This is like my third fic on the site, apart from the other ones. I am started to get kind of addicted...
For those of you (the few of you) who have been reading my other fics, you know that my laptop's spelling and grammar check isn't cooperating. Please bear with it. I know how much it sucks when someones.sentenseEnds upliket his. (Translation: I know how much it sucks when someone's sentence ends up like this. ;) ) I'm so sorry for any mistakes I may have missed; I wrote this while watching Conan O'Brien, so it was late.
*Susan and Carter are still going out. Not for a long time, its probably around the time of the seminar, but none of that would have happened. Abby and Luka aren't together.*
--
Carter rounded the corner with Susan, chatting away with all smiles. He was laughing at something, however the day had been a long one and his smile should have been gone by then. Susan's mouth could have flown off of her face, though, and he didn't see her stopping. He groaned in his head. Never aloud, he said to himself.
"Because it would work," Susan chuckled, her statement filled with sarcasm. He laughed along with her, taking her shoulder and guiding her to the desk. He looked around to find any assignments for him. Chuny was quick to hand him two charts, which he accepted with a smile.
Susan reached up to Carter and brought his face down to hers. She pecked it gingerly. "I'm off," she said. "I'll see you tonight?"
Carter nodded. "Okay," he said. He smiled again.
She nodded with the same cheerful expression on her face, waving to no one in particular.
"Hey Carter."
Carter turned around to see Abby approaching him. Her hair was tied up messily, as usual, with a few untamed strands lying around her face. He loved it when she looked so natural like that. Without covered in hairspray.
"Abby," he said.
"How's Susan?" she asked with the gentle smile. She handed him an additional chart with a sensible face and propped her elbows upon the counter.
He looked at her strongly, but corrected himself and scratched the back of his head with exhaustion. "Good, good." She nodded as he continued, "How've you been?"
She smiled at him, lighter this time. "Good. Not great, but I guess it'll do." She checked something on her own chart in front of her. "We never talk anymore."
"Sure we do," Carter defended, fully aware that they weren't.
"You don't see it," she said. "You have Susan now, Carter. I would have appreciated if you would've giving me a warning. Tell me that I was losing my best friend ahead of time." She smiled weakly at him and turned to walk towards the board.
"What?" Carter exclaimed. He flushed immediately with a crimson tone to his cheeks at his speaking volume. No one noticed. He reached her at the board and stood beside her. "Why are you acting like this?"
"Like what?" she asked, her eyes focused on the board. "Perfectly reasonable?"
"Reasonable?"
Abby nodded, now facing him. "How would you want me to act in this situation?"
" 'In this situation?'"
She rolled her eyes. Her generic smiles were slowly beginning to fade away. "Don't be stupid, Carter," she sighed, making her way to another side of the desk. She dropped a few miscellaneous charts onto the counter and turned around to meet him. "I don't have you as a friend anymore because you're wasting your time with someone that you share nothing with."
"What?" he complained again. "What do you mean I share nothing with her?"
"You two have nothing in common, you haven't slept together yet - "
"How would you know?"
"Have you, Carter?"
He stuttered. "It's none of your business." She stared at him hard. "Not all relationships are about sex," he admitted.
She rolled her eyes again. "Don't play the sensitive virgin, Carter," she said with a phony laugh. "You're not good at it."
"What does that mean?"
"You tell me."
"Why are you acting like this?"
"You've already asked me that question," she said, angrily walking off to an exam room. "Don't go there again."
He put his hands over his head, but forced himself to make a hasty recovery when he saw Susan pushing her way back to the desk.
"John," she said. "I just came back to get my scarf." She kissed him on the cheek, catching Carter's pretend smile. She obviously ignored it and took back to the lounge.
"Abby's right, you know," Haleh motioned from behind him. "You two are nothing. I gotta say."
"Um," Carter said, "that's very rude. I gotta say."
Chuny shrugged. "Do you love her?"
Carter laughed. "Who?"
Haleh's jaw dropped. "Oh, man."
"What?"
"What do you mean 'what?' " Chuny said.
"What do you mean by 'who?' is more like it."
"Huh?" Carter suggested, lost.
"I asked if you loved her," Chuny explained. "You said 'who.'"
"Well, you were talking about Abby, so I - "
Haleh and Chuny started to laugh. "Don't waste your time, Carter," Chuny said. "Get out of here, your shift is over."
Carter didn't say anything. He whipped around and walked to the lounge. He hadn't seen Susan's departure, but she was gone. The lounge was empty, except for one person. With his luck, it just had to be Abby.
She didn't say anything to him. She was irately shoving on her coat as he walked into the room. He hesitated then came to his locker. He shared the same emotional output as she and didn't waste any time readying himself for the cold.
"Abby," he finally said.
"Save it, John," she said abruptly. "If it weren't for us both working at County, I would vow to never talk to you again."
"Mature."
"You're one to talk." She spun around carelessly and threw the door open. She walked furiously to the exit and disappeared from his sight.
Carter immediately recognized the feeling. He was worried about their relationship. It was completely his fault, whether he chose to admit it or not. Abby was his life beside Gamma. His best friend. Her smile could set him free consciously. He wondered if she had known that. She didn't, he told himself. That was also his fault.
He did love her. But only as a friend. He was with Susan. Susan Lewis. Not Abby Lockhart.
