“Hey, Nick.”
“Hey, Derek.”
“Thanks for taking care of her.”
“No problem.” Nick said, feeling foolish. They were broken up for God’s sakes! Then why did he feel like a fuckin’ third wheel?
Derek acknowledged Nick with a nod once he and Carly pulled apart.
“Bab… I mean, Carly, how are you feeling?” Derek became increasingly aware of Nick’s presence and he wished he and Carly could be alone.
“I’m alright. Just tired and a little sore. It’s good to be home.” She said but then realized that that might be a slam against Nick and she didn’t want that. She looked at him anxiously. He shook his head to assure her it was fine.
“Carly, I know you’ve been through a lot and I was so concerned about you! I wish I could have been there for you. I’m sorry.”
Carly looked at him with tender eyes. She didn’t know how much he knew about what had happened. He was must be going through hell. She owed him some explanations, but just not now…
“It’s okay, Derek, you didn’t know.”
Carly noticed that Nick was standing there looking uncomfortable so she walked over to him.
“Are you alright?” She whispered.
“One second, Derek.” And Nick pulled her out the front door to stand outside with him.
“No, not really. I have to leave now if I’m going to make my flight, and I’m not comfortable leaving you alone with him. I think he still loves you.”
“Nickolas, don’t you trust me?”
“Yes, I trust you, but not him.”
Carly laughed. “Wow, I kind of like this jealous streak I see in you. I’m flattered.”
“It’s not that, I… I just wish I could be here with you. I don’t feel right about leaving you still…
“Baby, I’ll be fine. Really. I have my meds and a comfortable bed and I plan to sleep for several hours.”
“Oh and about the bed… where is he going to sleep?”
“With me.” She tried for a second to fool him, but she couldn’t pull it off and quickly added, “No, silly, we have a spare bedroom. That’s where he will be. Don’t worry. You go and have a wonderful time. Please tell the guys hi and sing your little hearts out, okay? I wish I could be with you. I will miss you.”
“I will, too. More than you know.” Nick smiled, adjusting the crotch area of his jeans.
Carly laughed. “Yeah, well, keep that in your pants, would ya?”
“No problem. I’ll see you on Saturday and I’ll call you tomorrow morning, okay?”
“I look forward to it.” She smiled and their lips met in a passionate kiss. Nick’s arms went around her, holding her tightly to his chest. They parted seconds later, breathing heavy from their overzealous union.
“Shit, I’m really going to miss you.” Nick said. “I better go…”
“I love you.”
“I love you more.” Nick said. Carly smiled as she watched him walk down the steps to his car. She watched him drive away with a heavy heart. She really was going to miss him. A place in her heart just became empty and she felt alone. She sighed as she walked back into the house again.
“Did Nick have to leave?” Derek asked, hopefully.
“Yeah, he had a plane to catch. He’ll be out of town for four days. I’m really going to miss him.” At first she felt bad saying that, but then she realized that he was going to have to get used to it. Better sooner than later.
“Is there anything I can do for you?” She appreciated his cavalier attitude.
“No, thanks. I’m just going to go into the bedroom and relax a little while.”
“OK.” He said.
Carly grabbed a glass of water from the kitchen and then walked into the bedroom and closed the door. She got undressed and climbed under the covers of her big comfortable bed with just her bra and panties on.
Soon afterwards, she heard a soft knock on the door.
“Yes?” She asked, clutching the covers to her and sighing as she laid back on her pillow. She just wanted to left alone…
Derek stuck his head into the door. “Can I come in?”
“Sure.” She couldn’t say no to him. He had been so kind to her.
“I’m sorry, I know you want to go to sleep, but I can’t help it; I have to know…” And suddenly he couldn’t formulate the words.
“Derek, do you know what happened to me?”
He nodded.
“How?”
“Janice told me. I guess she overhead the EMTs talking about it.”
Oh great, Carly thought. Just what she needed; the neighbors were gossiping about her.
“Oh. Well, I know you have a bunch of questions… but I’m just really tired and…” She looked at his face. Tears were running down his face and she crumbled.
“Carly, I am really sorry. How are you really doing?”
“Derek, please don’t do this… I’ve already gone through this… I can’t, I just can’t…” She was on the verge of tears herself and she didn’t want to do this again. All she wanted to do was sleep, dammit!
Derek reached over and gave her a hug. He had intended for it to be brief, however, when he felt her in his arms, he became overwhelmed and held her tighter and longer.
