Two weeks had passed since Paige and Adam's break up. Luke and Jamie had finally returned from visiting their family, and the first thing they did was call me to see what I was up to. Surprisingly, I had the day off from work, so I told them they were welcome to come by the house and we could figure out what to do with ourselves. Adam and I were sharing embarrassing stories of how our parents used to dress us when we were younger (only I had the pictures to prove it) when the doorbell rang.
"Come on in!" I yelled, knowing full well who was on the other side of that door. Luke and Jamie walked in and we formed a group hug. "I missed you guys! I hope you had a good time with your family."
"We did," Luke answered. "Hopefully you weren't TOO bored without us."
"Actually, I had a friend to lean on while you were gone," I said, nudging Adam.
"Where's your other half?" Jamie asked him.
"I don't have one," Adam replied. "Paige and I broke up about two weeks ago. But before you two start with the condolences, it was mutual, and I'm fine."
"Would you like to join us on our adventure today?" Luke asked him.
"I wouldn't want to impose," Adam said. "You guys haven't seen each other in weeks. Go and have your fun. I'll be fine here."
"You wouldn't be imposing," Jamie told him. "Besides, I'm sure my brother would love to have another guy around. We kind of outnumber him."
"It WOULD be nice to not be the only guy for a change," Luke agreed.
"Well alright then," Adam said. "I appreciate the invite. So what's on the agenda?"
"We haven't decided yet," I answered. "We were supposed to discuss that when these two got here. Any ideas?"
"How about go-kart racing?" Luke suggested. "We haven't done that in a really long time."
"Sounds good to me," I said. "Anyone NOT up for go-kart races?" A quick scan around the room caught both Adam and Jamie giving the thumbs up to Luke's plan. After we determined whose car we were taking, the four of us were on our way to find a go-kart track. While Adam played navigator for Luke, Jamie and I decided we would try to have a little girl talk.
"So you know I have to ask what happened," she whispered, signaling toward Adam.
"Paige was basically ignoring him, leaving him behind to hang with Sasha and Lexi," I whispered back. "They both admitted that whatever spark used to be there had burnt out a while ago. Paige even went as far as to tell me that in their entire three years together, they never slept together."
"Wait, what??" Jamie asked in surprise.
"Apparently they talked about it, but never actually did the deed," I explained. "With her always out with her girls, I can actually understand why it never happened."
"Adam seems like such a great guy," Jamie said. "What in the world is your sister's problem?"
"She's shallow," I answered. "She saw nothing more than a pretty face. That's how she's always been. She goes for the cutest guys, not caring whether or not they have a great personality or how they treat women. I never got half the names of some of the guys she used to bring home because it was a new one each week."
"Well her loss could be someone else's gain," she smiled as she nudged me.
"What?" I was confused. "Oh, no. It's not like that with me and Adam. We're just friends. And we've been hanging out and just having fun."
"Whatever you say, girlfriend," Jamie said. "Give it time." I just shook my head and playfully tapped her arm. Before we knew it, we looked out the window and we had arrived at the go-kart track. For me, it was perfect timing, because knowing Jamie she would have just kept going on and on with her idea that Adam and I should be together. First off, I didn't look at him in that way. He was my newest best friend, that's it. And secondly, he literally just broke up with my sister. Seriously, how bad would it look if we HAD hooked up? I would have had to deal with Paige asking me if Adam and I were doing things while they were still together. Thanks, but no thanks.
"Earth to Kara," Luke said. "The time for daydreaming is over. Let's go racing!" He and Jamie ran toward the track, while I walked slowly behind them. Adam stayed back with me, probably thinking something was bothering me.
"Are you ok?" he asked, rather concerned.
"Me?" I replied. "I'm fine. Just lost in thought, that's all."
"We don't have to race if you don't want to," he suggested. "We can let those two have their fun and we can go get some food or something."
"No, no," I said. "I promise I'm fine. We came to race, let's go race." I gave him a smile just to reassure him that all was well, and we made our way over to the track to join Luke and Jamie.
"About time you two showed up," Luke teased. "We want to race doubles style. You two in one kart, us in another. What do you say?"
"Bring it on!" I said. "Adam, you can drive."
"Let's do this!" Adam and Jamie said in unison.
We spent a good hour or two on that track. Jamie and I watched from our passenger seats as Luke and Adam went head to head trying to outdo each other. Men can be so competitive! As we sped around that track, I was thinking that I hadn't had this much fun in years (with the exception of my trip to Busch Gardens with Adam). It felt so good to get out of the house, away from work, away from all the issues I was having with my sister lately. We definitely needed to do things like this more often.
