I was hesitant to go into work the next day. I knew Carmen would be there and I knew she would talk to me about the day before. Was I going to be fired for what I said? Was she going to say she was sorry for how she acted? I really wanted neither of those things. I only wanted her to go back to her normal self.
I took a deep breath and walked in. I was immediately greeted by all the teen girls. I smiled and greeted them all as I made my way to the locker room. I didn't spot Carmen right away but I did see the broken mirror. It had two strips of police tape on it making an 'X' of the whole broken panel. I winced as a few teens continued to inspect the broken panel.
"Don't mess with it," I warned making the girls automatically take a step away from it.
They all giggled at their antics and walked away uninterested. I never really understood teenage girls even when I was one. I continued on my way to changing room. The girls in class had obviously already gotten there and were in their body hugging clothing ready to be taught to dance.
"Do some warm up exercise and I will be out in a few minutes," I commanded in a polite tone as I went into the locker room.
Carmen was sitting with her back toward the door but she knew that someone entered into the room. I also believed that she knew it was me from the start. I set down my things on the floor and opened my locker getting out the things I needed for the day. I didn't even glance in her direction as I began to ready my uniform.
"You're right," she whispered after a few moments. "I've been different because Blake is in town. I've been so excited that I forgot about everything else. I really have no excuse though. I was trying to relive my motherly years and my current life just disappeared from my mind. It isn't Blake's fault though, it's mine. I just...don't know what came over me."
I looked over at the back of her head but didn't comment. She didn't turn to face me either. I believed it was because she didn't want to meet my eyes.
"I'm sorry I acted so rude to you yesterday. I should've yelled at you for the mirror not for not being mad about the mirror."
I couldn't help but smile slightly at her words.
"Blake and I talked and I realized that he's going to be here for a while. I can spend all my free time with him and I don't need to make time. He's fine with that. His business in town starts on Saturday so he'll be busy sometimes but he promised that we can get together at least once a day."
A silence fell over us and I slumped against the locker. "You're really bonding with him then?"
She turned and met my eyes with a huge grin on her face. "He might not look like it but he is the sweetest boy ever! I love him and I hate his father even more for taking my baby away from me. I missed all the great years in his life."
"Yet he's turned out alright? So his father must have done something right?"
Carmen shrugged. "I guess so but let's not get all caught up in my entire obsession with him. I might get in that 'mood' again and neither of us wants that." Carmen stood and came to give me a quick hug. I quickly returned it and when she pulled away, she shoved a cloth at me. Looking down, I noticed it was the ballet skirt I had threw down yesterday.
I frowned at the thing in my hands. "It's my fault too. I mean, I just get so caught up when things change. You know I really hate change. I get so set in my ways that sometimes when just the slightest domino wobbles I feel like the whole chain is coming down. I get so railed up easily that it makes me a bit-"
"Hotheaded?" Carmen guessed with her arms crossed. I gave her a sheepish smile. "You kids both take after your father so much. It's a shame you caught his anger curse."
"Ah, but we also got his cooking gift," I argued before shrugging. "You have to take the good with the bad."
Carmen nodded in agreement than began to make her way out of the locker room.
"Hurry up and change so we can get class started and discuss how you're going to pay for the mirror you broke."
I laughed at her unsure if she was serious or not but loving the fact that I couldn't tell. As she went back to teaching, I turned toward my locker and made a mental note to thank Jay when I saw him next.
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I walked into my apartment with my bag over my shoulder and my keys jinglingly in my hands. I was actually excited to see Jay and thank him for returning Carmen back to herself but I didn't find him initially. It wasn't until I walked into my living room that I found him asleep on my couch.
I watched him for a few moments as a slow smile crept over my lips. He seemed so peaceful and carefree as if there wasn't a care in the world. That was how he always was but now there were no smart remarks trying to come out of his obnoxious mouth.
I exited the room and grabbed a blanket for the guest bedroom and went to place it over him. He snuggled into the fabric and sighed contently in his dreamland. I left him alone and continued on to my room.
I took a shower to wash off the sweat of the day and stayed in an extra-long time to enjoy the feeling of the hot water rushing over my body. My weekend was approaching fast and yet I still didn't have a day off. I guess I technically had Sunday off but I had plans that day. I couldn't remember the last time I had a 'me' day where I just stayed in my pajamas and watched TV. I let out a deep breath as the warm water soothed my muscles.
I got out of the shower moments later and took a while to inspect myself in the mirror. My ebony silky straight hair just hung limply around my shoulders like a dead mop. I desperately hated the fact that my hair had no body or curl or anything! Taking a closer inspection, I saw that my hazel eyes were much greener today for whatever reason. I always liked to see them when they were dark green and not their normal murky brownish color.
I moved away from the mirror and quickly changed into comfortable clothes. The muscles in my legs ached and I longed to join my bed in holy matrimony. My stomach growled though before I could flop down onto my mattress. I knew that once I was down, I would be out and my stomach would keep me up for hours.
