Kari-Ann & Will (Cont.)

This is a continued part to the story "Kari-Ann & Will" (Submitted previously for Contest #293).

I knew I shouldn’t fall for him, but damn… His compassion, his gorgeous eyes, his everything. How could I not?

“Will…” I sighed dreamily, then I cleared my throat to contain myself. “I’m sorry, it’s just…” I took another deep breath. “I’ve isolated myself from all my closest friends for the longest time, including Erika and Arthur. I’ve had periods of depression and suicidal thoughts.

“Yes, I have attempted suicide more than twice after what happened. I just felt so guilty, and I couldn’t bring myself to show my face again in school because I knew that other people would talk crap about me. And turns out, I was right about that all along. They did talk crap about me, even to the point of starting hurtful rumors about how I was faking my trauma to gain sympathy and attention.”

“That’s awful.” He shook his head. “No one should’ve judged you for what you’d been through.”

“I know, right? Erika was one of them. She was the one who initiated rumors that I’d been faking everything for attention.”

“Damn, some friend she was. A true friend would have never done that to you. She sounds toxic, am I right?”

“Yeah…” I sighed. “But I’m actually reunited with her now. Apparently, she and Arthur are here in L.A. They’ve been in L.A. since they graduated from Jimmy Carter High. They went off to UCLA, and after they graduated, they got married and they’ve been living here for the past ten years. Damn, even saying that out loud makes me sound so old.” I chuckled.

“But it’s been great, though. Erika and I are closer now than we’ve ever been before, and we had the chance to apologize to each other for everything in the past and we got to talk about how Eric’s death affected all of us, me especially. It’s all good now. I mean, I know it’ll take me a very long time to fully trust her again after all these years apart, but we’re gradually making progress in mending fences with each other, and that’s what gives me hope for my future.”

Will took the last few sips of his lemonade before it was empty with just the ice cubes left. “That’s really nice of her and Arthur to reconcile with you. It sounds like they’re your current support system, and now that you guys are adults, you can finally put all the high school drama behind you for good. Right?” I nodded in agreement.

“It’s always great to reconnect and stay in touch with old friends. I myself haven’t been doing that as much. I tend to completely cut off toxic people in my life, such as my ex-girlfriend for one. She’s the reason why I don’t act desperate for relationships or love, and judging from everything you just told me about Eric, it sounds like you’re not so desperate, either. That he’s the reason why you’re probably a little closed off from love. I don’t know you intimately enough to get your perspective on true love.”

He was right. He was so right.

“I am closed off from love,” I said, “but now, I’m learning to give it a chance. One thing I learned is that Eric Walker was a typical guy. You know, the jock type… Everything that most girls in school would go after. But now, I’m an adult and I don’t want any more ‘bad boys.’ I need a real gentleman for once. I want someone who’s going to treat me with the respect that I deserve and won’t make me feel like my time has been wasted. I want someone who’s going to commit fully to me, and most importantly… I want someone who isn’t going to run in the other direction after I opened up to them about my dark past in Ryder.”

I smiled at Will, hoping to give him the hint that he was that guy for me. “Someone like you, Will. I just told you all this stuff about my criminal past, and you’re being a superb, non-judgmental listener. I would’ve expected you to run away from me or something. I wouldn’t mind if you did, but you know…” I shrugged. “Why are you being so nice to me?”

He held my hand. “Because I’m not afraid of you, Kari-Ann. I have no reason to run away from you, especially when you just admitted to having taken responsibility for your actions. I like a woman who takes responsibility for her actions. My ex, Zelda, unfortunately, was not that person. So, the fact that you owned up to what you did to Eric over a decade ago says volumes about your character. You’re able to admit when you’re wrong, and I like that. We’re all human; we’re not always right about everything, so it’s okay to admit when you are wrong about something.”

“Exactly.” I nodded in agreement.

“So, I have no reason to avoid a beautiful woman like you. You’re beautiful inside and out, and you definitely deserve much better than Eric Walker. You’ll need someone who pays the closest attention to you like I am right now with you. You’re an amazing person. I think I’m attracted to you, but I don’t know if you feel the same about me. I want to respect your boundaries by not doing anything inappropriate, or you’ll be the one running away from me. Which I certainly do not want.” We chuckled.

God, he was so dreamy. I liked that he was respectful enough to ask for my permission to touch me or hold me, or basically anything to do with physical contact. He was a real gentleman, just like Dominic.

