As soon as Carter left the ER, he found Abby waiting for him. He knew he could have passed out, he was so tired. But Abby would keep him up. Susan, on the other hand, could be around the lot, so he watched out for her as he walked towards Abby.
"It's cold," Carter explained. "Why aren't you wearing any gloves?"
Abby didn't look up. "Lost them."
Carter laughed. "Here," he said. He extended a hand, which she accepted after hesitating. He smiled at her gentle touch to himself and started toward his car. He opened the passenger's side, eased her inside and closed the door.
"Where do you wanna get dinner?"
Abby shrugged. Yawning, she answered, "Chinese sound good?"
Carter nodded, also yawning. The car started and they began to leave the lot. "Chinese it is."
She looked down, Carter saw to his right. Her hands were dancing uneasily in her lap as Carter tried to stay focused on the road. He wanted to reach out and embrace her, taking in her scent again.
But not because he had feelings for her. No, that was wrong. He was with Susan, happily. But Abby was like a gentle form to him. Like she was there for him to hug and to talk to, and she would always hug and talk back. Basically, she was there for him.
And that's when more terrribile guilt struck. He wasn't there for her, like she would have been. He felt instantly awful and pulled over on a remote street.
"What are you doing?" she asked nervously. "The place is over there - "
Her hand pointed to his left, right in front of his face as she gestured to a corner where he should have turned. He took her hand and rested it slowly back to the seat. She looked at him confusedly and waited for him to speak.
"I'm sorry," he said. His head was bowed until his eyes shifted to her wondering gaze. "You're always there for me. You always have been."
"John," she said, "what are you doing?"
"You're right, okay?" he said. The guilt was overwhelming. "Just because I'm with Susan, I've been completely ignorant toward you, and you definitely don't deserve that."
She shook her head slightly and looked down. "I overreacted, John," she said with a light laugh. However, Carter could clearly read the laugh. She was hurt. Her eyes didn't meet his now.
"No you didn't," he said. "And you know it. I'm sorry. I feel terrible for not telling you any of this before."
She nodded. "I just miss you."
He watched her hands twist together again, nervously intertwining by themselves in the dark.
"I miss you, too." He held her chin and brought it up to meet his eyes.
The electricity came out of nowhere. It hit him strongly, as it did her. Her eyes were pleading, Carter could see. She breathed out into the air. Carter mirrored this action, and noticed her eyes. Even in the pale, silent dark, they sparkled.
"Me and you," he began, watching Abby's eyes become brighter, "We're gonna be best friends no matter what."
She smiled uneasily at the comment.
"You know that, right? I love you, Abby." He rubbed her shoulder, as she shivered lightly. "You're my best friend."
She nodded, her head bent and looking toward the floor. Carter wrapped his arms around her and brought her closer to him. Her arms quickly came around his neck and her chin found a spot between his neck and shoulder. He felt so comfortable with her like that.
"You're my best friend, Abby. Don't forget that."
She shook her head, the sniffled a bit. It caught Carter's attention, but he guessed she was just emotional over the whole thing.
"I won't," she managed.
He brought her face to see his. "What's wrong?" he asked with a stifled laugh.
She shook her head and returned to her seat by the window. "Nothing," she said. She smiled wearily at him. "Nothing's wrong."
He started up the car again as she breathed in the cold night with her eyes closed. She was beautiful, he said to himself. No matter where she was, or what she was doing, she was beautiful.
But so was Susan. He forced himself to keep his thoughts on Susan. Susan with her soft, blonde hair and her pale skin. That was Susan.
But Abby was more. She was Abby with the silky, slightly untamed mass of chestnut tresses. She was Abby with the smile that made him want to live, and the eyes that made him want to die for her. Her eyes told him everything. They told him secrets. They guided him to her every time.
Carter snapped from his world of true and perfect cliches to stop at their destination. As he met Abby on her side of the car with a smile, he helped her out and told himself more. He mentioned that Susan was perfect for him. They'd gone out for four months without a fight or the slightest conflict. He told himself this over and over again.
"Order, Carter," she said with a grin as she looked around the restaurant.
Carter selected his dinner and listened to Abby make her choice as well. She smiled as she spoke; it all caught his eyes again. Her voice was smooth, sure to her word. When she finished she thanked him quietly and went to the end of the counter. Mesmerized for an unknown reason, he followed her in a daze.
Within a small amount of time, their meals were ready and they were out the door. They were still quiet, and Carter tried desperately to pick up anything of slight interest to talk to her about.