I raced quickly into the kitchen and searched in the refrigerator for the easiest snack to make. I found nothing satisfying in there and moved over to my pantry. I searched everything with my eyes but nothing caught my attention. I sighed in frustration and shut my pantry with a little too much force.
"Can I help you?" I heard a voice behind me. I turned sharply unsurprised to find Jay lounging against the doorframe into the kitchen as if he belonged there. I got a strange sense of déjà vu from our first sober encounter.
"Sleep well?"
Jay nodded a small smile on his lips. He motioned back toward the sofa with his head. "Thank you for the blanket. That was thoughtful but I didn't need it. I wasn't really sleeping."
"Resting your eyes then?" I guessed smartly.
Jay nodded. "Of course."
I gave him a smile but it fell as I went on to address a different subject.
"I uh- want to thank you for talking to Carmen. She's better now. I don't know what happened but everything's all good," I said a little awkwardly. I wasn't really sure how to approach that subject.
"You're welcome," Jay responded easily as if expecting it. He seemed so awake as if he hadn't just been sleeping moments ago. "You really shouldn't judge a book by its cover."
I raised one eyebrow at his statement. "I didn't."
"Really?" Jay asked curiously. "You didn't see my tattoos or the piercings and think negatively of me?"
Actually, I hadn't. When I saw them, I thought they only added to his attractiveness. There was just something about bad looking boys that made appear (dare I say) sexy.
"You didn't realize who my mother was and how bad my father is and judge me? You didn't blame me for the change in your boss because of my sudden appearance? You don't think that suddenly everything bad in your life will probably lead back to me? Are you seriously telling me that you don't agree with any one of these things?"
I sighed keeping my gaze down to the floor. Suddenly I didn't want to talk to him anymore about anything. There was just something about this guy that made me want to walk away and never look back.
"You never once thought anything like that?" Jay pressed again when I didn't reply.
I shrugged and mumbled, "It's possible."
Jay nodded once. "That's what I thought."
We stood in silence for a while. Neither of us dared to move not out of suspense or giving in to one another but neither of us wanted to break this odd mood. It was so weird that we were almost frozen in its awkward tension.
"Let me prove you wrong," Jay proposed breaking the silence.
I glance up and met his clear light blue eyes. His expression was completely serious but he had a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"Let me take you out on Sunday for lunch. We'll get to know each other a bit and you may be surprised what you find out about me."
I crossed my arms and leaned against my counter now fully studying this odd specimen. Here was the man that I had had a one night stand with, was living with, and all he wanted was to go out to lunch with me? The whole proposal just seemed completely thrown off. It was like our relationship was quite mixed up...not that I was implying that there was a relationship to begin with because well...there wasn't.
"Why do you want to prove that to me?" I asked suddenly. Jay furrowed his eyebrows and looked at me in confusion. "I mean, why bother? I'll only see you for the next week or so tops then what's the point in engaging in a civil relationship between us? Why bother trying to prove how good you actually may or may not be?"
Jay watched me mimicking my stance just a moment later. We stayed in this locked stare for quite some time before Jay broke the eye contact.
"I don't know," he admitted. "I just don't want you to think badly of me."
"Why?" I repeated with an immense curiosity.
Jay shrugged seemingly confused about the idea himself. "It's the way you are... I don't know."
There was something about the way he said it that made me drop my arms to my sides and my harden expression to fall. It was as if he had never told anyone that in his life and I was the chosen person he wanted to prove himself true to. I was going to take it.
"Sunday is all booked up for me. How about we do lunch on Saturday instead? I've got work but I can go out to lunch before that." I proposed slowly.
Jay seemed to think about it but he had a pained expression. "Saturday is no good for me. I start my work on that day."
"Oh," I said remembering something being said about that before. "Well, we could do breakfast on Sunday but I've got to visit my family during that day. I normally take the whole day to drive up or take a taxi up to them and hang out."
"Let's not rush it," Jay suggested.
I sighed trying to mentally think about my calendar. Did I even have a spot open for him? Did I even want to have a spot open for him? Did I want to make the time to get to know this stranger in my household? I glanced up at Jay knowing fully well that I could come up with an easy excuse. I could easily get out of this get to knowing each other lunch. And yet...?
I sighed running my hands over my face and through my hair. I didn't know if I would regret it or not but I said, "I can do lunch on Monday?"
A slow and familiar smile crept onto Jay's face before he nodded enthusiastically. "Sounds great! I can't wait!"
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A/N: Yes you read that correctly. Peyton, Nate, Eros, Psyche, and the rest of the crew will be appearing soon. We still have a few chapters to go but it's not far off now. I hope your excited. I missed them! Sorry I'm awful with updating. My weekends have been...hectic. I'm hoping to get maybe two chapters out of this next weekend? I don't want to get too ahead of myself but we'll see how it goes. I will get to replying to all of you when I have the time, I promise! :D