|
|
Carly let out a bitter chuckle when she spied Keesha and AJ at a small
table near the bar. The closest table to the only available barstool
in
the joint. Things had officially just gotten worse. As
she approached,
she tried not to establish eye contact. No such luck in that
dress and
those jewels.
“Carly?” AJ called as she slunk onto the barstool and motioned
the
bartender over.
Carly rolled her eyes and swung herself around. “What?”
Keesha rolled her eyes in turn and whispered something to AJ.
Either he
didn’t hear, or ignored it, because he stood and leaned against the
bar
as Carly ordered her drink.
“For someone on the wagon you sure spend a lot of time in bars,” Carly
muttered after the bartender retreated.
AJ chuckled, then gestured toward their table. “Keesha and I had
dinner,” he explained, glancing at her suspiciously. “I thought
you
were at the hospital gala?”
Carly watched as the bartender placed her drink in front of her.
“Put
it on my uncle’s tab,” she said snidely, grinning at the bartender.
He raised his eyebrows and grinned back. “On the house it is,”
he
announced, nodding appreciatively as he backed away.
“Why weren’t you there?” Carly asked, directing her attention
back to
AJ as she took a small sip of her drink.
AJ shook his head and made a face. “I couldn’t stomach that tonight.
Not sober anyway,” he joked, tapping the bar with his finger.
Carly glanced over at Keesha where she sat alone, glaring at AJ.
“If I
were you, I wouldn’t be able to stomach *that* sober,” Carly said
maliciously.
AJ ignored her comment and dropped his gaze to her neck. “Jason
gave
you that?” he asked quietly, realizing that it bothered him more
than
it should.
Carly fiddled with the jewels absently. Normally she’d be loving
the
attention the diamonds were getting her. But for some reason,
it was
annoying right now. Instead of answering, she just stared at
AJ as
though it was the stupidest question she’d ever heard.
AJ nodded, realizing it was probably a stupid question. “So you
guys
are…I guess, pretty…” he fumbled with the words, trying desperately
to
find out what he wanted without sounding like a complete idiot.
Too late. Carly sighed and dropped her head, completely exasperated.
“I sleep with him okay? Other than that I don’t really know and
right
now I don’t really care.” Carly knew she sounded harsh, and she
knew
she was lying, but what was one more lie in her entire screwed up life
of lies anyway?
AJ seemed embarrassed and was grateful to see Luke approaching.
“Fancy meeting you here Caroline,” Luke boomed through the bar.
“Looks
like you and the rest of Port Charles mistook my club for a bomb
shelter.”
Carly grunted in disgust and cast a glance around the room. “Great,”
she muttered, more to herself than to anyone, when she saw Brenda and
Jax at a table in the corner. They’d obviously come straight
from the
ball as well. At least she wasn’t the only one overdressed. Not
that
she wanted to be lumped in with Brenda. But hey, she’d take any
small
bit of camaraderie she could get.
When Carly turned her attention back to Luke and AJ, Luke was filling
him in on the night’s pandemonium. Keesha had approached the
bar and
was standing on the other side of AJ. They were both listening
with
keen interest.
“Are you okay?” AJ asked Carly when Luke was done. “I was wondering
why
you were all dirty.”
Carly opened her mouth to answer when Keesha cut her off. “Oh,
we all
know she’s always *dirty*,” Keesha sneered, flashing a look of hatred
toward Carly. “But more importantly, is Jason okay?”
“Wow,” Luke mumbled, raising his eyebrows. “That was a little out of
line don’t you think, Keesha?”
Carly stared at Luke, shocked that he was defending her. “It’s
okay,
Luke,” she said, moving her gaze from him and glaring at Keesha.
“Keesha’s *always* out of line, and hey, I would be too if I was dressed
like that.”
Carly shot a piteous look to Keesha’s outfit: a long printed skirt and
turtleneck sweater.
Luke stifled a laugh by taking a puff of his cigar. “Whatever,” he
muttered, sauntering away.
“Carly,” Keesha persisted, leaning over AJ to be sure Carly heard her
over the noise of the bar. “Is -- Jason -- o--kay?” She
annunciated
each word as though speaking to a child.
