September 6th, 2016.
James' Point-of-view.
I woke up to the sound of the doorbell ringing loudly, throughout Cary's house. I sat up quickly, looking around, Cary was sound asleep, wrapped in a blanket beside me. She looked so peaceful, and so beautiful. The storm within her had stopped raging on, but I was too caught up in looking at Cary, that I forgot about whoever was at the door, until the bell rang again.
I quietly slid off Cary's bed and pulled on my boxers, and sweatpants, before I could make it into the living-room to get my hoodie, the door the doorbell rang again. So, I quickly opened the front door, and came face to face with Lexi, Lydia, Josie, Eli, Austin, Alex, Charlie, and Adam. As soon as they saw me, their facial expressions varied.
"Hey there." I said awkwardly, rubbing the back of my neck.
"James? Where is Cary?" Adam asked, as they all walked past me, into the house.
"Umm... I think... maybe..." I said, stumbling over my words, as I looked around at all my friends.
"James Baxter King. Where is Cary?" Lexi asked, with a mischievous grin on her lips.
"She's in bed. Sleeping." I said, flicking my eyes between my friends, trying not to make direct eye contact with any of them.
"So, Cary is in her room, sleeping? Does she know you're here?" Josie asked, raising an eyebrow at me as we all stood in the hall.
"Yep, that is true." I replied, as I nodded, taking a seat on the sofa.
"So, why are you here? And answering the door? If she's sleeping." Austin asked me.
"We talked things out, she's not mad at me any more. We spent the whole day together, figuring everything out, as friends. We're let each other go, in the love department. Cary and I are friends now." I replied, as we all walked into the living-room.
"Well, that's fantastic, I'm glad everything is sorted. So, you and Cary are friends now, is that why you have no t-shirt on?" Charlie asked, pointing to my bare-chest.
I looked quickly at my chest, before looking up at my friends again. The hoodie I had been wearing when I arrived was lying on the floor behind us. I quickly jumped over the sofa, and grabbed my hoodie, before slipping it back on. When I looked at my friends, fourteen eyes were staring at me, and that was when I realized Lexi wasn't with us any more.
"And, is that why Cary is naked in her bed, her shorts, and underwear on the floor, while her jumper is over there?" Lexi asked appearing in the doorway, pointing to the pile of blackness, lying on the floor.
Everyone's eyes moved from me, to Lexi, to Cary's jumper on the floor, then back to me. I could feel my cheeks start to burn red, as I tried to think of something to say that wouldn't sound bad. Luckily, I was saved from any more questions when Cary appeared in the doorway, in her shorts and sports bra, tying her hair up into a bun, while she yawned in the cutest way.
"Hey everybody. Sorry, we lost track of time." She said, as we all took seats around the living-room.
"And, lost your clothes in the process." Lydia said, with a loud laugh.
"Did you two sleep together?"
Cary and I just turned to look at each other before we both burst into laughter, when we finally calmed down and composed ourselves Cary looked at everyone before smiling brightly.
"Kind of. Maybe. Yes." She said, taking my hand, and interlocking our fingers.
"But we talked first. We went to Look-Out-Point, and talked about everything. It was alot of talking, and crying, and honestly. But, we said everything that we needed to say, everything that we ever held back."
"Me and Cary are complicated, and we've been trying to keep the complications between us. We didn't want all of you to be caught in the middle, but the more we try to keep you guys out of it, the more we all seem to fall apart." I said, looking around at all of my friends.
"You were all there when I walked away after Cary told me about her life. When I treated her badly, that night in my driveway, and you were all there when Nicky showed up. You all saw what happened, you have always been caught in the middle. So, I don't think Cary and I can keep these discussions between us any more, you guys need to be a part of the conversation. What we do, affects the squad." I said, turning to look at Cary.
"Do you want to start, or should I?" I asked, squeezing her hand.
"I guess I will." Cary said, placing her left hand on top of our joined hands, and smiled at me weakly.
Carys Point-of-view.
"I love James. I love him more and more every second, every hour, and every day. I love him when he makes me smile, and laugh, I love him when he makes me cry, and scream. Not only that, but I love him when I'm with him, and when I'm not, I love him even when I hate him, and I love him when I like him." I said with a giggle.
