Chapter 6

That night

Craig looked good when he left, black corduroy pants and a white button up shirt with a black C.F. Martin & Co. t-shirt underneath. Cass was sitting on the front step watching Angela ride her scooter and rocking the baby with her foot in the car seat.

"Hey Sexy!" she whistled at Craig as exited the garage.

"You sure you don't want to come?" he asked bending down and settling his head on her shoulder so that his breath stirred the hair on her neck. He kissed her neck and then her cheek. He kissed her full on the mouth. Cass slipped her hand into Craig's back pockets. They kissed for a few seconds until Craig almost fell forward on top of her. They laughed. "Come on, I never get to show you off."

"No, not to a party. I hated them when I was in high school, I don't want to go again. But have fun, I'll see you in a few hours."

"Okay, I love you."

"I love you too," she said giving him one more kiss and pulling Adrienne out of his seat so Craig could kiss him also. She watched him as he got into the car a drove away. She might have stared at the point on the horizon he had disappeared into until he returned if Angela hadn't gotten her attention with the distinct sound of a scraped knee.

Craig arrived at Heather Sinclair's house in about ten minutes. He got out and saw Emma getting out of Chris' car in front of him.

"Hey Emma, I didn't know you were coming."

"Chris is the DJ tonight, Manny and I thought we'd tag along." she said as Manny got out of the back seat. She pulled down on the black vinyl mini-skirt that had ridden up far enough for Craig to realize that she wasn't wearing any underwear, but he knew she usually didn't. Her black tube top had a hot pink outline of a guitar and the word PUNK stretched, slightly misshaped, by her breasts.

"Hey Manny," Craig said not removing his eyes from her stomach. He had always loved her stomach.

"Hey Craig, congratulations on your baby, I haven't really seen you since he was born. You must be so happy."

"Yeah, you have no idea how amazing it is to be a parent, but then you know how much I wanted kids." he didn't hide his intention to verbally stab Manny. She drew breath in sharply through her nose and then said calmly.

"Well I'm glad you found someone who can make you happy."

"Craig," Chris hated these confrontations. "Can you help me with this turntable?"

"Yeah, sure." Craig grabbed the machine and carried it inside.

Everyone was there. Everyone was coupled except for he, Marco, and Manny. Marco walked up while Manny and Emma stood on the other side of the DJ's booth talking. As more people arrived Craig decided to mingle, but after two hours he was bored. He wasn't ready to go home. He loved Cass and the baby, but he just needed this night away from the crying and the stress. He walked upstairs and found an empty bathroom in Heather's parent's room. He washed and dried his face and looked in the mirror, he looked so old. He heard the door to the bedroom close and he heard hushed voices. Suddenly the voices weren't as hushed.

"Sully! No, come on, I just came up here to pee."

"Sure Manny. You were dancing like that and you just came to find a bathroom." Craig heard the bed squeak. He wasn't sure what to do until he heard Manny again.

"NO, I Said NO."

"Whatever, you didn't say no to Craig."

"Get OFF," Manny half cried and half yelled. With that Craig opened the door and pulled Sully off of the bed. In one motion he had Sully pinned against the wall and his fist in position to give him quite a black eye.

"She said get off, now I think you have to get some air."

"Sorry dude, I thought you were done with her. If I had known you were still hittin' it I wouldn't have."

"I didn't say that, get out of here," he pushed Sully out the door and locked it behind him. He turned his attention to Manny who was a mess on the baby pink sheets. He sat down next to her and gathered her into his lap "Are you okay?"

"Thank you Craig. You didn't have to do that, but thank you."

"I wouldn't have left you to be mauled by Sully, who do you think I am?"

"I know you wouldn't have left me there. That's why I love you," she stuttered. "Loved you, that's why I loved you."

"Manny," Craig looked at her eyes. Before either of them could say anything she lifted her head up and kissed him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and moved her legs to straddle Craig. He laid back on the bed and she sat on top of him and began to undue his belt. "Manny, stop."

"But Craig," she stopped kissing him and looked him in the eye. "It's okay. I'm on the pill now."

"I have a fiancé Manny. I love her, and she's waiting for me at home with our baby."

"You're too young to have a wife and kid to go home to. You don't have to commit to that right now."

"Yes I do Manny," He lifted the girl of f of him and rolled her onto the bed. He looked at her as she laid underneath him. He had been here before. She reached up and rested her hand on his face. He kissed her again. His hands ran along the stomach that he had been watching all night. Manny's hands removed Craig's over shirt. She finished the work on his belt she had begun and started on his button fly. Craig's hands were underneath the tube top. As he did that he felt Manny's hands complete their search. He wanted this. It had been so long since he had been with Cass and even longer since Manny. Cassidy...Adrienne... He rolled onto his back and forcefully removed Manny's hands from his boxers. "This wasn't my doing."