When we got tired of racing, the four of us decided to go and find something to eat. We stopped at a local diner, and after ordering our food, I excused myself to the restroom. The conversation that took place while I was gone, which was dictated to me by Jamie a few days later, went a little something like this:
"You really gave me a run for my money out there," Luke told Adam. "Where did you learn to drive like that?"
"I grew up with a father who loved watching racing," Adam said. "NASCAR, the Indy circuit...you name it, he watched it."
"All I know is, Kara and I were having a blast," Jamie chimed in. "Today was a lot of fun."
"Other than the trip Kara and I took to Busch Gardens a couple of weeks ago, I haven't had this much fun in a long time," Adam agreed. "Paige never wanted to go anywhere other than to parties and clubs."
"Wait up," Luke said. "You took Kara to Busch Gardens while we were gone?"
"Yeah," Adam replied. "We were bored, got tired of watching movies, and wanted to get out of the house. So she treated me to breakfast and I treated her to the amusement park."
"You heard him, big brother," Jamie said. "All Paige likes to do is go to parties and clubs. And she always takes her girls, no one else. Can you blame the man for wanting to have some fun of his own?"
"Not at all," Luke responded. "But if you two have been hanging out so much, why don't you just ask Kara out on a date already? You obviously like her."
"It's not like that with us," Adam said. "We're friends, just like you guys. We enjoy each other's company. Besides, I just broke up with her sister. How weird would that look?"
"Point taken," Luke agreed. "But I saw the way you were looking at her today while we were racing. There is no denying it, dude. You have feelings for her that are a little more than friendly."
"Come on, Luke," Jamie said. "Leave the poor guy alone. Why must you be such a bully?"
"It's alright, Jamie," Adam said. "In all honesty, your brother is right. I don't hide my feelings all that well. Truth is, I have had feelings for Kara since long before now. They probably started about two years ago, after Paige started hanging out with the girls more than me. I just didn't want to admit it to myself because, well, I was still with Paige. I'm not a cheater, you know?"
"Well you're free of her now," Luke told him. "What better time than the present to let Kara know how you feel?"
"Again, too soon bro," Adam said. "Paige and I literally broke up two weeks ago. I don't move on THAT quick. And with her sister? Like I said, how weird would that look?"
"But you DO eventually want to ask Kara out, right?" Jamie chimed in. "At least that's what I'm getting out of all of this."
"I think I do," Adam replied. "I just need about another month or so, like I said. I'm not Paige. I don't move from girl to girl to girl at the drop of a pin."
Jamie and Luke laughed at that remark. They knew Paige just as well as I did, and there was no denying she was a little bit of a floozy. Shortly after Adam's last comment, I returned from the restroom to my three friends stuffing their faces, trying to mask the fact that they had just been talking about me. We spent the rest of that meal quietly; no one said another word until we made it back to my house. At that point, all that we said were our goodbyes as Luke and Jamie drove off toward home, while Adam and I made our way into the house.
"I had a lot of fun today," I said. "I'm glad you decided to tag along. You would have been super bored sitting here all alone."
"Luke and Jamie are awesome," Adam agreed. "It was a great day."
I yawned. "I'm so tired I don't even know if I can make it up the stairs. But I am NOT sleeping on that couch."
"Take my arm," Adam said. "I'll help you up there." I happily (and tiredly) slipped my arm around Adam's and let him guide me slowly up the stairs. When he finally got me into my room, he helped me onto the bed and then proceeded to ask me if I needed anything else. I pointed toward my dresser, where I had placed my neatly folded pajamas, indicating that I needed him to hand them to me. Once I had my pajamas, I let him know that I would be alright, thanking him for helping me to my room. After giving me a hug and saying "good night," Adam left the room and I got myself changed, falling asleep the moment my head hit my pillow.
I woke up the next morning to what sounded like an argument. I got out of bed and cracked my door open just enough to hear what was going on.
"Why are you still using the guest room?" Paige asked. "Didn't we break up? You can go back home to mommy and daddy."
"Not that it's any of your business what I do anymore," Adam began, "but Kara, Luke, Jamie, and I spent the day out yesterday. We got home rather late and your sister was kind enough to let me stay. I didn't think it would be a problem."
"Well isn't she a regular Mother Teresa?" Paige said sarcastically. "Are you and my sister a thing now or something? You've been hanging out a lot lately."
"We're friends," Adam answered. "Friends hang out, just like you do with your girls. The only difference is I'm a guy and she's a girl."
"Guys and girls can't be friends," Paige said. "It's impossible. Unless the girl or the guy is super ugly, which neither of you really is."
"That's the dumbest thing I have ever heard," Adam laughed. "Luke and Kara have been friends forever. How do you explain that one?"