Carly rolled her eyes and resisted the urge to push Keesha’s face away,
or at the very least, throw the last of her drink in it. She
took a
long sip of her drink instead and several deep breaths before answering.
“Okay, *Kee-sha*,” she began slowly, trying to think of the best way
to
explain what she needed to, which was for Keesha to leave her and Jason
the hell alone. “You are *not* friends with Jason. Do you
get that?”
“He’s my ex-boyfriend!” Keesha interjected angrily.
Carly looked at her with resignation. “What is it with you people?!”
she exclaimed, completely exasperated. “Okay, you *used* to know
him
when he was Jason Quartermaine. That’s great. *Great*.
But he’s not a
Quartermaine anymore. He doesn’t want to be and never will be.
You
think he’s *mean* and *rude* and all that but it’s only because you
treat him like someone he’s not! If you would just get to know
him as
Jason Morgan, he might be a little nicer.”
Keesha opened her mouth to speak but AJ held up a hand, silencing her.
“First of all, Carly, I doubt it. But it doesn’t mean we don’t
still
care,” he explained. “If Jason Morgan suddenly lost his memory
and
became someone else, you’d still care, right? You’d still want
to be
with him.”
Carly was uncomfortable with this. AJ was right and she knew it.
But
he’d exposed her feelings. She tossed her head back and groaned.
“Okay, okay,” she relented, motioning the bartender for another drink.
“He’s *fine* okay? He’s at the penthouse if you feel the need
to call
him and tell him how much you care about him and miss him.”
Keesha rolled her eyes and started toward their table to retrieve her
purse. “I’m leaving,” she informed AJ, then shot a look at Carly.
“Do
me a favor and choke on those diamonds, will you?”
Carly grinned widely and lightly touched one of the jewels hanging from
her ear. “Jealous much?”
Both Carly and AJ watched Keesha weave her way through the crowd and
disappear out the door. “She’s going straight to Jason,”
Carly
muttered, feeling a slight twinge of resentment.
“And you’re worried?” AJ inquired in disbelief.
Carly tottered her head back and forth. “No…God. She’s just
so
annoying and jealous. Jason never gave *her* anything like this.”
AJ raised his eyebrows and reached out to lightly brush the necklace
with his fingers. “Maybe not,” he conceded a wistful look in
his eye.
“But they *were* in love. They both gave each other something
special
every day.”
Carly stared at AJ then laughed. “Gag me.”
AJ laughed too, then sighed heavily. Carly’s second drink had
arrived
and she drank this one, faster than the first. Luke reappeared
and
motioned to Carly’s already empty glass.
“You can’t drink for free here if you’re going to drink this much.
Something I should know about?” he drawled, eyeing Carly suspiciously.
Carly hesitated. Did she really want to ask Luke for help?
Luke of all
people. Did she trust him? No. But she knew he was
the only one who
could pull off what she’d need him to do. And fast.
“Luke, I need to talk to you…” Carly glanced at AJ and smiled
apologetically. “Alone.”
Luke let out a low whistle then cleared his throat. “Sounds serious,”
he drawled, leading the way to his office.
Carly squeezed AJ on the shoulder and smiled, mouthing a silent ‘thank
you’ as she passed by.
*~*~*
Carly glanced around and wrinkled her nose in disgust before flopping
herself into the leather chair that faced Luke's desk. Luke immediately
poured himself a brandy and offered one to Carly. She shook her
head
and watched him expectantly as he cleared a space on his desk and hopped
up onto it.
"You all settled?" Carly asked, raising one eyebrow once Luke
had
finished fussing around.
Luke pointed at her, a sly smiled crossing his face. "You know you look
just like your mother when you do that," he observed.
Carly scowled at him, flipping her hair off her shoulder and squirming
in her chair. She decided not to honor that observation with
a comment
and sighed heavily as her mind focused on what she was actually there
for.
"Luke, I'm in trouble," she began, biting her bottom lip after she said
this and waiting for his reaction.
Luke paused for a moment, then swished the brandy around in his glass.
