Something always comes up

Back to life

About a week later, she got back to work, but everyone knew something was going on as they were ordered not to touch her under any circumstances. They’d try to ask her from time to time but none who knew was talking. Not even Stuart.

After a month of avoiding and being avoided by her colleagues, she finally decided to tell them what happened, without naming Josh. Before anyone could say anything, she said 

“I don’t want you to say or do anything. I just wanted you to know why” and left, as it was the end of their shift. Everything started getting back to normal as she no longer has any problem with people touching her.

Eventually, she had to go to the Carloyls’ house because it was almost Athena’s birthday. So she met with Isabella, Athena’s grandmother, and talked about how she felt, making it clear that she did not want to be alone with Josh.

“Of course, I understand. Thank you for coming for Athena, she really wants you there”

“I know” She said

“And, I know it doesn’t change anything, but I’m sorry.”

Cara felt obliged to smile. What else was she supposed to say or do?

“I’ll see you tomorrow then” Isabella said, standing up, followed by Cara who nodded and watched her leave.

The following day, she drove to Athena’s house and met with her friends before joining the adults. She mostly stayed in her corner, quickly replying to people who said hi. And after the kids ate the cake, played the games and left with their parents, she was about to leave, but then turned around and got back inside to find the family in the living room.

“Did you forget something?” Isabella asked

“Not really. I’d like to talk to you” she said, looking at Josh

He seemed surprised but stood up and nodded anyway.

They went outside and sat in the garden and Cara asked him why.

“Again, I’m really sorry. I honestly don’t know what came to my mind that day. I had asked you if you and Nathan were dating and you said no. But I guess in my mind I wanted you to say yes and so I, somehow, thought that if I dressed like him and looked like him, you’d think I was him. And you wouldn’t have rejected him”

Cara listened. Although she didn’t get the whole story.

“Now I know it’s weird, even I don’t understand this logic I had. But I don’t know, it just... happened in my head.”

“So why didn’t you let me go? When I rejected you? Why did you not listen to me when your theory was not confirmed?”

“I don’t know. Somehow I lost reason I guess”

“You didn’t lose reason” she said, raising a bit her voice “you were just an asshole. Don’t blame it on something that is not”

“You’re right. Whatever reason I make myself believe in, I still did something horrible and I really am sorry”

“And just so you know, you only looked like Nathan from far away. And what kind of f****d up mind would want to look like somebody else to mess with someone?”

“I…”

“Don’t answer. It wasn’t a real question. From now on, I will not be alone anywhere with you unaccompanied. And Athena doesn’t count as company. Neither do any children or people I don’t know”

He nodded

“Also, we’re not friends. The less we talk, the better. And please don’t do this to anyone else” she stood up and left to her car.

Nathan was standing near them the whole time they talked and when she left, he walked to his brother and pushed him.

“You were trying to be me?” he asked “What the f**k is wrong with you” he added before getting back inside the house.

Mary and Stuart were proud of her after she told them what she did.

And a few months later, Cara and Nathan resumed their activities whenever they could. So when Nathan was in the bathroom on a day both Mary and Stuart were supposed to be working ‘till late, Cara stayed in her bed. But then she heard keys, so she grabbed a robe and Nathan’s things before running to the bathroom and getting in.

“Sh” she said before Nathan said anything “Alexa, play some jazz” she said

And the music started.

“Someone’s here. They can’t know." she said, getting in the shower to get wet so her lie stands.

She covered herself with her robe while Nathan put his clothes back on and she opened the door.

“Who is it?”

“Stuart” he replied, she guessed from the kitchen

“Why are you back so early?”

“My plan got cancelled so I went shopping”

“What, I was gonna ask you to buy me tampons later…”

“Sorry”

“Could you go and buy me some? Please?” She begged

“Really, now?”

She nodded

“What do I get?” He asked

“Dishes for two days”

“Three”

“Deal”

He put his vest back on and left after she thanked him and went back to the bathroom to tell Nathan he could get out.

And when he got back with her tampons, he bend over to grab a wallet. Cara immediately grabbed it from his hands.

“Whose is that?” He asked, smiling

“None” she said

He stared at her.

“I don’t know his name okay?”

“Well, you can know it if you look” he said, trying to grab it back.

She put it in her bedroom and told him no.

“Oh come on!”

“I’ll call him later”

“But you said you didn’t know his name”

“And?”

He left to the kitchen after shaking his head, as it was his turn to cook. She immediately texted Nathan and started putting toys in a box to say it was Athena’s. Between the toys, she hid the wallet and about half an hour later, Nathan rang at the door and Stuart opened it.

“Hi, I’m here to get Athena’s toys, is Cara here?”

He let him in and Cara handed him the box and then he left.

“You and Nathan Carloyl huh” Stuart said

“What?”

“You’re banging Nathan Carloyl”

“No I’m not”

“Yes you are!”

“No, I’m not”

“Then where’s the wallet”

“Why?”

