"I  can't believe I got sucked into doing this," Carter groaned when we got into the car after Grammy had settled back in at home.

"I would apologize, but it's your own damn fault," I replied.

"My fault?! How is it my fault?" he asked incredulously.

"You just had to nobly volunteer your services at the hospital!" I exclaimed.

"I was trying to be nice!" he said.

"And now look where that's gotten us!" I replied.

"Well sue me for doing the right thing," he huffed.

"You're talking to a future lawyer here, so I'd choose my words wisely," I said. He rolled his eyes at me and shook his head. I stuck my tongue out at him when he wasn't looking. I reached forward and turned the radio on.

"All I need is a beauty and a beat to make my life complete," the voice of Justin Bieber blared through the speakers.

"Ugh, garbage," we both said at the same time, reaching for the channel buttons at the same time. Our fingers touched and we both pulled back quickly, glancing at each other and then looking away as if nothing happened.

"I hate this song," Carter said.

"Me, too," I mumbled. But neither of us reached out to change it. "Do you have a cord?" I asked, beginning to search the various compartments in his car.

"Stop touching things!" he exclaimed, grabbing my wrist as I made to open up the compartment by my arm.

"Quit being such a baby," I said, squirming out of his grip.

"You're getting everything dirty," he said.

"You're a future doctor. You surround yourself with germs for a living, so you can't complain," I replied, giving him a look. He glared at me briefly before turning his attention back to the road.

"You know, you're still as obnoxious as you were six years ago," he said bitterly. I found the iPod cord and pulled it out, smirking.

"I guess some things just never change," I responded, plugging the cord in and taking my phone out. I scrolled through my selection of songs until I found an old song that the two of us used to listen to back in the day and make fun of. "Remember this?" I asked, putting it on.

"I'm bringing sexy back. Yeah. Them other boys don't know how to act. Yeah," Justin Timberlake's voice sang. I saw the corners of Carter's lips twitched up slightly.

"This is so old," he said.

"You used to say that JT had nothing on you," I said.

"He didn't. I was sexy as hell as a teenager," Carter replied.

"With your twig arms and skinny stomach," I said, laughing.

"Oh, shut up," he said, pretending to be annoyed.  "I could beat JT in looks any day," he added, glancing at me.

"Now maybe," I blurted out. I covered my mouth and his eyebrows rose, a cocky grin forming on his lips.

"What was that?" he asked. "I don't think I heard you. Can you say it again?" he asked.

"I didn't say anything," I said, feeling my cheeks flush with color.

"Right," he said, a smirk still on his face.

"Song change," I announced, pulling my phone up and scrolling through my music list once again.

"Put something good on," he said.

"It's my phone; I control song choice," I replied, searching.

"It's my car. Driver controls song choice," he argued.

"Well, you obviously can't look at my phone and drive at the same time. I'd much prefer to live out the rest of my life unparalyzed," I said.

"You just love winning, don't you?" he said.

"It's because I'm so good at it," I replied smugly.

"You're good at a lot of things, Arya," he said, his voice somber. I looked at Carter, whose gaze was stony and had his hands clenched on the steering wheel. His jaw was squared and set and I saw the little vein in his forehead throb.

With that, our playful and joking mood was broken and replaced by the same awkward tension that surrounded us whenever we were together. The elephant in the room was ever omniscient and I was the only one that could get rid of it. But every time I thought about it, I would look at Carter's hand and remember that he was going to get married in a few months. Him and Julie must have been together for a while and I couldn't break up that relationship by telling him he had a kid. That we had a kid.

I chose a song. It was another old one and was one of my favorites.

"Yesterday he said my eyes were fading fast away. I said, 'Well, what do you expect? You asked me not to stay. And if it had all been for the best, I wouldn't feel this way.' And he said....oh he said..." the soulful voice of Grace Potter filled the car.

The rest of the car ride had been silent. I took to staring out the window as the images outside blurred together. Occasionally, I could sense Carter looking at me. Sometimes I would look at him, too. But we remained quiet and off in our own worlds.

I remembered how the summer before we started dating, we decided to take a roadtrip to Boston. I had wanted to see the campus of the university that I had been hoping to attend and he had come with me. That car ride had been completely different. We had joked the entire way to Boston, telling stories from our past and present lives and played games. I still remembered a picture I had taken that day. Carter had been laughing at something I had said and I had looked at him and felt so incredibly happy to be with him. I had felt so calm and at peace with myself and the world. I didn't have a care in the world. The sun had been shining perfectly on his side of the car and had illuminated him. I had thought, in that moment, that he looked almost angelic, just laughing and glowing. And I had taken a picture of him and had kept it ever since in an old box of photographs that was under my bed in my apartment in Manhattan.