"If I can be of any help…you’re in worse shape than I thought.”
Carly dropped her head, letting a heavy breath out. "God!"
she
breathed, smiling slightly. "Okay, Luke, do you want to know
what's
going on or don't you?"
Luke pretended to think for a moment then narrowed his eyes
suspiciously. "Wait, wait wait, did you ask do I *want* to
know...or...?"
Carly shook her head and started to get up. "You know what, forget
it.
This was just--"
Luke jumped up form the desk and put his hands on Carly's shoulders,
pushing her back into the chair. "No, no, no, okay Caroline,
jeez, you
have my undivided attention. Okay? Shoot."
He stood before her, his hands folded over his chest. Carly looked
up
at him, hesitantly at first, then with conviction.
"Okay," she relented, pushing her hair off her forehead. "I need
your
help. I'm being blackmailed and not telling some important info
to a
really good friend." She paused, studying Luke's face for any
change in
expression. There was none. Carly was encouraged to continue
in more
detail. She was beginning to get the feeling that nothing fazed
him.
"I know who's trying to kill Sonny. but he's forcing me to keep
quiet
with something I did back in Florida."
Luke scrunched up his face, looking thoughtful and took his seat behind
his desk. "Okay," he began, folding his hands in front of him
as though
he was in a business meeting. "Why?"
Carly widened her eyes in surprise. "Why? Why is he blackmailing me?"
Luke nodded as though it was the most obvious question in the world.
Carly sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "Well, something along
the
lines of...he's a NUT?!"
Luke grunted, smiling slightly. "Okay, okay. What does he
have on
you?"
Carly shuddered, closing her eyes briefly and rubbing a hand over her
forehead. "Something big. It would ruin my life."
Luke sighed, exasperated. This was like pulling teeth. "Big
like how?
Because I don't think Jason would care. Bobbie would get over
it. I
could give a damn..."
"Big in the eyes of the *law* Luke," Carly said through clenched teeth,
her hands balling into tight fists in her lap.
Luke digested this, teetering his head back and forth. He looked
up at
the ceiling and clicked his tongue to the roof of his mouth.
"And this
is his word against yours?"
"He's got proof, Luke," Carly mused, feeling a lump form in her throat.
She wouldn't cry. Not here, no way. "He's got a video tape.
and I
need you to get it. Soon. And make sure it's the only copy."
She
swallowed hard, feeling better at the thought of Luke retrieving the
tape from Tommy.
Luke got up from his chair and examined the bills in his inbox.
"This
is no problem, Caroline," he muttered, suddenly seeming disinterested.
"Who is it?"
Carly bit her lower lip again and watched her uncle absently tear open
an envelope. He began to read over the paper inside when he realized
Carly hadn't said a word. Luke looked up and tilted his head
to the
left.
"Caroline, I gotta know who I'm getting this from..."
Carly nodded, breaking out of her revere. "Right, right.
You just have
to *promise* not to tell Sonny. Or Jason. Or *anyone*.
If they find
out, he'll go straight to the cops."
Luke shrugged, turning his attention back to the mail. "If you
don't
trust me, at least a little bit, you wouldn't have told me any of this
in the first place. My motto is, sometimes you gotta march in
someone
else’s parade to get where you're going. So spill it, Caroline."
*~*~*
AJ took a sip of his third glass of water and was quickly tiring of
waiting for Carly to resurface from Luke's office. He'd decided
to stay
around in case she needed a ride home, but this was ridiculous.
It was
driving him crazy how much he thought about her in the first place.
And
here he was, sitting in a bar of all places, waiting for her.
AJ began to put his coat on when someone stopped him.
"Wait, AJ, hi," Brenda said, approaching him with zeal as though it
had
been ages since they'd last spoken. But such was always the case
with
Brenda...the littlest things were the biggest deal.
"Hey Bren," he muttered, still intent on leaving the club.
Brenda put a hand on AJ's arm, stopping him from putting his jacket
the
rest of the way on. "I just, can I ask you something?" she asked,
giving him her brightest smile and most appealing puppy dog look.
AJ rolled his head back but smiled at Brenda in spite of himself.
