You Belong With Me (4 page)

Tommy entering their dorm room and startled Carter from a sound sleep. Tommy looked at him laying on his bed.

“Dude, didn’t you have a date tonight?” Carter looked at him disoriented.

“Huh? What time is it?”

“6:40.” He jumped up and scrambled to grab his cell phone. When he didn’t see any missed calls he realized he never gave Casey his number. He grabbed his wallet and another spritz of cologne to cover up the smell of weed still lingering on him. He knew he was royally screwed. He got stoned and fell asleep. Carter didn’t know much about Casey yet, but he knew she would not tolerate this. He spun around the room and made a gesture with his arm for Tommy to give him a once over. Tommy rolled his eyes and gave him a thumbs up and with that Carter was out the door running towards Mitchell Hall. When he got to the front door he was a total fucking mess. He was panting and sweat dripped from his brow. The cologne he put upon himself earlier defeated the purpose. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath and made his way inside to the lobby. There was a security desk as he made his way through the doors. Carter strolled up to it, still out of breath. He leaned his hands onto the counter, a curly headed blonde girl with wire rim glasses looked up at him from her book.

“May I hel…. “She stopped speaking as her jaw slacked at the sight of him.

“Yes, can you please buzz Casey Colbert for me?” He gave her an exhausted look and waited for her to shut her gaping mouth to at least acknowledge his request.

“Uh, um, uh… aren’t you Carter London of Dare?” She stuttered speaking to him and he politely gave her a small smile and nodded his head. She pressed a button on a phone key pad in front of her and buzzed Casey’s room. Carter began feeling a panic rise in his chest as he wondered why she wasn’t answering the call. She left. Why shouldn’t she? He never showed up. He fucked up. Finally, a voice answered.

“Hello.”

“Hey Lyla, it’s Chrissy. I have ah, um, I well I have Carter London here for Casey and um, he is standing in front of me.” The last part she whispered into the speaker.

He anxiously paced back and forth at the desk waiting for the reply.

“Oh, he is now. Well, you can tell him, she is gone. Didn’t have the time to wait around for him. She’s not too happy, Chrissy.” Lyla knew she was on an intercom system and that Carter was hearing everything she was saying, but she wasn’t sure if Carter was aware of that. He laced his fingers together and put them behind his head and looked up to the ceiling, still pacing. Shit! Well, he blew it. Defeated, he rushed air out of his lungs and headed towards the door when he heard Lyla speak again.

“Oh well, Chrissy. I guess Casey will just have to move on and deal with her heartache by drowning her sorrows in a milkshake down at Nick’s. Poor Case. Down there all by herself.”

He stopped dead in his tracks and gave a head turn towards the girl at the desk and grinned. Lyla was good. Sneaky but good.

Carter darted out the door and headed back to get his car so he could get down to Nick’s Burgers to see if Casey was still there. Would she even talk to him if he approached her? That was the question. He was about to find out.

Carter made his way into Nick’s Diner and looked around for Casey. As soon as he made his way down where all the tables were lined left and right, he was approached by four giddy girls. He couldn’t even move due to their proximity. One spoke as the other giggled.

“Oh. My. God. You are Carter London from Dare! We have seen you guys perform the last few weeks. We can't get enough of you guys,” the leggy blonde said to him winking. One of the girls put her hand on his ass and he jumped slightly at the unexpected touch. He moved out of the way of the over-friendly entourage. He saw out of the corner of his eye Casey sitting with her arms folded glaring at him biting the inside of her lip. Another girl stood in front of him and brazenly grazed her hand across his crotch. He shuttered at the feeling and knew he needed to get out of this situation before he missed any chance to make things right with Casey. He stepped back away from them, eyes still focused on Casey.

“Girls, I have to go meet someone but we are playing next Thursday and Sunday at Beach Bums. Come out again and we can finish where we left off.” He had no idea why he said that. He could kick himself. He had no intention of starting anything with them, or finishing anything with them for that matter.

