Ever After?

It was so terribly cold. Snow was falling and it was almost dark. But Carissa Johnston was already over halfway to Delilah’s Diner when the skies began to change. She cursed silently but managed to get through the door without a hassle. She then stood patiently in line for her turn to order. Her green eyes drifted towards the window.

The trees were swaying outside, as the wind all of a sudden picked up with surprising force. The snow was also coming down heavier and hitting the glass a little bit harder.

It would have been hellish trying to drive on the roads; good thing she didn’t have her own car. For the moment, Carissa was just fine with the local public transport to get around to other places. Living only a couple of blocks away from the diner itself wasn’t so bad either. However, given the current snowstorm beginning to roll in, when she was done here, a more cautious trek back home sounded like a great idea; her uncoordinated feet may yet be her undoing.

Carissa removed her beanie and gloves, keeping her jacket on for a bit of extra warmth. She smoothed down her dyed black hair with pink highlights and glanced around the room, trying to spot an empty table. She saw a booth that a couple had recently left as she told the server behind the counter what she wanted. “Hi. I’ll have a regular sized latte, plus a ham, cheese and tomato toasted sandwich and a small serving of chips, please.”

The girl whose name tag read Gillian, typed quickly onto the screen. She was naturally a very cheerful person and had also visited the same salon. “$13.50. I shall bring your order myself, once it’s ready. We are busy today.” Her cousin smiled at her apologetically, twisting a loose strand of white hair around her finger. “I guess you won’t mind waiting a while?” Carissa took a number. The coins she was given landed safely back in her purse. “Of course not. I don’t have anywhere urgent to be. Thanks. “Any time.” 

                                       *******

Although there was an age gap, Carissa and Gillian were more like sisters while growing up. There were enough similarities for people who didn’t know the girls, to assume that they were actual siblings. They shared every secret and had fun together. When she was fourteen, Gillian’s mother Bethany secretly married Blake Conway, a man who came with a twenty-year old son.

She wasn’t keen on gaining a stepbrother, but Jason seemed nice, and Blake made her mother happy, so for her sake, she tried to get used to the change in living arrangements. Carissa heard all about it but did not meet the newest family members until several weeks later, when they threw a party as a kind of after wedding celebration.

Jason came over to introduce himself. She shook his hand but dropped it fast. Her senses were tingling and not in a good way. He started up a conversation. “Are you still in high school?” Her tone of voice showed nothing of her instant dislike. “I just graduated and am going to university soon.” “Cool. What courses are you taking?”

“Journalism, History and Music.” “I left school to work in my dad’s garage. There’s very little that I don’t know now about bikes and cars. I do enjoy riding and can’t wait to find somewhere that holds races.” His eyes wandered, appearing to follow someone. Carissa was surprised at how intensely he was staring at Gillian.

Her cousin met his gaze with a blank expression on her face, which was totally unlike the girl she knew and loved. She looked at Carissa for a brief moment and her mask almost cracked. Then she moved out of their line of vision. Jason continued talking, in an attempt to draw her back to him, but she didn’t even bother to pretend that she was listening.

She politely excused herself, a little worried for Gillian. Something wasn’t right. Of course, there could well be an innocent explanation. Perhaps, despite some effort on both sides, the two of them really weren’t getting along after all. Unfortunately, one late afternoon, the truth came out when Carissa received a disturbing phone message…

“Carissa, I need your help; I can’t deal with this on my own anymore. It started only a short while after they officially moved into our home. I didn’t have any kind of warning beforehand. I cannot even stomach saying the awful things Jason has done to me, but I am sure you can read between the lines. Who else knows me better? He's trying to scare me into silence, but I refuse to let him get away with it. I know it's not my fault and he can't shame me into believing that. I had an idea to record the next time, which of course there was, without him being aware. I haven’t shown the footage to anyone. I’d like you to be with me when I do. Call me back as soon as you can.”

Gillian’s mother and stepfather were both horrified, Blake in particular. How could his son do this to a young girl? Gillian brought up the possibility that she may not have been his only victim. In the end, the police got involved and Jason was arrested. Media coverage caught the attention of three other teenagers, who knew him back in the day. They saw he was going to be punished and wanted to make sure that it happened.

The judge sent him straight to prison, with a chance to apply for parole. Not ideal, but at least he wouldn’t be able to hurt anyone else in the near future. Blake disowned his son. He and Bethany chose not to split up, somehow growing closer. Gillian at first found it difficult to process everything that she had been through. Getting to talk with the other victims of Jason’s abuse helped her more than she originally thought it would.

