|
|
Karen grinned as she watched Carly peel her coat off and hang it
ceremoniously on the back of the chair. She leaned forward, taking
a
long sip of her iced tea as Carly settled herself in the seat across
from her.
“I gathered that, Carly. What’s up?”
Carly opened her mouth as if to speak, but ended up taking a large
breath in and letting it out in a sort of “pfft”. She seemed
utterly
exhausted in just thinking about the task. She dipped her head,
regarding Karen somewhat shyly before breaking into a wide grin and
lifting her head up once again.
Karen narrowed her eyes. That expression was only worn on the
faces of
people who were up to something. And if she’d gotten any vibe
from
Carly in their brief meeting earlier that morning, it was that this
girl
always had something brewing. And watch out anyone who got in
her way.
Carly giggled like an excited schoolgirl. “Okay. Well, first
of all,
thank you for meeting me. You barely know me and I’m sure if
you’re
friends with Keesha, you haven’t heard very nice things about me.”
Carly nearly sneered as she said Keesha’s name. She was immediately
put
in a bad mood at the thought of her.
Karen shook her head, her brow furrowed. “Actually, Keesha hasn’t
mentioned you at all. To me anyway. Do you guys know each
other well?”
Carly was apparently as surprised as Karen was at the fact that Keesha
hadn’t mentioned her. Frankly, she was slightly insulted.
She brushed
it off with a slight toss of her head and signaled the waitress over.
After ordering a coke, Carly turned her attention to her nails as she
spoke. “Actually, we’ve had a few run-ins and none of them have
been
roses and sunshine if you know what I mean. If she doesn’t stop
throwing herself at Jason I’m gonna”
Carly stopped herself, glancing up at Karen and plastering a sheepish
grin on her face. “Never mind,” she muttered, trying to gracefully
bow
out of her threat. “Anyway, that doesn’t matter. I need
your advice on
something.”
Karen raised her eyebrows and pushed her iced tea back, settling her
arms on the table in front of her and leaning in, watching Carly with
an
intent gaze. “I’m assuming this has to do with Jason?”
Carly nodded, smiling shyly and directing her gaze back toward the
table. To Karen, she definitely seemed smitten with him.
It was a dark
contrast to her usual brash way of coming off on people. Karen
shook
her head, confused.
“I don’t get it. I don’t know Jason now. You said yourself
he’s a
totally different person. And from how he treated Keesha last
night, I
can tell that he is. Jason Quartermaine never would have pulled
something like that with a woman, ever.”
Carly sighed, trying not to get annoyed with Karen. Tearing apart
the
new Jason Morgan wasn’t on her list of favorite things to listen to.
But it seemed to be everybody’s favorite thing to do in this town.
“Jason Quartermaine doesn’t exist anymore, but Jason Morgan does.
And
regardless of what you or anyone else thinks of him, I love him!”
Karen sat back, almost blown away by the force of Carly’s statement.
She blinked a few times to regain herself and realized Carly was doing
the same. It had probably surprised Carly to say it as much as
it had
surprised Karen to hear it. Karen felt bad for her. Carly
really did
care about Jason. And although he seemed like a complete jerk,
Karen
had once loved him and was glad that he now had someone to turn to.
Considering he’d completely shut himself off from everyone who had
ever
cared about him when he’d gotten out of the hospital after his accident.
Karen pushed her thoughts away quickly and spoke before Carly had a
chance to. “I’m sorry, Carly. You’re right. I don’t
know him at all
now. What can I do to help?”
Carly smiled gratefully and sipped at the soft drink the waitress had
just put in front of her. She began to fidget nervously with
her
fingers, something she did when she was anxious. A deep breath
pushed
it’s way into her abdomen and she blew it out, appreciative that her
body had reminded her to breathe.
“Last night, you know, I thought I saw Jason kissing Keesha. I
mean, I
did see it, but I didn’t stick around to find out what was really going
on. So I ended up kissing someone else too. And I feel so bad!
