Imperfectly Yours Read online

  ​“Where’s my car?” she asked.

  ​“You don’t remember any of that? Your mom?”

  ​“Shoot! My mom?”

  ​“Yeah.”

  ​“Well, I guess she’s seen me drunk before. What’s with the bloody nose then?”

  ​“Those two guys were going to gang rape you.”

  ​She started laughing, which immediately pissed me off.

  ​“What could possibly be so funny about that?”

  ​“You are so dramatic, just like my mother.”

  ​“They both kissed you!”

  ​“Okay, that’s a far stretch from being gang raped.”

  ​“One guy unzipped his pants and asked you to show him what you could do with your mouth.”

  ​“I’m going to freshin up,” she said, abruptly getting off the bed and heading to the bathroom.

  ​“Caroline, can we talk about this?”

  ​“Bad lack of judgement on my part. Thanks for apparently saving me.”

  ​Before I could say anything else, she closed the bathroom door. She acted like it was nothing, which had me sitting there fuming until she appeared in the doorway again. I stood up, noticing Caroline was glaring at my shirt. I looked down and saw all the blood. I took it off, threw it in the direction of the hamper and got a new one.

  ​“Listen, I guess I thought those guys were good guys because they were friends of my brother. Or so they said. I just hate being lectured. I’m not perfect and I know that, but I don’t need a speech from you. Okay?”

  ​I brushed past her, still annoyed and headed down the stairs. She didn’t come right away and when I finally heard her footsteps, she was moving down the stairs slowly, looking around at every little detail the house held.

  ​“This looks exactly the same. I wondered all these years what this house looked like, if I would even recognize it. Sometimes I even wanted to walk down here and peek through a window.” She stopped and looked at me. “Kind of weird, I know. I never did.”

  ​“Coffee?”

  ​“No thanks. I don’t drink coffee.”

  ​“Breakfast?”

  ​“No. I don’t eat breakfast.”

  ​What do you do besides drive me crazy?

  ​“Can I look downstairs?”

  ​“Help yourself,” I said, watching her disappear down the stairs. I knew just why she had such a fascination with this house. I had never seen anything quite like it either. It had four levels. The second level revealed a cutout in the floor overlooking the basement. The top floor overlooked the entire first floor. There was a hot tub in the walk out basement which opened up to a beautiful patio. We were on a nine-acre lot with no other houses in sight; just pine trees and your occasional wildlife. I think this section of Plymouth was the last part developers hadn’t touched.

  ​“I love this house,” she said, returning to the kitchen.

  ​“Me too. My father built it with his friend.”

  ​“I remember. Well, I better be going,” she said, with one hand on the door knob.

  ​“Juice? You have to like that, everybody does.”

  ​“Orange?”

  ​I quickly opened the fridge scanning it for orange juice. Bingo! I had to get her to stay just long enough to figure her out.

  ​“I have orange juice.”

  ​“Okay,” she said, moving towards a barstool at the counter across from the cooktop. She sat there quietly, watching me cook breakfast.

  ​“You’re going to eat all of that?” she asked with her nose scrunched up. Her mannerisms were adorable.

  ​“No, you’re going to help me. You have to eat breakfast. It’s the most important meal of the day.”

  ​“I never do, it makes me feel like crap.”

  ​“Or maybe you’re just hungover all the time.”

  ​“What are you trying to say?”

  ​I didn’t answer her. I knew this was heading towards an argument and I didn’t want that.

  ​“Don’t think because you knew me when I cut my own hair and raced my bike off jumps that you know me now because you don’t,” she said with a huff and a puff.

  ​“Enlighten me.”

  ​“I don’t need to justify myself to you.”

  ​“I think you owe me that much,” I said, pointing to my nose. She jerked her chair back and stood up.

  ​“You really are something else, you know that? You think you’re some kind of hero that swooped in and rescued me last night so I’m going to bow down at your feet. Well, I’m not! I can handle myself.”