I sighed in nostalgia, feeling sadness fall over me. I looked at Carter now, with the slight frown to his lips, the crease between his eyebrows and the stiffness to his jaw. Although the sun was shining today, too, the atmosphere was different. We were different.

"Carter?" I found myself saying aloud as the city came into view.

"What?" he asked, not looking at me. I looked at him.

"How much do you hate me?" I asked, not knowing why. I saw his muscles tense and his grip tighten on the wheel.

"I don't," he said.

"You know better than to lie to me," I told him.

"What do you want me to say, Arya?" he asked.

"The truth," I said.

"I'm not the one that needs to be saying the truth," he said. "You are."

I closed my eyes and felt tears sting the corners of my eyes.

"I know," I whispered.

"Why is it so hard for you?" he asked.

"I'm really glad that you're happy, Carter," I said, ignoring his question.

"Happy? You think I'm happy?" he asked, sounding incredulous.

"You're getting along with your family, you're engaged to Julie, you're on your way to becoming a doctor," I listed. "Your life is good right now. And I'm really happy for you," I said.

"And what about your life?" he asked.

"My life is a mess," I said, staring out the window again.

"You work at a huge law firm in Manhattan, you live in an expensive apartment on your own, you've got a rich boyfriend, and you've almost got your dream of becoming a lawyer," he listed. "Your life sounds pretty amazing, too, Arya," he said.

"That's the difference between what people say and reality," I told him as he turned onto the street that the law firm was on. "Things can sound amazing, but they might not actually be," I said.

"Let's just drop it," he suggested, pulling onto the side of the street in front of the firm and parallel parking perfectly. "So this is where you work?" he asked, leaning forward to look up at the looming, tall building.

"For nearly two years now," I replied.

"It looks like everything you've ever wanted," he said.

"Not quite," I replied solemnly, looking at him. He looked at me. "You don't have to come in. I'll be fast," I said.

"No, I'm not waiting out here alone. You say you'll be fast, but you'll end up taking forever. I'm coming with you," he said.

"No, you should stay here. I promise, I won't take long," I insisted.

"Arya, I'm coming. End of discussion," he said, checking for traffic before opening his door. I let out an aggravated sigh and got out, too. He met me on the sidewalk as I buttoned up the blazer I was wearing. Before we had left Grammy's place, I had decided to change into some office attire. I didn't want Ryan to chastize me any more than he already would.

Carter followed me into the building. My heels clacked on the gleaming marble floors and Carter's footsteps echoed behind me.

"Do people dress like that all the time?" Carter asked as a lawyer walked by him wearing a suit that was probably as expensive as his car was.

"The kind of suit you wear says a lot about the kind of lawyer you are," I told him. "The more expensive the suit, the better the lawyer," I added.

"How come?" he asked.

"Because the better lawyer that you are, the bigger the bonus you get every year to spend on expensive suits. And a big bonus is determined by how much money you make for the firm. The more money you make for the firm, the better the lawyer you are," I explained, scanning my ID at the gate and telling the security guard that Carter was with me.

"You get all of that from a suit?" Carter asked. I nodded, pushing the button of the elevator to the top floor, where Ryan's office was located. "That's shallow," he commented.

"Maybe. But that's also what makes it fun," I said.

The doors opened and I stepped out of the elevator, Carter right behind me.

"Do you work on this floor?" he asked. I nodded.

"I'm either on this floor or in the library," I told him. "If we have time, I'll show you," I said.

"Arya! I haven't seen you in a few days! How'd you manage to get a vacation?" Nadia, an associate at the firm, asked.

"I wasn't on vacation. I was gone for a family emergency," I said.

"And you brought back a handsome boyfriend with you," she giggled, eyeing Carter. Carter smirked and I rolled my eyes.

"He's not my boyfriend," I said.

"Secret's safe with me," she winked, strutting away. I sighed and shook my head.

"Associates are so obnoxious. They think they're the shit, but most of them are just temporary," I told Carter, dragging him along to Ryan's office.

Ryan's door was open and so I walked right in. He was sitting at his desk, with his back towards the door. It looked like he was talking on the phone.