I mean,
I don’t know if I should tell him”
Karen put both her hands up, a way of telling Carly to hold it just
a
minute. She opened her mouth, then closed it again, not wanting
to
blurt out what she was thinking. “Let me get this straight,”
she said
instead. “You’re asking if you should tell Jason the truth, that
you
kissed someone else?”
Carly nodded, dejected. There was so much more to it than that.
The
fact that the other man was AJ, for one. The fact that Carly
promised
Jason she’d never lie to him again, for two. The fact that Jason
all
but told her he’d never trust her again if she lied to him, for three.
God! She’d just answered her own question. She had to tell
him. If he
found out, and she hadn’t told himCarly didn’t even want
to
think about it.
Karen knew Carly was in thought, but spoke anyway. “Depending
on the
nature of your relationship with Jason, I would think if you told him
the truth, that it was a misunderstanding, he’d understand.”
Carly sighed, stirring the ice in her glass with her straw. “You’d
think” she muttered, slowly casting her gaze back up toward
Karen. She sighed again, this time in resolution. “See,
okay, I’m just
gonna tell you. It was AJ. And not that that would be so
bad except
Jason is already jealous of AJ as it is. I guess. He won’t
admit it,
but you can tell. I mean, that and the fact AJ’s his brother!
Sorta.
And Jason pretty much hates his guts. But that aside, I mean,
what kind
of person does that make me? I see Jason kissing another girl,
no
matter who it was, and I run out and kiss another guy? That’s
really
pathetic, don’t you think? I think Jason would be disgusted,
I mean,
wouldn’t you?”
Carly was asking questions, not really expecting an answer. She
certainly wasn’t waiting for one.
“I mean, god! That’s just like me, Carly, to do that! You
know, people
say I’m a slut, and I don’t know, maybe they’re right.”
Karen sighed. She really felt for this girl. More and more
by the
minute. Not only did she have incredibly low self-esteem, she
couldn’t
seem to comprehend why she did the things she did. And to not
have an
understanding of yourself, well, it could be pretty scary. Karen
had a
feeling Carly often felt out of control.
Karen leaned forward, replacing her hands on the table and speaking
in a
low voice, in effort to calm Carly down.
“I doubt you’re a slut. Do you sleep with lots of guys?”
Carly shook her head. “No. I mean, not anymore. Not since I met Jason.”
Karen nodded with conviction. “Okay then. Trust me, I know
all about
people thinking you’re something you’re not. You just gotta hold
your
head high. Be comfortable in the fact of who you are. As
long as *you*
know, who cares what anybody else thinks?”
Carly stared at Karen. She was in shock. Karen Wexler came
off as
squeaky clean as Keesha. But here she was, practically admitting
to
having rumors fly, judgements passed, and dirty looks thrown at her.
Carly felt an immediate kinship toward this virtual stranger.
She was
definitely interested in learning more about Karen.
“And about kissing AJ,” Karen continued, ignoring Carly’s shocked
expression. “I have a feeling you’ll have more of a problem with
*AJ*
than with Jason about that.”
Carly widened her eyes, raising her eyebrows. Her straw dropped
back
into the glass. “What?”
Karen raised her eyebrows as well, chewing on her bottom lip.
“He likes
you, Carly, a lot.”
Carly sighed, rolling her eyes. She wrinkled her nose as she thought,
then smiled slightly at Karen. “He knows how I feel about Jason,”
she
said, hoping this simple statement would magically erase any feelings
AJ
had.
Karen smiled in return, almost sympathetically. “I’m sure he does,
but
it doesn’t mean he can control any feelings he may have for you.
And
kissing him last night, I’m sure that didn’t make it any easier on
him.”
Carly put her defenses up almost immediately. “If you’re trying
to give
me a guilt trip, sell it somewhere else,” she snapped.
Karen shook her head, then cocked it to one side, regarding Carly
curiously. “I’m not,” she said, unfazed by Carly’s hostility.
