Chapter 4:
Del had a worried look on his face, and when he looked at Caroline it seemed that his suspicions were true. "Caroline, I think I know what this is all about" he started, but Caroline cut in.
"Please, let me talk." She cleared her throat. "I gave this a lot of thought, and.it just.. doesn't seem right. I mean, I do love you, and I'm not trying to hurt you, but honestly, . you are not my sincere amore. If you were, I wouldn't have hesitated to say 'yes'."
Del looked up and stared at Caroline "You know, the more I thought about this whole wedding thing, I actually saw myself hoping that you would say 'no'. This would be my third marriage, and I just have to be very sure before I take that step, because I want my third marriage to last. And with us, I don't really know if it could work out. I think we are better as friends than as a couple."
Del stepped in front of Caroline, tilted up her chin with his right hand, and with his thumbs wiped away the tears that silently made their way down Caroline's cheek. He kissed the tip of her nose. "I think it's good that we both realized what a mistake it would be if we got married."
Caroline tried to break a smile "I'm glad that you feel the same way. I would've hated myself for hurting your feelings." She hiccupped when she tried to swallow her tears. She rubbed her eyes and straightened up. Holding out her hand to Del she said "Friends?" Del took her hand in his and replied with a smile "Friends." Soon after Del left Caroline fell asleep on her couch. After this day, she was so exhausted, she didn't even make it up to her bed.
She fell into a dreamless sleep and woke up a few hours later to a silent scratching at her door. Not knowing who it was she silently crept up to the door, looking through the peephole. Her eyes grew wide when she saw Richard standing outside her apartment. 'Don't those people give me any time to think about stuff today?' Slowly she opened the door. "Richard. What are you doing here?"
He went through his hair with his right hand. "I'm sorry to come by so late Caroline, but I saw the light in your living room and thought that you'd still be awake."
"I fell asleep on the couch."
"Oh. look. I came to apologize. I acted like an ass before, I don't know what has gotten into me. I think it's none of my business whether you marry Del, and actually he is a nice guy, you deserve to have a nice guy, so." he looked at her more closely ".hold on a second. What's wrong? You look like you've been crying?"
"I said 'no'."
Startled Richard grabbed the doorframe to steady himself. "What? Why?"
"Don't you want to come in and sit down? This is not really a doorframe- conversation." Caroline opened the door more, to let Richard step in.
"I don't know. It's late, my boss will be mad when I come in late tomorrow." He smiled wryly.
She smiled at him "I think your boss might make a little exception, now come in."
Richard walked inside and sat down on the couch. Suddenly he was very nervous. 'Great! Why am I nervous? It's not like I'm here for the first time! But something is different. Why isn't she marrying Del? Maybe. yeah right! Stop fooling yourself Karinsky!'
"Would you like some coffee?" Caroline ripped him right out of his thoughts.
"Umm, yeah, sure!"
Caroline came back to the couch with two coffee mugs in her hands and handed one to Richard, sitting down next to him.
"So." she sighed.
"So."
"It's actually like you said. Del isn't the right man for me. I don't know why I didn't see it from the beginning. Actually our relationship was mostly about sex. And the sex was."
"Please Caroline" Richard sighed nervously. "I don't really want to hear those details."
"Oh, sorry, I'm really sorry."
"Don't worry about it" he gave her an encouraging smile. "So, I was right, huh?"
"Yeah, kinda. It's just, I realized after a lot of thinking, and also with a little help from Annie, that Del is not my sincere amore."
'Sincere amore. she actually remembered that? I thought she didn't even listen when I told her about Julia at our first date. Date. I wish. Pretend- date is more like it.'
"And the good thing about it is, that Del just felt the same way about us. He actually hoped that I'd say 'no'. Isn't that crazy?"
"It sounds like Del to me."
"You're right. I just don't know why I didn't see it before."
"So your search for Mr. Right continues, huh?" Richard didn't dare look in her eyes.
Caroline hesitated "Well, yeah. I guess so." She tried to search his eyes, but didn't see anything. 'How am I supposed to figure this out when he shuts down?'
"I might've found him already though." she felt like taking a leap. ".I have to figure out my feelings towards him though." She looked at him intently. "I hope he will give me some time."
'Wow, she's moving on fast! I wonder who this mysterious Mr. Right is. And how could she hide him from me? I mean, she usually tells the tiniest things going on in her life, and then she holds back on that one? This seems wrong.' Richard looked up at her and noticed her staring at him. 'She couldn't mean. Nah. What did I say before? Richard Karinsky could never be that lucky.'
Caroline was still looking at Richard, trying to figure out her feelings, and then realized there was only one way to find out. When she found him looking back at her, she moved closer, staring deep into his eyes, looking for a glimpse of hope. Then their faces were just a few inches apart.
