You Belong With Me (5 page)

There was total silence between them.

Casey seemed deep in thought. She was very attracted to him but she couldn’t get over what happened at Nick’s and that if he continued with the band and they got more popular and noticed, it would happen more often than not. Her insecurities would keep her from trusting him or others if what ever would happen between them, happened. He was gorgeous and charismatic and girls would be crazy not to notice that and be attracted to it. He had a force behind him. It was strong and it pulled you in. Casey tended to be insecure with relationships and her heart didn’t know if she could handle it.

“Carter, I think you are a great guy and super talented but I don’t know if I could handle what happened tonight again. I can sit back and watch it if we weren’t involved, but if we take this relationship somewhere else, I don’t think I could do it. I’m not strong enough.”

He could have pleaded with her and begged her and continued to convince her that they could be something but he didn’t. He royally fucked up tonight and he didn’t expect her to give him a second chance. He lost the battle. She was strong willed, but insecure and she had every reason to be if the relationship turned into something. Girls would always be there. The temptation would as well.

“I understand Casey and I’m sorry. You are such a great person and I haven't enjoyed a conversation so much in my life. I had a great time. Again I'm sorry. If you change your mind about me, you know where I am.”

She felt the same way. She enjoyed talking to him and she felt at ease when she was with him. There was something about how open she felt when they talked. Almost like an older brother. Weird as it seemed, that was her feelings. The lust part may still have been present but maybe a friendship could work out and eventually the lust would go away. He began to walk away when she called his name. He turned around and she was by the front door to the lobby.

“I’m sorry too Carter, but I don’t see why we couldn’t be friends. If you want to. I’m willing to give that a shot.” He smiled at her warmly.

“Yea that could work.”

Carter thought that if that’s the way it had to be then so be it. He wanted Casey to be a permanent fixture in his life. In what ever capacity she would be present in.

CHAPTER 3

TUGBOATS and YACHTS

The next morning Carter woke to the smell of coffee and bacon and the sounds of the stereo. He rubbed his hands across his overly stubbled face and swung his legs towards the side of the bed. He shook his head as he heard what sounded like someone killing a cat but then he realized it was his best friend's singing. He grinned and stood to put on a pair of boxers and a t-shirt. He made his way down the steps when he stopped in the door way of the kitchen to spy on Casey dancing around the kitchen in a pair of hot pink boy shorts and a gray t-shirt sans bra. She bounced around singing into a spatula one of her favorite songs that her and Carter frequently danced to through the years. Marvin Gaye's "Got To Give It Up." They loved R & B. That was something they found they had in common. They were into the older stuff. Earth, Wind, & Fire, Aretha, Smokey, and of course Marvin. Carter watched her blonde haphazard bun flop on her head as she moved her tiny body around the kitchen. Her singing was well.... HORRIBLE! She knew it, but it never stopped her from belting it out. She had the biggest grin on her face as she continued to sway her hips. Carter thought she was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen and he fantasied about their unborn daughter looking like her. It was a thought he entertained in his mind more frequently than not and as much as it pleased him to think about it, the reality of what will never happen hurt so much more. She was apparently in love and it wasn't with him. He shook his thoughts and jumped into the entrance of the kitchen surprising her and joined her singing and dancing. They danced the routine they had rehearsed the summer going into Sophomore year while they were drinking one night and realized how much they both loved old school R & B and some of the classics.

2004

Carter and Casey grew close the end of Freshman year. They discussed keeping in contact and hanging out once they went back home. Carter started to see a girl who frequented Beach Bums and came to almost every single show they did on Thursdays and Sundays. Her name was Toni. They began dating in May right before summer break. She went to a neighboring college but they began spending a lot of time together more in a group setting than anything else. She was very pretty, exotic looking. She had long, dark straight hair, and medium height and an athletic build. She came to Beach Bums with her friends. He noticed her in the crowd and they began striking up conversations more and more. He still had his wondering eye. The more popular the band became, the more girls came around. When he was at the microphone, he became the object of many women's desires and he knew it and went with it. He knew he didn't stand a chance with Casey but there was always this unexplainable pull he had towards her. No matter who he hooked up with or how often he saw Toni, Casey was always in his mind. It confused him because they were just friends.