Carter squeezed by the girls and approached Casey who had fire in her eyes and not the good kind, full passion or desire. Dagger, angry type fire. He stood at the other side of the booth and closed his eyes tight and opened them before he spoke.

“Casey, I can expla…” She put her hand up to stop him even before he said the rest of his sentence.

“Save it, Carter. For the sake of me and your little gang of groupies. I obviously rank even lower than them.” She picked up her strawberry shake and sipped it then looked back down to the celebrity trash magazine she was reading.

“Groupies? What? You mean those girls? That’s not why I’m late. I fell asleep. I was ready early and I sat on the sofa and fell asleep.” She still didn’t move. “ Do you think I was with a girl and that’s why I didn’t show up? Casey, please look at me.”

She looked up reluctantly. “ It really doesn’t matter what I think you were doing. This isn’t going to work.” She motioned her hand back and forth between the both of them.

“I got stoned. Fell asleep. Got woken up by my roommate, ran to your dorm, then to my car, then drove here. I’m sorry. I screwed up.”

She crossed her arms over her chest and sighed.

“Stoned. Nice. Couldn’t you stand to stay clear headed on our date? I mean I know you're some rock star but really? Give me a break.” She said it sarcastically. They stayed silent for a bit. She couldn't help but look at his pleading eyes. Then she spoke.

“ Business major, huh?”

He looked up dazed and confused. Was she taking this where he hoped it would have been taken, if he hadn’t been so stupid as to be late for their date?

“You mean about me being a business major? Oh yes, that's what I’m studying. If this music thing doesn’t work out I need something to fall back on. I mean, I’d like it to work out.”

“You love music a lot don’t you?” she asked.

“It's… well it’s my life. I live and breathe it. I have since I was a kid.” He paused and sat back in his booth. He looked around Nick’s. It was a 1950s style diner with bright neon signs that flashed “Burgers and Fries." Music blared from the jukebox and red, shiny stools aligned the counter. The smell of grease hung heavy in the air and a waitress came up with her hot pink uniform, black apron, and pad of paper. She took one look at the gorgeous creature in front of her. The ability to speak escaped her as she ogled him. It seemed like she stood there forever. Casey looked at Carter; he looked at Casey, and they both looked at the waitress. Carter spoke.

“Hi. Can I get a chocolate cherry shake, extra thick?” He smiled tight lipped up at her.

The waitress broke out of her gaze and regained her senses.

“ Aren’t you Carter London from Dare?”

He nodded. She wrote down his order never bothering to inquire if Casey wanted anything, walked away and headed behind the counter to speak with a few of her female co-workers. Casey shook her head.

“So, do you have any idea what sort of business you would like to study? I mean if the whole rock star thing doesn’t happen for you.” She rolled her eyes and did quotes with her fingers as she said rock and roll thing. Casey really didn’t want to lead on that she cared, but she also didn’t want an uncomfortable silence settling on them either. She thought he was sincere in his apology.

“I have no idea, but all I know is that it has to be something in music. I need music in my life. I’ve played piano since I was 7. I was classically trained. Guitar since I was 10.”

“What about the voice? Have you always been able to sing?”

He smiled at her. “I guess. My mom always said I used to sing in the shower and it was either the acoustics were really good in there or I was.”

That made Casey chuckle but then she quickly recovered giving him a stern look. Carter wasn't off the hook as far she was concerned but he was making an effort and she wanted to appease him for the time being. He looked puzzled at her new expression and he thought she was trying to play tough guy, so he thought he’d change the subject and focus on her.

“So nursing. What made you want to do that as a career? You like blood and guts?”

“As a matter of fact, I do. I actually am fascinated with the human body. How it works, how it heals itself, how people can heal it.” He looked at her adoringly and marveled just at the way she talked about it. He asked her about what speciality she planned to concentrate on and when she would begin her clinical classes which wouldn’t be for another whole year of her prerequisites. All her anatomy, math, science, and English courses. She amazed Carter with her passion for learning and he loved how she became so open with her words. The waitress came over and brought him his shake and again ogled him. Casey was annoyed. She blew a strand of hair away from her face. He knew she was aggravated and he needed to come up with something quick before she ran out the door.