"What?" Manny looked confused.

"I wasn't the one who ended us, you did."

"I wasn't ready."

"I was."

"What if I am now?"

"It's too late. I love her Manny."

"But I love you."

"I loved you once Manny, but it's over."

"You don't want this?" She removed the tube top and leaned in to him again. He held her back and handed her back her shirt.

"Yes, Manny. I do, but I'd be no better then Sully, it wouldn't go past tonight."

"That's okay," Manny pleaded. "Just tonight." She kissed him one more time. He pushed her away and was redoing his fly as he walked toward the door.

"No," he said shutting the door behind him. He put his arms back through his white shirt and walked out the front door. He got in his car and finally breathed. He almost did it again. He caught a sharp breathe as he reached his foot for the clutch. His tight black pants were tighter then they had been ten minutes ago. He saw a pack of Cass' Camels sitting on the passenger's seat. He lit up and drove home as quickly as he could. He ran into the house praying that everyone was in bed, even if it was only eleven-thirty, he needed a shower.

"Hey baby, you're home early," Cass called from the couch. "I appreciate that."

"Oh yeah, of course." he was suddenly glad that Cass had left her cigarettes in the car, the smoke smell might just keep her from smelling Manny's perfume. He looked around the room. "Where is everybody?"

"Joey threw his back out right after you left. So he took one of those muscle relaxers he has and it knocked him out like a light. Caitlin got him to bed and tucked in Angela. We watched the movie and then she went to bed too. I was just waiting for you." Craig sat down next to her and saw the baby monitor on the end table.

"Is Adrienne asleep too?"

"Yup, he," before she could finish her sentence Craig was laying on top of her. He kissed her deeper then he had since Adrienne was born. She pushed the white shirt off of him quickly and was pulling the t-shirt off of him. She stopped and pulled away. "What's this about?"

"I miss you," he said kissing her neck and any other exposed skin he could.

"You were only gone for a couple hours," she laughed as he kissed her mouth roughly.

"No," he looked her in the eye and applied some pressure through her jeans. "I MISS you."

"Oh," she inhaled. "Craig, Joey said,"

"I don't care. Grab the monitor, let's go out to the garage."

"What has gotten into you Craig?"

"I have condoms in my guitar case, come on." He pulled her up into him and grabbed the monitor as he pulled her toward the door. Within two minutes Craig and Cass had shed their outer clothes and were on the hid-a-bed.

"Oh, Cass, I missed you so much," Craig said as she cuddled into his arms afterward.

"I missed you too, but we can't do this. Joey's right it is illegal and he's giving me a place to stay. What got into you anyway? I've never seen you like this." She turned to look at Craig.

"Honestly?"

"I would hope so."

"Promise not to get mad. Let me finish before you say anything."

"Craig," Cass had tears in her eyes. "What did you do?"

"Shh," he touched her face lightly. "I was in the bathroom at Heather's party and I heard two people arguing in the next room. I heard the girl tell the guy no, and he didn't listen, so I went in and dragged the guy off her and threw him out. The girl was Manny."

"Okay, and hearing your ex almost get raped turned you on so bad that you came home and dragged me to bed?"

"Not exactly."

"Well good, because I'd be a little skeeved."

"Manny was a mess and crying and so I let her cry on my shoulder. Well she kissed me and I said no, and we talked and she kissed me again. She started taking off my pants and I left, no more talking."

"That was it?"

"More or less. I could give you gory details, but that's the essence of what happened. I told her I was coming home to you and that there wasn't a chance for us anymore. But I have to admit it got me a little," he paused looking for the right word.

"Worked up?"

"Yeah, I swear nothing like this will ever happen again. I am so sorry. I shouldn't have gone to a party without you. I should have left when I threw Sully out and found Emma. I should have let Emma take care of Manny," as he was leaning to try to kiss her the monitor broadcasted a scream.

"Crap, Craig, put pants on and go get the baby before he waked up Joey and Caitlin, we'll talk tomorrow," she threw his sweat pants at him as he climbed out of bed. She pulled his t-shirt over her head. She heard his voice over the monitor. He hushed the baby and began to sing. She realized he must have written the song himself.

"There is a world where everything is how it's meant to be. / But where we are is where we've been, you and me./ But I will find that other place and I will give it to you./ You are my future and my past/ You are my life's greatest achievement/ I'll do everything you ever need for you."

The song ended and the baby had stopped crying, but Cass had begun. Tears rolled down her face silently as she pulled the blankets around her. She realized for the first time how truly messed up their situation was. She had some sense of it before, and her answers seemed to be limited to leaving him. Now she realized that she couldn't do that to him. It would hurt him too much. She had no idea what to do, but something needed to be done.