"You love her?" Abby asked.
It took him by surprise.
"What?" he said with a chuckle.
"I'm your best friend," she teased. "We know everything about each other."
"Oh, really."
"I'm not trying to get back at you," she said. "Just wanna know where the two of you stand."
Carter giggled again. "We going to your place or mine?"
Abby shrugged. "I'm just hungry."
"Well," he said, settling back onto the road, "then would it be okay to head off to Gamma? She'd be happy to see you."
Abby smiled. "I doubt that, but sure."
"Gamma," he said. "Not my mother."
"Is that rain?" Abby said.
Carter reached down to flip on the windshield wipers. "I hate driving in the rain."
--
They reached the house, and walked to the entrance. They were soaked when they entered, giggling slightly at themselves.
"I think she's asleep," Carter mentioned, walking inside with Abby at his left. She looked up, mystified all over again. "Come on," he said. "Want to eat in the dining room or the living room?"
"Which dining room, which living room?"
"Ha," Carter said. "Let's go into the living room. Get dried off in front of the fire."
"Classic," Abby said with a small grin.
"John?" Gamma called from another room.
"I'm here, Gamma," he said. "Abby's here as well." He took Abby's coat from her and hung it in a nearby closet. She smiled thankfully and stuck to his side.
"Abby," Gamma said, finally coming into sight to the two. "How are you?" she inquired, coming closer.
"Fine, thank you," she said with a sweet smile. "How are you?"
"Nice of you to ask. I'm fine," she said. "Carter, you know how to pick 'em." She smiled.
"No, Gamma," Carter corrected her. "I'm going out with Susan. Susan Lewis."
Gamma perked up. "Who said anything about dating?" she laughed. "I know you're going out with Susan Lewis. She's been her once..."
"Thanks, Gamma," Carter said. "Abby and I are going to go anjoy our Chinese now next to the fire. Night."
"Good night, John, Abby," she said. She winked at Abby.
Abby nodded with a smile. "Night."
The two of them left Gamma to climb up the stairs as they traveled to the nearby fireplace to settle down for dinner.
--
Please R/R! It helps. ;)
Once again, thank you to all the people supporting me in their reviews! You guys are the best. ;)
Gag, gag, gag. Don't you hate the Carsan crap?
-me
"It's cold," Carter explained. "Why aren't you wearing any gloves?"
Abby didn't look up. "Lost them."
Carter laughed. "Here," he said. He extended a hand, which she accepted after hesitating. He smiled at her gentle touch to himself and started toward his car. He opened the passenger's side, eased her inside and closed the door.
"Where do you wanna get dinner?"
Abby shrugged. Yawning, she answered, "Chinese sound good?"
Carter nodded, also yawning. The car started and they began to leave the lot. "Chinese it is."
She looked down, Carter saw to his right. Her hands were dancing uneasily in her lap as Carter tried to stay focused on the road. He wanted to reach out and embrace her, taking in her scent again.
But not because he had feelings for her. No, that was wrong. He was with Susan, happily. But Abby was like a gentle form to him. Like she was there for him to hug and to talk to, and she would always hug and talk back. Basically, she was there for him.
And that's when more terrribile guilt struck. He wasn't there for her, like she would have been. He felt instantly awful and pulled over on a remote street.
"What are you doing?" she asked nervously. "The place is over there - "
Her hand pointed to his left, right in front of his face as she gestured to a corner where he should have turned. He took her hand and rested it slowly back to the seat. She looked at him confusedly and waited for him to speak.
"I'm sorry," he said. His head was bowed until his eyes shifted to her wondering gaze. "You're always there for me. You always have been."
"John," she said, "what are you doing?"
"You're right, okay?" he said. The guilt was overwhelming. "Just because I'm with Susan, I've been completely ignorant toward you, and you definitely don't deserve that."
She shook her head slightly and looked down. "I overreacted, John," she said with a light laugh. However, Carter could clearly read the laugh. She was hurt. Her eyes didn't meet his now.
"No you didn't," he said. "And you know it. I'm sorry. I feel terrible for not telling you any of this before."
She nodded. "I just miss you."
He watched her hands twist together again, nervously intertwining by themselves in the dark.
"I miss you, too." He held her chin and brought it up to meet his eyes.
The electricity came out of nowhere. It hit him strongly, as it did her. Her eyes were pleading, Carter could see. She breathed out into the air. Carter mirrored this action, and noticed her eyes. Even in the pale, silent dark, they sparkled.