"I love James with every drop of blood, and every bone in my body. I love him with every thought I have, and everything I am. If I'm being honest, if he was missing, I would burn the world to the ground, just so I could dig out of the ashes. I love him, with all the stars in the sky, and all the ones that have fallen to earth." I said, as my voice cracked and tears gathered in my eyes.
"The love I have for James is more than I ever dreamed I would find in this life, more than I ever thought was possible, the kind of love my mom and dad shared. I love him, with every beat of my heart, and I honestly have no idea why he picked me in the first place. He is so patient, and trusting, and kind, and a thousand other things that I will never be. I have watched people fall madly, deeply, undeniably in love, and most of the time, it's agonizing, and always ends in pain." I said, looking around at all my friends, before looking at James and letting the tears fall.
"So, I asked James to let me go, hoping if he let me go, I would have the strength to let him go. So now, if all I ever have is his friendship, and the memory of the way he loved me, then I know I can survive anything."
After I finished talking, James let go of my hand and wrapping his arm around my waist, pulling me closer to him. Wrapping me in his arms, as the tears stained my cheeks, and he rested his head on my mine.
When James and I turned our eyes back to our friends, Lexi and Lydia had tears rolling down their cheeks, as they sat under a blanket on the bottom of the sofa. Adam and Charlie were sitting on the floor, hugging each other tight, pouting, as if we had just told them Santa wasn't real. Austin and Alex, were holding hands as Austin sat on the recliner, with Alex on the arm. Josie and Eli were beside James and me on the sofa, cuddling each other close.
"Why?" Adam asked, from his position on the floor. Causing us all to look at him.
"Why are you letting each other go? If you love him the way you say you do, Cary. Why are you giving up?"
"You two love each other, more than I have ever seen two people in love. It's insane, and wild, but calming and peaceful at the same time. We've all watched it happen, we watched you find each other, and fall in love, and we watched you break apart, again and again. From day one, it's always been you two, the eight of us have sat back, and watched this entire story unfold, we have watched you lose each other, and find each other, over and over, again and again." Josie shouted, while sitting forward, pulling herself away from Eli.
"And now you're telling us, that it's over? You're giving up?"
"I'm sorry, Jo. I didn't realize you were so invested in us, but it's for the best, and if we keep going down the path we're on, we're going to end up hating each other. Neither of us want that, we want to love each other for as long as we can, even if it is from a distance. I don't know alot of things, but one thing I'm certain of is that love is pain." I said, looking past Eli, to see Josie.
"To love is to destroy. To be loved is to be destroyed. This is the best possible outcome, it's the only way we can keep each other close, without destroying each other."
"That is complete and utter bullshit, Caroline Sage Foster. I should never have told you the story of The Boy and The Falcon." A voice said from the doorway, startling us all and causing us to look towards the door to see my mom.
"Oh my god. I forgot your middle name was Sage." Charlie said while laughing.
"Did I raise you this way? Am I the reason you're so cynical towards love? I'm sorry, I should have a done a better job when I was telling you about love. Cary, you are 22-years-old, you should be running head first into love, not away from it. You should be running towards it, as fast as you can. My darling, you could not be more wrong about love, it doesn't always end in pain, and it isn't all suffering. Being loved will not destroy you, and loving someone will not destroy them." My mom said as she walked towards us all, and everyone shifted position.
Josie cuddled up closer to Eli, in the corner of the sofa, while Lexi and Lydia, sat with their backs against the wall, and their legs crossed, and a blanket over them. Charlie and Adam sat on the floor in front of them, while Austin wrapped his arm around Alex's waist, and Alex threw his legs over Austin's lap.
My mom said her hello's, before taking a seat on the coffee table in front of me and James. She placed her hand on top of mine and James' intertwined hands, before looking up at us both.
"Caroline. My sweet, sweet, girl. I have never heard you talk about love, the way you just did, and honestly, I have never heard you talk about anyone, the way you talk about James. I have always hoped that you would find a love, similar to the kind your father and I shared, and by the sounds of it, you already have." My mom said, looking between me and James.