Del had a worried look on his face, and when he looked at Caroline it seemed that his suspicions were true. "Caroline, I think I know what this is all about" he started, but Caroline cut in.
"Please, let me talk." She cleared her throat. "I gave this a lot of thought, and.it just.. doesn't seem right. I mean, I do love you, and I'm not trying to hurt you, but honestly, . you are not my sincere amore. If you were, I wouldn't have hesitated to say 'yes'."
Del looked up and stared at Caroline "You know, the more I thought about this whole wedding thing, I actually saw myself hoping that you would say 'no'. This would be my third marriage, and I just have to be very sure before I take that step, because I want my third marriage to last. And with us, I don't really know if it could work out. I think we are better as friends than as a couple."
Del stepped in front of Caroline, tilted up her chin with his right hand, and with his thumbs wiped away the tears that silently made their way down Caroline's cheek. He kissed the tip of her nose. "I think it's good that we both realized what a mistake it would be if we got married."
Caroline tried to break a smile "I'm glad that you feel the same way. I would've hated myself for hurting your feelings." She hiccupped when she tried to swallow her tears. She rubbed her eyes and straightened up. Holding out her hand to Del she said "Friends?" Del took her hand in his and replied with a smile "Friends." Soon after Del left Caroline fell asleep on her couch. After this day, she was so exhausted, she didn't even make it up to her bed.
She fell into a dreamless sleep and woke up a few hours later to a silent scratching at her door. Not knowing who it was she silently crept up to the door, looking through the peephole. Her eyes grew wide when she saw Richard standing outside her apartment. 'Don't those people give me any time to think about stuff today?' Slowly she opened the door. "Richard. What are you doing here?"
He went through his hair with his right hand. "I'm sorry to come by so late Caroline, but I saw the light in your living room and thought that you'd still be awake."
"I fell asleep on the couch."
"Oh. look. I came to apologize. I acted like an ass before, I don't know what has gotten into me. I think it's none of my business whether you marry Del, and actually he is a nice guy, you deserve to have a nice guy, so." he looked at her more closely ".hold on a second. What's wrong? You look like you've been crying?"
"I said 'no'."
Startled Richard grabbed the doorframe to steady himself. "What? Why?"
"Don't you want to come in and sit down? This is not really a doorframe- conversation." Caroline opened the door more, to let Richard step in.
"I don't know. It's late, my boss will be mad when I come in late tomorrow." He smiled wryly.
She smiled at him "I think your boss might make a little exception, now come in."
Richard walked inside and sat down on the couch. Suddenly he was very nervous. 'Great! Why am I nervous? It's not like I'm here for the first time! But something is different. Why isn't she marrying Del? Maybe. yeah right! Stop fooling yourself Karinsky!'
"Would you like some coffee?" Caroline ripped him right out of his thoughts.
"Umm, yeah, sure!"
Caroline came back to the couch with two coffee mugs in her hands and handed one to Richard, sitting down next to him.
"So." she sighed.
"So."
"It's actually like you said. Del isn't the right man for me. I don't know why I didn't see it from the beginning. Actually our relationship was mostly about sex. And the sex was."
"Please Caroline" Richard sighed nervously. "I don't really want to hear those details."
"Oh, sorry, I'm really sorry."
"Don't worry about it" he gave her an encouraging smile. "So, I was right, huh?"
"Yeah, kinda. It's just, I realized after a lot of thinking, and also with a little help from Annie, that Del is not my sincere amore."
'Sincere amore. she actually remembered that? I thought she didn't even listen when I told her about Julia at our first date. Date. I wish. Pretend- date is more like it.'
"And the good thing about it is, that Del just felt the same way about us. He actually hoped that I'd say 'no'. Isn't that crazy?"
"It sounds like Del to me."
"You're right. I just don't know why I didn't see it before."
"So your search for Mr. Right continues, huh?" Richard didn't dare look in her eyes.
Caroline hesitated "Well, yeah. I guess so." She tried to search his eyes, but didn't see anything. 'How am I supposed to figure this out when he shuts down?'
"I might've found him already though." she felt like taking a leap. ".I have to figure out my feelings towards him though." She looked at him intently. "I hope he will give me some time."
'Wow, she's moving on fast! I wonder who this mysterious Mr. Right is. And how could she hide him from me? I mean, she usually tells the tiniest things going on in her life, and then she holds back on that one? This seems wrong.' Richard looked up at her and noticed her staring at him. 'She couldn't mean. Nah. What did I say before? Richard Karinsky could never be that lucky.'
Caroline was still looking at Richard, trying to figure out her feelings, and then realized there was only one way to find out. When she found him looking back at her, she moved closer, staring deep into his eyes, looking for a glimpse of hope. Then their faces were just a few inches apart.