Captivation

Captivation Part 28

Jared watched his friend disappear as suddenly as he had appeared. Caitlin scowled at Douglas' departing back. But before she could follow in his footsteps, Jared reached for her arm to stop her from leaving. Caitlin said nothing. She glared at the annoying man, then spun around. "Just a minute." He caught hold of her upper arm. "We haven't finished." Though what exactly he planned to do was beyond him. He was having difficulty thinking straight.

"Yeah, believe me, we have." Caitlin snapped haughtily. "And let go of my arm." When her demand did not result in the action she wanted, she added with hauteur, "Right now."

"What the hell did you say to Doug?" Jared asked as she scowled at a semi wet Caitlin. He was a man of experience. Being this close to a semi-naked woman should not be having the impact it was having on him.

"Nothing of consequence." She glared. "Now get out of my way!" Looked like their track record of scenes was continuing. The benefits of the walk and the soak in the tub evaporated instantly as Caitlin realized this latest scene would no doubt once again fire up the gossip. Perfect. Just perfect. This latest debacle was no doubt going to circulate like wildfire.

"Then what did he mean I'll leave you to it?"

"He's your friend! Ask him! " She shot back.

"Why the hell were you in Mira's bath?" Jared gestured toward the bathroom. The other one was out of order. The two other bathrooms contained shower cubicles. So he figured Mira was in this one. He could hear the radio playing softly in the background, he noted the light was off but he'd seen through the frosted glass the flicker of candles. Just before he'd stepped into the bathroom he had even smiled to himself in acknowledgment of the effort Mira had gone to. Then he had cannoned into Caitlin.

Caitlin slapped his hand away. She was starting to get goose bumps, standing as she was just wrapped in a towel. "You see, that's why I'm stupid. I didn't realise that water or that tub had a name to it and I must have missed a sign saying Mira's bath." His eyes narrowed at her sarcasm. Caitlin ignored that look. She was starting to get cold, standing as she was with just the towel wrapped around her. "I just turned on the taps and ran a bath for me." She stormed away, livid. No doubt she would once again be the topic of conversation.

She was right. For by the time Caitlin had changed and come downstairs, she was the subject of conversation. None of it was complimentary. Candy and Nigel came over and stood by her in a show of support. Caitlin was tempted to hug them for their stance. These were the kind of people who made the world a better place. For despite their timidity and despite the fact they would be ostracized for hanging out with Caitlin they had still chosen to stand with Caitlin.

Mira and Jared were nowhere to be seen until the group were ready to set off for dinner. Then the two of them appeared, and it was clear that both blamed Caitlin for the latest debacle. Caitlin ignored their frosty looks. Just one more sleep is what she told herself. That's all she had to put up with, then she was going to make sure she steered well clear of Jared. For every time they met, she ended up the topic of speculation.

The group trouped into town for the meal that had been booked at the local Thai restaurant.

"Don't let them get to you." Candy whispered as she and Caitlin made her way toward a table at the far corner. It was clear that the rest of the group were giving Caitlin the cold shoulder.

"Mind if I join you?" Douglas materialised from nowhere. He moved Caitlin's chair and waited for her to be seated before taking the seat beside her. Nigel took the seat beside Candy. Douglas tried to determine whether Caitlin was upset, but her expression was closed. So he decided to be blunt. "Sorry about earlier. I get the feeling I made things worse." He ran his hand through his hair. "I think I misread the situation."