"Sure," he said, shrugging the coat off his shoulders and draping it
across a nearby barstool.
"I saw you talking to Jason's friend earlier, I can't remember her name
but she's blond..."
AJ nodded his head. "Carly," he clarified, feeling shivers go
up his
spine at the mere mention of her name. God, he needed a drink.
Brenda wrinkled her nose. She tossed her glossy hair back and
stood a
little taller. "What's her story, I mean, she's obviously Sonny
and
Jason's new *woman*...they always like to have one or two around to
protect and..."
AJ put up a hand, cutting Brenda off. "I have no idea, Brenda,"
he
assured, wishing they weren't having this conversation. "I know
she's
pretty close with Jason,”
Not to mention they’re sleeping together…
“and that's all I know." AJ swallowed hard, trying to ease the
pain
that coursed through him at the thought of Carly in Jason's arms.
Carly strode into the bar at that moment, Luke close behind her.
She
eyed AJ and Brenda and turned to whisper something to Luke. It
was
obvious that she wanted to avoid them altogether but getting to the
door
without passing them was going to be virtually impossible.
AJ caught her arm as she strode past. "Carly."
Carly groaned and turned to face him, deliberately posing her back to
Brenda. she could see Jax rise from their table and begin to
make his
way to them. Oh great. A whole scene in her Uncle Luke's
club! Maybe
the night would continue to prove that things could just get worse
and
worse and worse. At this point, there was no end in sight.
"AJ, I'm out of here, right now," Carly hissed, flicking her head back
slightly, so that he would know she didn't exactly want to trade recipes
with Brenda at that moment.
AJ nodded, as though he understood, but made no move to let her go.
"I
waited for you to see if you needed a ride home."
Carly nodded hurriedly, trying to pull herself away. "If you're
going
*right now* I'd love one," she said, sighing as Jax finally reached
them.
"Home?" Brenda piped up, causing Carly to close her eyes and groan
inwardly at her misfortune. "You guys don't live together do
you?"
"We live in the same building," AJ explained, as if it was any of
Brenda's business anyway. He seemed so patient with her, and
Carly
couldn’t' figure out why. She was wretched and annoying, and
that was
all there was to it.
"You don't live in the penthouse?" Brenda questioned, feigning a look
of
innocence on her delicate features.
Carly turned to face her and realized she was a good six inches taller
than this woman. Carly almost laughed, but managed to bite her
lip hard
enough to keep it at bay. "No," she said in a clipped short tone.
She
couldn’t resist making one crack at Brenda. Just one. "I
didn't know
they let people this short be a supermodel."
Brenda rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips. "And I didn’t
know they let people this trashy wear expensive jewelry."
Carly rolled her head back, laughing out loud. "Oh that's a good
one,
Brenda. The two comments you've made to me tonight have been
about my
jewelry. Didn't Sonny ever buy you any pretty things to go with
your
pretty dresses and your pretty face? Why are you so interested
in
mine?"
"I don't even know you, Carly, but you don't seem stupid," Brenda began,
running her fingers through her hair as though she was completely
exhausted. "So what I want to know is why? Why would you
choose Sonny
and Jason of all people to align yourself with? Have you heard
what
happened to me in that penthouse?"
Carly narrowed her eyes and thought before replying. "First of
all,
Brenda, that’s one difference between me and you. I don’t seem
stupid,
but you do. Not everyone *cares* what you *went through* with
Sonny.
Yeah yeah, it's tragic and all. Get over it.”
“She doesn’t live in the penthouse,” AJ interjected, and realized he
was
grateful when he said it.
“Not that it’s any of her business. But I’m with Jason not Sonny,”
Carly added.
"Ooh," Brenda muttered sarcastically. "Big improvement there.
You're
not with the *man*, you're with the wannabe. That's great. Go
broadcast
that around town."
"Shut up!" Cary spat, pointing her finger in Brenda's face. "What
are
you? The anti-mob preacher now? The national spokesperson
against
organized crime? Give me a break! Move on with your life!”
Brenda tossed her head and snorted at Carly’s comment. “I *have*
moved
on,” she announced, pointing behind her where Jax stood. “I don’t
give
a damn what you do.”
