We Used To Be Friends
Chapter Twelve
A/N: Sorry for the lack of updates lately. It's final exam time again! Yay! But expect a lot more frequent updates once I am finished with this semester. Enjoy!
Lucy was in the lounge eating the blueberry muffin that she had brought in with her for her breakfast when she noticed Carter enter. "Hey." She said after swallowing her food.
"Hi." Carter smiled back, coming over and sitting next to her on the couch. He gave out a huge yawn and put his feet up on the coffee table. Then he looked over to see what she was eating. "That smells good. Is that a blueberry muffin?"
"Yes." She smiled, rolling her eyes. She knew that he wouldn't openly ask her for a piece of the muffin, but he wanted it, so she tore the remaining muffin into two pieces. "Here."
He took the muffin and immediately started eating. "Thanks."
"No problem. You looked like you could use some food. Hard day?"
He let out an exasperated sigh. "Definitely. Since Dr. Greene is gone for the week, I got stuck with Dr. Weaver. She's…well," he racked his brain trying to find a diplomatic way of describing her, "she's very different than Dr. Greene in every way."
Lucy let out a small chuckle. "That's a very nice way of putting it."
He laughed also. "I thought it was too."
"So are you going to have enough energy for tonight? We did promise Dave and Shelby that we would go out to dinner with them, remember?"
"Yeah, I remember." Carter nodded. He was looking forward to tonight, even though he wasn't going to be alone with Lucy. But he reasoned that maybe it was a good thing they wouldn't be alone. Every time he was alone with Lucy, even now, he just wanted to kiss her again. The only problem with that was that he didn't know where he stood with her. There were times when he swore that she had the same feelings he has for her. Then there were other times when she just seemed to want to be friends and nothing more. It was beyond confusing for him, and he wondered if she was wrestling with the same thoughts that he was wrestling with.
"Good. I'm glad you didn't forget. Shelby said that they have something important to discuss with us." Lucy nodded.
"What do you think it is that they want to talk to us about?" Carter asked out of curiosity.
"I have no idea. Shelby won't even give me a small hint about it. I'm as clueless as you are right now." Lucy replied as she stuffed the last piece of her muffin in her mouth.
"Then I guess it will be a surprise." Carter grinned.
"I better get back out there. My break is over." Lucy announced, getting up from the couch and walking out.
"I'll come by around seven." Carter yelled after her.
Lucy walked out of her bedroom wearing a simple jean skirt and a red three quarter-length shirt. She smiled when she saw Dave sitting on the couch with Shelby. "Hi Dave."
"Hey Lucy." Dave replied, giving her a small smile.
"So, Lucy, you look nice. Trying to impress anyone?" Shelby asked. She wasn't as nervous about Lucy's reaction to the news as Dave was. Yeah, she wasn't looking forward to telling Lucy, but she knew that Lucy would be happy for her.
"No." Lucy replied, looking down at her outfit. "Why?"
"No reason. It's just that Carter's coming with us, and you don't usually wear that skirt…" Shelby started to explain.
"The reason I don't wear this skirt very much is because I'm always going to work at the hospital and it wouldn't be appropriate to go to work in this skirt." Lucy interrupted.
"I don't think Carter would mind if you wore that to work." Dave laughed.
At this moment, she was very glad that she hadn't told anyone about the kiss that she and Carter had shared the night of the fundraiser. The teasing from Shelby and Dave was bad enough as it was. If they knew about the kiss, she would never have a moment of peace. "How many times do I have to tell you two that Carter and I are just friends?"
"I can't speak for Dave, but I'll never believe it no matter how many times you say it." Shelby grinned.
"Same here." Dave nodded.
Lucy was about to say something else when there was a knock on the door. She knew it must be Carter, she walked over and opened the door. "Hey."
"Hey." He replied, looking at her outfit. "You look great."
"Thanks." Lucy replied, unable to stop from blushing slightly. "I think we are all ready to go." She turned around to face Shelby and Dave, who had gotten off the couch and stood by Lucy. "Right?"