“But you
just gotta know that AJ’s pretty sensitive. And when he falls
he falls
hard. Don’t get me wrong, he’s not a babe in the woods.
He’s been hurt
before. Hurt bad. He knows what he’s doing. He just
has a hard time
staying away when he likes someone. And maybe he even feels like
he
needs to protect you, especially if you run to him every time something
goes wrong with Jason. Which is gonna make it hurt even more
when
eventually you choose Jason over him.”
Carly groaned, exasperated. “I’m not *choosing* Jason over anyone.
I’ve
already chosen. I haven’t been dishonest about that to anyone.
Anyone
who takes the time to look can see that I care about Jason, a lot.
And
I’m gonna do whatever I can to be with him. That’s how I am.
I don’t
think that’s wrong.”
Karen shook her head, realizing Carly had completely misunderstood what
she’d said. “I know, I’m not saying you ever gave AJ any indication
that he had a chance. Even kissing him, he probably realized
you were
just hurting because of what you thought Jason had done. But
still,
it’s gonna hurt because he can’t control his feelings. It’s nothing
you’ve done personally, I’m just saying, be upfront with him so at
least
it doesn’t hit him like a freight train.”
“Because of his drinking?” Carly knew it sounded brash, but she
wasn’t
about to be blamed for any time AJ fell off the wagon just because
he
had feelings for her.
Karen tilted her head from left to right, as though she wasn’t sure
a
yes or a no would be the right answer. “I guess, partly,” she
conceded,
her expression telling Carly that she wasn’t quite sure if she was
correct or not.
Carly felt bad, in a way. She knew Karen was only trying to help.
And
she knew how it felt to have feelings for someone that the other party
didn’t return. She wanted AJ to be her friend, and she wanted
to be a
friend to AJ, but she understood Karen’s position too. The closer
Carly
allowed AJ to get to her, and the more she depended on him for support,
the more hurt AJ would get when he finally admitted to himself that
his
chances of Carly falling madly in love with him were virtually nil.
“Did I overstep my bounds?” Karen asked softly, realizing that each
piece of advice she’d given had been unsolicited on Carly’s part.
Carly
had only asked if she should tell Jason about kissing another man.
AJ
aside, it was the only advice she’d asked for.
Carly shook her head, smiling a little to reassure Karen. “No,
I mean,
you’re AJ’s friend. You have every right to be worried about
him. But
I assure you, I *like* AJ, and I have no intention of leading him on,
ripping his heart out, stomping on it, and throwing it back in his
face.”
Karen laughed at this. “I know, I know. And all this said
and done,
you asked whether or not you should tell Jason, and my answer is still
yes.”
Carly nodded, knowing all along she would have to. “I’m just not
looking forward to it,” Carly muttered, gathering her coat and watched
as Karen did the same.
Karen laughed at this, putting some money on the table for the drinks.
“I’m sorry but I’ve got to get going. You’ll let me know if you
need
anything?”
Carly nodded and smiled gratefully. “Thanks,” she said, moving
back as
Karen brushed past her. “Oh, and the same goes for you,” Carly
added,
berating herself for making it sound like an afterthought. “You
know,
I’m a pretty good person to have in your corner, when you need to get
things your way.”
Karen laughed and waved as she headed out the door. Carly sat
back
down, crossing her arms over her chest. She thought about Karen
and
everything she’d said. The girl was definitely patient.
And
understanding. Pretty damn smart too. Carly smiled.
She’d definitely
have to keep allies with this girl.
*~*~*
Carly took a deep breath before opening the door to her apartment.
She
knew it would be Jason. And she was nervous. She picked
up the small
gift wrapped box from the coffee table and hid it in the drawer of
the
telephone table. She didn’t want Jason to know she’d gotten him
a
present, in case things didn’t go quite as smoothly as she hoped.
Jason smiled when he saw her, bringing her into a slow, sweet kiss
before he even got all the way into the apartment. Carly was
taken
aback at first, but soon melted into the kiss, giggling when he finally
pulled back.