Carly broke down and let the tears fall; fall for the baby she had lost and fall for the man she had lost, even though she now had a better man. It was still hard to walk away after two years of memories and all they had shared. They held onto one another and cried. Then Derek started to kiss away her tears on her eyelids, under her eyes, her cheeks and then his lips met hers in a tender kiss. Carly didn’t think anything of it at first; she was swept away in the emotion of both of her losses and it felt so natural, but when Derek’s lips became more insistent, pressing against hers deeper and parting her mouth open to seek her tongue with his own, that’s when common sense prevailed and she pulled away. Damn him, for trying to kiss her once again! She thought he understood that they were over.
“Derek, stop!” she said.
“Yeah, Derek, stop!” Both Carly and Derek turned to see Nick standing there, leaning against the door jamb, with his arms crossed and a furious scowl across his face.
Fuck! Carly thought as she started to get up and then realized that the comforter had fallen down around her waist to reveal she was only wearing a bra. Oh shit! Shit! Shit! She thought, clasping the comforter to her neck, but wanting to go after Nick. Nick was pissed. What was the hell was going on?! He had fucking just left five minutes ago!
“I just came to tell you that I don’t feel right about leaving you and I was going to reconsider my flight plans, but now… fuck, Carly!” Nick said in disgust, turning around and walking towards the door.
“Nick, wait!” Damn, if only she had some clothes on. She glared at Derek who was standing there like a frickin’ idiot. Screw it! They had both seen her naked; they could just deal with her being half-naked right now. She jumped out of bed and ran to catch Nick at the door.
“Nick, I’m sorry.” He turned at the sound of her voice and was taken aback at her appearance. His reaction was two-fold: one of shock that she would appear that way in front of her ex- and current boyfriend at the same time and two: damn, she looked hotter than ever!
“Yeah… put some damn clothes on!” He threw at her. Carly walked over to the hall closet, opened it, grabbed a coat and wrapped it around her.
“There, better? Look, Nick, I was going to take a nap and then Derek just came in to talk to me, that’s all, I swear!”
“Yeah, that’s not what I saw! You were kissing him, Carly! You can’t lie about that!” He threw at her angrily.
Shit, he was right about that, she thought, but there was an explanation of course. “Yes, but…”
“Forget it. You told me I could trust you, well, guess what, I can’t!” He spat at her. He knew he was being unreasonable; she just had a miscarriage and was vulnerable, but he was vulnerable, too. He had just spent the past several hours with her, comforting her, bonding with her, being there for her in her time of need and to now find her in bed, half-naked, kissing her ex-boyfriend, especially when he had just confessed his feelings of love and well, dammit she had been pregnant with his child after all… it was enough to send any man over the edge…
“Please let me explain…” She tried again.
“No. I have to go. I’ll call you later.”
She watched him get into his car again and drive off, knowing there would be nothing she could have done to stop him.
Carly walked back into the house again, wiping tears from her eyes.
“Carly, I…” Derek began.
She cut him off. “Don’t say a damn word. I’m going to go back to bed and go to sleep. I would appreciate it if when I wake up, you were gone.” Her tone was clear; she meant it and he would not refute it.
Derek nodded and watched as she stormed back into the bedroom and slammed the bedroom door behind her.
Carly fell onto the bed in a ball of tears, crying herself to sleep.
Nick drove to his house, dropped off his car and got into the limo that was waiting for him to drive him to the airport. He was fidgety and nervous, just wanting to block out of his mind what had just transpired an hour ago.
“Hey, Jim, do you happen to have any weed?” Nick asked the driver. He rarely smoked pot, but he had known Jim to do it occasionally. He and Nick and the other guys were friends.
“Yeah, but what do you want it for? You never want any.”
“I know, I know. No lectures, can you just throw me a joint, please?”
Jim tossed it to him, Nick grabbed the lighter out of his pants pocket and lit it. Rolling down the window a little, he inhaled the pungent smoke and let it out very slowly, enjoying his first sign of a high. Sweet… this was just what he needed. Yeah, he would be arriving at the airport high as hell, but he figured he could walk it off a little before he went inside. Oh, shit, he hoped fans or paparazzi wouldn’t mug him. The thought of it made him take one more deep puff, inhale it into his lungs and then stub the joint out in the ashtray. It wasn’t fucking worth it. Instead, he grabbed his iPod and headphones, pushed the buttons until he arrived on Bryan Adam’s “The Kids Gonna Rock”, cranked it up full volume, laid his head back on the seat, losing his mind to lyrics that were meaningless to him at the moment. Carly was his lyrics and music; the beat of his heart and he just didn’t know how it would play out…
Chapter 15
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