Part 11
When CJ returned to work she slammed the door to Sam's office so hard that he jumped in his chair and the activity out in the bullpen stopped.
"Sam, what the hell have you been telling Eric?"
Sam tried to make himself as small as possible when CJ came around the desk and leaned against it.
"CJ...," he stammered.
"No Sam! I thought you wanted to help me, I thought you were my friend! Now, thanks to you Eric called it off. No wedding. Happy?"
CJ stopped to breathe. When she was going to continue yelling at Sam she realized it didn't matter. She looked down and sighed, closing her eyes. She put a hand to her forehead and rubbed it. It didn't take long until Sam realized she was crying. He rose and put his arms around her.
"CJ, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have meddled in."
"No, you shouldn't," she whispered.
When she had calm down Sam helped her sit down in a chair. He sat down next to her and held her hand. The look in his face almost made CJ laugh. He looked so full of regret that it was pathetic.
"What happened?" Sam asked quietly.
CJ took a deep breath and swallowed. "We had lunch together. He asked me what was going on with me and Toby."
Sam waited for her to continue, but when she never did he asked her what happened after that.
"I told him... I told him that I and Toby are just friends and nothing else." Sam raised his eyebrows, which CJ chose to ignore. "Then he became this totally different person. He told me you had told him everything. He wasn't mad, he wasn't shouting. He was smiling, Sam. He grinned at me while he said I was the biggest liar he ever met with this patronizing voice." She paused and looked away. "Then he left me alone, saying something like 'the wedding is off, but not this'. I didn't understand what he meant but he scared me, Sam."
Sam could tell CJ was close to tears again. He was surprised over what CJ had told him about Eric. He himself had never seen him like that, but in college it had ran a few rumors about him and he knew that CJ would never lie to him.
"I'm going to talk to him," he said.
"No, don't do that, Sam. It's over now. Hopefully, I'll never see him again."
Sam nodded and promised her to not call Eric when she left his office, even though they both knew he would.
* * * * *
CJ was in her couch eating take away Chinese while she was looking through some papers for the next day. CNN was on in the background. A sudden knock on the door caused her to jump. She slowly walked over to the door. While she was standing at the door she was mad at herself for never making that call to put a peephole into the door.
"Um, who is it?" She asked after a while.
"It's me."
She didn't had to ask who 'me' was. She locked up the door and let him in.
"How are you doing?" He asked softly.
"It's okay. Come in."
They walked over to the couch and sat down.
"Sam told me. I'm really sorry, CJ."
She smiled slightly. "Don't be, don't be sorry, Toby. Honestly, I'm not that sorry."
His eyebrows raised. "You're not?"
She shook her head. "Sure, it'd be nice to be married. After all I am... 30 years old now." He laughed and she smiled briefly.
He was quiet for a while, pretended to be interested on what they said on CNN. While he watched the TV she looked at him. She couldn't take her eyes away from him. She wanted him to put his arm around her, pull her closer, but his eyes were clutched to the TV.
"Maybe it wasn't right."
His sudden sentence made her look down. "Toby, it's never been right for me."
He turned to look at her while he was taking her hand in his. "I know. And I'm sorry about that." He leaned closer to kiss her on the cheek. "I have to go. Night, Claude."
She couldn't believe he had left. Her tears soon turned to anger. How could he leave? Again? She didn't understand what was happening. This had been going on for years and she had never understood what was going on. She wanted to kill him. Really kill him. She was crying when there was a knock on the door. She quickly walked over to the door and took a deep breath to control herself. She wasn't going to let him see that she had cried over him. Not again.
She opened the door with her mouth already half open, which closed when she saw that it wasn't Toby.
"Eric, what are you doing here?"
He smiled. "Aren't you going to invite me in?"
Without waiting for an answer he gently pushed her away and let himself in to her apartment.
TBC.
When CJ returned to work she slammed the door to Sam's office so hard that he jumped in his chair and the activity out in the bullpen stopped.
"Sam, what the hell have you been telling Eric?"
Sam tried to make himself as small as possible when CJ came around the desk and leaned against it.
"CJ...," he stammered.
"No Sam! I thought you wanted to help me, I thought you were my friend! Now, thanks to you Eric called it off. No wedding. Happy?"
CJ stopped to breathe. When she was going to continue yelling at Sam she realized it didn't matter. She looked down and sighed, closing her eyes. She put a hand to her forehead and rubbed it. It didn't take long until Sam realized she was crying. He rose and put his arms around her.
"CJ, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have meddled in."
"No, you shouldn't," she whispered.
When she had calm down Sam helped her sit down in a chair. He sat down next to her and held her hand. The look in his face almost made CJ laugh. He looked so full of regret that it was pathetic.
"What happened?" Sam asked quietly.
CJ took a deep breath and swallowed. "We had lunch together. He asked me what was going on with me and Toby."
Sam waited for her to continue, but when she never did he asked her what happened after that.
"I told him... I told him that I and Toby are just friends and nothing else." Sam raised his eyebrows, which CJ chose to ignore. "Then he became this totally different person. He told me you had told him everything. He wasn't mad, he wasn't shouting. He was smiling, Sam. He grinned at me while he said I was the biggest liar he ever met with this patronizing voice." She paused and looked away. "Then he left me alone, saying something like 'the wedding is off, but not this'. I didn't understand what he meant but he scared me, Sam."
Sam could tell CJ was close to tears again. He was surprised over what CJ had told him about Eric. He himself had never seen him like that, but in college it had ran a few rumors about him and he knew that CJ would never lie to him.
"I'm going to talk to him," he said.
"No, don't do that, Sam. It's over now. Hopefully, I'll never see him again."
Sam nodded and promised her to not call Eric when she left his office, even though they both knew he would.
* * * * *
CJ was in her couch eating take away Chinese while she was looking through some papers for the next day. CNN was on in the background. A sudden knock on the door caused her to jump. She slowly walked over to the door. While she was standing at the door she was mad at herself for never making that call to put a peephole into the door.
"Um, who is it?" She asked after a while.
"It's me."
She didn't had to ask who 'me' was. She locked up the door and let him in.
"How are you doing?" He asked softly.
"It's okay. Come in."
They walked over to the couch and sat down.
"Sam told me. I'm really sorry, CJ."
She smiled slightly. "Don't be, don't be sorry, Toby. Honestly, I'm not that sorry."
His eyebrows raised. "You're not?"
She shook her head. "Sure, it'd be nice to be married. After all I am... 30 years old now." He laughed and she smiled briefly.
He was quiet for a while, pretended to be interested on what they said on CNN. While he watched the TV she looked at him. She couldn't take her eyes away from him. She wanted him to put his arm around her, pull her closer, but his eyes were clutched to the TV.
"Maybe it wasn't right."
His sudden sentence made her look down. "Toby, it's never been right for me."
He turned to look at her while he was taking her hand in his. "I know. And I'm sorry about that." He leaned closer to kiss her on the cheek. "I have to go. Night, Claude."
She couldn't believe he had left. Her tears soon turned to anger. How could he leave? Again? She didn't understand what was happening. This had been going on for years and she had never understood what was going on. She wanted to kill him. Really kill him. She was crying when there was a knock on the door. She quickly walked over to the door and took a deep breath to control herself. She wasn't going to let him see that she had cried over him. Not again.
She opened the door with her mouth already half open, which closed when she saw that it wasn't Toby.
"Eric, what are you doing here?"
He smiled. "Aren't you going to invite me in?"
Without waiting for an answer he gently pushed her away and let himself in to her apartment.
TBC.