“Could’ve fooled me,” Carly laughed, watching Brenda incredulously.
“You seem to be initiating all of our conversations. Personally,
I wish
I’d never met you. But you keep popping up like some manic
jack-in-the-box wherever I seem to be. Why is that?”
“Carly, if you hadn’t noticed, people get shot at and things explode
wherever Sonny and Jason seem to be. Doesn’t that bother you
just a
little bit?”
Carly sighed, wishing she could just disappear. “Didn’t seem to
bother
you when you were blissfully in love with Sonny Corinthos. I
don’t know
who you think you are except a five-foot tall supermodel who sold out
her boyfriend to the cops. You’re a joke! Don’t stand there
and look
down your nose at me, well, at my feet, and judge me as though
you’re
suddenly above all this. If you were really over it, you’d just
shut
your mouth and stand there and look pretty like Jax there does.”
“Carly, you have no idea what you’re getting into,” Brenda warned,
sneering at her with hatred. “It’s a prison in that penthouse.
It’s a
nightmare. Like a nightmare you can’t wake up from!”
“Cheer up you depressed psycho!” Carly scoffed as she made her way to
the entrance of Luke’s. She was leaving, with or without AJ in
tow.
*~*~*
Carly laughed as she rode back through town with AJ. “I can’t
believe
you all used to hang out in high school and do normal things like have
parties and stuff. I can’t imagine Jason hanging out with you
and
Brenda and Keesha at all!”
AJ frowned, keeping his eyes on the road. He had been in good
spirits,
telling Carly stories about the old days in high school, but it hurt
to
be reminded that Jason would never be that way again.
“I’m sorry,” Carly said quietly, realizing she’d put her foot in her
mouth. “That was really insensitive. It just…you’re taking
my mind off
things and I’m actually in a pretty good mood, so thanks.”
AJ smiled. He was glad that he could have helped. He knew
that Carly
was having a rough time in Port Charles. It seemed like everyone
she
came into contact with, she butted heads against. “It’s okay,”
he said,
glancing over at her then quickly back to the road. “That’s what
memories are for right?”
“Yeah,” Carly said, a thoughtful look passing over her face. “I
like
Jason just the way he is but I guess it must be hard for you guys to
have all these memories that he doesn’t have.”
AJ nodded. “It is,” he mused, pulling the car into the parking
garage
of their apartment building. “I think what’s harder is that Jason
doesn’t *want* to remember. I mean, Dr. Jones said most people
with
this condition would try to regain their same life back, and rely on
their family and friends to tell them how they used to be. Jason
decided not only was he not going to be that way, he was going to rebel
against everything he used to be.”
AJ had shut off the car and turned to face Carly, gazing at her in the
odd fluorescent light of the parking garage.
Carly nodded, unbuckling her seat belt but making no move to get out
of
the car. “I get the feeling that Jason Morgan would never be
friends
with Jason Quartermaine.”
AJ snorted, raising his eyebrows in agreement. “You hit the nail
right
on the head with that one Carly,” he chuckled.
Carly laughed, too, touching his arm lightly with her fingertips.
“Thanks for the ride,” she said, opening her door and stepping out.
“Will you walk me to my door?”
AJ pretended to be deep in thought as they made their way to the
elevators. “I guess I could do that. Since you’re such a nice
person.
Even though it is a bit out of my way,” he joked.
Carly put her arm through his as they stepped into he elevator.
“Well
that’s so nice of you AJ Quartermaine,” she said, giving him a wide
grin
as the doors shut.
*~*~*
Jason leaned his head back against Carly’s door. He’d been there
for
almost an hour and a half and still no sign of her. He was exhausted.
But this was important. He had to talk to Carly about what had
gone on.
He knew he could help her if she would just trust him. And if
someone
got to her, and was threatening her in some way, he’d kill them.
That
was all there was to it. And if Carly didn’t know that by now,
he was
going to tell her again and again until she understood.
Jason looked up wearily as he heard the elevator door open, laughter
floating from within. He blinked, startled, when he saw Carly
and AJ
emerge.
