here you go carlie! i hope you like it =)
TOGETHER
“Ugh. Too early.” Carlie groaned to herself as she removed her keys from the ignition, grabbed her purse and her phone and got out of the car. She had just gotten back from bringing her parents to the airport since they were going away for a few days for some business meeting somewhere. It was only 7 in the morning and she absolutely hated waking up early.
She walked inside Starbucks and suddenly the smell of coffee somehow lifted her spirits. She ordered her drink and waited for it. Her back was to the door was she suddenly heard girls screaming coming from outside.
“It’s the Jonas Brothers!” girls were screaming outside and you could hear cameras flashing everyone.
Crap, just what she needed. Just when she thought her morning was bound to get better, it was just about to get worse. She tapped her fingers impatiently on the table, hoping that her drink would get there soon. Soon enough, three boys got inside the store.
“Please don’t see me. Please don’t see me.” Carlie thought to herself. Just then a guy headed for her table with her drink. “One strawberries and cream frappuccino for Carlie?” he said, a little too loud.
“Yeah. Thanks” she grumbled, hoping that the three boys she was hiding from didn’t hear her name.
Too late. As soon as she spun around, the three boys were right in front of her.
“Carlie!” the oldest, Kevin, said as he suddenly gave her a hug.
“Hi” Carlie said as another one of the boys, Nick, hugged her also.
“Told you it was her!” Kevin chuckled.
“Um hi” the last one, Joe, said. No hugs, just a faint smile coming from his mouth. What do you expect? Joe was Carlie’s ex-boyfriend. The one who left for a tour a year ago and then right in the middle of it just stopped calling and texting her, no explanations… Nothing.
“Um, I have to go. Nice seeing you guys. Bye!” Carlie then said as she quickly turned around and dashed to her car, leaving the three boys standing there.
Carlie had to take deep breaths as soon as she got inside her car. That was the last thing she expected to happen. She didn’t want to see him. But she did. She cried as she started the ignition and drove back to her house. She absolutely missed him and she was still in love with him, but he just caused her so much pain.
As soon as Carlie got to her room, she grabbed a box that was under her bed. It was a box full of memories she had with Joe. Pictures they took together, tickets to concerts and movies that they saw, letters he wrote, even a few pressed flowers. Carlie couldn’t help but cry as she took out each item from the box.
“No! Don’t do this to yourself!” Carlie screamed as she dropped her head on her pillow and just bawled her eyes out. She fell asleep after that. When she woke up, it was already late afternoon. She grabbed a sweater from her closet. It was his sweater and as much as she hated to admit it, she always used it. She then went downstairs and walked outside. She was going to the lake near her house, it was her spot when she wanted to think and be alone.
Carlie was looking at the lake, her back resting on a tree bunk.
“I forgot you still had that sweater” she heard someone say from behind her. She turned around and saw Joe walking towards her. He sat down beside her leaving a couple of feet in between them.
“Yeah well, it’s good for keeping warm. And it’s perfect, for you know, when things get cold all of a sudden and catches you by surprise” she replied sarcastically. She was sure he realized that she wasn’t talking about the weather.
“I guess I deserve that” he said, looking at the lake in front of them.
“So why are you here anyway?” she asked him with a hint of irritation in her voice.
“I wanted to see you” he said. “And I wanted to talk”
“It’s a little too late for that. Half a year too late” she told him as she stood up. He then reached for her wrist and wouldn’t let go. He looked at her with such sad eyes.
“Just… Please, let me explain” he told her.
She sighed. “Ok, I’m listening” she told him, crossing her arms, still standing beside him.
“Would you at least sit down?” he asked her.
She didn’t say anything but she did go back to her spot.
“Look Carlie, I’m sorry I was such a jerk. It’s just that, with me being away all the time, I didn’t think I was being a good boyfriend to you. I thought things would be better if I just stayed away. You deserved better, someone who could always be there for you. It hurt me so much that I couldn’t be there for you all the time.” He said.
Carlie suddenly got infuriated when she heard him say those things.
“How could you even say that Joe?! Before everything fell apart, I thought what we had was perfect! I mean, sure we didn’t get to see each other that often, but we always kept in touch. I didn’t feel the need to have you physically with me, even if I wanted to, because you always reminded me that you loved me and you always made me feel it! But… But then you just let go. You thought it was better for me? Heck no!” Carlie screamed as tears started flowing down her face.
“I’m sorry” he said as he moved closer to her and wiped away the tears from her cheeks using his thumb.
“It was hard for me too, Carlie. It was so hard to just stay away from you completely. I thought about you every single night”
“That’s unfair Joe! You can’t just tell me how miserable you’ve been when you were the one who chose this” Carlie told him, holding her tears back.
“I know and I really am sorry. I’m still in love with you Carlie. Always have and always will. I know I really screwed up. I screwed up big time! And I know you can never forgive me for the pain I caused you. I deserve it. I just want you to know that I still love you, that’s all” he told me, looking at me in the eyes.
“Joe… I… I tried so hard to get over you. I thought I was finally getting there, but then I saw you this morning and all these feelings came back.” She started saying. “I’m still in love with you too Joe” she whispered, looking back at his eyes and then down to her lap. “But you really hurt me”
“I’m sorry” was all Joe could say.
“Did you mean it Joe?” Carlie then asked, breaking the silence between them. “That you still love me?”
“I do, Carlie. I love you and I never stopped loving you” he said.
Carlie sighed and just nodded.
“I know I might be pushing my luck here, Carlie, but do you think you could give me another chance?” Joe asked.
Carlie was surprised with his question. She looked at him and saw his eyes full of sadness and hope. She was still in love with this boy in front of her, and he was still in love with her too. They were perfect for each other, things just didn’t go as well as they hoped before, but the love was still there.
She nodded slowly. “We can try” she said, giving him a faint smile.
Joe then smiled, his eyes gleamed as he looked at Carlie who was smiling at him too.
“Thank you” he said as he hugged her tight.
“Just promise me that you won’t leave me again without any explanations, Joe” Carlie told her, still in his arms.
“I won’t leave you. And we’ll get through everything… Together” he whispered.
“Together” Carlie repeated as Joe hugged her even tighter.