"Yeah. Let's go." Shelby replied.
They soon arrived at the restaurant, Shaw's Crab House, and were quickly seated in a corner booth. "You know, I'm really glad that we were all able to come out together like this. It's nice that we're all friends." Shelby smiled.
"It is nice." Lucy smiled back. Then she let out a laugh. "If you'd told me a couple of months ago that I'd be going out to dinner with this guy," she pointed at Carter, "I would have laughed in your face for hours."
"Hey!" Carter protested haft-heartedly. He knew she was kidding around.
"What?" Lucy asked, looking at him like he'd grown a second head. "I didn't like you very much before I came back to Chicago."
"Well I know that now." He pretended to be upset.
She rolled her eyes at him and gently slapped his arm. "Oh get over it you big baby!"
Shelby and Dave were watching their interaction with great interest. "Hey, has anyone ever told you two that you act like an old married couple?" Dave finally interjected.
Shelby laughed, almost spitting out her drink. "He's right. You guys do remind me of an old married couple."
Carter and Lucy exchanged a glance. Then Lucy turned away. "No we don't!" She objected. "We're just really good friends."
"Yeah." Carter replied, backing up Lucy's statement even though he didn't believe that they were just good friends. He thought they had the potential to be a good couple, but apparently, she didn't.
"Fine. Deny it. But you guys do act like an old married couple." Dave relented.
"Whatever." Lucy shrugged.
Everyone was now finished with their dinner and they were all still sitting at the table talking. Shelby was certain that this would be the best time to announce the news and set her plan into motion. "Dave and I have come to a decision about something." She said, raising her voice slightly so that she could get Carter and Lucy's attention.
"A decision about what?" Carter asked.
"Yeah, don't keep us in suspense anymore. We've been waiting all night." Lucy laughed.
"Well," Shelby looked over at Dave and grabbed his hand, "Dave and I are moving in together."
"Congratulations!" Carter smiled. "I didn't realize that you two were getting that serious."
"It might seem sudden, but it sounds like a good idea. Shelby's usually always staying at my place or I'm at hers." Dave explained.
"Well I'm happy for you both." Carter nodded.
"Thanks Carter." Shelby smiled. Then she looked at Lucy, who hadn't said anything since the announcement. "Lucy?"
If Shelby moves out, I'm gonna have to either find a new apartment or get a roommate. There's no way I can afford that apartment by myself. When she heard Shelby call her name, she was driven from her thoughts and brought back to reality. "What? Oh, congratulations." Shelby was sitting next to her in the booth, so she reached over and gave her a hug. "I'm really happy for you. You deserve happiness, and it looks like you've found it."
"Thanks." Shelby replied as she returned the hug Lucy was giving her. Once she pulled away, she looked over at Dave and then at Lucy. "I realize though that this puts you in a bit of crisis."
"What are you talking about?" Carter asked, curious about what kind of a crisis Lucy was in.
"Well, I know that Lucy can't afford the rent by herself." Shelby started.
Lucy sighed. "So I'll either have to move or…"
"Get a roommate." Shelby finished Lucy's sentence and looked directly at Carter.
"You can't move. That's a great apartment." Carter protested.
"You like the apartment?" Shelby asked, hoping that he really did like the apartment.
"Yeah. I think it's nice. It's hard to find a good apartment in this city." Carter replied.
"Believe me, I'd like to keep the apartment I have, but where am I suddenly going to find a roommate? More importantly, where am I going to find a roommate that doesn't mind the fact that I get home at all hours of the night and sometimes have to sleep through the day?" Lucy asked.
"Maybe you could find someone at the hospital?" Dave suggested, following the script that Shelby had written for him.
"I don't know many people at the hospital, and I don't know anyone who needs a place to live." Lucy shot down Dave's idea.
"That's a shame. So I guess you'll have to move then." Dave replied.
"Unless you could find someone who would be willing to live with you." Shelby interjected.