“Jason,” Carly exclaimed, obviously surprised to see him. “What
are you
doing here?”
Jason stood up, brushing invisible traces of dirt off of his jeans.
“I
wanted to talk to you,” he explained, eyeing AJ suspiciously.
“Are you
drunk again?”
AJ squared off, crossing his arms over his chest and staring stony faced
at Jason.
Carly laughed. “No, he’s not. I ran into him at Luke’s.”
Jason nodded, keeping AJ’s gaze. He wasn’t going to back down
first,
that was for sure. It was obvious that AJ had more than a casual
interest in Carly, and while Jason wasn’t about to tell Carly what
to
do, he also wasn’t about to lose her to AJ Quartermaine.
Carly looked at both men then breathed a loud sigh. “Okay, well,
there’s too much testosterone here for me so I’m going inside.”
AJ smiled, and broke his stare with Jason. “Thanks Carly,” he
murmured,
bending down to kiss her lightly on the cheek. “I have fun hanging
out
with you.”
Carly smiled shyly, casting a glance to Jason then to her feet.
“Hey,
being with you is more fun than getting my teeth pulled,” she offered,
grinning sarcastically.
“Oh well, thanks,” AJ said, grinning back. He nodded at Jason,
then
gave one last glance to Carly before disappearing behind the door of
his
apartment.
Carly opened her door and pointed inside, eyeing Jason harshly.
“Get
inside,” she commanded, closing her eyes as he brushed past her.
She
couldn’t stay mad at this guy, ever. Not that she had any reason
to be
mad at him. But when he was near she just felt like a pile of
Jell-O.
Jason flopped himself on her couch, groaning at the pain in his back
from sitting hunched over in the hallway for so long. He watched
Carly
as she grabbed two bottles of water from the refrigerator.
“Do you mind if I change real quick?” she asked, handing Jason one of
the bottles.
Jason looked up at her and shook his head. He leaned back and
closed
his eyes once she wandered into her bedroom. She definitely seemed
calmer. Whether she’d had a couple of drinks at Luke’s or she
was calm
because of AJ, Jason didn’t know. But he was grateful that she wasn’t
screaming at him like before. That drove him nuts.
Carly reemerged a few minutes later in a white tank top and blue flannel
pajama bottoms. She was pulling the pins from her hair, and it
fell in
soft waves around her shoulders. Jason opened his eyes to the
vision
standing before him and instinctively pulled her to him. Carly
let
herself fall to the couch next to him, and shivered slightly as he
circled his arms around her and squeezed tightly.
“I’m sorry about all the things I said to you tonight, Jason,” she
murmured, hoping she’d be able to apologize and skip any impending
interrogation.
Jason nodded, burying his face in her hair. “I’m sorry I yelled
at you,
Carly,” he said, his voice muffled. “But I wish you would trust
me to
tell me what’s going on.”
Carly sighed, pulling herself slightly out of his grasp. “I do
trust
you, Jason…I mean, as much as I trust anybody. But you have to
believe
me when I tell you…”
She paused, biting down on her lip, not wanting to lie again.
“Carly don’t lie to me,” Jason begged. “Cause I can tell. And
if you
lose *my* trust, it might be hard to gain it back.”
Carly swallowed hard. She blinked back tears. Jason was
the most
important thing to her. And she didn’t want to lose his trust.
Because
under any other circumstances she’d have gone to him in a second.
Anyone else and it would be no problem. But Tommy Nelson…she
was scared
of him. More scared of him than of anyone. She knew how
his mind
worked, as sick as it was. He was dangerous and wouldn’t hesitate
in
bringing her down. And there was no way she was going to let
him do
that. No way. Carly knew she’d done the right thing going
to Luke. He
didn’t set off as easily as Jason did. It would be taken care
of and
everything would go back to normal. She was holding on to this
hope
because it was her only one.
“I don’t want to lose your trust Jason. Cause I’d never do anything
to
hurt you. But I need you to trust me too.”
Jason inhaled sharply and pursed his lips. “I can’t trust you
if you
lie to me.”
