Dearest - truly flung out of space

42 - The Meeting

The talk with Harge happened five days ago. Carol needed around three days to come back to her normal self. Rindy stayed with Abby for this time since we didn't want her to be included too much. The thought of seeing Therese again was already scary enough for her.

"I'm scared," Carol whispers as she hold the phone in her hand. She's about to call Therese. Since she left her contact dates in her letter, Carol thought it was the easiest way to get this over with.
"I know, love. But I'm here. She can't hurt you. She's not here. There is a phone between you two," I reply and gently squeeze her shoulders.My favourite blonde takes a deep breath and begins to dial the number. The call starts and we hear the voice of Therese after seconds.

"Carol? Carol, I miss you, I'm so happy that you called me. God, I miss you. I love you," Therese begins to explain.
"Therese, stop. we need to talk. Tomorrow, 3PM. Come to the restaurant 'The Finesse'. It's on the Armor Street. You won't miss it if you drive outside of the town. Bye," Carol says and ends the call. I'm beyond proud of her.
Carol sets the phone down and looks at me.
"Her words... Y/N. Her words hurt so much," she admits and falls into my arms.
"You did so well, my love. I'm proud of you," I reply and kiss her cheek.

Tomorrow will be the day Carol will have to face her again. But after that, we will never have to see Therese again. Just one more talk. We can get through that.

The next day comes sooner than we would have wished. When it was time to wake up, Carol really protested and clung to me. It was a funny sight but it was heartbreaking as well. Her chest was rising like crazy because of the fear. So, we stayed in bed for a little longer and cuddled. Carol even fell asleep again. The fact that she trusts me so much still makes my heart skip beats. She really is my home, my savior, my happiness.

It's 2:30PM when Carol takes her seat in the restaurant. I've made her comfort meal before to take a bit of the anxiety off but I'm afraid it wasn't as effective as I would have wished.

Everyone is on board. My boss is there too. When we told him about the situation, he immediately told me that he would have everything covered and that he will take care of it. He said that I could serve Carols' table and step in whenever she needed me. He seems so utterly human, it's weird. Abby and Lisa are just a few tables away as well. The second that Lisa knew about this, she insisted on supporting us by eating in the restaurant so a) she can spend some quality time with Abby and b) Abby could step in whenever her best friend needed some support. Amelia and Mark are at home, waiting for a call. Mark even said that he would do anything he could if anything happened. Rindy is with Harge. He suggested taking her out for a fun day so she doesn't get involved into the situation. Rindy was very skeptical about spending the day with her father but once he mentioned ice-skating, the little girl was over the moon. Carol never went ice skating with Rindy because she was terrified of her little snowflake getting hurt. And in addition to that, Carol doesn't even know how to ice skate. Harge on the other hand has a bit more faith in his abilities and is willing to let himself fall in order to catch Rindy.

The clock strikes 3PM when the door opens and Therese walks in. I can see her eyes scan the room, looking for Carol. When she spots her, she runs. Fire rises in my body and it takes all my willpower not to jump at her throat. My boss has to hold me back by squeezing my shoulders.
"I know you're mad. But don't do this to yourself or her. She will choose wisely," he says. I know he is right. He always is. I take a deep breath and serve the drinks - two coffees. Carol has ordered them before, knowing that Therese does not drink coffee.
"Here you go, two coffees," I smile and place the cups on the table. My eyes jump up to Carol and I give her a slight smile. I so desperately want to take her pain away.
"C-Carol, my love, I don't drink coffee... Did you forget?" Therese asks and gently pushes the cup away from her.
"Oh.. I'm sorry, I didn't know," Carol answers plainly.
"I never drank coffee when we were together. I only like warm milk," Therese whispers, her voice getting a little quieter. It almost seems like she understands that something between her and her former love has changed.

"Carol.. I'm so happy you reached out. I missed you. I missed us. But now, we can go back to normal. We can be together again. I love you. I made mistakes, I know. But you made mistakes too, didn't you? We could start fresh. We can move, build a house, and start a family. Where is Rindy? She probably misses me, does she? Does she talk about me? Does she ask for me?" Therese asks. She asks so many questions, it's insane.
"Rindy is with Harge," Carol answers plainly.
"Harge... That's... that's good. I mean... she is in her usual environment, living with her father and being with her friends. We can.... We can keep it like that and just take Rindy every other weekend. So... she can continue living in her familiar conditions and we can build our own little family. What do you think?" Therese asks with big eyes. My body is burning with anger. She really wants Carol to leave Rindy? How could she?
Suddenly, Carol stands up and begins to shout.
"You want me to leave my daughter just to be with you? Do you have any idea how you traumatized Rindy with your letter? She was terrified of the future. She thought she would get in trouble. I will never, and I mean never, choose between anyone and my child. Rindy always comes first. And I promise you, if you ever come near her again, I will make sure you never see the daylight again. I'm done with you, Therese. While I was supporting you when you were doing that workshop, you fucked someone else. And when she started to exploit you for money, you realized it was wrong. You never cared about me. I was worried when you didn't reach out to me. But you didn't worry about me one time. I am happy. Do you hear me? I have a family who loves me. I have friends who support me. I am happy. HAPPY. Goodbye, Therese."

Carol walks away from the table, directly in my direction. I open my arms to welcome her. Once she meets my embrace, she finally relaxes and falls into my arms. Her muscles stop tensing and she sobs quietly. It's done. She has confronted Therese. She is free. I gently rub my hands over her back.
"I'm here. You did well. I'm so proud of you, my love," I whisper and place kisses on her head.

My boss walks to Therese and leads her out of the restaurant. Seconds later, she is gone. Carol sighs and I help her sit on one of the chairs. My boss brings her a glass with a cold bottle of water. I kneel down in front of her and help her drink. She looks helpless and vulnerable. But at least she is free now.
"Take it easy, beautiful," I whisper and gently brush some hair behind her ear. She nods and keeps drinking water.
"You did it. You confronted her. And my god, you were so sexy while doing it," I whisper, hoping to cheer her up a little.
Carol looks at me and smiles. It's not a big smile, but even the smallest smile makes her look absolutely beautiful.
"There we go. That's the smile I fell in love with," I tease and kiss her forehead.
"Silly thing," she mumbles and leans in for a kiss.

Carol Aird, the fight is over.