Her friends and relatives never failed in offering their support to her when she really needed the people that she cared for the most to be there. Carissa was her rock, as always. She was the one who convinced Gillian to get professional guidance. Therapy and some medication for her anxiety and depression, seemed to be doing what it was meant to. She finished school and got a full-time job. She avoided dating, and for good reason, but was cautiously hopeful that a decent guy would eventually come along one of these days.

                                           ********

Carissa sat down, placing her laptop and a notebook onto the table in front of her. She turned to prop the bag up on her right side. She entered her password and opened up a brand-new document file. Her attention flickered from her rather messy but still legible handwritten notes to the computer. She soon became absorbed by the assignment she was determined to at least finish most of before the due deadline.

Gillian came and went with her food and drink, which she ate with only a short pause in her typing. She didn’t notice at first, the person who had just decided to sit opposite her until they coughed. Carissa went still for a few seconds, then slowly raised her eyes. He was a stranger, around her age, or maybe a bit older. Tall and kind of lanky. He had suntanned skin, brown eyes framed with glasses, and dark hair. He wore a leather jacket over what looked like office clothes. He also tried to hide a rather sheepish grin on his face, showing his dimples. Her heart rate picked up.

“I’m really sorry to bother you, but I had no other option. This was the first table I saw that had a girl sitting there by herself. I suppose you could be waiting for someone to show up, but if that's not the case, I wanted to ask you for a favor. Can you please pretend that we’re a couple? There’s this girl at work who won’t take no for an answer and so I said I was taken. She doesn’t believe me. I'm pretty sure she followed me here.” Carissa couldn’t help a small sigh of relief. She was still feeling, for lack of a better term, slightly off balance and wasn’t sure why.

This was quite possibly the most unusual thing that had ever happened to her. Against her better judgement, she was curious. She sat there, thinking over his suggestion. “Alright. Hold my hand and I’ll act as if I am happy to see you.” He smiled again. “Thanks, I owe you one.” “Don’t you forget it.” They spoke in lowered voices about random stuff, making sure to appear like they were completely absorbed in each other. Carissa found out that his name was Brian. He was twenty-six and an assistant director for a software business. Divorced parents. No brothers or sisters.

He ended a relationship two years ago and hadn’t really considered putting himself out there again. But then Eve was hired at Malvern Industries. “She made no secret of her interest, but I didn’t feel the same. I was friendly, but I can assure you not very encouraging. It only seemed to make her resolve stronger. I lost count of how many times I told her no. Finally, I snapped, when at an end of year party, Eve cornered me in my office, drunk and flirtier than she had ever been before.”

“Most guys would have given in to temptation.” “Well, I’m not most guys. I pushed her away from me, then revealed I had a girlfriend.” “Which was a lie.” “It certainly made her cool off, at least for a short while.” Carissa was about to ask Brian a question but caught a tiny blonde glaring at her from the counter not too far from where they were sitting. She was stirring a strawberry milkshake but clearly had no intention of drinking it. “So that’s Eve. Wow, if looks could kill, I’d be six feet under.”

Brian shook his head. “I really must apologize again. I hope our little stunt will convince her to keep her distance.” “Unless she’s one of those women who goes after a man despite being aware that he is in a relationship.” “True. You know what, regardless of how we met, I am glad that we have.” “Same here. Okay, let’s bring the charade to a close. I was just about to leave, why don’t you follow me?” “Sure.”

Talk had gone back and forth so easily between them, that she'd had no idea of how quickly the hours passed by. It was definitely time for her departure; a mug of hot chocolate within a warmed-up apartment was calling to her. “You probably should drop a polite word in Eve’s ear.” “Good idea.” They didn’t think twice about holding hands once more when he opened the door for her. She let go first, as they wandered down the street, further out of sight of prying eyes.

Brian stopped at a bright red motorcycle, pulling his gloves from his pocket. He put his helmet on and reached into a hidden compartment under the seat for a second one. He offered it to her. “Care for a ride?” Her eyes widened. “Are you crazy?” “I don’t like the idea of you walking alone out here with the snow falling so much.” “I do it all the time, even in dodgy weather. I’ve always gotten home safe and sound.”

“I really would feel better if I gave you a lift, after what you just did for me. Don’t worry I’ll be careful.” She sighed, climbing onto the back. “Fine.” “Hold on tight.” Carissa wrapped her arms around Brian's waist, leaning against him. The bike engine roared to life. As they rode along, she was beginning to wish that their ‘date’ had been real. Maybe she'd surprise herself and gather the courage to ask him if he wanted to see her again. He could only say no. Where was the harm in taking a chance?

To Be Continued...