“What was that for?” she asked breathily, stepping aside so Jason could
enter her apartment. God, she was so nervous. It felt like
butterflies
in her stomach. Maybe not even butterflies. Something worse.
Moths.
Yep, definitely a horde of angry moths.
“I just missed you,” Jason said, raising his eyebrows at Carly as he
sat
down on the sofa. “Is that okay?”
Carly nodded slightly, seeming distracted. Jason gazed at her
intently.
She looked nervous. Anxious. Possibly even scared.
“Carly, is something going on that I should now about? Something
about
the blackmail?”
Carly nearly laughed out loud. She bit down hard on her lip to
keep it
from bubbling to the surface. The ordeal with Tommy Nelson had
been
solved only the day before, but it seemed like ages ago. She
hadn’t
thought about it since she left Jake’s the night before. Carly
wasn’t
surprised. Her life was a series of distractions one after the
other.
At least she didn’t dwell on things.
“No, no, it’s not that,” Carly muttered, plopping herself onto the couch
next to Jason and folding her legs under her. “Actually, I wanted to
tell you, um, that was taken care of. It’s over.”
Jason fixed her in a steely gaze. She was nervous. And if
not about
the blackmail, then what? He nodded his head slowly, still regarding
her suspiciously. “Good,” he said slowly, hoping she’d come out
with it
without him having to ask. It didn’t look like that was going
to
happen. “Something wrong?”
Carly bit down on her lip. She chewed it for a moment, avoiding
Jason’s
gaze at all costs. She knew he was staring at her, with that
domineering stare that made her feel like he could see right through
her. Hell, he probably could. Sometimes she wished he could so
she
wouldn’t have to explain herself all the time.
“Yeah,” Carly began slowly, taking great interest in the muted patterns
in one of the pillows on the couch. She’d never noticed that
beyond the
floral design there were slight paisleys as well. She forced
her mind
to concentrate on the matter at hand. It was too easy to distract
herself into not telling him what she’d done. Then if he ever
found
out, there’d be hell to pay.
“Okay, I um…I’m just going to explain from the beginning so if you could
just not interrupt me I’d appreciate that.”
Jason tilted his head and gave her a look of disbelief. Asking
Jason
not to interrupt was like asking the sun to set at night. It
was a
given.
Carly laughed a bit. “Okay, right. Well, um, last night
I came by
Jake’s to tell you the good news, about Luke stopping the blackmailer.”
She bit down hard on her lip and looked up at Jason. She hadn’t
meant
to reveal that Luke was the one helping her. Not that it mattered she
supposed. And it was probably better than him thinking she’d
asked AJ
for help. Especially in light of what she was about to tell him.
Carly tried to read his expression. As usual, the attempt was
futile.
He hadn’t batted an eye at the mention of Luke. Carly decided
if she
could have half the self-control Jason had, she’d be a hundred times
better off than she was.
“Anyway, I saw you kissing Keesha and I freaked out.”
Carly stopped again, wondering if Jason would automatically try to
explain what had really happened. Silence. He kept his
promise of not
interrupting as surely as he kept every other promise. Carly
began to
wonder if everyone should get hit on the head, it might make the world
a
calmer place. She berated herself at such an insensitive thought
and
pushed her story back to the forefront of her mind.
“So I ran into AJ in the parking lot of Jake’s and I made him bring
me
home. I proceeded to drink myself into an oblivion, and AJ stayed
with
me, I guess to make sure I didn’t get too messed up.”
Carly thought she saw a flicker of emotion run over Jason’s face, but
it
passed so quickly she couldn’t be sure. She tried to press on,
not
wanting to drag this out longer than it had to be.
“I was so mad at you Jason! And hurt, and embarrassed. I
mean, we
never said we were exclusive so I didn’t know…but you said you loved
me
and I believed it! Anyway, I started bleeding, I think cause
I bit my
lip, and AJ sitting close, wiping the blood off my face, and I saw
you,
I wished I was looking at you, and I kissed him.”