“I can’t hide this feeling,” I said. “I feel like I’m attracted to you, too, but you’re doing a great job by asking me if it’s okay. I don’t mind, though. I’m an adult, and I can take it. The fact that you’re willing to ask, Will… That’s a very rare trait in guys. I know that most guys generally assume it’s okay for them to touch you without considering your feelings.”

“Trust me, I’m not that guy.” He shook his head, and I laughed. “And surprisingly, neither is Ethan. That’s something he and I have in common.” He caressed my hair, leaning a little closer to me. This was the moment; I could feel my heart racing. “I just want to know if it’s okay that we exchange phone numbers. I really want to get to know you more on a personal level. I don’t want us to just be acquaintances anymore. Is that okay, Kari-Ann?”

Here we go again, asking for my permission! Where had he been hiding all my life?

“Fire away.” I couldn’t keep my eyes off him as he took out my phone and plugged in his number. I was so awestruck by him to even give him my number, too. “And there,” he said when he finished. “Whenever you’re done ogling me, you can give me yours, too.”

“Right.” I suddenly snapped myself out of my trance and plugged in my number on his phone.

“Thanks.” He smiled. “So, I’m currently single. I assume you are too, right?”

I wasn’t sure how to answer this, but I’d rather be honest about my feelings for Dominic because I was literally living with him in his home. “Actually, there is someone, kind of…”

“Oh, okay.” He gave me a look of awe. “I was under the impression that you were completely unattached, but whoever it is, I can’t blame ‘em. Who’d be foolish enough to turn down a gorgeous girl like you?”

He was still flirting with me, even when I was about to tell him about Dominic. At least he was being charismatic about it and not creepy. Not creepy at all, honestly.

“Well, this guy and I are actually in the early stages of our relationship,” I said. “I’m not sure what it’s called, but I don’t think it’s the honeymoon phase.”

He gave me a look of intrigue and amusement. “Uh, I’m pretty sure that is the definition of a honeymoon phase, though.”

I cleared my throat, hoping to clarify myself this time. “Sorry, I mean… I work with this guy at his house. I’m a nanny to his two young kids, but damn, he’s so attractive and everything, even though he’s a few years older than me. He’s widowed, though.”

“Hmm, sounds familiar, this guy I mean.” He nodded in understanding. “Would he happen to be rich?”

How did he… “Wait, are you talking about…”

“Dominic Norworth?” He smiled. “Yeah, I know, right? You can’t live in L.A. without knowing who the Norworths are. They’re practically celebrities in all of L.A. But I bet you’ve already figured that out, huh?”

“Yes, I’m literally just learning all this as I go along. I can’t help it, though. Sometime last week, I ran into him at Whole Foods. He offered to pay for my stuff after I left my store card at home, and I thought it was a very nice gesture. So, I offered to help him carry his stuff to his car, and while I was waiting for my ride back home, I struck up a conversation with him in his car and that’s when he offered me the opportunity to work for him.”

“And let me guess… You accepted, right?” Will asked.

I nodded. “Yeah. When he told me about the pay, I just couldn’t resist. He told me about his wife, Shayla, and how she died, which is very tragic.”

“Yeah, she was young, only in her 30s. After her death, everyone in the community organized a fundraiser to help the kids out at home and at school, and also to bring awareness to ovarian cancer. I think they hosted a barbecue in June of that year… I’ll double-check; I was there when it happened, and I’ll send you the links and some photos. But yeah, I think it’s great you’re working with his kids. I guess you were smart enough to accept that job offer.”

True that, but I wasn’t wise enough to give him a fake name to begin with.

“What’s up?” he asked when he noticed the concerned expression on my face.

“When we first met, I gave him a fake name,” I said.

Will was baffled. “I don’t… I don’t understand. What…”

I sighed. “I told him that my name was Kara Muller. I introduced myself as Kara Muller, and that’s how he and his kids–and his maid and butler–see me as. They don’t know me as Kari-Ann Maloney; they know me as Kara Muller.”

He still looked baffled. “Why… Why would you give him a false name? What’s going through your mind?”

“I didn’t want him to associate me with what happened back in Ryder, Will,” I replied. “I felt like if he Googled my name, he’d see that I have a record, and I agreed to come here to L.A. for the sole purpose of escaping my dark past in Ryder. I almost couldn’t even get accepted into cooking school at first because of my name.”

“So, what… You want to go through a legal process of changing your name for good? Becoming Kara Muller permanently? You know that changing your name to dissociate yourself from a crime that you committed a little over 15 years ago isn’t a very plausible reason to do so, Kari-Ann.