“I know,” Carly whimpered, directing her gaze to his face. “I’m
gonna
tell you what I can right now. But there are some things I can’t
tell
you. And you’re gonna have to trust me on those things.”
Jason nodded. “Okay, I’m listening.”
Carly took a deep breath and laced her fingers together, placing them
at
the back of her neck. She leaned into her makeshift headrest
and
sighed. “I’m in some trouble. Someone’s blackmailing me
with something
I did that was *illegal*, very illegal, back when I was in Florida.”
Jason leaned forward, his eyes fixed on Carly. “Blackmailing?
Just
tell me who it is and I’ll take care of it.”
Carly rolled her eyes and shook her head. “No, Jason. I
can’t. I know
that you would do that for me but this guy…it’s just not that easy,
okay?”
Jason sighed, not understanding at all. “Why isn’t it that easy,
Carly?” he pressed, feeling completely helpless. “Just
let me talk to
Sonny…”
“No!” Carly interjected, more forcefully than she’d intended.
“I asked
you to trust me on this, Jase. I got help. From someone
else. And
it’s gonna be fine. Just don’t worry okay?”
Jason narrowed his eyes, suddenly suspicious. And a little jealous.
“Help from AJ?” he questioned, already thinking he knew the answer.
Carly scooted farther away from Jason on the couch and crossed her legs
under her. “God, no,” she moaned. “What is with you and
AJ? We’re
just *friends* okay? You’re starting to sound jealous and I suggest
you
stop.”
Jason widened his eyes and looked amusedly at Carly. “Are you
telling
me what to do?” he asked, smiling slightly.
Carly smiled too. She was relieved the tension was gone.
“Yes. You
should know by now I’m very bossy. And you should also know,
of *all*
my boyfriends, you’re my favorite.”
“Oh well that’s a relief,” Jason said laughing and taking a large gulp
of water. He turned serious again and put a gentle hand on Carly’s
knee. “Promise me something,” he asked, his eyes searching hers
as
though he was trying to read into her soul. “If you get in over
your
head, you’ll let me help you.”
“I’m fine,” Carly assured him, coving his hand with hers and squeezing
it gently.
“Just promise me,” he repeated, his eyes shining with concern.
“Please.”
Carly felt herself melt inside. God, she loved him so much.
It was
definitely out of control. She’d never felt this way about anyone.
Never felt so vulnerable to anyone in the world as she did to Jason.
He
had the power to make he the happiest woman in the world, and the power
to break her heart into a million irreparable pieces. It was
scary.
And wonderful. All at the same time.
“I promise I will come to you if I get in over my head,” she murmured,
leaning forward and brushing his lips gently with hers.
Jason reached out and pulled her to him, wrapping his arms tightly
around her and relishing the feeling of her body pressing against his.
His tongue slipped in-between her lips and she moaned slightly as his
hands found their way underneath her tank top and grazed her back
lightly.
Carly pressed him back into the couch, lacing her hands up into his
hair.
“I love you,” she murmured against his lips, not meaning to but not
caring once she had said it.
Jason pushed her back slightly so that he could look at her face.
“I
love you too,” he murmured. He sounded more serious and sure
of himself
than ever. “Even when you’re screaming at me, I love you.”
Carly smiled and let out a short laugh. A single tear trickled
down her
cheek. She saw Jason’s face change to a look of concern and she
quickly
wiped it away. “I cry a lot more when I’m happy than when I’m
sad,” she
explained.
“I’m glad you’re happy,” Jason whispered, running his thumb over her
cheek and lips. “Cause then that means I’m happy.”
Carly beamed and pulled him into a bear hug. She held him there,
breathing in the scent of his aftershave as she buried her face into
her
favorite spot on his neck. She really was happy. She felt safe,
and
content. And that was how it should be.
“Come on,” she said, letting go of him and jumping off the couch.
“I
have a present for you in the bedroom.” Carly gave a sly smile
and held
her hand out to help him up.
Jason raised his eyebrows and a mischievous grin played on his lips.
“Oh
yeah? What’s that?”
Carly grinned, rubbing her hand seductively down her thigh. “Me.”
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