Jason continued staring at Carly. He wasn’t sure if she was finished.
What she had just said hurt him. It angered him too, but hurt
him more.
Jason figured that the fact that it was AJ added insult to injury.
Not
that Carly kissing any other man would hurt him less, but it may have
not angered him as deeply. AJ was obviously after Carly, and
didn’t
seem to think Jason was good enough. Normally that wouldn’t have
bothered Jason except for the fact that Carly could start to believe
him.
Carly sucked in a breath, afraid to let it out. She was
looking at
Jason warily. He was thinking, that she could tell, but his expression
was barely changed. She couldn’t decide if that was a good thing
or a
bad thing. When her lungs told her the breath had to be exhaled
or
she’d die right there, Carly slowly relented, letting it expel from
her
body in short bursts, rather than one large exhalation.
“Okay, I’m done,” she informed him, wishing he’d say something,
anything.
Jason tilted his head up, as though stretching out his neck before
returning his gaze to Carly’s face.
“You kissed AJ.” It was more of a repetition of her statement
rather
than a question.
Carly sighed and rolled her eyes. They’d been over this. “Yes.”
“I don’t know what you want me to say about that. I’m not gonna
yell at
you if that’s what you expect. You can do whatever you want.”
Carly’s heart sank. This was exactly what she *hadn’t* wanted.
Jason
turning off his emotions altogether. Sure, she didn’t want to get yelled
at, but she’d wanted him to tell her what happened with Keesha and
maybe
they could come to some sort of agreement on what the nature of their
relationship actually was.
As though reading her mind, or feeling bad about what he’d said, Jason
softened, scooting closer to Carly on the couch. “Look, Carly, what
happened with Keesha wasn’t what you think. Although I’m figuring
you
know that already or you would be screaming at me. Just cause
you’d
scream at me about Keesha, doesn’t mean I’m gonna scream at you about
AJ. I’m not gonna tell you what to do. You kiss whoever
you want to
kiss. It doesn’t mean I’m gonna like it.”
Carly shifted her legs underneath her and tilted her head back, resting
it on the back of the couch. “I don’t want to kiss AJ, Jase!
I want to
kiss you. Only you. I’m telling you it was a mistake. I
wanted to be
honest with you so you would know that I’m not going to lie to you
anymore.”
Jason smiled. “I’m glad to hear that.”
Carly rolled her eyes, smiling playfully at him as though it was a big
sacrifice that she was willing to take on, just for him.
“No but seriously,” she said, lowering her tone and placing a hand on
his knee. “You’re the only man I want.” She dropped her
head, smiling
shyly.
Jason guided Carly’s face back up placing a finger underneath her chin.
“I’m glad to hear it,” he said huskily, moving toward her so their
lips
were only inches apart.
When Carly opened her mouth to respond, Jason pressed his lips to hers,
snaking his tongue into her mouth and keeping the kiss slow and sensual.
They stayed linked for what a glorious eternity, and when Jason finally
broke away, Carly practically had to gasp for breath. “I take
it,” she
breathed, blinking rapidly to regain her senses, “that you’re not mad?”
Jason shook his head, circling his arm around the back of her neck and
stroking her hair gently. He used his other arm to pull her closer
to
him, resting his head on the top of hers as he stroked her hair with
one
hand, her back with the other.
“So does this mean I am the only woman you’ll be kissing, or doing other
unmentionable things with in the near future?” Carly murmured,
her face
pressed against his chest.
Jason chuckled. He tipped his head down, grazing Carly’s hair
with his
cheek. “In the near future and the far future, until I find someone
I
like better.”
“You pig!” Carly exclaimed, pulling away from him and pushing him
backwards.
Jason’s chuckle turned into a full-blown laugh as he surrendered,
letting himself fall completely back on the couch. Carly regarded
him
with smoldering eyes before she pounced on top of him, pressing her
hands into his and pinning them over his head.
