After the incident with Shannon that day, I kept my distance from both of them. It wasn't my intention to avoid Jared, but the last thing I needed was another run in with Shannon. The whole thing was just awkward.
AJ finally called me after word got around that I had dinner with Jared and Shannon. We continued to argue off and on for days, and when he accused me of cheating, I'd had enough. The way I looked at it, I was merely having dinner in a crowded restaurant with some old friends. AJ made it sound as if I was having an intimate, romantic candlelight date. The nerve of him. It really was innocent, and besides, it's not like AJ made any attempt to make plans with me since I was back.
I was a little depressed and would be finishing up a job here in LA over the next few days. After that, I was scheduled to be in Vegas for a few days on another job.
In my free time, my thoughts would occasionally drift to back Jared and how much fun I had with him. I even found myself wanting to call him. Sara came by with the girls and we went out to lunch on Thursday.
They were growing up so fast and had become so independent. It was a good thing for Sara now that they were able to do some things for themselves, but at the same time, when they do things like mutilate their hair, it could be frustrating. Hannah was always asking to spend the night at my house and I knew I'd end up with both of them when it finally did happen. I promised to take them as soon as I got back from Vegas. Sara and Ryan could obviously use a break.
We parted ways after lunch and I headed home, tossing my phone down on the couch as soon as I walked in the door. Not even five minutes later I heard someone knocking loudly and I was sure that Sara had forgotten something. Opening it, I was shocked to see Jared standing there. "Hey, you busy?" There it was again, that irresistible smile.
"Hi there, not at all." I answered with a grin. "Come on in." I stepped back, giving him some room to come inside. Scratching my head, I sighed. "Okay, I don't remember telling you where I live."
He chuckled, running his fingers through his long hair. "I have my ways." He licked over his lip and then admitted the truth. "I saw your address on your license after I found your wallet."
"Well, that makes sense."
"Look, Carrie, I don't know if I did anything to make you not want to see me anymore, but if I did, I'm truly sorry. I know you've got a boyfriend, so maybe that's the reason you've been avoiding me. It's just that I really enjoyed spending time with you and I'd like to take you out again, just the two of us this time." He shoved his hands in his pockets.
Letting out a deep breath, I closed my eyes and rubbed my hand over my face. "I'm sorry, I've just been busy lately. I'm going to be leaving for another job this week coming up, Vegas this time, but yes, I'd love to see you again." I knew it sounded like an excuse, but it was true, I really did want to go out with him again. "AJ and I broke up."
"I'm sorry, I know how depressing that can be."
"Yeah, things have been pretty strained between us for a while. I think he was more attached to his dog than to me."
He stepped closer, tangling his fingers in my hair and tilting my head back to kiss my lips softly. "Carrie, forget about him, I promise to treat you right, if you'll let me."
Running my hand along his jaw, the warm caress of his lips left me breathless. He pressed his forehead against mine. "I was sure that the reason you didn't want to talk to me anymore was because Shannon joined us for dinner that night. That won't happen again and he will be moving back to his house as soon as it's finished."
"No, it was great to see him again." I lied, trying to look past our uncomfortable last encounter. It was Shannon that I really wanted to avoid, not Jared. I simply didn't trust myself around him and it wasn't right to be attracted to them both.
He backed up a little, but didn't move away. "I'd love for you to have dinner with me tonight, and I swear, Shannon won't be tagging along this time."
"Maybe you can just come over here and we can order in and watch a movie?" I suggested with a smile. I wasn't taking any chances of another unexpected run in. Surely, he wouldn't bring Shannon here.
He placed a kiss on the end of my nose. "Sounds great. What time should I come back?"
"Is seven good for you?"
"Perfect. Seven it is. I'll see you then. I need to get home and do a few things, but I look forward to seeing you later."
There wasn't anything to clean really, since it was just me, but I wanted things to be absolutely perfect. I had another chance with Jared and I intended to make it work this time. Making my way to the bathroom, I showered and began to get nervous.
Looking through my closet, I couldn't decide what to wear, but I had no intentions of dressing fancy. Dinner and a movie at home meant comfortable clothing, and knowing Jared, he would be wearing something casual, like jeans and a t-shirt.
I chose my favorite pink blouse to go with my black leggings. Pulling my hair into a bun, I walked down the hallway, feeling giddy as I looked at the clock. Thinking that I had at least another thirty minutes, I was in the middle of making my bed when he arrived.
Taking a deep breath, I slowly opened the door. He was gorgeous, and just like I thought, he was in blue jeans and a faded Nirvana tee.
He pulled his sunglasses off and smiled. "Ready for dinner and a cheesy movie?" He held up a bag of take out and a stack of old dvds.
Smiling, I stepped aside to let him in. "I'm starving and I happen to have a bottle of wine ready to go in the kitchen." I reached over the bar and grabbed the bottle from the counter top. We walked straight to the couch and he put everything down on the coffee table. Jared pulled me to him and his lips instantly met mine in a soft, but tender kiss.
"Well, hello to you too." He whispered against my lips and I giggled at the way we seemed like a pair of silly teens. "You ready for some delicious take out and a lame eighties horror movie."
I hung on his every word like one of his little fangirls. Plopping down on the couch, I opened the bag of takeout, giving us both a generous amount of veggie fried rice while he shuffled through the movie's. "I happen to love lame eighties horror flicks."
Before long, we were laughing at the horrible graphics in the movie as we sat side by side. I pushed my plate away and pulled the blanket from the back of the couch, across my lap. About an hour or so passed, and I was leaning into him, slowly falling asleep. His arms wrapped around me as I glanced up at him.
His lips met mine when he leaned down. Intense didn't even begin to describe it. He was gentle, yet aggressive, and I struggled not to climb into his lap. Instead, I sat up, moving a little closer to him and slid my arms around his neck.
His teeth grazed my bottom lip as he pulled his mouth from mine. He looked into my eyes and moved a small strand of hair that had fallen from my bun, "Thank you for having dinner with me. Tonight was fantastic."
My cheeks felt warm from the alcohol and I knew that I was blushing. His fingers gently stroked my face. Who was this Jared? I seemed to recall a bossy, and much less romantic Jared, who could always talk me into doing anything.
He kissed my nose as I closed my eyes. "I'm gonna go."
"Already?"
"You're tired Carrie, you should go to bed and I'll see you tomorrow. Come over and hang out with me. I'd like to see you as much as possible before you leave for Vegas." I wanted to say yes, so badly, but I knew that Shannon would be there that worried me.
"I'll have to see if I have any meetings and I'll let you know in the morning." It was weird, part of me was angry that he was leaving, but did I really want to rush things? He slowly stood up, taking my hand as he walked to the door. Wrapping his arms around me, he leaned down and kissed me.
The way his lips brushed mine was almost enough to make me beg him to stay. I let out a deep breath when he finally released me. "Goodnight, Carrie." Opening the door, he gave me a wink as he stepped outside. "I hope to see you tomorrow."