The more Carter thought about this situation, the more he realized that this was a set-up perpetrated by Shelby—with Dave as an accomplice. Shelby had always been the type of person to resort to harmless schemes in order to get what she wanted. The formula for her schemes was always the same. She would casually bring up a topic and then leave subtle clues about what she wanted. Judging from the clues going on around him, for some reason, Shelby seemed to want him to move in with Lucy. He wouldn't really mind moving with Lucy, except for the fact that he might go crazy being around her for that much time. A part of him wasn't sure that he would be able to sleep if she was sleeping in the room next to him. And if they lived together, the temptation for him to 'accidentally' walk in on her taking a shower would be enormous. Aside from the physical and emotional torture he figured he would endure, he couldn't see any reason why they couldn't live together. She was his best friend, and they spent a lot of time together anyway. Why not live together as friends? "Lucy, why don't I move in with you? That way, you can keep your apartment and don't have to worry about taking on a roommate that you don't know anything about."
"Oh that's a great idea!" Shelby beamed, proud that her latest scheme was working.
Lucy sat there, stunned by what Carter had just suggested. He wanted to move in with her? She wasn't sure she could handle that. She was very committed to keeping their friendship and driving away any romantic feelings she had for him. How was she supposed to do that if he was living with her? How was she supposed to sleep knowing that he was in the next room? The temptation for her to 'accidentally' rummage through his things to finally figure out if he wore boxers or briefs would be too great. As much as she liked to believe that she was a very strong-willed person who wouldn't give in on her beliefs, she knew that if Carter moved in with her, she would eventually let everything go and throw all caution to the wind. And throwing caution to the wind would probably ruin their friendship. That was not something she wanted to do. "I don't think that's a good idea." She said quietly.
"Why not?" Carter asked.
"Because…"
"You wouldn't have to worry about finding a roommate, you wouldn't have to worry about getting a roommate you don't know, and I won't complain about the hours that you get in at night because I'll probably have the same hours." He was trying to discredit any objection that she could come up with. "I can give you rides to work, and wouldn't it be cool to live together?"
"I…let me have a couple of minutes to think about this, ok?" She saw him nod and then looked over at Shelby. "Shelby, why don't you come with me to the restroom?"
"Uh, sure." Shelby didn't want to go with Lucy to the restroom, but had no choice. She knew that eventually she would be alone with Lucy and then Lucy would let her have it. She might as well get it over with now.
"You set this up, didn't you?" Lucy asked calmly.
"Set what up?" Shelby asked innocently.
"This dinner. It wasn't to celebrate that we're all friends, or even to announce that you and Dave are moving in together. You want Carter to move in with me. That's why you set up this whole thing."
"You can't prove it." Shelby grinned.
"I know you Shelby and I know that this was one of your schemes. You are always trying to push me towards Carter, and this is just your latest trick."
Shelby braced herself for Lucy to yell at her about how she was just friends with Carter and there was nothing going on between them. But surprisingly, that didn't happen.
"I'm not sure that I could handle having him move in with me." Lucy whispered.
"Why not?" Shelby asked, hoping that Lucy would finally admit that she has feelings for Carter.
"You know why." Lucy laughed.
"So I am right?" Shelby laughed.
"Yeah, but you can't tell him." Lucy pleaded.
"So what's the big deal about having him move in? Wouldn't that be a good idea?"
"No, it wouldn't. If we started a relationship, it would ruin our friendship…"
"Or make it about a hundred times better!" Shelby interjected. "Just trust me on this Lucy. Don't bottle your feelings up forever. Let them out!"
"No thanks." Lucy shook her head.
"Ok." Shelby sighed. "But at least let Carter move in with you. I'd feel really guilty if you had to give up the apartment because of me."
"Well I don't want to make you feel guilty!" Lucy smiled. "Ok." She agreed, but still thought that she was making a mistake.
"It won't be as bad as you think it will be." Shelby replied as they left the restroom together.
Lucy slid back into the booth next to Carter. "Still interested in moving in?"
"Yes." He smiled, hoping she would change her mind and let him move in with her.
"Then I guess I have a new roommate now." She smiled, silently praying that this wasn't a mistake.