Georgia

Chapter 10

Caroline

It's been a week since we got back home from Georgia. A string of long sleepless days thinking about Luke, trying to figure out why he hasn't called. In my head replaying every conversation we had that night looking for something I missed or misread. There's nothing, every moment just as perfect as I remember it.

"Hey! You still with me?" Michelle is saying waving her hands in front of my face. "Really Carol, you have to snap outta this."

"I know, I know. It's not that easy though. As unoriginal as this sounds, I feel different after that night I spent with him." I say laughing at Michelle as she gives me wink. "And no, not just cause of the sex. I just kind of went with everything and it felt good. I wasn't myself at all, the shyness, the overthinking, the worrying. I don't think I'm ready to go back to all that again."

"And why do you have to?" she asks. "Just because you're not out in the middle of the country with some hot sexy southern boy by your side doesn't mean you can't start living your life here."

She's right. Is it that simple though? To just pick up and start living my life? "Yeah, you're right."

"Of course I am. Now get your butt up and let's start this 'brand new life' by going shopping. New Caroline, new wardrobe!"

~~

Back from what seemed like the never ending shopping trip I'm starving, searching the kitchen for something to eat. I realize I have no clue where my dad is, he's been avoiding me more than usual since we've been back. I've apologized over and over for not letting him know where I was there's not much I can do if he's gonna choose not to hear it. Just another reason to add to my ever growing list of pros to going to an out of state college.

The doorbell rings snapping me out of that little funk I tend to get in when I think about my dad. Oh gosh, please don't let it be Michelle with another activity for the 'New Caroline'. I open the door and laugh, James is standing there with a pizza.

"What?" James asks smiling.

"Oh nothing, just laughing cause your ability to read my mind has reached a slightly scary level." He gives me a questioning look as I step aside and he comes in. "I was just engaging in a very intense staring contest with the fridge hoping something I wanted to eat would magically appear inside, then the doorbell rings and there you are with pizza!"

"Well I couldn't call myself your best friend if I didn't know you so well, could I? Although I am a little hurt that you've apparently been back for a week and I have to find out from Michelle."

"Sorry, things got weird, I've just kinda been out of it a little."

"Yeah she said something happened but she didn't say what."

"It was nothing, I went out and didn't call all night, my dad freaked."

"You" James say pointing at me. "You went out all night?"

"I know shocker, right? The son of the man my dad was meeting with took me out to a tailgate party, I might have drank a little and I just sort of lost track of time. My dad showed up and flipped out."

"Ok so there's so much in that sentence that surprises me I don't even know where to start."

James and I are close, we always have been and we talk about everything, but one thing that has never come up with us is anything to do with the opposite sex. For me there's never been anything to say but for James, he's dated and had girlfriends but he's never brought them up or talked about them with me. I'm not really sure why, I've never really thought about it until now that I actually have someone to talk about.

"It was good, unexpected, not like anything I've ever done before but fun." I say trying to shut down the subject.

Knowing me the way he does he senses that and just says, "That's good, you deserve to have a little fun. Now whose turn is it to pick a movie?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Luke

"Luke? You got a bite man, wake up!" Carter is sitting next to me on the boat pointing out at my line.

"Sorry." I say looking down, reeling the line in.

"You still thinking about that girl? Have you tried calling again?" Carter asks.

"Nah I can't. Her dad asked me not to, I gotta respect that. I just wish she would've left a note or something before she took off that morning. I don't think he'd tell her I called and it's killing me that she might be thinking I just blew off that night like nothing."

Carter starts heading back to the pier. "If it was meant to be it'll work out. Y'all find your way back each other." He pats me on the shoulder, "You gotta get your head right though buddy, we got that gig tonight."

Meant to be, was it? Was it just a coincidence that she stumbled her way into my view that day? I chuckle, shaking my head remembering how much she was blushing and that heart racing feeling I got when I took her hand. And that night watching her swaying to my songs, hearing her laugh, holding her under the starry sky, looking into her pretty blue eyes. I don't know if it was meant to be but it certainly was a night I'll never forget.

~~

Being up there singing in front of a crowd took my mind off Caroline for a little bit but now sitting in my truck driving home my thoughts are creeping back to her. My phone rings, I look down and see Katie's face.

My finger hovering over 'answer', I've been avoiding her the past couple days and I'm starting to feel guilty about it. I decide to pick up, "Hey."

"Hey, you finally answered! I was ready to leave a very long, angry-ish type message on your voicemail, Thomas Luther! Where ya been?"

I laugh, "Well I'm sorry I answered then. I woulda loved to hear that!"

"Yeah, I bet! Whatcha doin'?"

"Heading home, me and the guys were out playing at Skinner's."

"Ah Skinner's, the diviest dive bar in Lee County. How'd it go?"

"You know it! It was good, tried out some new stuff we've been working on. Went over alright."

"So when you're a big country music star you still gonna remember little 'ol me?" She says in an innocent voice.

"Is it crazy that I can see you making the puppy dog eyes when you say that? You are something else."

"It's what I do, Luke, it's what I do."

Joking around with Katie feels good, I've missed her but there's still part of my brain that keeps going back to that beautiful shy city girl, wondering where she is and what she's doing. I gotta stop, I do. I need to let it be what it was, one perfect, fun, incredible night and get back to my life.