priorities-2

32

It's a beautiful sunny day shaded with guilt from the previous night. I try to put itpassed me as I join Carrie in the kitchen for breakfast but it's kind of hard becauselooking at her makes me feel guilty, "When do you fly back?" she asks."I'm going to visit mom and dad, Slasher's taking me out tonight and I'll fly backthe day after tomorrow." 

"What about John? Has he even called you, does he know what you're doing?""John hasn't called, he has out of town games. Obviously he has no idea what I'mdoing if you're referring to Slasher.""No, I mean does he know how long your staying? What's he doing?"I shrug, "He's busy with his games, bagel?" I offer."Sure," she says."What about Hunter? When do you see him again?""In a few days, he has work in New York and he's flying to Manchester, he has tomeet with the publisher over a book he's working on.""The rest of your trilogy?" I ask, the bagel pops so I dig in her very messy fridge forthe butter.

No, that's finished already.""Your fridge is disgusting. Did you read it?" I ask out of curiosity buttering Carries."Not really, I peaked at it, but it bothers me too much.""I don't blame you," I empathize biting into my bagel, it's stale tasting even aftertoasting

"Mya tried seeing you a few weeks ago," I tell her."You're kidding," she says shocked."No, I'm not. The last time I saw Ted, he told me that he made sure Mya didn'tget a chance to see you. Ted has it bad for you." I study Carrie. This doesn't appear to benews to her, "Did you know?"She grimaces, "Yes, it's hard not to since I live with him.""But you didn't know that Mya tried seeing you?""I had no idea.""You haven't done anything with Ted have you?"

"I haven't kissed Ted if that's what you're asking," Carrie reads my mind. She rolls her eyes, "Maybe a few times, when Hunter and I were fighting but it didn't mean anything." "To you," I clarify, "Ted's in love with you." The stunned look on her face tells me she never imagined what I'm telling her. "John was so mad when I told him that Ted prevented Leonardo from seeing you." Once she digests what I've told her she finishes her bagel, "I can't believe him!" "You can't say anything," I warn Carrie. "You're going to ruin your friendship. You were never going to get back together with Leonardo anyway." "You don't know that," she sips her coffee. "I'm not married to Hunter yet, so nothing is written in stone." It dawns on me that I haven't seen Ted since I've been here, "By the way where is Ted?" "Cuba, he said he needed to get away. He invited me." I nod knowingly, like see! Carrie starts ignoring me and typing into her phone, "I'm texting Leonardo right now, maybe he had something important to tell me." "Ya, like about his undying love," I kid, but I'm probably not too far off from the truth. 

Later that night: 

Slasher comes to pick me up in a hired limousine. He's dressed in black leatherchaps and I can't help but laugh. He offers me a drink in the limousine as the chauffeurdrives off. He parks the car at the fanciest hotel and we make our way to one of the mostexclusive suites.He scans his key and there's a small table with a white tablecloth, two silver domes,champagne flutes, obviously with candlelight. "This is beautiful I gush.""Anything for you," he admits. "Firing you is the biggest regret of my life," heconfesses. "Sit, sit."He gallantly pulls my chair out and I sit down, waiting for him to join me. I removemy dome and beneath is a plate of shrimp and caviar. It looks half delicious, halfdisgusting, but I pretend it looks completely delicious."To be honest, I miss singing with you Elliot.

"Music to my ears, consider rejoining the tour.""You're offering my old job back," I'm surprised."And more," he says mysteriously."What do you mean more?" I question."I don't want to overwhelm you, just know that I missed you more than you missedme."I know that this confession must be hard for him and I shouldn't be here, alone withhim. Resisting him is near impossible. I make a resolution to not allow him to see meanymore after tonight. "We shouldn't see each other anymore.""John and I were never officially divorced.""We can rectify that," he offers."I don't want to," I tell him."You're lying to yourself if you think that you should stay with him or that you lovehim more than me. I can tell just by how we feel together.""You don't know how I feel," I reply self-righteously.We finish our dinner, and our conversation doesn't go well. I make it clear to Elliot,that this has to be our last night alone together. We cuddle sharing words that expressfeelings to deep for anyone else to understand, too personal for someone like me who isin another relationship with someone else.We share a limousine to the airport where we kiss like star crossed lovers before herejoins the rest of his tour in Manitoba and I return home to Florida.