"Luke's more like a brother to us than anything," Paige told him. "I didn't come here to argue. I came to get some of my things and go back to Sasha's house. We're going out dancing tonight."
"Nice to see you too, sis," I said, finally making my way out of my room. "Did you forget where you live?"
"Actually, I won't be living here much longer," Paige replied. "Sasha, Lexi, and I found an apartment across town that we're interested in. We're going over there tomorrow to talk about the security deposit."
"Well congratulations," I told her. "Since you won't be living here anymore, I would appreciate it if you didn't badger my guests and tell them they shouldn't be here. Mom and Dad left the house to me. If I allow someone to stay the night, ex-boyfriend or not, you have no say in the matter."
"I'll be going to get my things now," Paige said. "You two enjoy each other's company." With that, she walked out the door and disappeared down the hallway.
"I'm sorry if we woke you up," Adam apologized. "She barged in here like a cop on a drug raid. I tried to keep her quiet, but as you can tell, it didn't work so well."
"Don't apologize for her," I said. "She is a grown up. She was taught manners and respect. Apparently, none of it stuck."
"Once she's gone, would you like to get some breakfast?" Adam asked. "Maybe see if Luke and Jamie want to tag along? It'll be my treat this time."
"If I remember correctly, Luke is working today," I said. "And Jamie mentioned something about having a day out with her mom. You and I could still go, though, unless that makes you uncomfortable."
"Why would it make me uncomfortable?" Adam seemed confused. "You mean because I offered to invite Luke and Jamie? You and I have gone places alone before and we've been fine. Is this about what your sister just said, about you and me?"
"No!" I shrieked. "Sorry if I just killed your eardrums. I didn't mean to get that loud. I could care less what she thinks anyway. You and I are friends, just like her and her minions. We hang out and have fun. There's no harm in that."
"Alright, then it's settled," Adam smiled. "You go and get ready and as soon as she's gone, we'll go find us a nice little place to get breakfast."
Even after everything I went through after my parents died, I have never been good in a crisis. That day, at breakfast, was no different. Adam and I had found a very small diner (what most would call a "hole in the wall" type place) and were enjoying our meal, as were about four or five other people. In what seemed like only seconds, four guys barged through the door carrying guns and wearing masks.
"lf everyone cooperates, no one gets hurt," said one of them. I assumed he was probably the leader. They made their way toward the waitress nearest the cash register, threw a bag at her and again he spoke. "Fill it. With whatever you've got. Tips included."
I watched as the young girl did exactly as she was told, knowing that if she made even one wrong move, everyone in that room would be a target for their bullets. While she was filling the bag, one of the other men cocked their gun, which sent me into a state of shock. I slid off my chair and fell to the ground, smacking my head on the table on the way down. Naturally, all eyes in the place turned in my direction. As I was fading in and out of consciousness, I heard the waitress say, "That's everything. Now take it and go, please. That girl over there needs medical attention now."
As soon as the robbers left, Adam jumped up from the table and knelt by my side. I felt his hands slip under my head as the waitress was speaking to someone on the phone, attempting to get me some help. Within minutes, I heard sirens and two EMTs came in the door with a stretcher. They quickly and carefully got me strapped down and loaded the stretcher into the ambulance. I heard them ask Adam if he wanted to ride with me, but he decided to follow behind them in the car instead. How else were we going to get home? As they closed the doors and got ready to take off, all I could think was how stupid I felt in that moment. Everyone else had stayed so calm, even when that gun had been cocked. Why couldn't I have just sat there quietly? Adam must think I'm a complete loser right now....
When we arrived at the hospital, everything seemed to happen so fast. From the moment they got me through the front doors, all I saw were the lights on the ceiling as they wheeled me from emergency to an exam room. I laid there in silence as a doctor and two nurses checked me over. They shined their little flashlights in my eyes, examined my body for any wounds, then carefully flipped me on my side to see if I had sustained any injuries in the fall. When it was all over, the only problem they had found was a small gash on the back of my head where I had hit the table. It took a few stitches to patch me up, and then it was on to signing papers. I asked the nurse if she could go out into the waiting area and find Adam, since he was my ride home. Finishing the very last piece of paperwork, I looked up to see Adam and the doctor walking in the room together.
"You're going to be just fine," the doctor told me. "However, you DO have a slight concussion. I don't care if you feel sleepy or not, no taking any naps for at least 4 hours, just to be safe. Also nausea or vomiting is common with head injuries, so don't be alarmed in either event."
"Thank you for your help, doc," Adam said, shaking his hand. "Is she good to go now?"
"As long as all of her paperwork is complete," the doctor replied. He gave the papers a quick look over and said, "Everything looks to be in order. You're free to go. Take care of yourself now." And with that, he left the room.