“I guarantee you,” she murmured, letting her body fall onto his so it
pressed fully against him. “You won’t.”
With that declaration made, Carly sunk her lips onto his once again,
this time kissing him with fervor and passion. Jason matched
her need,
cupping her face in his hands and moving his mouth against hers.
His
hands moved quickly from her neck and began to roam her body, stopping
at the hemline of her dress where he pulled it deftly up to her waist.
Carly groaned as his lips moved from hers to her neck and shoulders.
Carly reached underneath her, beginning to work the buttons on his
shirt
open. She’d completely forgotten about her present for
him, completely
forgotten about everything else in the world. When Jason was
with her
this way, her mind was blank, useless. She closed her eyes, allowing
Jason to completely take over and herself to slip off into a familiar
dreamland of subconscious.
*~*~*
“I have no idea what else to tell you, Keesha,” Karen said, not
bothering to hide her exasperation. She’d run into Keesha at
the
hospital and she’d already heard about Karen’s apparently infamous
meeting with Carly.
Karen didn’t know much about Carly, but it seemed she generated a lot
of
interest. Karen couldn’t understand what it was that Keesha found
so
repulsive about the girl. As though the thought turned on an
invisible
light bulb in her head, Karen realized.
“Do you hate her so much cause she’s got both AJ and Jason falling all
over her?”
It was out of her mouth before Karen even realized it. She covered
her
mouth quickly, her eyes turning wide at Keesha’s shocked expression.
“What do you mean?” Keesha asked suspiciously, eyeing Karen with
a fair
amount of venom.
Karen dropped her head, staring at the charts she had in her hand.
She
was interning at the hospital and suddenly the charts seemed way more
important than they did a minute ago. “I’ve gotta get these to…”
“No you don’t,” Keesha warned, pulling Karen back by the arm.
“Did
something happen between Carly and AJ?”
Karen bit down on her bottom lip. She weighed her options, then
decided
her friendship with Keesha was much more important. “Okay, okay,”
she
relented, dropping her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “AJ
has a
thing for Carly. And they kissed last night.”
Keesha’s mouth dropped open and she began to fume immediately.
“That
girl—she just—“ she couldn’t find the words. “Ugh!” She
shook her
head, disgusted.
Karen laughed, but felt bad for betraying Carly’s confidence.
She was
stuck between a rock and a hard place. Keesha would have never
forgiven
her if she found out Karen knew and hadn’t told her. And now
Carly was
surely find out Keesha knew. Karen was immediately regretting
her
decision to try to find a friend in Carly. It just seemed that
she
needed one so badly. But maybe she just wasn’t the one to do
it.
“Okay, well, now that I’ve ruined your day, I have to go,” Karen
muttered, scuttling away hurriedly.
Keesha ignored her, trying to figure out how exactly she’d get revenge
on Carly for this one.
*~*~*
Carly awoke in the night to an insistent pounding on her front door.
She looked over at Jason, who was still apparently dead to the world.
Somehow, in the middle of their love making, or maybe at the end, they’d
made their way into her bedroom.
Carly groaned as she untangled herself from Jason’s limbs and reached
blindly for her robe. She heard Jason grunt and turn over onto
his
stomach.
“Don’t bother honey, I’ll get it,” she muttered, casting a disparaging
glance in Jason’s direction before slipping through the door into the
living room.
The pounding was hammering through the still night like thunder.
“Jesus
Christ, I’m coming, knock it off!” she yelled, loud enough for the
mad
knocker to hear but hoping not to be too loud so she’d wake Jason.
Carly had a sneaking suspicion it was AJ, and she’d prefer Jason to
sleep through this encounter.
She finally reached the door and flung it open, ready to give AJ a piece
of her mind. She froze in place, however, when she saw
Tommy Nelson
standing there, a sick, evil grin on his face.
“Did I wake you?”
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Innocence
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