One Sunday night, after Dare's set, Casey, Lyla, Nikki, and Noel were at Beach Bums and she spotted Toni and a few of her friends. Casey thought Toni was a nice girl. She liked the fact that Carter didn't stray away from her when they were together. They waited for Carter to pack up his stuff and join them. When he made his way down with Tommy towards the bar, Toni threw her arms around his neck and bought him a beer. They introduced Lyla and Tommy to one another and it seemed like the two had instant chemistry although Lyla knew Tommy was nothing more than a bad boy. Carter went up to Casey and gave her a peck on the cheek. Toni glared at Casey with an air of warning and wondered if Toni was jealous of Casey? Her and Carter were friends. They hung out everyday and studied together. What was the big deal? The D.J. at Beach Bums came on and they all decided to go on the dance floor. A hot song came on and they all gyrated to the music. When Carter made his way behind Casey and began grinding against her in an innocent way, he could smell the Magnolias on her and he bit his bottom lip hard to try to steady himself from the intoxicating scent. Sexual tension became evident when Casey felt Carter's erection on her back side. She spun around and looked into his blue eyes.

"Christ, Carter, do you have any control over that thing?" She stopped dancing, shook her head and made her way to the bar. Carter internally cursed himself and the bulge in his pants.

He turned to Toni who wasn't looking in their direction while they were dancing. He whispered in her ear " Wanna get out of here?" She shook her head and he made his way back to Toni. Her dorm was on the other side of town. Once back at her dorm, she tried to get the key to her room in the hole but Carter's hands were on her ass and his warm breath and tongue in her ear detained her from turning the knob. She finally turned it and they made their way into her room. Carter spun Toni around and gave her no time to breathe. His lips crashed into hers and he jammed his tongue deep into her mouth. She kneaded her hands through his thick black hair. He slipped his hands around to cup her ass and lift her onto his hips. She wrapped her legs around his waist and he ground his erection into the front of her short shorts. The friction caused a moan to escape Toni's lips. Carter backed her against a wall and steadied her so her could reach down and take off her shirt. He pulled it off with one swift move. He began licking the hollow of her throat and she continued to grind the front of his shorts where his dick was hard beneath the material. He pulled down one of her bra straps and caught her nipple in his hand and then proceeded to lick it. It hardened at the first contact and she began to shake her head in a back and forth motion mimicking almost a seizure. Carter had his one strong arm holding her ass up and the other made it's way inside her already soaked panties.

"Oh fuck yea baby. You are so wet. You want me to fuck you right here or on the bed?" He tongued her ear waiting for her reply. Toni found it difficult to speak so she just motioned towards the bed. His fingers entered her and she gasped at the contact. He began moving them in and out of her and she arched her back and her head fell back. He knew she was close and frankly so was he. He made his way to the bed and with drew his fingers from inside her. He quickly took off his t-shirt, shorts and boxers. Toni laid there sprawled out on her bed with her shorts and panties still attached to her one ankle. Carter sauntered his way up her thighs with his hands then slowly pulled the remaining clothes off of her. She was spread out for all of Carter to see. He could see her wetness glistening and she bucked her hips up and down in anticipation for him to be inside her. He gazed down at her and thought about what a hot piece of ass she was. Perfect body, perfect face, great personality. She was the whole package. Could he possibly see this turning into something more?

"Don't just stand there, Carter. Fuck the shit out of me." Toni protested. That was all the ammunition Carter needed. He grabbed a condom from his shorts that were on the floor. When he looked up again, Toni was rubbing her clit with one hand and pinching her nipple with another. It was the hottest thing he had ever seen. He couldn't roll the condom on fast enough. He needed to be inside this hot piece of ass. He didn't take this one slowly, he impaled her with one thrust and she winced at the pleasure. He pounded into her relentlessly. Toni moaned and wrapped her legs again around his waist and bucked up her hips to meet his thrusts. The sweat poured from his head and he swept his black wisps back from his forehead. She was hot, tight, meeting him pump for pump. Carter was enjoying himself and smirked when he felt himself almost ready to orgasm. Toni began calling out his name.

"Oh God, Carter, harder, deeper, don't stop. Please. Oh God!" He closed his eyes tight and when he did so one image came into his brain even though his cock was imbedded in someone else. He saw a pair of ice blue eyes and wavy blonde hair and a smile that lit up his everyday. He saw Casey and as he bucked into Toni a few more times he began to chant Casey's name.

"Casey, oh God, Oh God, Casey baby!" He started to shoot himself into Toni and when he opened his eyes, he looked up at her and she looked horrified. Her eyes spilling with tears and her mouth was wide open in surprise. He withdrew from her slowly and ripped off the condom. He threw it in the trash can that was beside the bed. Toni grabbed a throw blanket beside her on the bed and quickly covered herself with it. Carter said nothing. He knew what he did and it was much too late to take it back. He pulled on his boxers and shorts and put his T-shirt on over his head. He slipped on his shoes and never made eye contact with Toni as she sat against her headboard and cried. He grabbed his keys from the floor and then looked up at her. Toni had smeared black mascara streaming down her face and red swollen lips from their kissing.