“I hate blood and guts. Especially in horror movies. Can’t watch ‘em. I keep my hand in front of my face and look between my fingers if I need to.”

Casey almost shot her just sipped milkshake out of her mouth and Carter’s revelation. A twenty year old guy afraid of horror movies? It was crazy but she also thought adorable as well. She laughed out loud after she swallowed the contents of her shake. He laughed along with her. Her smile and laugh made his heart burn. His palms started sweating again but he enjoyed sharing in her contagious laughter.

They talked about her being from Sarasota and how he was from Clearwater. They described their families to one another and he told her how him and Tommy were friends since they were kids and how they met Jake when they were all enrolled in an after school music program senior year of high school. He spoke of how they formed Dare and how they took "music appreciation" together at Bayshore and how he and Tommy and Jake were lucky enough to all be roommates at Dalton Hall. She told him how like him and Tommy, her and Lyla were best friends since Middle School. He loved the way she talked. He loved that as she got more comfortable with him, she became more expressive and animated. She was fun and creative and the most adorable and intellectual woman he had ever spoke to. She enjoyed the way he talked about music and about his mom. He described her as over protective and always in his business but how fun and creative she was and how he talked of how she was the most influential and important woman in his life. Casey thought that was a total turn on when a guy described his mother like that. It made him appear to be real and down to earth.

The conversations were going great and they were there for hours. Sharing shakes and desserts like old friends. That was until a group of girls walked in, went to the counter and Carter and Casey’s waitress whispered something to them. They turned towards their table and sauntered their way over looking like a pack of cheetahs hunting for food. Carter was their meal ticket. They were dressed to the nine’s with short skirts and shorts, high heels, hair flowing and tanned skin. They walked right up to the booth and one sat right down and whispered something in Carter’s ear. He closed his eyes and blushed. Another girl made her way to the other side of the booth and did the same thing. This one though had balls. She actually grabbed the side of his face and stuck her tongue in his ear. With Casey sitting right there. Did they not realize what was going on here? Did they think she was his buddy? A pal? His sister? Another girl sat next to Casey and she felt the girl beginning to rub her foot on something across the table, Casey looked under the table curious and saw the girl with her bare foot rubbing Carter’s crotch. Carter looked almost like he was high again. Mouth open, eyes heavy, and breathing hitched. They asked him about the band and told him how sexy he was when he played with the band. One girl told him that her and another girl would totally have a threesome with him. Casey was officially annoyed and grossed out. She abruptly got up from the table spilling the contents of her milkshake when she did so, she woke Carter up from his clothed ménage a trios. He suddenly became aware of the situation and tired to rise out of the booth, adjusting the uncomfortable bulge in his pants. Casey turned to him, grabbing her purse.

“Don’t even bother, Carter. I wouldn’t want to spoil your fun.” And with that she stormed out of Nick’s and headed back to her dorm. She took a different way home because the last thing she wanted was Carter following her. She knew it wasn’t his fault that those girl tried to seduce him, but it was his fault that he allowed it to continue with her sitting there. Casey felt a stinging in her chest. She stormed into the lobby of her dorm to find Carter standing there out of breath waiting for her.

“What the hell are you doing here? Don’t you have business to attend to?” He approached her cautiously.

“Casey, can we please go outside and talk?” She remained there with her arms folded over her chest.

“Why should I?”

“Because I thought we had a really good time and I want to apologize for what happened back there.”

She put her head down and took a few cleansing breaths.

“Fine.” She started towards the door with him trailing behind her. He held the door open for her to pass first.

“You have two minutes.” Was she serious? He stood in front of her and pleaded his case.

“I’m sorry and I know I have said that a lot tonight but I mean it. As soon as I saw those girls I should have told them to get lost. I’m not sure what happened. I’m confused myself. This thing with girls approaching me has been happening more and more lately. I can’t control it but I can stop it from happening. I really thought we hit it off tonight. You are so easy to talk to and I had a really nice time. I’m just… sorry.” He hung his head in defeat.