RIVALS

Chapter 31

Hanging out with 3 boys is about as fun as watching paint dry.

Even Clark! Sweet, caring, kind Clark, has succumbed to the clutches of Call of Duty.

I get up from the couch and set my phone on the end table.

I climb the stairs and walk back into the living room/ kitchen.

I walk to the cabinets and debate which ones hold the cups.

Now, the in directly above the sink doesn't seem like a place to keep cups. Or maybe it's the one above the dishwasher. Let's play Find the-

"I'm home!" an elegant feminine voices sings.

I hear heels click against the tile floor and I turn to greet the lady.

"Oh!" She says, trying to mask her surprise. "I don't believe I know you..."

I laugh and extend my hand. "I'm Cara Morgan."

She takes my hand but still looks confused. "Are you one of T.J's girls? He's always brining someone home and I never know what or who to expect."

"No, Clark is downstairs with T.J and Jason. I'm Clark girlfriend."

I've never actually been a girlfriend before. Fake or not.

Her face lights up and she immediately starts talking. "Oh Clark! I haven't seen him in so long and I was just ecstatic when I heard he would be in town. Would you two like to stay for dinner?"

"I don't want to intrude," I say.

She smiles and laughs.

Melodic.

"Darling, you wouldn't be intruding. I would love to have you stay for dinner. The only company I have around here is my cat, and she doesn't even love me sometimes!"

I laugh along with her and slide onto a stool. "So where do you work?"

She slips off her pale pink heels and grabs her handbag from the counter. She walks to a door (which I'm assuming is a mud room) and sets them inside.

"I work as an accountant downtown. I know, dreadfully boring. But it pays the bills."

She gathers ingredients from the pantry and sets them all in the counter.

"Spaghetti?"

She nods and starts boiling water.

"I'm guessing you and Clark go to the same school?" I nod and she continues. "How did you two meet?"

Sure wasn't prepared for this.

"Well, we used to be moral enemies. And then we got paired together for a book project thing, and we just kind of sparked!"

She smiles and scrunches her nose. "I'm so glad Clark finally found someone."

I snicker quietly while she continues to cook.

"What being you and Clark up here?"

Aaaaand the inevitable question.

"Well um," I stammer. "I got in a car accident a week ago, and they had to do surgery in my knee. The booked me an appointment here and Clark offered to take me up here. We started driving up Saturday morning, and then we're heading back home today."

"Oh dear," she frowns while leaning on the counter. "That sounds awful! How did you get in a wreck?"

Oh boy.

"A former friend and I were driving and he didn't see the oncoming traffic and t-boned a truck. Thankfully, he wasn't hurt and only my knee was damaged. It feels much better now though."

She looks at me skeptically and turns to the noodle pot. She pours the noodles in and start the marinara sauce in another pan.

"You and Clark aren't really together, are you?"

She turns back slowly and I freeze.

"W-What makes you think that?" I ask, smoothing out the imaginary wrinkles that so conveniently appeared.

"By the way you talked of your 'former friend'. You don't seem like the type of girl to you and leave someone simply because you got in a car wreck. That could happen to anyone. And the way you talk of Clark. You don't talk like you're in love with him. Yet."

"Yet?" I ask bewildered. "What do you mean, yet?"

"I mean," she continues. "You should t have to lie about being Clark's girlfriend. That's a silly thing! I can tell you love Clark, just not in the way you think."

"I love Clark like I love a friend," I assure her. "There is no romantics feelings between us whatsoever."

"Then why are you lying about it?"

"Are you sure you're an accountant? You seem like you could be a detective," I joke. She raises an eye brow and I sigh. "One time, Clark and I ran into Jason. Given we didn't know it was him at the time and he didn't know us, he started...not necessarily hitting on me but, talking as if he thought I was cute and stuff. This hadn't ever happened to me before so Clark acted as if he was my boyfriend. When we saw Jason here, we goin' up the act again."

She nods and chuckles. "Oh to be young again."

She presses a button on an intercom and I hear a buzz downstairs.

The boys come running up the stairs and I choke when I see Clark.

"I was wondering where you disappeared off to," he says, completely ignoring his aunt.

"Oh please," I joke. "I've never seen you so immersed in a video game since Call of Duty. You didn't even notice when I came up here."

Clark chuckles and his aunt clear her through. He turns to her and his face breaks out in a smile. "Aunt Helen! I was wonderin' when you'd show."

Clark sidles up to her and plants a kiss on her cheek.

Oh crap, I didn't even know her name till just now!

"What have you and Cara been doing?" asks T.J.

"Talking," she answers.

"About what?" Clark asks.

"Things," I answer.

Clark chuckles and moves away from his aunt and to my side.

"Anyone hungry?" she asks.

Clark, Jason and T.J all excitedly nod while Helen and I share a laugh.

"Dinner is served," she says.

Clark moves me in front of him and slips a hand in my waist.

A warm feeling inflates inside of me, and I share a look with Helen.

Now I know the meaning of Yet.
                                      ¥
A/N
Two chapters in one day!