For those of you (the few of you) who have been reading my other fics, you know that my laptop's spelling and grammar check isn't cooperating. Please bear with it. I know how much it sucks when someones.sentenseEnds upliket his. (Translation: I know how much it sucks when someone's sentence ends up like this. ;) ) I'm so sorry for any mistakes I may have missed; I wrote this while watching Conan O'Brien, so it was late.
*Susan and Carter are still going out. Not for a long time, its probably around the time of the seminar, but none of that would have happened. Abby and Luka aren't together.*
--
Carter rounded the corner with Susan, chatting away with all smiles. He was laughing at something, however the day had been a long one and his smile should have been gone by then. Susan's mouth could have flown off of her face, though, and he didn't see her stopping. He groaned in his head. Never aloud, he said to himself.
"Because it would work," Susan chuckled, her statement filled with sarcasm. He laughed along with her, taking her shoulder and guiding her to the desk. He looked around to find any assignments for him. Chuny was quick to hand him two charts, which he accepted with a smile.
Susan reached up to Carter and brought his face down to hers. She pecked it gingerly. "I'm off," she said. "I'll see you tonight?"
Carter nodded. "Okay," he said. He smiled again.
She nodded with the same cheerful expression on her face, waving to no one in particular.
"Hey Carter."
Carter turned around to see Abby approaching him. Her hair was tied up messily, as usual, with a few untamed strands lying around her face. He loved it when she looked so natural like that. Without covered in hairspray.
"Abby," he said.
"How's Susan?" she asked with the gentle smile. She handed him an additional chart with a sensible face and propped her elbows upon the counter.
He looked at her strongly, but corrected himself and scratched the back of his head with exhaustion. "Good, good." She nodded as he continued, "How've you been?"
She smiled at him, lighter this time. "Good. Not great, but I guess it'll do." She checked something on her own chart in front of her. "We never talk anymore."
"Sure we do," Carter defended, fully aware that they weren't.
"You don't see it," she said. "You have Susan now, Carter. I would have appreciated if you would've giving me a warning. Tell me that I was losing my best friend ahead of time." She smiled weakly at him and turned to walk towards the board.
"What?" Carter exclaimed. He flushed immediately with a crimson tone to his cheeks at his speaking volume. No one noticed. He reached her at the board and stood beside her. "Why are you acting like this?"
"Like what?" she asked, her eyes focused on the board. "Perfectly reasonable?"
"Reasonable?"
Abby nodded, now facing him. "How would you want me to act in this situation?"
" 'In this situation?'"
She rolled her eyes. Her generic smiles were slowly beginning to fade away. "Don't be stupid, Carter," she sighed, making her way to another side of the desk. She dropped a few miscellaneous charts onto the counter and turned around to meet him. "I don't have you as a friend anymore because you're wasting your time with someone that you share nothing with."
"What?" he complained again. "What do you mean I share nothing with her?"
"You two have nothing in common, you haven't slept together yet - "
"How would you know?"
"Have you, Carter?"
He stuttered. "It's none of your business." She stared at him hard. "Not all relationships are about sex," he admitted.
She rolled her eyes again. "Don't play the sensitive virgin, Carter," she said with a phony laugh. "You're not good at it."
"What does that mean?"
"You tell me."
"Why are you acting like this?"
"You've already asked me that question," she said, angrily walking off to an exam room. "Don't go there again."
He put his hands over his head, but forced himself to make a hasty recovery when he saw Susan pushing her way back to the desk.
"John," she said. "I just came back to get my scarf." She kissed him on the cheek, catching Carter's pretend smile. She obviously ignored it and took back to the lounge.
"Abby's right, you know," Haleh motioned from behind him. "You two are nothing. I gotta say."
"Um," Carter said, "that's very rude. I gotta say."
Chuny shrugged. "Do you love her?"
Carter laughed. "Who?"
Haleh's jaw dropped. "Oh, man."
"What?"
"What do you mean 'what?' " Chuny said.
"What do you mean by 'who?' is more like it."
"Huh?" Carter suggested, lost.
"I asked if you loved her," Chuny explained. "You said 'who.'"
"Well, you were talking about Abby, so I - "
Haleh and Chuny started to laugh. "Don't waste your time, Carter," Chuny said. "Get out of here, your shift is over."
Carter didn't say anything. He whipped around and walked to the lounge. He hadn't seen Susan's departure, but she was gone. The lounge was empty, except for one person. With his luck, it just had to be Abby.
She didn't say anything to him. She was irately shoving on her coat as he walked into the room. He hesitated then came to his locker. He shared the same emotional output as she and didn't waste any time readying himself for the cold.
"Abby," he finally said.
"Save it, John," she said abruptly. "If it weren't for us both working at County, I would vow to never talk to you again."
"Mature."
"You're one to talk." She spun around carelessly and threw the door open. She walked furiously to the exit and disappeared from his sight.
Carter immediately recognized the feeling. He was worried about their relationship. It was completely his fault, whether he chose to admit it or not. Abby was his life beside Gamma. His best friend. Her smile could set him free consciously. He wondered if she had known that. She didn't, he told himself. That was also his fault.
He did love her. But only as a friend. He was with Susan. Susan Lewis. Not Abby Lockhart.