"Toni?" He spoke quietly. "I'm... I'm so sorry." He turned away from her and made his way out and never looked back. He closed the door and made his way to the elevator. The doors closed and he braced the wall. Angry tears spilled from his eyes. He realized in that moment that he wasn't sorry he called out Casey's name. He was only sorry it wasn't her beneath him. It was like a lightening bolt hit him from above and entered the cloudiness of his brain. It was like a clear blue sky strolled in him now and he knew that with Casey, it was love.

~~~~~

After spring semester, ended Casey and Carter went their separate ways but swore they would see each other. The boys were from Clearwater and they would travel to Sarasota to see them every so often. They would hang out in Lyla's parent's pool and when her parents went to bed Tommy would bring out the already packed bowl and they would all sit in the hot tub and pass it around. Lyla and Tommy would always wind up making out and Carter and Casey would excuse themselves and go grab ice cream out of the freezer. Not that Lyla or Tommy ever realized they were even there or gone for that matter. The girls would then make the hour long trip to Clearwater on occasion and they would go to the beach at night to swim. They would splash around and play frisbee. Sometimes the guys would bring their rods and fish off the pier. Lyla's parents would allow the boys spend the night sometimes. They were those parents who allowed her to do whatever just so they would look cool while Casey's mom was an ultra strict catholic that didn't let her date till she was a senior in high school and even then she needed to be chaperoned by her older brother. Her dad passed away when she was ten. Once Casey got to college, her down time was spent sucking face and messing around with boys. She wasn't a slut and had only slept with two guys. Her first, Scott Handy in the beginning of freshman year. They dated for a month and then they did the deed. The second was Declan Ross and they dated for 3 months before he took her. Then once she met Carter and they spent time together she hit a dry spell. Casey spent a lot of time at Lyla's that summer but by the beginninng of August, Casey's mom ( the disapproving Dara) wanted to meet Casey's friends from college so she invited Lyla, Tommy, and Carter over for dinner. Casey and Lyla waited on Casey's front porch for the boys to arrive. Dara poked her head out and asked Casey, "Why on earth are you wearing those sneakers again and what is with your hair? It looks like a rat's nest."

Casey rolled her eyes and before she spoke Lyla said, "Dara I think she looks adorable. Converse are her thing. It's what makes Casey, Casey. She never has to impress anyone with her style. Her personality does that for her." Lyla turned and winked at Casey. Dara rolled her eyes.

"I beg to differ on that one Lyla." She turned and walked back in the house. No matter what Casey did or said, it was never good enough for Dara and that was sad. The boys pulled up and Carter held out a bunch of Magnolia's for Casey. Her favorite flower.

"These are for you. They smell like you." She smiled at him and kissed his cheek and then swatted his arm. "Cute Carter. Don't freak my mother out please take out your earrings guys. I asked you to do it yesterday. And don't tell her you are in a band. She thinks you guys are going to Bayshore for Education. "They both started laughing and looking at one another in disbelief. "Ha. Ha. Us educators? The only thing I could teach kids is how to roll a tight joint," Tommy said laughing." I'm serious guys. Please. If she found out you are in a band, she would forbid me to hang with you guys." They took out their earrings and they both put them into their pockets. Then they made their way into Casey's house. The introductions went ok. Casey's brother Chris was a nice guy and was always on Casey's side. During the introductions Dara looked like she just stepped in dog shit. Always with this look on her face. Nose turned up like she was better than them. It was a front because she was brought up by a strict Irish catholic family where the alcoholic dad beat on the mom. She was nothing and made her only daughter feel that way. They had a nice dinner in spite of Dara hardly speaking to them and not even making eye contact. Chris asked most of the questions and kept the conversation going.After they ate, they sat on the patio with tea.

"So Casey tells me you are both going to Bayshore for Education. Is that correct?" Dara asked again making zero eye contact with them. Oh shit, they both needed to think and think fast. Casey felt her heart race and a bead of sweat formed on her upper lip. Carter spoke up first.

"Yes, Mrs. Colbert. I would like to teach Middle school where Tommy would like to brighten the minds on 18 year olds. I think he would like to teach health and phys ed. Co-Ed. Isn't that right Tommy? You like uniforms right? Maybe even Catholic School." Lyla spit her water out of her nose and Casey almost vomited.

"Yes Carter, that is correct and you like little kids right? They are so small and cuddly. Especially the boys." After that Casey stood up abruptly and Carter's face was crimson in color.

"Well, mom thank you so much for dinner but we have tickets to see a movie." They all stood and the boys shook Mrs. Colbert's hand. Dara barely put her palms out to shake them then she told Casey to be home no later than Midnight. She was looking forward to going back to in a few weeks for some freedom.