"You're right, Cary. Love can be painful, but all the good things are. Your father and I had our ups and downs, just like any other couple. We broke up more than I care to admit, but we always found our way back to each other. I always knew we would, there was nothing in this world I believed in more, than the love I shared with your father. There still isn't." She said, rubbing her thumb over mine and James' hands.
"Love does not destroy you. Being in love does not make you weak. A shared love, that is chaotic, and passion driven. A love that can move the sun and stars, the kind of love that can burn as bright as wildfire. A love that consumes you, and a love that can align the stars, that kind of love makes you stronger than anything life can throw at you" My mom smiled at James and I before looking around all of us.
"All of you need to hear this. You are all so young, and so important to each other, and me. So, I need you all to hear me, and really listen to me" My mom said, smiling at us all.
"Love is not a weakness. It is not always sunshine and rainbows, but it is not always pain. You all deserve a love that consumes you, that can burn the world to ash, and raise it up again in glory. Do not run from love, none of you."
When my mom finished talking, she leant forward and kissed my forehead, and James' before standing up. She made her way around the room, kissing our foreheads one by one, and telling us she loved us, before walking to the door. She turned around and took one last look at us all again, with a bright smile.
"Run towards it. I dare you." She said, before walking out the door.
The ten of us just sat there in silence, for a few seconds taking in what my mom had said, taking in her words of wisdom. It was just after ten to seven, as I looked around the living room at all my friends, who were already looking at each other.
"Your mom is the wisest person I know, Care-bear." Lexi said, letting out a small giggle.
"Yeah, if only she could tell me what to do with my $40,000." I said with a laugh, lying my head on James' shoulder.
"Wait, What?" The eight of them shouted in unison.
"Oh yeah, that's the story I wanted to tell you guys." I said with a laugh.
"My grandparents came to visit yesterday. My grandpa, Robert, gave me an envelope that my dad gave to him with before I was born. My dad planned to give it to me, when I turned 22-years-old, obviously, he couldn't. So, my grandfather did, turns out my dad had putting money away for me, that my grandparents had given him. So, I now have a cheque for $40,000 and no idea what to do with it" I told them all, shrugging my shoulders.
"You have all that money, and no idea what to do with it?" Josie asked, with a laugh.
"Not one clue. Maybe something for me, something for my mom, for you guys. I'll probably donate a lot of it, but apart from that, I have no idea." I said, lying my head on James' shoulder, as he leant back onto the sofa.
"I might travel, see everything. New Orleans for Mardi Gras, learn to surf in Australia. I'll meditate with monks at Taung Kalat, in Burma, re-enact twilight scenes in Verona. Perhaps, I'll spend New Year's Eve in Central Park. I don't know."
"I think I know." Charlie said, as he smiled brightly, while Lydia played with his hair.
Within seconds, Charlie had jumped to his feet and told us all to follow him, we all looked around at each other before following behind him in a line. I lifted my jumper off the floor and slipped it back on over my head, and we all shouted our goodbye's to my mom, before we walked out of the house and got into separate cars, and following Charlie.
We followed Charlie's car, as we drove out of town, and finally reached the top of Look-Out-Point, where James and I had been, just a few hours ago. When we all climbed out of our cars and looked around us, before I turned my attention to Charlie.
"You want me to buy, Look-Out-Point?" I asked with a laugh.
"No, don't be ridiculous. Follow me." Charlie said, as he began walking through the trees.
We all continued to follow him, talking among ourselves, for 10-minutes, as we made our way through the trees, and the forest that surrounded us, until we eventually emerged from a bundle of trees near a small cabin.
"Christina's Cabin?" I said, raising my eyebrow at him.
"Well, you know how my dad is a realtor? This is his new listing. I remember you telling me about this place, so I thought you'd like it." Charlie said, wrapping his arm around my shoulders.
Just then, as we stood there looking at the cabin, Christina came walking out the door, carrying a box under her arm. When she saw the ten of us, she greeted us with a smile.