"Hey, Ryan," I said, interrupting whatever conversation he was having. I heard him end the call and turn around to face me.

"It's about damn time you showed up," he barked at me. I flinched, my smile faltering. "Who the hell is this?" he asked.

"This is...Carter. He was my ride," I replied. Carter stepped forward, extending his hand, which Ryan ignored. I fought back a laugh as Carter scowled. Typical.

"What happened to your car?" he asked.

"I don't have one," I said. Ryan blinked at me.

"Remind me to change that," he said. I chuckled.

"Good to see you, Ryan," I said.

"I hate to admit it, but same to you. I've had it with these incompetent idiots that work here. You would think with only Harvard Law graduates that this place would have smarter people. Everyone's an idiot, though," Ryan said.

"Just say you missed me," I told him, smiling.

"Like I said before, never," he replied, smirking back at me. I rolled my eyes at him.

"So what have you got for me?" I asked.

"You aren't staying?" he asked back, sitting on his chair and picking up his signed baseball from his desk, tossing it in the air.

"I told you I wasn't," I replied.

"I thought you were joking," he said.

"Ryan," I said.

"What?" he asked, tossing the ball in the air and catching it.

"You are an ass," I told him. I felt Carter look at me incredulously. But this was normal talk between me and Ryan.

"Tell me something I don't know, babe," he said. I laughed and shook my head at him.

"But seriously, what do you have for me? I've got to get back home because Grammy's making dinner," I said.

"Oh, how sweet," Ryan said sarcastically. "It makes me want to vomit," he added, standing up and going to a box of files that were no doubt for me.

"You can do that later. Just give me what I need," I said.

"So eager to leave me?" Ryan asked, a devilish grin on his face as he pulled me closer to him by the waist. Carter glared at him. "Is that the guy?" Ryan whispered to me when I was close enough so that Carter couldn't hear. I glanced back at Carter and then nodded. "Seems puny," he remarked, his voice low.

"He doesn't know, so don't say anything," I said.

"I wasn't going to. I'm not an idiot," he replied, rolling his eyes. "Are you going to tell him?" he asked.

"I was going to at first, but I found he's getting married in March," I whispered. Ryan pursed his lips.

"That complicates things," he said. I nodded.

"So what are you going to do?" he asked.

"Just wait until I can find a place for Grammy that's closer to here so that I don't have to deal with it anymore," I said.

"Lillian will always be there, though," he pointed out.

"I know. But I can't tell him now," I said.

"I still think you should," he said. I shrugged and then shook my head.

"I haven't always been the best at making good decisions, have I?" I asked. "One other thing," I said.

"What?" he asked.

"I told him that you're my boyfriend," I said.

"You what?!" he shouted, causing Carter's attention to fall back on us.

"Keep it down!" I hissed.

"I can't believe you told him that," he hissed back, glaring at me.

"It kind of slipped out. And I didn't say that you in particular were my boyfriend. I just said that it was my boyfriend that gave me this bag, which was you," I explained.

"So how does that make me your boyfriend? Find someone else!" he said.

"You know me better than anyone else at the moment. You can play the part better than anyone else. And besides, he's already suspicious," I said. He pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance.

"You owe me big time for this," he said, his voice low. "And no one at this firm hears of this. Matthews will have my head on a plate if she finds out," he added.

"Why the hell would I risk my own career by telling people?" I asked.

"Because you're not the best at making decisions!" he hissed. I gave him a look and then rolled my eyes at him.

"So these are the files?" I asked, my voice returning to a normal volume.

"They're for three separate cases. I had Carmen put them in three different boxes so you don't get things confused," he replied.

"Three cases?!" I exclaimed, tossing the lid off the first box. "Three boxes?!" I cried incredulously. "I've only been gone for three days! How did this happen?" I said.

"A lot can happen in three days," he said. I glanced at Carter, who had been watching us. He looked away quickly and resumed checking out Ryan's record collection.

"Yeah, but three cases?" I asked.

"Relax, you can handle it," he said.

"Is this real?" Carter asked suddenly, plucking out a record. It was a Beatles one and it looked like it was signed by a few of them.

"Yes it is," Ryan said, going up to him and taking it from his hands. "Don't touch things," he added. Carter made a face at him when he turned around and I bit my lip to keep from laughing.

"When do they have to be done by?" I asked.

"Two of them by the end of the week. The other by Wednesday next week," he said.

