Despite her rocky mental state, Carter's ex had been strikingly
beautiful. And now I was worried.
Throughout dinner Carter seemed distant, distracted. "Are you OK?" I asked, taking his hand.
He smiled weakly. "Yeah. I just. . .did you mean what you said to her? About us not dating? Because Abby, I wanna know where we stand."
I laughed at rolled my eyes. "Stop being so damn melodramatic, John," I said. I looked at him and saw he was making his "puppy dog eyes" at me. I laughed again. "No, I didn't mean it," I told him. He looked relieved, which surprised me. I didn't think he'd actually been worried about it.
I stood up, walked over to him, and wrapped my arms around him from behind. "Are you finished with dinner?" I asked, kissing his neck. "'Cause I'm just about ready for dessert," I whispered.
He stood up and faced me. His face was solemn but his eyes were shining. "And what were you thinking of having for dessert?" he asked.
I stood on my tip-toes and kissed him deeply. His hands ran up my back and through my hair. When we stopped kissing he smiled and scooped me into his arms.
"What are you doing?" I laughed.
"Being romantic," he said, matter-of-factly.
I giggled as he carried me into his bedroom and placed me gently on the bed. "Good think I asked Susan if she could stay the night with Bry," I said.
He kissed me as I started to undo his shirt. I kissed his chest. He pulled my sweater over my head ran his fingers lightly over my skin. I fumbled with the button of his pants until he laughed and undid them himself. I smiled up at him.
Everything just felt so right. I didn't want him to ever stop touching me. But then I remembered the last time we had done this and what had happened the morning after. So I stopped him.
He sat on his knees, wearing only his boxers. I was wearing my bra and pants. He looked at me intently. "What's up?" he asked.
"I was just thinking about. . .about last time," I said. "And the fight we had." I didn't look at him.
He nodded his head and handed me my shirt.
I smiled at him. "I'm not necessarily gonna need that right away."
He raised his eyebrows. "You're not?"
"I just wanna talk about where we're gonna go from here." He waited so I continued. "I want this to work out, John. And for that to happen we're gonna have to deal with why it didn't work in the first place."
He nodded again. "Without fighting," he added. I pulled my knees up to my chest.
"Without fighting," I agreed. He arranged himself into a more comfortable position as I started to speak. "I know I didn't make things easy," I said. "And I'm sorry. I really am. I'd give anything to go back and be easier to live with."
"You're right," Carter said. "You weren't easy to live with. But that's not really why I left."
I looked up at him. "It's not?"
"No, of course not. I would have left even if things between us had been great. I just had to get out of Chicago. I wanted to be somewhere where no body had any preconceived ideas about me, no one had any idea how much money I had. And I'm glad I went. It made me grow up. But. . ."
"You were expecting a warmer welcome when you came home?" I asked.
"Yeah. It think it's fair to say that we've both done our share of heart- breaking." He moved closer to me. "And think it's also safe to say that we've both gotten in out of our systems."
"I certainly have," I told him. He kissed me softly. I laughed. "Come on, Carter. I know you've got more than that."
He kissed me again, harder, longer, and I as I lay down, he followed. "So, all's forgiven?" he asked, hopefully.
"Yeah. It is."
***********************************
There was a time when I thought I'd never wake up next to her again. And know that she was back in my arms I don't know how I ever lived with out her.
I felt her stir and she opened her eyes. She smiled at me as though she had forgotten I was here. "What time is it?" she asked sleepily.
"8:15," I said, kissing her forehead.
"Oh my God," she said. "Susan's on at 9:00, I have to go." We both scurried around the apartment, getting dressed and brushing our teeth. Abby didn't have a tooth brush so I let her borrow mine.
In the car on the way to her apartment, Abby was fidgeting nervously. "You alright?" I asked her.
"Bry's never woken up without me in the house before," she said.
I smiled. "She's a good kid. She'll be alright."
"I know. I'm just. . .worried." I took her hand and kissed. Just then Abby's cell phone rang.
"Hello?" She listened for a minute and then said, "What happened?" She listened again. "Where are you?" Then - "We'll be right there," and she hung up.
"We have to go to the hospital," she said. The urgency in her voice scared me.
"What's going on?" I asked.
"That was Susan," she said. "There's been an accident."
