Love Me for Me

Chapter Fourteen

I don’t know why I told Carter he could move in with me. I guess it was just a spur of the moment thing. It’s not that I regret letting him stay here, but now I’ll have to make sure all of my things are hidden and he won’t be able to find them. It was the morning after Carter’s first night, and I kept wondering how long he was going to be here. I got out of bed, throwing on a shirt and opening my door and walking into the kitchen. I was surprised to see Carter already sitting there at the counter eating just a granola bar. “Morning.” he said as he turned around to face me. I nodded and rubbed my eyes.

“Good morning.” I said, still half asleep. “How was your first night here?” He nodded and took the last bite of the granola bar, crinkling up the wrapper.

“It was good. Thanks again for letting me stay here again.”

I shook my head as I walked over to a drawer, pulling out a loaf of bread. “It’s nothing.” I said as I closed the drawer and plugged in the toaster. “Would you like some?” I asked, showing him the bread. He shook his head and got up from the stool.

“It’s alright. I have to be at work for 11:00am- I’ll eat whatever we have in the kitchen.” I nodded, pulling out 2 slices of bread and sticking them in the toaster.

“What time is it by the way?” I asked, pushing the lever on the toaster down.

Carter looked at his watch and looked back up at me. “Just after 10.” My mouth fell open. I usually don’t sleep in that late.

“What time were you up this morning?” I asked, putting the bread away and pulling out the peanut butter.

He shrugged. “Probably around 9:45. I was only up for a little bit before you.”

I nodded and pulled out a plate from the cabinet. “Is that why you just grabbed a granola bar; because you knew you were going to eat at 11?” He smiled and fixed his hair, pushing it to one side.

“Yeah, it’ll be like that almost every day.” My toast popped up and I grabbed it quick, trying not to burn my fingers. I grabbed a knife from the drawer and opened the jar of peanut butter.

“What time do you think you’ll be back?”

Carter shrugged and looked at his watch again. “If we’re busy, probably between 6-7. If it’s a slow day I’ll be back by 5:30 the latest. It changes every day.” I nodded as I finished spreading the peanut butter and put it away, sticking the knife in the sink. “i think I’m gonna go take a shower and start getting ready.” he said, sighing. “Is that okay?”

I looked up as I took a bite of the toast and nodded. “Yeah; this is your place, too now. You don’t need to ask to take a shower.” He smiled and nodded, starting to leave the kitchen when my phone dinged.

I looked at it, noticing I had a text from Sam. “hey meet me in an hour and a half in front of little sophie’s. I have a surprise” I stared at the message, confused about what it meant.

“Who was it?” Carter asked, walking towards the counter again.

“Just Sam; she wants me to meet her in an hour and a half in front of Little Sophie’s cause she has a surprise. What does that mean?”

Carter thought about it before shrugging. “It could mean anything, I guess. But I suggest you meet her there in an hour and a half.” I chuckled and nodded as Carter started leaving the room again. “I’ll be done if a few minutes so you have time to take one.” he said as he walked down the hallway into his bedroom.

“Alright!” I replied. I heard the bathroom door close and the water turn on. I stood in the kitchen leaning on the counter, thinking about what Sam meant. I hated surprises- they’ve never ended well for me. Right after I finished my breakfast I heard the water turn off and after a few more minutes the bathroom door opened, Carter walking into his room. I put my plate away and walked down the hallway, holding my phone on my hand. I looked at the message again, unable to figure out what she was talking about. “I guess I’ll have to wait and find out in an hour and a half.”I thought, curious to see what the surprise was.