"I have to figure out two cases in three days?" I asked.

"You don't have anything better to do, do you?" he replied. I groaned.

"I hate you," I said.

"Quite the contrary," he winked. I glared at him.

"Can you get an associate to bring these boxes down at least? I can't carry them all," I said.

"As you wish," he said, opening the glass door to his office and leaving to find someone.

"You let your boss talk to you like that?" Carter asked, immediately after Ryan left the room.

"We're just joking around," I said, shrugging.

"That could classify as harassment," he said.

"Carter, stop," I said.

"Why do you let him?" he asked. I looked at him, trying to make my expression look convincing. I guess it worked because realization fell over him. "That's him? That's your rich boyfriend?" he asked.

"Don't say it out loud," I said, pulling out a folder from one of the boxes.

"Isn't dating your boss not allowed?" he asked.

"Carter," I said.

"Why are you risking everything you've worked for?" he asked.

"Why do you care?" I asked back, turning to him. He clamped his mouth shut. "Just worry about yourself and I'll worry about me," I said, turning my attention back to the folder in my hands. I heard him mutter something and I wasn't quite sure, but it sounded like he said "I can't."

"What was that?" I asked.

"What?" he asked.

"Here's Gary!" Ryan announced walking back. I looked at Carter curiously, who promptly began inspecting his shoes.

"Thanks, Ryan," I said. "Pick 'em up, Gary!" I said, pointing at the boxes. The newly graduated associate sighed and grudgingly picked up the heavy boxes. He made towards the door, which Carter held open for him.

"You might have to come for a visit to meet Grammy," I said, turning towards Ryan and lowering my voice a little.

"If she's the way you described her to be, she'll see right through this," Ryan said.

"It'll make it more real for him, though," I said.

"I have another option: you can just tell him," Ryan insisted. I shook my head.

"Good-bye, Ryan," I said.

"Later, babe," he said, shaking his head at me as I walked out the door. I met Carter and Gary at the elevator and pushed the button to go down. I felt Carter looking at me, but I chose to keep my eyes facing forward. I couldn't look at him just now. I felt vulnerable and despite everything, I knew he would eventually see past my charade. But I needed to keep it up for a few weeks. Then I would be gone and out of his life forever.

                                                     ~~~~~~~~~~~

"Let's get some coffee before we go back," Carter suggested once we were settled back in his car. I waved a thank-you to Gary as he stalked back towards the building and then turned towards Carter.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because you look like you have a lot of work ahead of you," he said, nodding his head towards the back of his car where the three boxes sat. I pursed my lips.

"Good point. There's a nice little cafe down on 5th," I said.

"I know; I've been there," he replied, putting his car into drive and pulling out of his parking spot.

"Really?" I asked. He nodded. "I can't believe we've never crossed paths before," I said, leaning back in the seat.

"I think you made it pretty clear that you wanted to get away from me. I guess you got what you wished for," he replied.

"Carter," I said.

"What?" he asked.

"Can we not fight for the rest of the night? For Grammy's sake?" I asked. He glanced at me and looked back at him, my gaze solemn. He nodded.

"Okay," he agreed. I sighed and leaned back, closing my eyes.

A few minutes later, we were walking into the warm cafe. We walked up to the counter and ordered our drinks. Then we sat at one of the tables while we waited.

"It's nearly 5," he said.

"Grammy eats dinner late," I told him. "We've got time."

"So how did you and Ryan end up dating?" he asked. I felt myself grow awkward.

"We've spent a lot of time working together. I help him with almost all of his cases. There were a lot of late nights and all-nighters that we've spent together, alone," I explained. It wasn't a complete lie. We did spend a lot of time with each other. But more often than not, we grew tired and annoyed with each other's company.

"He's not your type at all," he said, shaking his head at me.

"How would you know?" I asked. He looked at me, his eyes dark, but didn't say anything. Because your type is me, I wanted him to say. But he wouldn't. He couldn't.

The waitress brought out our coffees and we thanked her. I clutched my cup in my hands, feeling the warmth transfer through my skin.

"Did you and Grammy ever talk after I first left?" I asked.

"A couple times. But they were short conversations and usually at church in passing. She was sad after you left. Her eyes weren't as bright," he told me. I nodded, feeling sadness and guilt fall over me. I had put Grammy through a lot. It wasn't fair for her to suffer because of my choice.

"You know, she won't come back here with you," Carter said.