"Me and you," he began, watching Abby's eyes become brighter, "We're gonna be best friends no matter what."
She smiled uneasily at the comment.
"You know that, right? I love you, Abby." He rubbed her shoulder, as she shivered lightly. "You're my best friend."
She nodded, her head bent and looking toward the floor. Carter wrapped his arms around her and brought her closer to him. Her arms quickly came around his neck and her chin found a spot between his neck and shoulder. He felt so comfortable with her like that.
"You're my best friend, Abby. Don't forget that."
She shook her head, the sniffled a bit. It caught Carter's attention, but he guessed she was just emotional over the whole thing.
"I won't," she managed.
He brought her face to see his. "What's wrong?" he asked with a stifled laugh.
She shook her head and returned to her seat by the window. "Nothing," she said. She smiled wearily at him. "Nothing's wrong."
He started up the car again as she breathed in the cold night with her eyes closed. She was beautiful, he said to himself. No matter where she was, or what she was doing, she was beautiful.
But so was Susan. He forced himself to keep his thoughts on Susan. Susan with her soft, blonde hair and her pale skin. That was Susan.
But Abby was more. She was Abby with the silky, slightly untamed mass of chestnut tresses. She was Abby with the smile that made him want to live, and the eyes that made him want to die for her. Her eyes told him everything. They told him secrets. They guided him to her every time.
Carter snapped from his world of true and perfect cliches to stop at their destination. As he met Abby on her side of the car with a smile, he helped her out and told himself more. He mentioned that Susan was perfect for him. They'd gone out for four months without a fight or the slightest conflict. He told himself this over and over again.
"Order, Carter," she said with a grin as she looked around the restaurant.
Carter selected his dinner and listened to Abby make her choice as well. She smiled as she spoke; it all caught his eyes again. Her voice was smooth, sure to her word. When she finished she thanked him quietly and went to the end of the counter. Mesmerized for an unknown reason, he followed her in a daze.
Within a small amount of time, their meals were ready and they were out the door. They were still quiet, and Carter tried desperately to pick up anything of slight interest to talk to her about.
"You love her?" Abby asked.
It took him by surprise.
"What?" he said with a chuckle.
"I'm your best friend," she teased. "We know everything about each other."
"Oh, really."
"I'm not trying to get back at you," she said. "Just wanna know where the two of you stand."
Carter giggled again. "We going to your place or mine?"
Abby shrugged. "I'm just hungry."
"Well," he said, settling back onto the road, "then would it be okay to head off to Gamma? She'd be happy to see you."
Abby smiled. "I doubt that, but sure."
"Gamma," he said. "Not my mother."
"Is that rain?" Abby said.
Carter reached down to flip on the windshield wipers. "I hate driving in the rain."
--
They reached the house, and walked to the entrance. They were soaked when they entered, giggling slightly at themselves.
"I think she's asleep," Carter mentioned, walking inside with Abby at his left. She looked up, mystified all over again. "Come on," he said. "Want to eat in the dining room or the living room?"
"Which dining room, which living room?"
"Ha," Carter said. "Let's go into the living room. Get dried off in front of the fire."
"Classic," Abby said with a small grin.
"John?" Gamma called from another room.
"I'm here, Gamma," he said. "Abby's here as well." He took Abby's coat from her and hung it in a nearby closet. She smiled thankfully and stuck to his side.
"Abby," Gamma said, finally coming into sight to the two. "How are you?" she inquired, coming closer.
"Fine, thank you," she said with a sweet smile. "How are you?"
"Nice of you to ask. I'm fine," she said. "Carter, you know how to pick 'em." She smiled.
"No, Gamma," Carter corrected her. "I'm going out with Susan. Susan Lewis."
Gamma perked up. "Who said anything about dating?" she laughed. "I know you're going out with Susan Lewis. She's been her once..."
"Thanks, Gamma," Carter said. "Abby and I are going to go anjoy our Chinese now next to the fire. Night."
"Good night, John, Abby," she said. She winked at Abby.
Abby nodded with a smile. "Night."
The two of them left Gamma to climb up the stairs as they traveled to the nearby fireplace to settle down for dinner.
--
Please R/R! It helps. ;)
Once again, thank you to all the people supporting me in their reviews! You guys are the best. ;)
Gag, gag, gag. Don't you hate the Carsan crap?
-me