Review please! You guys have been slacking off on the reviews. : ( More later, I promise!
Throughout dinner Carter seemed distant, distracted. "Are you OK?" I asked, taking his hand.
He smiled weakly. "Yeah. I just. . .did you mean what you said to her? About us not dating? Because Abby, I wanna know where we stand."
I laughed at rolled my eyes. "Stop being so damn melodramatic, John," I said. I looked at him and saw he was making his "puppy dog eyes" at me. I laughed again. "No, I didn't mean it," I told him. He looked relieved, which surprised me. I didn't think he'd actually been worried about it.
I stood up, walked over to him, and wrapped my arms around him from behind. "Are you finished with dinner?" I asked, kissing his neck. "'Cause I'm just about ready for dessert," I whispered.
He stood up and faced me. His face was solemn but his eyes were shining. "And what were you thinking of having for dessert?" he asked.
I stood on my tip-toes and kissed him deeply. His hands ran up my back and through my hair. When we stopped kissing he smiled and scooped me into his arms.
"What are you doing?" I laughed.
"Being romantic," he said, matter-of-factly.
I giggled as he carried me into his bedroom and placed me gently on the bed. "Good think I asked Susan if she could stay the night with Bry," I said.
He kissed me as I started to undo his shirt. I kissed his chest. He pulled my sweater over my head ran his fingers lightly over my skin. I fumbled with the button of his pants until he laughed and undid them himself. I smiled up at him.
Everything just felt so right. I didn't want him to ever stop touching me. But then I remembered the last time we had done this and what had happened the morning after. So I stopped him.
He sat on his knees, wearing only his boxers. I was wearing my bra and pants. He looked at me intently. "What's up?" he asked.
"I was just thinking about. . .about last time," I said. "And the fight we had." I didn't look at him.
He nodded his head and handed me my shirt.
I smiled at him. "I'm not necessarily gonna need that right away."
He raised his eyebrows. "You're not?"
"I just wanna talk about where we're gonna go from here." He waited so I continued. "I want this to work out, John. And for that to happen we're gonna have to deal with why it didn't work in the first place."
He nodded again. "Without fighting," he added. I pulled my knees up to my chest.
"Without fighting," I agreed. He arranged himself into a more comfortable position as I started to speak. "I know I didn't make things easy," I said. "And I'm sorry. I really am. I'd give anything to go back and be easier to live with."
"You're right," Carter said. "You weren't easy to live with. But that's not really why I left."
I looked up at him. "It's not?"
"No, of course not. I would have left even if things between us had been great. I just had to get out of Chicago. I wanted to be somewhere where no body had any preconceived ideas about me, no one had any idea how much money I had. And I'm glad I went. It made me grow up. But. . ."
"You were expecting a warmer welcome when you came home?" I asked.
"Yeah. It think it's fair to say that we've both done our share of heart- breaking." He moved closer to me. "And think it's also safe to say that we've both gotten in out of our systems."
"I certainly have," I told him. He kissed me softly. I laughed. "Come on, Carter. I know you've got more than that."
He kissed me again, harder, longer, and I as I lay down, he followed. "So, all's forgiven?" he asked, hopefully.
"Yeah. It is."
***********************************
There was a time when I thought I'd never wake up next to her again. And know that she was back in my arms I don't know how I ever lived with out her.
I felt her stir and she opened her eyes. She smiled at me as though she had forgotten I was here. "What time is it?" she asked sleepily.
"8:15," I said, kissing her forehead.
"Oh my God," she said. "Susan's on at 9:00, I have to go." We both scurried around the apartment, getting dressed and brushing our teeth. Abby didn't have a tooth brush so I let her borrow mine.
In the car on the way to her apartment, Abby was fidgeting nervously. "You alright?" I asked her.
"Bry's never woken up without me in the house before," she said.
I smiled. "She's a good kid. She'll be alright."
"I know. I'm just. . .worried." I took her hand and kissed. Just then Abby's cell phone rang.
"Hello?" She listened for a minute and then said, "What happened?" She listened again. "Where are you?" Then - "We'll be right there," and she hung up.
"We have to go to the hospital," she said. The urgency in her voice scared me.
"What's going on?" I asked.
"That was Susan," she said. "There's been an accident."
Review please! You guys have been slacking off on the reviews. : ( More later, I promise!