December

Chapter 6

 READ THE NOTE AT THE END!!!

I stood staring at the two people standing in front of me, my mouth slightly agape, my ears not believing what they had just heard.

A fiancee? How could he have gotten engaged in the past six years? How had he moved on so quickly? I felt sick and hurt as I stared at the young man that I thought I knew so well. I guess time really did change everything. I had no idea who this person standing in front of me was anymore. He was completely different. He wasn't my Carter.

And it was all my fault.

"Your fiancee?" I asked, trying and struggling to hide the emotions flitting across my features.

"Yup," Julia replied, popping the 'p' at the end. "He proposed to me last April. The wedding is going to be in March," she said, a gleeful smile on her face. She kissed Carter's cheek and then snuggled into his embrace.

But I wasn't paying attention to her anymore. I was looking at Carter, wondering if he could see what I was going through at that moment. He looked back at me with a distant and undiscernable expression. I had no idea what was going through his mind. I could no longer read the emotions on his face, could no longer read his eyes. Carter was a complete stranger to me now.

"Congratulations," I said, my voice solemn and hollow as I continued to stare at Carter, whose eyes had not left mine from the moment he told me who Julia was.

"Thanks!" Julia giggled. "So were you two close friends in high school?" she asked, pulling away from Carter slightly so she could fix her wavy blonde hair.

I looked at Carter, waiting for him to answer even though the question was directed towards me. How did he want to play this out? Was he going to tell her that I was the one that broke his heart six years ago? Because surely he would have told her about the girl that destroyed his view on love.

"I guess you could say that," he replied stiffly. I laughed hollowly, shaking my head and I saw the first discernable emotion flash in Carter's eyes: sympathy.

"You know what? I should get going. I'll give you two your space," I said, picking up my purse.

"Oh, my God! Is that a Christian Dior tote?" Julia asked, deattaching herself completely from Carter's arms and coming closer to me to look at my bag. I glanced up at her, raising my eyebrows.

"Umm...yes. Yes, it is," I replied.

"Oh, my God! I've had my eye on this bag ever since it came out at the beginning of the season! Where did you buy it?" she asked.

"I didn't," I answered bluntly. Ryan had gotten me the handbag to celebrate solving--and winning--100 cases together.

"Who would spend that much money on you?" Julia asked, completely bewildered by my answer.

"My..." I trailed off.

I was going to say my boss, but then my eyes fell on Carter, who was still looking at me with a curious expression on his face. Maybe it was because I was still shocked and reeling from the revelation he had just given me or maybe my emotions had taken control of my common sense, but the words I said next were completely accidental.

"My boyfriend," I said, my eyes on Carter. I saw the slightest hint of annoyance cross his features. His left eyebrow twitched up a bit and his nostrils flared slightly.

Ryan's going to kill me.

"Your boyfriend? How lucky of you! He must be a keeper if he spends that much money on you!" Julia exclaimed, still gawking over my handbag. She was completely unaware of the silent exchanges between me and her fiancee.