Fall from Love

Carter and wonder what caused him to act so strange earlier. I’m not sure I should, but I can’t help texting him.
    Me: Hi.
    Carter: Hi.
    Me: Everything okay?
    A few minutes pass and I don’t hear anything. When my phone finally chimes, my heart shoots up in my throat.
    Carter: Just tired. Going to bed.
    A long minute passes and my phone chimes again.
    Carter: Goodnight, Holly.
    Me: Goodnight.
    Great, that doesn’t help me feel any better. It actually makes me feel worse. Something happened with him this afternoon, something he is intentionally keeping from me.
     
    ❧
     
    The next morning, I wake up to what sounds like cabinets slamming shut—a lot of them—over and over again. I lay there for a minute, hoping it will stop; hoping I can fall back asleep. After another long minute, it’s clear the noise coming from the kitchen isn’t going to stop anytime soon. Flipping the covers off, I throw on my robe and drag myself into the hallway. With both hands, I rub my eyes, trying to force myself awake and, when I uncover them, I’m blinded forever.
    “Oh God!” I scream and cover them back up.
    “Shit,” Josh breathes. “Sorry, Holly, I thought you were still sleeping.
    “Um… I’m just... ” My voice trails off and I squeeze my eyes shut, using my free hand to guide me down the hall. With each step I take, I try to drown out the vision of seeing Josh totally naked in my kitchen. My hands glide along the wall, finally feeling the opening to my bathroom.
    My heart is pounding in my ears, but I swear I hear him laughing. “Sorry,” he says again. “I was just gonna run out here and scramble up some eggs for breakfast.”
    And you couldn’t put pants on? I think to myself . “Um, don’t worry about it. I’m just going to—” I find the light switch and shut the door.
    When I’m safely guarded from seeing him again, I open my eyes and again try to burn the image of seeing him out of my head. Too nervous to go back out there, I take a shower, shave my legs, floss and brush my teeth.
    When I’m back in my room, only a few minutes pass before I hear a knock at my door. Jenna pokes her head through and has a big smile on her face. I return her smile as she walks in.
    “Sorry about earlier,” she says, falling back on my bed. “I had no idea he was up and making breakfast, let alone doing it naked. Really, it won’t happen again.”
    “Don’t worry about it. I’m just going to head out and let you two have some space.”
    “Oh, come on, Holly, you don’t have to do that. He decided that scrambled eggs aren’t good enough; he’s out there making breakfast tacos. You should join us.”
    “Um, I think I’ll pass.” Even thinking of eating in there right now, especially something that Josh cooked, is not appetizing. The image of him in there, naked, just over thirty minutes ago, it’s just too soon. Then a thought pops into my head and I hang my head forward and sigh loudly.
    “What is it?” she asks.
    “Do you think you have a few minutes to spare?”
    “Uh, sure. Why?”
    “I need a ride to the auto shop. They told me my car should be ready this morning.”
    “See, it’s a sign. You need to stay and eat breakfast with us.”
    Looking over at her, I give her my best pleading look. I’m not in the mood to argue with her right now. I really just want to get my car and have my freedom back.
    “Fine,” she says, sitting up and bouncing off the bed. “Let me just go get dressed.”
    Luckily, I make it out of the apartment with only giving Josh a quick glance and an even quicker goodbye. On the way over to the auto shop, I almost tell Jenna about the feelings I think I may have for Carter, but I decide to keep my mouth shut until I can figure them out a little better myself. In the back of my mind, I know that I need to see him in order to sort them all out. Eventually, I know that I need to talk to him and see what he is feeling, too. Maybe this is just one sided. Maybe I need to get over the idea of ever being with him like that and stop thinking about running my hands all over him.
    Jenna pulls up to the auto shop and I hop out. “Thanks for the ride, I’ve got some errands to run today, but I’ll see you later.”
    “Are you sure you won’t come back for breakfast?”
    “I’m sure, but thanks.”
    She sighs and drives off. I feel kind of bad for not taking her up on the breakfast offer, but there is actually somewhere else I want to be. Once the thought enters my head,