Destined To Collide

Chapter 11

around 10am the next morning; a Monday

Donny-

I am stressed the fuck out. I have no one to blame but myself at this point. I should never gotten back with Brook in the first place. If I wanted to get laid so badly I could've picked up some of the randos around the city I've come across. This is a mess. Carolynn knows about Brook and me being with her; she knows because Brook herself told Carolynn herself. Chad put her up to it because Brook is a neutral party that Carl won't suspect necessarily.

This got me scratching my head because Chad and Janine are still vehemently opposed to me seeing Brook but at the same time they've become friendly with Brook herself again as they were close back in college and they did send a wedding invitation to her old address in California months ago and that she RSVP'd. Yeah, they could've told me that ages ago.

But why did Brook agree to go along with this, I have no idea. Now I'm conflicted because the worst part of this is that I have feelings for Brook again and her doing this selfless thing by calling Carolynn and then Kenny only made my feelings for Brook made them stronger. This is exactly what Chad and Janine tried to warn me about but I didn't listen.

Now Carolynn is suddenly an option again and I think she's still the preferred one; this is such a mess. I don't think anyone knows about this, not even Brook herself. The problem is both Chad and Janine know me too well so they definitely have suspicions. And for that matter so do Kenny and Gina that's probably why they didn't mention their suspicions to Carolynn during their meeting where Russ was also present.

Although this whole time she's been dropping not so subtle hints at wanting to be a couple again she's still under the distinct impression that this is still a friends with benefits situation and that if I ever got over this Carl hurdle I'd be getting with Carolynn. This whole thing's such a mess.

"Hey, man, are you asleep in there or something?! I'm percolating here!" I hear Craig shouting at me over the bathroom stall. Yes, I'm currently thinking all this stuff while I'm pretending to take a dump here at work and him being here doesn't help things because part of the reason I'm in this situation.

"I'll be right out, Benedict!" I yell back

"I knew you weren't really taking a shit," he says back, "you're still thinking about this mess you think you're still in and you're still mad at me for telling Chad and Janine. You know I'm a very light sleeper and you guys were keeping the whole building up. I get that logistically, you couldn't always stay at Brook's but you could've gone to a hotel or something; you should've seen this coming." I get up and he gets into the stall and says, "Besides, I already told you since Carolynn knows the truth; you have nothing to worry about!"

"Why is everyone so goddamn positive about this thing?! You,Chad/Janine, even Brook all have the same annoying optimism as Carolyn does, yet in her case it's adorable." I protest. Craig, as well as his girlfriend Cathy (who lives in Brooklyn), has met Carolynn at different office social functions and they have a friendly chat every time.

"Why are you the only person who isn't optimistic about this!?" Craig says, "You were so positive for so long that things were going to eventually go your way no matter how long you waited and as it turns out, you don't have to wait much longer, so what changed." I don't want to answer him and hearing him defecate is really bugging me out.

"Man, I can't stay hear and listen to you dropping bombs," I say, "I'm going back to Carl's mind-numbing busy work." I turn to leave but then...

"Oh my god! Dude!" Craig bursts the stall door open with his pants down, "You have real feelings for Brook again! I knew it! So did everyone else except for Brook herself. I don't think she has any idea you reciprocate. That's why you're so miserable!" I'm rearing up for an angry retort when another one of my colleagues, Chris, bursts through the bathroom door.