“You’re telling me it wasn’t his wallet and you didn’t put it in the box?”

She didn’t say anything

“Show it to me”

“Alright, please don’t tell anyone. Not even Mary”

“Damn girl! How long has this been going on?”

“A year… It’s strictly physical” she said

“Yeah right”

“Yeah, right” she said

“2 weeks dishes”

“What?”

“I won’t tell Mary if you do my turns for two weeks”

“1 week”

“2 or I’ll tell”

“1 week dishes and cooking?”

“Deal”

She threw a pillow at him before going into the kitchen to resume cooking.

“I hate you” she told him

“I love you too. Rich banger”

She smiled and kept going anyway.

“Why have you been doing everything for Stuart?” Mary asked Cara after the third day

“We had a deal” she said, frouning

“Why?”

“I needed tampons, he went back for me.”

“How long?”

“A week”

“A week for tampons?” She asked “What the hell ?"

“Take it up with him” Cara said, clearing the table and washing the dishes for the third time this day.

About another month went by, a month Cara spent with her family in Perth for the first time in two years, although it wasn’t summer there. When she got back, she immediately went back to work.

At the end of her shift in the morning, her team told her to wait for them. And they all came out still wearing their uniforms.

"Hum, why did you guys change into your formal uniforms? Am I missing something?"

Chief Douglas handed her a letter and asked her to follow him, so she did. They drove the whole firetruck to a few miles away as Cara read that she was getting a medal for bravery for the shooting at the diner, and a present they know she would appreciate.

"What the hell ?" She asked as they parked the truck.

They got out and there was a platform and the mayor standing on it, as well as news crews and all of her colleagues standing in front of the platform.

"I called your mom" Stuart told her before handing her his phone where her mom was smiling at her.

"Hey, mom" she said before being rushed to the platform. She handed it back to Stuart to film and walked towards the mayor as he called her.

He said his speech about thanking her and everything as she was just looking around, smiling.

"And for the present, I hope your colleagues did not ruin the surprise"

Cara looked at them again as they cheered.

"The United States would be grateful to count you as one of its citizens"

Cara's eyes opened wide. She was still on a visa for a year before being able to apply for a green card, let alone citizenship. Which is the only thing that held her from becoming lieutenant anyway.

"Are you serious?" She asked the mayor, making everyone laugh.

The latter confirmed and handed her a pamphlet with papers.

The only thing left to do is get an ID since her colleagues did everything for her.

"Mom can you see that?" She asked, smiling.

Stuart turned the phone towards her to see her mom smiling.

"Can I go?" She asked before running to her friends after he nodded.

And she hugged them all for a long time.

"You guys are crazy" she said, following them back to the truck.

And then she saw Nathan, Josh and Athena there, which made her smile even more.

"Hey guys" she said "you knew?"

They nodded

"You too?" She asked Athena

"Yes" the latter said. "I have to go now, but congratulations!" She said, hugging her

"Go where?" Cara asked Josh

"Holidays" he said before waving at her and leaving with his daughter

"Thanks" she told Nathan before running to the truck to leave.

There was still a month of holidays left, so Athena was still away and did not have classes yet. So when Nathan came to the firehouse at the end of her shift, she was a bit surprised.

“What’s up?” She asked, walking towards Stuart’s car.

“I need to talk to you” He said

She was supposed to go home with them but they left her after she told them to.

“Alright, what about?” she asked, sitting in the passenger seat.

“There’s a, hum, you would probably call it a rich people reunion next week and we kind of have to go with someone. Last year we went alone for the first time and it was awful and”

As he was talking and talking without getting to the point, Cara asked him “Are you asking me to go with you?”

“Yes” He said “Not as a couple or anything, I mean, hum”

“Since when do you get nervous?” she asked, amused

“Thing is, Josh and I told them we’d come with our girlfriends”

Cara raised her eyebrows up.

“None of us has a girlfriend” he added

“So you want me to come to a rich people reunion with you acting as your girlfriend?”

He nodded but didn’t seem sure.

“It’s not that big of a deal, when is it?”

“The big deal is I hoped you’d ask Mary to come as Josh’s fake girlfriend”

Cara lost her smile.

“I know” He started “But we’ll be together all the time and he knows he messed up big time and”

“I’ll ask her” she cut him “When is it?”

“Next Tuesday”

“Oh, we’re on shift” She said

But seeing his pained face made her sad.

“But I’ll ask chief to switch us shifts. But only if Mary agrees. And send me all the details”

He agreed and finally started the car to drive her home.

On Wednesday, Cara and Mary drove to the Carloyls as they were almost ordered to stay the night and try outfits on for the following day’s event.

“Isn’t this too much though?” Mary asked as she tried the first dress

People were looking at them and talking about what they should change to make them look better.

“Apparently it’s an important event? All I know is there will be food, so…” Cara replied

“Damn rich people are weird” Her friend said as the stylist told her the heels made her look too thin.

“Is that even a thing?” She’d askeD