Shannon left us to go and do whatever errands he had been complaining about all morning. It was like he couldn't wait to get away and rushed out the door after an emotionless kiss. I honestly expected the hostility to be between Jared and I, after my drunken bitch fit, but instead, Shannon was the one who seemed pissed off.
I joined Jared on the couch, ready to apologize properly for getting wasted and ruining the night for him. Picking up his hand, I traced my finger over the lines on his palm. "I really am sorry for the way I behaved last night. It was childish, but I was really anxious about you coming to Shannon's house and finding me in his bed. I really do hope you understand that I was only doing what you guys asked me to do."
"Come here." He shifted, pulling me across his lap to straddle him. "Carrie, I do understand, you being with Shannon isn't the issue. It's just that for these important conversations, everyone needs to be completely sober. So, next time no wine." His hands moved along my legs as he stared into my eyes. "I leave first thing in the morning and was kinda hoping that you'd want to stay with me tonight."
How could someone so fucking handsome be insecure in any way? He was absolutely perfect, and could obviously get any woman he wanted, so to hear him asking me to stay, especially after that disastrous night last night, made my heart beat faster in my chest. "I'd love to stay here with you." Feeling a bit relaxed now that we had an understanding of what this relationship was, I kissed his lips gently. "Can I ask you a question?"
I could see the wheels in his head beginning to spin as his fingers mindlessly fiddled with the button on the pajama top he let me borrow last night. "Sure."
I knew my face reddened again as I brought up my being at Shannon's house. "How did you know I was at his house that day? Did he call and tell you?"
"Honestly? He asked that I come by, but I knew you were there when I arrived because I saw your car parked out front. I just didn't know you were fucking him until he opened the door with his pants hanging off. To tell you the truth, I was a bit stunned at how fast you gave in to him." There it was again, that look.
The ball of sweltering uneasiness settled in the pit of my stomach, just hearing him talk about it again. "Does it bother you, that I was with him?" I just had to know the truth.
He dropped his head back and stared up at the ceiling. The little snicker said it did bother him, but his words told a different story. "Nah, I'm comfortable with Shannon seeing you. I was just expecting you to hold out longer, that's all. You gotta admit Carrie, you did give in really fast." He was trying like hell to convince me that he was fine with it, but I saw something in his eyes that didn't mesh with his words. "Look, let's change the subject. How about we clean up the mess from breakfast and then go find something fun to do?"
"Deal." He slid his fingers around my neck and pulled me in for a sweet kiss. I loved when he was like this. Moving in closer, I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, feeling the tingle spread from my lips.
With the dishes washed and the kitchen all clean, I raced upstairs to grab my phone and keys. Wearing his pajamas, the first stop was to my apartment for a change of clothes.
I unlocked the door, and flipped through the mail. Jared sat on the couch, flipping through one of my interior design magazines. Hurrying down the hallway, I entered my bedroom to change clothes. "What are we doing today?"
"Hmm?" He called out and then cleared his throat. "Oh, I don't know. Thought maybe we could go for a walk and then grab a snow cone, or frozen yogurt. Why, is there something in particular you want to do?"
I stood in front of my closet, holding a pair of shorts. "I hadn't thought about it really. Are shorts and a t-shirt okay?"
His footsteps moving around my living room told me he was up and getting into God only knows what. "Sounds great."
'Fantastic.' I selected the shirt I wanted and spun around, hurrying to get myself dressed. Tossing the pajamas into the half full laundry basket, I got ready in record time. I opted for a ponytail and my favorite pair of vans, since this was a casual outing.
"You look really nice." I hadn't noticed him standing in the doorway, watching me until he spoke.
"Thanks." I checked myself in the mirror one last time and tied my red and black flannel around my waist before turning out the light. We left my apartment and headed over to the area he picked for our walk. He had been going on and on about this little place that had the best snow cones he'd ever had in his life and I was dying to try one.
He chose a three mile trail that ended at a small lake. The whole hike, there and back was three miles. There were lots of steep inclines, so at least I got my cardio for the day. We talked about his upcoming business trip and all of the projects he was working on. He asked about my next job, and we both avoided bringing up anything to do with Shannon. As we approached the lake, the gravel path stretched wide to the left and right, creating a complete loop around the boundary of the lake. Huge trees sprang up directly on the bank just beyond the water. Jared said that this was one of his favorite spots to go when he's stressed out. The water was crystal clear and completely still, beautiful.
He was quiet most of the way back and it was obvious his mind was elsewhere. We were nearly back to the car when he finally started talking again. "Ever been camping?" He threw me completely off after being so quiet.
"Nope. I prefer my safe, very comfortable bed at home. You know, with no bugs or little critters." The trail was amazing and we only saw a few others walking going in the opposite direction, toward the lake. It was hot, but not overwhelmingly so, and I was so ready for this awesome snow cone he had been bragging about earlier, it was all I could think about.
"Oh come on, camping is fun." He could build it up all he wanted, walking on a trail is a far cry from camping in the woods. "Oh, I'm taking you and you will love it."
"Good luck getting me out of my apartment for that one." I joked as we neared the car. I took a long sip from my bottle of water as we got in. My stomach was growling, the few bites of breakfast was long gone by now.
Jared drove to this little stand that sold everything from snow cones to fried twinkies. My heart was set on a strawberry snow cone, but when the young couple in front of us walked away with a funnel cake, our plans changed.
Seated at a table, we shared the tasty treat. The very first bite took me back to when I was a kid, going to state fairs and sharing the fattening dessert with my sister. We always complained about having to share, but Mom knew that we could probably never eat a whole cake on our own.
Later in the day, we watched the sunset down at the beach. Sitting in the sand, we snuggled together and I couldn't imagine any place I'd rather be. An orange haze casts over the water, reflecting off of every wave. The colors in the sky faded, from a bright maroon to neon pink and finally dark purple. It was the perfect ending to a perfect day.