  ​“You were completely wasted. You don’t even remember me carrying you back here after your mother locked you out of the house. You’re careless!”

  ​“I got by without you. I learned eight years ago how to do that!” she said raising her voice.

  ​“What is it with you? Making that remark again. Go ahead, give me your best shot! You’re so fucking angry with me about eight years ago. Get it off your chest already and then get the hell over it and move on!”

  ​“You just walked out on our friendship like I meant nothing to you. You were my best friend! We did everything together!”

  ​“People grow apart.”

  ​“I lived next door to you! I was right there the entire time. I cried myself to sleep almost every night for months! I didn’t know how I could think I meant so much to somebody and find out I meant so little!” she screamed with tears forming in her eyes.

  ​“You didn’t mean nothing. I had to shape up or my mom was going to send me to some boarding school far away. I didn’t want that!”

  ​“It wasn’t me who got you into trouble. I was always trying to talk you out of stuff. You were a show off, Corey, you craved the attention. Your mother loved me! I was like another daughter to her. You’re lying to yourself. I was never the bad influence.”

  ​“Look at you now, getting yourself into trouble and I’m the one that had to save you. Roles are changed now, aren’t they?”

  ​“Don’t change the subject. You bailed on me out of the blue! Why?”

  ​“I showed off for you, Caroline. It was all for you.”

  ​“Me? Why?”

  ​“Whenever I built a bike jump, you loved it and then you would want a bigger one. I jumped off that cliff and broke my collarbone because I saw the excitement in your eyes when I asked you if I should jump.”

  ​“Stop, just stop! This is all bullshit and you know it! I adored you. I looked up to you. My parents kept me in this bubble and I was only allowed to play with my siblings, until you. You taught me so much. I was poor and your mom poured money on you more than her attention. I ate that up! If I did anything wrong in our friendship, it was definitely that. Keep hiding behind your lies, but like it or not, you turned your back on me during such a critical part in my life and I hate you for that.”

  ​“Fine. You want to know the real reason?” I growled.

  ​“Oh, so there is one?”

  ​“I hated the way you went through all my friends.”

  ​“What’s that supposed to mean?”

  ​“You had some sort of conquest to date them all. You would do the same thing with every single one. You would have your friend tell him you liked him and start talking on the phone. Then you would get to hanging out, holding hands and kissing. Then, bam! You would out of the blue dump them with no explanation. I was so fucking tired of hearing about you. The good things and the bad things. I was tired of it all! You tried doing it to the guys at my next school. I heard your name being passed around my new group of friends a month after transferring. You were going to do it all over again. You must have run out of guys at our old school.”

  ​“So, I was a slut to you?”

  ​“I didn’t say that.”

  ​“A pass around like I would have been last night? That’s what you saw me as?”

  ​“I think you just liked playing head games. Like a cat and mouse thing. You liked the chase, but when the m
ouse gave it up, you did too.”

  ​“That’s really messed up, you know that?”

  ​“You’re just lying to yourself. You probably still do it. I hit the nail right on the head, didn’t I? It’s why you’re standing there mad as hell right now.”

  ​“You’re a real asshole!”

  ​ She opened the door and flung it shut. I jumped at the sound of the slamming door. I looked out the window and watched her walk home, picking up her hand to her eyes and wiping away her tears. My words were entangled in bitterness and I knew it, but maybe it would knock some sense into her.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Caroline

  How dare he say those things to me. Okay…so I dated a lot of guys, but that was in middle school when relationships held more emotional intimacy and the actual term dating was undefined. Maybe it was one every two weeks, but some I went back to multiple times and it wasn’t like I dated every single guy in my entire grade.

  ​He stole my secret hiding spot and now he’s making me cry. I wish he never came back home. I hope he goes back overseas so I can have my life back. Thank God we stopped being friends all those years ago. I had more fake friends than I cared to acknowledge and now I can add Corey to the list. I wondered how long he had been feeling the way he did. Why the hell did he even care?

