Avery had fallen asleep in his arms and woke up in the very early morning light. Realizing if she fell back asleep, they would most definitely be caught by someone as she expected to sleep in at this point, so she kissed his cheek and rose from the bed. He didn't stir, and while she wanted to say goodbye, it was best she sneak out.
She tiptoed to her room, climbed into bed and got a few more hours of sleep before waking for her day.
Her day alone with Carter. It was the first thought that entered her head as she woke, followed by a glance at her phone to see it was a little before nine, and she also had a text from Whitney, a harsh reminder that she was going into this day feeling betrayed.
She took her time in the shower, then an additional half hour blow drying her hair. She didn't know if she could even go through with her day with Carter after knowing he'd been with Whitney, but goddamned if he wasn't going to regret it, so she went out of her way to make sure every hair on her head was in place and her makeup was flawless.
Before heading downstairs, she double checked her reflection. She'd opted for a loose white sweatshirt that, given some motion, offered little sneak peaks of her tight bralette due to its wide low neck and high midriff. Light jean cutoffs covered white panties, and she loved this particular pair of shorts because they made her legs look so much longer due to their higher waist.
She felt shockingly nervous as she walked down the stairs, and with a glance out the front window, Mason's car was gone. She knew her dad and Kelly were long gone. And her expectations had run the gamut; still she had no idea of the full scope of what could happen today. Maybe everything, or maybe nothing at all.
The TV was on in the media room, so Carter was already awake and downstairs. She swung by the kitchen and pulled some shots for a latte and made a piece of toast just to have something there, even though she felt too nervous to eat.
Carter caught Avery walk into the room out of the corner of his eye and muted the tv. She looked comfortable but had clearly dressed to look cute. He grinned warmly, leaning back further on the couch with his arm across the back. But when the grin wasn't returned, his brows narrowed. "You okay this morning?" he asked.
"Sure," Avery said with a shrug, then sipped her coffee. The nerves were firing so strongly she felt weak in her knees. But she couldn't shake it until she'd confronted it. Squaring her shoulders, she inhaled deeply. "Did you sleep with Whitney the other night?"
Carter's eyes widened as his head reared back. "Did I
what
?" he asked.
"I just need to know," Avery continued, anger seeping in even though she'd hoped to keep it out. "If you slept with my best friend."
Carter couldn't believe the question was being posed at all. "Are you for real?"
"What's not 'for real' about asking you if you slept with my best friend," Avery fired back, even more angry.
If objects had been flying around the room, Carter would have felt less bewildered. He rose from the couch and leaned against the arm, folding his hands across his chest to echo Avery's pose. "You're asking me, right now, if I slept with Whitney night before last . . . the day after you fucked Mason for like twelve hours straight?"
Putting it that way, Avery felt chagrined. She could feel the heat rising in her face. "She's my best friend!" she cried.
"He's my
brother
," Carter argued. She couldn't honestly be serious, trying to claim a high ground on this. Further, this was not at all what he'd expected this morning.
"Oh, fuck right off with that, you're just as related to each other as we are," Avery said, rolling her eyes.
Carter glowered at her. "Only since his birth, but thanks for the adoption reminder. Very cool."
"It's so different, and you know it," Avery snapped. Be that as it may, she knew internally it wasn't all that different. And for the first time she was realizing why they had wanted her to choose. She couldn't imagine sharing Carter with Whitney, it would be horrible.
"How so?" Carter posed, chin low, his tone level if not bemused.
"You guys both brought all of this on Friday night
together
. I would have
never
done any of this. You opened this door, and shame on me for having feelings out of it and not knowing how to move forward, but that's where we are at," Avery exploded. She did notice his demeanor changed a bit with this. No, she didn't have some moral high ground here. But it wasn't ridiculous for her to feel jealous of Whitney. It was only now she'd realized they must feel similarly. Jealousy, or betrayal. But that was the other thing! "You also knew full well about Mason. Maybe not yesterday because that just happened while you were gone, but literally days prior I'd been with him. Whitney is all new and I never knew you had feelings for her or would ever sleep with her!"
Carter nodded. There were fair points made, but she had no clue, not really. It had all been fun and games until feelings had entered the equation. Still, while he certainly did want her very badly, nothing had been solidified. So why wouldn't he go about his life as he normally would.
He slumped, leaning against the kitchen island. "What do you want from me, Ave?" he asked, the question genuine. He would follow anything she asked for, and if that included telling him to fuck off, he'd do it.
Avery's head vibrated with a shake. "I don't know," she stuttered. "You, obviously, or I wouldn't be standing here."
Carter blew out a burst of air through his nose in a little chuckle. Looked up at her through low brows. "I didn't fuck Whitney. We fooled around. A lot. But less than I would have if you weren't on my mind every second of every day since Friday night." He stepped toward her and wrapped his arms around her. Avery made no move to hold him back, but at least she wasn't shoving him away. "Everything was over. And you know me, you've seen me with different women for years."
She had. He always had someone different home for the holidays with him, and never seemed all that interested in his dates; not in the way someone should be who brought them to meet family. She'd never wondered until now why that was, but wanted to make a point to ask later, now that they'd grown into . . . whatever this was.
"This is confusing to all of us," Carter continued when she didn't speak up. "Still want to spend the day with me?"
"Of course I do," Avery said without hesitation. She was still nervous for a myriad of reasons, and after yesterday with Mason, she was once again confused by her emotions and feelings for each. But she knew without a doubt she
needed
this day for some clarity.
Carter drew back, a hand on each shoulder so he could look her in the eyes. "So which me do you want?"
"I'm sorry?"
He shrugged. "You wanna drop the game and just . . . be?"
Avery blinked. "I . . . what game?"
Carter laughed at her innocence. Brushed her hair behind her ear. "Let's just
be
for a little while," he stated. "No games. No punishments or drama. Just you and me, our normal selves. And no one else in the world exists."
Avery felt as though her heart may burst. She didn't totally know what it meant for their day, but he seemed to be shutting off the cockier, arrogant side of himself and showing a softer side she hadn't known existed, even predating their long weekend. She wanted to know that side, too. "I love everything about that," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him into a kiss.
They chatted while she drank her latte and ate the toast, then walked hand in hand out to the pool house, which he'd been staying in since he arrived at the beginning of summer. It was much like a studio apartment, with a kitchenette, and enough room for a large sitting area.
Really it was all about the bathroom back here though, which was just inside the front door and to the right; very large with multiple showerheads and cubbies for changing clothes. Privacy screens in case multiple people were using it, and a separate enclosure for the toilet.
It generally served as a hang out space, so the seating area was large and comfortable, with retractable windows from floor to ceiling. On nicer days, like today, they'd slide out of place to have a fully open front side to the pool, which Carter had clearly done this morning, leaving the house open to the air.
The bed tucked way in the back behind the kitchenette. Though a doorless bedroom, it still offered privacy, and Avery assumed that's where they were headed until she watched Carter plop down on one of the papasan chairs, grinning at her.
She looked down at her sweatshirt that, despite its oversized neck and crop, was actually way too hot for the open air space. "I just came from AC," she chuckled lightly, feeling more self-aware than she had in days.
"So . . . take it off?" Carter suggested, thinking the solution obvious. Big deal, he could easily see she had something under. He took note of how she held her torso as she spent a split second pondering it, as though she felt trepidation. He couldn't figure it out.
"Yeah, haha," she laughed clumsily. It was strange how awkward things felt, and she couldn't totally pinpoint why. He'd seen every inch of her, so why was she trembling?
