Mialotte: Eternal Sweethearts

33. Carly's Guards

A/N: It is like the middle of the night as I write this. The afternoon that I'm writing this chapter, I got embarrassingly wasted in broad daylight. Apologies for the oversharing as per. Loool. I'm conflicted on what direction to steer this sub-section into. Purely because I've been loving writing fluffy stuff but I have like no ideas... 

This was suggested actually, I still can't tag people.. but I hope this reaches those that did suggest this!

= Carly takes an interest in a new apprentice. The adults of the nurseries band together, to protect their jewel.

There was a new apprentice on the block. Jake. He was just about to turn 18 and had dark, fluffy hair. He was quite tall. His hair was cut quite short and he dressed in a style similar to Reece and Winter outside of work. Classy but comfy. His shirts were always ironed very crisp. He was also tremendously shy.

Carly had taken a quite obvious liking to the young man, but had no way of talking to him. She remembered when Eric first started and she soooo had the hots for him. It made her want to shrivel into a little ball when she reminisced on how she just blabbed as soon as she saw him for the first time in Reece's office. About an unappealing subject nonetheless. She definitely wasn't making that same mistake again... Gosh.

It didn't help her that she was finding Eric more and more agitating as time went on. She constantly had reminders of why Reece was right to be sceptical about him. He wasn't necessarily the worst boy she had liked. Eric was just ignorant all the time. Around when Reece was trying to bag Marjorie, there were a few questionable boys she had added on Snapchat. If Reece hadn't drowned her in paperwork, as a deterrent to meeting these strangers, she surely would have regretted going on dates with them...

She had confided in Reece and Charlotte about her crush on Jake. Well, she didn't even need to tell Reece about it, he said he already knew. Carly pondered about the conversation they had:

"Come onnnn Carly, even a newborn could've guessed you were into him. Plus not like you have much choice around here. Being 12 and all." Reece snickered at Carly who was definitely not impressed with his joke.

"A lot of talk from someone who should be shopping for walking sticks soon." Now their expressions had been switched. Carly was chuffed at her comeback and you could definitely hear Carly's cackle in the preschool room on the other side of the nursery, and Reece sat back, folding his arms before sighing in defeat.

"I'm only joking Reece!" Carly was quick to retract her statement, she felt a little bad because she was just rambling on about how cute she found Jake, Reece was nice enough to endure the talk, even though he clearly found it cringy.

What Carly didn't quite understand was that he found it cringy for different reasons than the human-eye would see. After all, she was only 17, it made sense that Carly didn't quite grasp the real reason why. It was truly because he cared deeply for Carly's feelings and he really couldn't deal with seeing her upset again, especially over a silly boy. It reminded him of Autumn in a bittersweet way. The way he would sigh when Aut told him she liked a boy, predominantly because he didn't want her little heart to be broken so young.

The tall blonde was snapped back into the present when Carly was waving her hands in front of his face.

"Jeez Reece, didn't know you were so soft to the old jokes today, where'd your mind wander off to?"

"Hah, no Carly I was just thinking about what to cook for dinner tonight with Marj, don't front about it. Didn't know 12 year olds could think so smart."

Carly simply smirked at him, finding the loophole in his insult. "You think I'm smart? Thanks Reece!"

He pursed his lips together, making a mocking face before reaching down to his pockets and getting his wallet out.

"Your break starts soon, grab us our usual, you need me to drive you there or you wanna walk?"

"I'll walk, it's okay. Thank you! See you in a bit."

"Alright, I'm going to quickly visit Marjorie and Aut, and I'll be back around when you will be back I think?" He smiled, grabbing his car keys, following Carly out the door. "See you Carly, call me if you need anything."

"Byeeee!"

As Reece arrived at Marjorie's nursery, he bumped into Char in the office. Aut was with her but Marjorie wasn't to be seen at all.

"Hey Reecey- I- I mean Reece." Char's eyes darted straight to the floor, that's what Mia called him when the couple gossiped in private. She kicked herself for letting it slip.

"Hiya Char" Reece gave Char a sly light smack on the back "Sooo.. how's the crazy redhead?"

"Sorry Reece, it's just what she calls you when she's telling me all these stories from her past. Autumn, your name crops up a lot too-"

Autumn looked up from her desk, she was engrossed in work, but was listening along to the conversation between Charlotte and her brother. "I don't even think I want to know what Mia remembers, after all we did all spend up to 20 years in each others' presence."

Char chimed in, positively: "I mean, you'd be surprised, a lot of what Mia talks about is pretty wholesome, she cares about you both,"

Autumn shot her a glare that conveyed she wasn't convinced in the slightest.

"I mean it Autumn! Even if it is the case that she cares in her own special way."

"Whatever you say Charlotte, anyway, big brother? What are you doing here?"

"Ah I came to see Marj but she is busy I assume? Speaking of gossip, have you two heard anything about that new boy? Jake?"

Char answered whilst Autumn went silent again, focussing back on her work.

"The apprentice? I think he spent some time here learning stock counts a few weeks ago. Quite shy, I think it'll take him a while to warm up to you, I hear he is coming back in a few days to be at your nursery temporarily."

"Oh really? I didn't know he worked here with Marj, did you interact with him?" Reece's tone shifted, into a concerned one.

"Not too much, he is very sweet though," Charlotte continued. "I think there's no doubt about that. He definitely reminds me a little of young Mia, well at least whatever she has told me. Shy, quite eager to learn new things, a real chatterbox once he's comfy with you."

"I didn't mean to, but I overheard him telling one of his friends how he had befriended a baby in the toddler room one day. He was talking about how Carly was bopping the baby up and down as he read part of a book to the child."

Reece slurred his words a little "Has errr Carly talked to you about him?" His face shrivelled a little bit, like he wanted the ground to swallow him whole.

Autumn clocked on and butted in: "Oh please don't tell me she's swanning the place dressed as me again..."

Reece raised his eyebrow: "Lil sis, keep humble, not everyone is into you or trying to be you." He couldn't take his words back fast enough before Autumn launched a pair of headphones right into his arm.

"Ouch!"

"Say stupid things big brother and you earn that kind of treatment. Anyway, I'm going, bye Charlotte. Bye big brother."

"I'm getting you back for that Aut! But yeah, see you!" Reece shouted as she closed the door behind her.

Reece attempted to continue the conversation he and Charlotte were having: "Well Char, tell me more about that guy, whatever his name was."

Charlotte gasped, delighted, "Is this a little bit of brotherly- fatherly concern that I'm sensing Reece!? Didn't know you cared about Carly so much."

She giggled at him, finding his unsure nature very humorous.

(Loads of characters in this one, did we like? I'm thinking to make this maybe 3 parts long, more if the plot develops, we'll see.)