  ​I felt sick to my stomach. I marched home and went right to bed, throwing the covers over my head and pretending like this morning never happened. A few moments later, my phone went off. It was my boss asking me to cover Cindy’s shift; her kid was sick. I had a few hours until I had to be in, maybe I would feel better then. I texted back saying I’d be there and went back to sleep.

  ​When I woke up, I felt much better. I decided I would roll out of bed and start my day all over again. I took a shower, got dressed and ate a couple pieces of toast before I was out the door.

  ​Business was slow for the first half of my shift and then right before dinner time, it picked up like it always did.

  ​“Caroline, there are two guys in my section, but one of them is asking for you. Want me to move them into yours?” Rachael asked.

  ​I scanned the restaurant, praying it wasn’t the two guys from last night and then my eyes settled on him. It was Corey. I had nothing to say to him.

  ​“Tell them they’re in your section, restaurant policy that the waitresses can only serve the tables assigned to them.”

  ​“Okay,” she said laughing.

  ​I went to the kitchen to grab some drinks and headed back to my latest customers.

  ​“Ah, they moved…into your section now,” Rachael whispered on her way by.

  ​I let out a loud sigh and then corrected myself as I placed each of the drinks down at the table. My blood was boiling now. Corey always had to be in control of the situation. He had it all wrong; he was the cat and I was the mouse.

  ​I approached their table. “Hi, what can I get for you?”

  ​“Hi, I’m Devin, Corey’s friend. I’m not sure if he’ll introduce me to you. He says you’re just an old friend, but I’m sure you’re more,” he said smiling flirtatiously. Devin had deep blue eyes with a closely shaved head. He was muscular like Corey.

  ​“Or less,” I deadpanned, taking his outstretched hand and shaking it. “I’m Caroline, nice to meet you. Can I get either of you started with some drinks?”

  ​“A beer for me, your choice,” Devin said winking.

  Oh, I can play this game.

  ​“And for you?” I faced my body towards Corey, but I refused to make eye contact.

  ​“Just a water with lemon, please.”

  ​I headed to the kitchen to retrieve their drinks.

  ​“So, who are those two men?” Rachael asked. “They are quite handsome.”

  ​“Some guy I knew from childhood and his friend.”

  ​“Which one’s into you?”

  ​“Neither, just two hungry customers.”

  ​I served their drinks and told them I would be right back. I headed to my other table and stood there waiting to hear what they wanted. It never ceased to amaze me how much time I gave a table. When I came by again, they still didn’t know what they wanted. It wasn’t like our menu had pages upon pages of meals to choose from. We were known for certain entrees.

  ​I put their meals in with the kitchen and headed back to Corey and Devin’s table. “How’s your beer?”

  ​“Perfect. What is it?”

  ​“Our summer IPA. It’s one of my favorites.”

  ​“Well, mine too now. I like a girl who knows how to pick ‘em.”

  ​I laughed, smiling at him.

  ​“Are you guys ready to order?” I asked.

  ​“Sure,” Devin replied. ”I’ll take the shrimp scampi.”

  ​“And for you?” I turned in Corey’s direction, still not looking at him. If he thought I’d just get over our argument this morning, he was in for a rude awakening. I can be professional though.

  ​“Baked scallops.”

  ​“Rice, baked potato or fries?”

  ​“Rice.”

  ​“I’ll put that in for you right away,” I said, picking up their dinner menus and returning them to the hostess podium.

  ​“Those two guys you have right now are super sexy! Rachael said they moved so you could wait on them,” Cali, the hostess, shrieked.

  ​“Want me to get you a number?”

  ​“Yes!”

  ​“Which one?”

  ​“Both,” she replied laughing. That girl was such a horn dog!

  ​I started on two new tables that had come in. My section was full now. Good, I worked better under pressure. The meals for my big table were up so I delivered those first, followed by Corey’s and Devin’s.