"I feel like such an ass," I said. "All the guy did was cock his gun and I froze. You must think I'm such an idiot."
"I could never think that about you," Adam replied. "Some people are not good in a crisis. You've already gone through so much in your lifetime, so it's completely understandable. Why don't we get you home so you can relax?"
"You're going to make sure I don't fall asleep, right?" I asked.
"You're damn right," he smiled. "Even if I have to take extreme measures, you are going to stay awake for the next 4 hours."
Back at the house, Adam helped me get settled on the couch while he searched Netflix for something that wasn't going to put either of us to sleep. Before he hit play, he made his way into the kitchen, coming back with two glasses of juice and a bowl of popcorn. I made it through the first movie just fine, but halfway through the second I could feel myself starting to doze off. Adam had promised extreme measures to keep me awake, and what he did next shocked me so much that I stayed awake most of the rest of the day.
"Kara?" I heard Adam say. "You need to stay awake."
I felt a few light taps on my cheek, which did absolutely nothing because I could feel myself still starting to drift off. All of a sudden, I felt someone's lips touching mine. I sprung up from the couch and looked over at Adam, not sure if I was angry or just shocked.
"What the hell, Adam?!" I yelled.
"I told you it might take some extreme measures to keep you awake," he explained. "You're wide awake now, aren't you?"
"Yes, but still..." I was at a loss for words.
"I should have just splashed some cold water on you," he said. "I wasn't trying to offend you or make you mad. I'm sorry."
"I just need some time to re-group," I told him. "Please don't leave."
I made my way up to my room and closed the door behind me. I sat down on my bed and just thought about what had taken place downstairs. Was I really mad at Adam for keeping me awake by kissing me? He HAD said he would take extreme measures to make sure I didn't pass out, and being kissed by my sister's recently ex-boyfriend was definitely extreme in my eyes. Was I mad at myself for almost falling asleep?? I honestly didn't know what I was feeling in that moment, except that I could feel myself getting nauseous. I ran to the bathroom just in time, too.
In the middle of my getting sick, I heard a knock at my door, followed by Adam's voice asking, "Are you ok in there?"
"Vomit," I managed to blurt out before returning my face to the toilet bowl.
I heard footsteps running in my direction, and the next thing I knew I felt Adam's hand grabbing my hair to pull it back from my face. As I continued throwing up, I could feel him not only holding my hair, but gently rubbing my back. When I was pretty sure I had nothing left in me, I flushed the toilet and then brushed my teeth. I turned around to face Adam and decided that I wasn't actually mad at him for what he did. He was only trying to keep his promise of keeping me from falling asleep.
"I'm sorry I got so upset with you," I apologized. "And I'm sorry you had to see all this."
"You were caught off guard, I get it," he said. "And no need to apologize for being sick. The doctor said that was normal. I'm just glad I could help."
"I'm glad I wasn't alone for all of this," I agreed.
"Can I just ask you one thing?" he said. "Why DID you get so upset about the kiss?"
"I honestly don't know," I answered. "Like you said, you were only using extreme measures. And you're not attached right now, so I can't even get mad at you for that. I guess it just caught me off guard, like you said."
"Right," he smiled. "Or could it be that you actually enjoyed it?"
"You're funny," I smiled back. "You just broke up with my sister and I don't see you like that. We're really great friends, that's all. You didn't enjoy it, did you?"
"What? No!" he answered. "Desperate times, extreme measures. That's all it was."
"I think I'm wide awake now," I said. "Why don't we head back downstairs and finish our movie? Then after that, maybe I will be nice and make lunch."
Just to prove to Adam that there were no hard feelings about his choice of "extreme measures," I sat a little closer to him than usual and put my head on his shoulder. He returned the gesture by putting an arm around my shoulder. We had such a great time watching movies that we completely missed lunch all together. When I checked the time, it was just about dinner time. I excused myself from the room and went to the kitchen to find something to prepare for dinner. Since it used to be just me and Paige, I was used to making dinner for two. I found a nice cut of London broil, some mushrooms, an onion, fresh asparagus, and potatoes. It took me about thirty minutes to get everything prepared and ready for cooking.
I returned to the living room to let Adam know that dinner would be ready in about 45 minutes. To pass the time, I decided I was going to go upstairs and freshen up. Showering only took about 15 minutes, finding comfortable clothes took about 10. I made my way back down to the kitchen to check on the food, knowing that the vegetables would be done, but the meat still had about 20 minutes to go. While I waited, I got out two place settings and filled our glasses with some iced tea. Before long, 20 minutes was up and I was able to get the meat sliced and ready for eating. When I was sure everything was good to go, I called out to Adam to let him know that dinner was served.