely now as Luka took her into a friendly embrace.
"There-there Abby-it'll work out. For both of us."
"Thanks." she uttered not sure what else to say. She held onto him extending the friendly embrace
a little-as she really felt the need to be comforted right now.
"ABBY!?"
They broke apart abruptly to see a figure standing in the door way. They'd forgotten to lock the door.
"Carter! John...John wait, it's not what it looks like..wait!!" she wailed in desperation.
But it was too late. Carter had seen what he'd seen and come to his own conclusions.
He walked down the stairs and out of the door-out into the night.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To be continued.
Please R&R and let me know what you think. Thanx baby jen.
She had been unable to erase it from her mind at work. Now she was at home she wanted nothing more than
to just sit down be able to forget about Carter.
But it was so hard. He knew her better than she thought she knew herself. No one had ever really
taken time to get to know her-accept her. But Carter had. He had embraced all that she was as a friend-
always been kind and supportive and considerate.
*So why did things have to change?* she thought miserably.
*Maybe we're better off as friends. I mean we never had any problems before. Perhaps we
are screwing up a good friendship by thinking about a relationship.*
No-she assured herself-it wasn't about that; it was about that Lewis woman. Not so long ago she had
still thought of Carter as a type of soul mate. From the time he'd asked her to be his sponsour to
the day he'd helped her smuggle in a damn fish tank-she'd always felt a deep connection. Something she'd
just never felt with anyone else. Things had only changed since Susan returned.
*Maybe I should forget about the whole thing.* she pondered. *If he wants to be with that *woman* then
fine, let her have him. It's his loss.*
It brought her a fleeting sense of comfort to be able to think that. But it was short lived. Underneath it all
she didn't want to let go. She couldn't let go.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the telephone.
She picked it up gingerly.
"H-Hello?" she asked nervously.
"Abby?"
She sighed-uncertain whether or not it was out of disspointment or relief.
"Yeah it's me, hi Luka."
"I just wanted to see if you were OK. You seemed quite upset when you left the hospital."
"I'm fine-why do you care?" she uttered defensively.
"Abby, I just do. Why are you getting defensive?" she replied in his thck foreign accent.
She shut her eyes feeling regret at having been so short with him.
"I'm sorry Luka-I'm just...just having 'one of those days', you know?"
"I see" he replied not really believing her. "Abby?"
"I never stopped caring. I always cared-I still do. It was because I cared I thought it was best if we...
you know, parted ways. I only want you to be happy. You never seemed happy with me." he said in
soft tone.
Suddenly he heard her sob at the other end of the phone.
"Abby-what's the matter, why are you crying?"
"Oh -i-it's nothing Luka, OK I'm just tired and...that's all it is."
"The hell it is, I'm coming over."
"Luka don't be silly..."
"I'm not being silly, you just sound as if you could use a friend right now. I'll bring muffins." he quipped
smiling his half crooked smile as he always did when cracking a joke.
"...Ok, thanks." she muttered feeling an overwhelming need to take comfort on a friendly shoulder.
Not that she could ever reach his shoulder.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Meanwhile.....
John had stayed out on the riverside longer than he'd intended to before finally setting off for home.
He had been unable to quiet the burning question in mis mind. Did he still feel something for Susan?
Of course not-we're friends. Just friends. It was Abby he liked. It was Abby that he'd harboured feelings for-for
over a year. He didn't have those feelings for Susan.
Then it occured to him that if he didn't-WHY didn't he?
*Let's think about this rationally.* he thought playing devil's advocate.
*Abby is sill clearly hung up on luka-God knows when or if she'll ever get over that. Meanwhile Susan
is a brilliant woman. She's smart, she's funny-she makes me laugh. She's kind and sweet.
She's beautiful...and when she flashes that wide grin of hers she can light up a room. And we
clearly enjoy eachother's company. So why don't I pursue her instead?*
He needed ponder it only a second, for he well knew the answer.
*She's not *Abby*.*
At the end of it all-you can't choose love. Love chooses you.
*Well-the heart wants what it wants.* he thought as he made his mind up. He wasn't about
to let Abby go. He wasn't giving up on her so easily.
She had been his guardian angel. He had been hers. She had guided him through the rocky roads of
recovery from his addiction-and probably saved his life. He had been her support when her mother
had gone A-wall. He'd been there for her-like she had been there for him.
They'd always had a place in eachother's hearts that nobody else could touch. Not Susan. Not Rena.
Not anyone, Not even Luka.
It suddenly dawned on him. He and Abby had a deeper history. One that transcended her relationship with Luka.
If only she had some time to adjust or something-he knew they could make this work.
Time. There is never enough of it. He had wasted so much-he'd be damned if he wasted anymore.
He changed lanes in his car and and turned off in the direction of Abby's department.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Meanwhile back at Abby's apartment...
Abby answered her apartment door to find Luka standing there as promised with a bag of blue berry muffins.
"Oh-Luka, you know-you didn't have to do this."
"What are friends for?" he quipped flashing his crooked smile.
She couldn't help but smile back.
"Well nonetheless I appreciate it. " she said warmly before adding a little cautiously: "What does Nicole
think about this."
"This?"
"You know-running off at all hours of the night to meet your ex girlfriend." she laughed.
Luka laughed and replied: "She's cool."
"So I see. You like her?" she asked earnestly before sitting down and munching on a muffin.
Luka paused a moment as he sat down opposite her. He seemed lost in thought for a moment.
"She's a lovely person but we're just friends. But..."
"You hope there might be something more?" she finnished.
He scratched his head and chuckled: "Yeah. Yeah that's right." He smiled again and laughed.
"What's so funny?" she giggled.
"It occurs to me that we get along so much better when we're NOT a couple. Before we could never seem
to tell what the hell the other was thinking and now you're finnishing my sentences for me!"
They laughed at the ironic situation they found themselves in.
"Well if anything at least in that case we KNOW we made the right choice!" she said.
"Guess you're right." He raised a muffin in a fake toast gesture as they laughed again.
"What about you and Carter?" he asked seemingly out of the blue.
"Huh?" she exclaimed in surprise.
"You like him." :Luka said in more of of a matter a fact tone than as a question.
"Oh-uh..." she stammered a little. "Yeah-we're great friends..."
"You just hope it's something more?"
She didn't answer for a moment. She seemed lost in her thought before replying.
"Yeah-guess so." she shrugged.
"Well-if he's lucky-it'll all work out. He's a fool if he doesn't see how amazing and special you are."
"I thought I wasn't that pretty OR special." she said in a strained voice.
Luka looked embarrased as Abby quickly realised what she'd blurted.
"Sorry..." she began.
"No-*I* am sorry." interrupted Luka. "I was wrong to say such things. "
He took her hand in his and said: "Nothing could be further from the truth!"
She let the tears that she'd fought back fall freely now as Luka took her into a friendly embrace.
"There-there Abby-it'll work out. For both of us."
"Thanks." she uttered not sure what else to say. She held onto him extending the friendly embrace
a little-as she really felt the need to be comforted right now.
"ABBY!?"
They broke apart abruptly to see a figure standing in the door way. They'd forgotten to lock the door.
"Carter! John...John wait, it's not what it looks like..wait!!" she wailed in desperation.
But it was too late. Carter had seen what he'd seen and come to his own conclusions.
He walked down the stairs and out of the door-out into the night.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To be continued.
Please R&R and let me know what you think. Thanx baby jen.