"Caroline. How good to see you again." Christina said, as she set the box on the ground and walked towards us. I wrapped my arms around Christina, before introducing her to everyone with a bright smile.
"What brings you here?"
"I heard you're selling the place." I replied, with a small smile.
"Yeah. I'm moving out of town. Did you come to say goodbye to the place?" She questioned, lifting the box again, and walking towards the open boot of her car.
"Here, let us help you." Austin said, nudging James in the side, before taking the box from Christina and putting it in her car.
"If there is any more, we would be more than happy to help." Adam said, gesturing to the boys, and they all nodded in agreement.
"Oh, you sweet, sweet, boys. There are more boxes inside, but please don't just stand outside, come on in." Christina said, giving us a bright smile, and gesturing for us to follow her.
"Actually, Christina, I didn't come up to say goodbye. I didn't know you were selling the place until I got here. My friend Charlie's dad is your realtor." I said with a smile.
"But, now that I'm here, How much are you selling it for?" I asked, while taking a seat with the rest of the girls, as the boys lifted boxes and took them out to the car.
"Well sweetheart, because of the location, I was advised to put it on the market for between $30,000 and $35,000. But, between me and you girls, if the right person asked, I would lower it." Christina said, as she handed each of us a tin of soda.
"Well, I'm asking. I love this place, you know I do." I said, before taking a drink.
"So, how much?"
"For you, darling. Whatever you can offer me." She said, with a bright smile.
"How does $35,000 sound?" I asked, smiling brightly.
"How about $25,000?" Christina said as a counteroffer.
"I'd say you're losing out on money, Christina."
"Well, you love this place, don't you? I know, you don't want this place to demolish it and build something bigger that could destroy the view. Caroline, you love this place the way I love this place. I will happily lose out on money, if it means someone who loves this place is buying it." She said, holding her hand out to me.
"You deserve this place, Caroline, and this place deserves you. So, do we have a deal?"
I shook her hand and we both smiled brightly at each other, before she announced that she should ring Stuart, to tell him she had found a buyer. While the boys were outside, I stood up and locked the door, when the boys finished loading Christina's car, they tried to open the door, before knocking. I opened the door wide, smiling brightly at them.
"Welcome to my new home." I said, as I held the door open for them.
"You're buying the place?" Alex asked, as he walked by me and took a seat on the sofa, looking out the large window.
"Christina is on the phone with Stuart now. I'll have to sign some paperwork, and have inspectors come, but we came to an agreement." I said, as I took my original seat, as Christina re-entered the room.
"Well Caroline darling. Welcome to your new home, Stuart approved the price we agreed on, he said you are a reliable person to sell too, and you wouldn't have made the offer if you couldn't afford it. Of course, you'll need to get the basics checked out. Just to double-check everything is in working order, then all that's left is payment and signing the paperwork, and the place is yours. Stuart says to give him a call" She said with a smile.
"That sound's perfect to me. Thank you, so much, Christina." I said, smiling at her as we all toasted to my new purchase.
We all spent the next hour talking to Christina about where she was moving too, and what I was going to do with the place, before we all decided to head back to mine for dinner. Christina said she wasn't leaving until everything was signed, and the place was officially mine, so I made her promise to come over for dinner once we signed the paperwork to celebrate, our new beginning's together.
When we got home, we realized that Alex and Austin hadn't actually brought the Chinese food, since James and I hadn't texted to tell them what we wanted. So, we all gathered in the living room, with my mom, watched TV, while we waited for the Chinese to be delivered.
Adam, Charlie, Alex, and Austin were sitting on the floor with their backs leaning against the coffee table. Lexi and Lydia were back in their original places, with their legs crossed under them and their backs against the wall. Josie and Eli had returned to the left corner of the sofa, with Josie cuddled into Eli's side. James was sitting in the right corner. I was sitting beside him, leaning my back against the back of the sofa and my legs criss-crossed under me, while my mom was on the single recliner.
"Hey mom, I forgot to tell you I used my cheque money today." I said without taking my eyes off the TV.
"Charlie actually helped me with it."
"Should I be concerned that you spent all that money on a trip to Vegas for the ten of you?" My mom questioned while throwing a piece of popcorn at Charlie.