"I'll just have to try and convince her," I said.

"You're the one that told me she wanted to die in the same place she grew up in. She's not going to come to the city with you," he said.

"I can't live there anymore, Carter," I said, my voice soft, my eyes downcast.

"Because of me?" he asked. I shook my head.

"Because of a lot of things," I said. We held each other's gaze for a while. Then he took a sip of his coffee.

"Julie really likes you," he told me.

"I can't imagine why," I said. He shrugged.

"She thinks you're pretty and smart," he said.

"She told you that?" I asked, blushing slightly. He nodded and I smiled slightly. "She's...interesting," I said, choosing my words carefully so as not to offend him.

"You don't like her," he said bluntly, catching my lie.

"I never said that," I defended.

"You didn't have to," he said.

"She's not who I imagined you'd end up with," I said.

"Who did you imagine me to end up with?" he asked.

Me.

I shrugged and looked away, but I felt his gaze on me. After we had finished our coffees, we decided to walk around outside for a bit, to enjoy the noisy city life. We drove to Central Park and then walked around the park for a bit. We were silent, but in each other's company. Occasionally, our arms would bump and we would look at each other and then move away a bit, only to have it happen again.

As we walked, we passed by an elderly couple. The old man was wearing a fishing hat and a windbreaker and the woman was wearing a hand-knit sweater over pink pants. They were absolutely adorable, just walking together in silence that so much different than the one between Carter and I. They walked with a mutual understanding between one another, with love in their weak embraces. Because although age changed them physically, emotionally, they were one at heart.

I felt myself smile when we walked by them. And I didn't know why, but for some reason, I stopped. Carter stopped as well, confused as he looked at me watching the old couple. When they passed by us again, they both smiled toothless grins at us and waved. I smiled back and waved, too. And as they hobbled on down the path, I felt my eyes begin to tear up.

I felt Carter come up next to me. I tried to compose myself, but my mind was making it a little difficult to do. I sniffled and fought against the tears that were already spilling down my cheeks. I could feel Carter's eyes on me. He had his hands in his pockets, a serious expression on his face.

"I wonder if that's what my parents would have looked like eventually if they were still alive," I said, my voice quivering and quiet.

"Arya..." Carter said. I shook my head at him and tried wiping the tears that were on my cheeks. But more took their place.

"No, I'm fine," I said.

I turned and started to walk quickly back towards the car, feeling my emotions spiral out of control. My father had sacrificed himself to save my mother's life and I was trying to be the same as him by sacrificing my own emotions and well-being for Carter's happiness.

I felt Carter follow me. When we reached the car, I had managed to stop crying. I wiped my face with the back of my hand. When Carter got to the car, I didn't look at him, not wanting him to see me the way I was.

"Let's go back now," I said quietly.

To my surprise, he came around to the passenger side where I stood. He lifted my chin up with his index finger and gently brushed my cheeks with the back of his hands. He had a pained expression written all over his face. He eyebrows were furrowed and his eyes were stormy. He shook his head at me and then pulled me into an embrace.

"Your parents are happy wherever they are because they're together," he whispered to me as my shoulders shook as I sobbed into his shirt. He brushed the back of my head with his hand, holding me as I cried. I pulled away after a few moments and tried to regain composure.

"I'm sorry; I don't know what came over me--" I began. He shook his head and brought his hands up to my cheeks, brushing away the tears that stained them.

"It's all right," he said, his voice gentle. And for the first time in the three days that we had been reunited, I saw Carter's honey-brown eyes turn their warm, kind shade. "Are you okay now?" he asked me. I nodded and let out a small laugh.

"I always am when I'm with you," I blurted out.

"Arya..." he whispered, shaking his head and holding onto my face with his hands, brushing my cheeks with his thumbs. I felt myself trembling under his touch. My heart was beating fast and it felt like it was going to burst out of my chest.

I wanted to move; I should have moved, but I didn't. I stayed where I was. And because I didn't move, I made the second biggest mistake of my life: I kissed him.

__________________________________________________

A/N: LOL. Did I really do that? Did I really do that to you guys? Yes. Yes, I did. I left you with a cliffhanger.

I'll be honest, I started crying a little myself when I was writing about the elderly couple. It reminded me of my grandparents, who aren't alive anymore. =(

So that was that. What do you think will happen next? Did she kiss him or did he kiss her?

More drama to come!

Leave me a comment! And vote!

XOXO