“And even if you had told him your real name to begin with, I doubt he’d know about your past record. The Norworths don’t appear to be the type of people to look up old news from a decade past, especially of things that took place in other states. They tend to look up information about their business and other firms around the country. Not so much about crime stories, unless it’s related to embezzlement or something within their company.”

I shook my head. “That’s supposed to make me feel any better? I really couldn’t take that chance, Will. Besides, in a matter of days, he and I managed to develop a deep attraction for each other. He doesn’t even know the real me yet. I told him everything I told you about Eric… Except I lied to him about what really happened.”

Will rolled his eyes. “Shocker. That’s not the only thing you lied about!”

“Don’t judge me.” I scoffed. “You promised you wouldn’t. When I told him about what happened to Eric, I lied by saying that I wasn’t responsible for it. I mean, I told him the story in a way that made it seem like I was innocent of everything. That I was still at the party when Eric left and he got into that accident. I didn’t tell him that I was the one who offered to take him home and kicked him out of my car and ran him over. He’d probably think I was insane enough to do something like that.”

“And for obvious reasons, he’d be right. So, let me get this straight. You lie to him about your name, and you lie to him about how you lost your former high school crush by portraying yourself as a victim. Also, you mentioned a maid and a butler in the Norworth house… Who are they?”

“Adam and Martha. They seem to have grown quite suspicious of me.”

“And rightfully so. You claim to be in love with this guy, and you’re starting to form a real connection with his kids. I don’t think it’s fair for you to lead him on with a fake identity and a fake story about your past. Sooner or later, you’d have to tell him the whole truth. Everything you just told me, you need to tell Dominic. The Norworths are the type of family that have a private investigator as their closest friend. Any little hint of suspicion, they’ll go into P.I. mode, so you better not say or do anything to draw further suspicion toward you.”

“I’m not gonna do anything else stupid, Will.” I did my best to convince him, although I wasn’t too sure of that myself.

“O-kay…” He gave me an incredulous look, clearly not believing me. “If you say so.”

“Trust me, Will. I know what I’m doing. I’m going to do my best to get through this week first because this is my first week actually working for him. I think I’m expected to meet his parents this weekend, so I’ll see how that goes. Then I’ll tell him the truth, and I just hope he doesn’t get too hurt.”

Will looked like he still didn’t believe me. I didn’t believe me, either. “I mean, I’m just praying to God that he won’t fire you or kick you out of the house. He clearly trusts you with his kids, for whatever reason. Maybe due to a lack of proper background check, something… I don’t know. But he obviously trusts you, so try not to screw up this opportunity for him, his family, and most importantly, for yourself. Just be very careful, Kari-Ann. Those are my words of advice. You don’t know what type of associations they have, other than their P.I., Cecilia something. So, just watch what you say or do when you’re around them.”

I’d try my best, but I needed to make sure I had Adam and Martha’s trust. I couldn’t bear having a cloud of suspicion lingering over me.

“That’s why I came to Starbucks in the first place,” I said. “To clear my mind. Adam and Martha are already accusing me of being a ‘walking, talking red flag.’ Whatever the hell that means.”

He smirked, as if he’d gotten a math question right. “Oh, so that’s your real reason for coming to Starbucks. Just wanted to escape the drama, huh? The drama you’re unintentionally causing.”

“It’s not funny, Will.” I nudged him. “I didn’t want the maid and the butler to pry into my past. I want to be the one to tell Dominic for myself, when the time is right. I owe it to him and to myself, but I’m just a little scared about losing him because I don’t know what’s going to happen after I tell him the truth.”

“Yes, of course you owe it to him and to yourself to be honest. I won’t pressure you into doing the right thing. You’re an adult, Kari-Ann, so I trust your instincts. I trust that you know the right thing to do. You have my number, so you’re welcome to hit me up anytime to just chat or set up a time to meet up for whatever—I’d say coffee, but I know that you and I universally hate it—so maybe lunch or something. A friendly date, I guess I can call it for now. I wouldn’t want to lead you on while you’re in your ‘relationship’ with Dominic, but just in case things end up not working out… I’m here for you. Are you okay with that?”

How nice it was of him to offer to be there for me when I least expected it. He was being more than just nice; he was actually hoping to be my companion. I needed a male companion now, more than ever. He was closer to me in age, and we had a total connection, so it was worth it.

“Yes, I’m totally okay with it.” I grinned.