"Actually, no, I bought property." I said calmly while looking at her.
"Sweetheart, what kind of property can you buy with $40,000, and no credit rating?" My mum questioned while sitting forward a bit.
"Well, Stuart is the realtor. So, he vouched for me to the owner, who is also a friend I made a while ago. Anyway, because she is so fond of me she is selling it to me of $10,000 less than the advised price" I said with a smile on my lips.
"Oh really?" My mom questioned while raising her eyebrow at me.
"It's a small cabin up by Look-Out-Point. It's so beautiful, and peaceful. We can go up at the weekend and have a look, I found it one day while I was up there, during a thunderstorm. Christina let me wait out the storm in the cabin, and I fell in love with the place" I said with a bright smile.
My mum agreed to go with me at the weekend to see the cabin just before the food arrived. We all sat around the living-room, talking, laughing, and eating for the remainder of the night. Nobody had mentioned the drama between me and James. It was a peaceful, and calm night, filled with love and laughter.
It was almost 11PM when everyone decided to go home. I walked them all to the door and said my goodbyes to them, one by one. James was the last to reach me. After everyone had driven off, James stopped at the door and took my hand in his, he put my knuckles to his lips and kissed them gently.
"Thank you, for today, and for hearing me out. Thank you, for not letting me go, completely, I couldn't imagine my life without you, Caroline foster." He said, dropping my hand and walking away.
As he walked away, I couldn't help but hear my mum's voice in my head.
'Do not run from love. Run towards it. I dare you.'
It echoed in my head like a siren going off, to alert me to something. I looked out the door, to see that James had almost reached his car, I began to close the front door, and listened to the silence, before I heard the voice in my head again.
'Run towards it. I dare you.'
I flung the door open again, and stepped out of my house, my bare feet, hitting the cold pavement, sending a shiver through my body. Quickly, I looked around, to see James unlocking his car.
"James." I shouted, just as he opened the driver door to his car. He spun around to look at me.
As soon as his eyes caught mine, I didn't care, about how cold the pavement was below my feet. I couldn't find a way to care about the fact the rain had started to pour down around us and the sky thundered and crackled with lightning. James stood beside his car, the door wide open, his hair getting soaked as the rain got heavier. Before I could even think, my feet started to run, and soon enough, my brain caught on to what was happening. I ran through the rain as the thunder roared above me, I began to slow down, as I reached James.
My clothes were soaked, stuck to my body, and my hair was dripping, just like they had been that night in his driveway. The sky was lighting up with the lightning, as I caught my breath. When I looked up at James, his hair was soaked as he pushed it back off his face, and he just stared at me.
"Tell me you love me." I said as I straightened my back, and wiped the rain from my face.
"Cary, you know I love you. More than anything else in this world." James said, looking at me weirdly.
Once the words left his mouth, I reached up and cupped his cheeks in my hands and pulled his lips to mine. It started off rough and hard, but it turned into something gentle and sweet.
James and I had kissed so many times before, but this time, it was different. It still made a fire ignite in my veins, and my heart thunder like the sky above us. We didn't care about the rain, we didn't care about the thunder or the lightning, all that mattered was us, just like always. When we pulled away, I kept hold of his face, as our foreheads pressed together, and the rain continued to pour around us. We stared deeply into each other's eyes, for what felt like forever, before I finally broke the silence.
"Tell me you love me, say it again, say it in French, sing it, scream it. Just tell me you love me, again." I said, keeping hold of his cheeks.
"Caroline. Sage. Foster." James said, making sure to space each word dramatically.
"I love you."
"I love you too, James Baxter King. With every beat of my heart." I said, taking his hand and placing it over my heart.
"I know you can't promise me, that this is forever. But, can you promise me that it's for, right now? And that you'll always find me?"
"As far as I'm concerned, this is forever, I will never let anything come between us again. I promise you, Cary. I will always find you." James said, cupping my cheek in his hand, while the other rested on my heart.
"Then, let's run towards love, James. I really don't want to run away from it, or away from you." I said, kissing him again.