  ​“Shrimp scampi for you,” I said to Devin, placing his meal before him, “and for you, baked scallops.”

  ​“So, you happy to have Corey home?” Devin asked.

  ​“Actually, I was wondering when he was going back.”

  ​“Going back?” Devin practically choked on his beer. “The guy just had his leg blown off to save fifteen of his fellow brothers. Trust me, he’s a hero, but he’s not going back.”

  ​WHAT?

  “I’m so sorry,” I quietly replied, trying to hide my shock. “Enjoy your dinner,” I said, leaving the table.

  What a liar Corey was, telling me he was thinking about whether or not he was going back when clearly, he had been honorably discharged. He saved fifteen people? Wow. I wonder if he received a purple heart for his heroism. I know my grandfather had two, but I never really knew how he got them.

  ​I started running around, hustling to keep all my patrons happy when I noticed Corey and Devin had cleared their plates and both had empty glasses.

  ​“How was your meal?”

  I saw Corey nod his head out of the corner of my eye. I guess he wasn’t talking to me either.

  “Fantastic,” Devin replied.

  ​“Can I get you a refill on your drinks?”

  ​“We’re all set, we’ll take the check,” Corey replied.

  ​“Okay, I’ll be right back.”

  ​“I returned with the little black book yielding their receipt and placed it on the table.”

  ​“My friend over there, the hostess, was hoping she could get your digits,” I said to Devin.

  ​“Really? I was hoping to give them to you.”

  ​“Me?” I asked placing my hand on my chest. “I don’t know, I don’t have time to date right now.”

  ​“Oh, c’mon! Let me take you out just one time and then you can decide if you can make time for me.”

  ​I chuckled. He wasn’t going to take no for an answer.

  ​“Sure, I’d like that,” I lied. He took the pen out of the black book and wrote his number on a napkin, handing it to me. Corey opened the book and shoved money into it.

  ​“I’ll be right back with your change.”

  ​“Keep it,” he said.
r />   ​“Thank you. You guys enjoy your evening.”

  ​“I hope to be hearing from you soon,” Devin called after me. I turned and winked at him. Corey’s eyes were cast to the ground. I was happy they were leaving. They were quite the distraction in my evening.

  When I got to the register, I opened the book. There was a hundred-dollar bill. Corey had given me a forty-dollar tip. I’ll take it! Was this his way of apologizing? If so, it wasn’t money that did the talking to for me.

  ​The rest of my night ran rather smoothly. I clocked out and stepped outside into the evening. I could hear the peepers peeping like they did all summer long. I lit a cigarette, my first one all week. I had been holding in so much stress, it was like a release for me. I took a long drag and blew it up into the air, making a ring of smoke and watching it disappear. I’d go see the woodshop.

  ​I drove down Corey’s driveway and parked on the side of the shop. The door was open and the light was still on. When I shut my door, Corey’s silhouette appeared in the doorway. I watched him light a cigarette.

  ​“Hey,” I said quietly.

  ​“Hey.” He looked sad or deep in thought. He didn’t smile much anymore like when we were kids.

  ​“Can I come in?” I asked. I sauntered towards him mischievously and snatched the cigarette from his mouth. I snuck underneath his arm that was clasped to the door jam. “You should really quit these things. They’re bad for your health,” I said, desperately trying to hide my grin. He turned around just in time to see me tossing the cigarette on the floor and stomping it out with my foot. I sat on a stool, looking at him. He looked irritated, like he was frustrated by my presence.

  ​“Is it true?” I asked.

  ​“Is what true?”

  ​“You’re not going back?”

  ​He lifted up his pant leg revealing a prosthetic leg. I had all I could do to swallow down the tears.

  ​“Jesus, Corey.”

  ​He began to speak and I got up and went to him, crashing into his chest and holding on. Yes, he drove me crazy, but that was nothing new from the normal relationship we used to have. At the end of the day, I’d be devastated if anything happened to him.

  ​“Don’t pity me.”