Her Stranger

CH. 12 The Queensboro Bridge; A place to hide

The office was a hive of activity and stress as usual. I decided to get out of the shell comfort while everything seemed almost done and dusted. There wasn't anything for Carter to sniff on and ruin it. He was trying to cut my way at every chance possible, but will I give up? Well that was never an option.

Time flew by like a blur, without anyone paying attention to the clock. It was almost noon and Carl suggested we take a break and have lunch outside. We walked to one of the less fancy restaurants nearby, which had a cozy and rustic vibe with its wooden interior and a marble fountain in front of it. The fountain splashed water into a small pool, where some coins glittered at the bottom.

Some outdoor dining tables were set up around the fountain, shaded by colorful umbrellas. The weather was mild and pleasant, so we opted to sit outside and enjoy the fresh air and the sound of water. Carl picked up a menu and scanned it with interest, while I fiddled with my glass of water. I traced the rim of the glass with my index finger, making a soft humming sound that some people might find annoying. It was a mindless distraction from my thoughts, which were swirling in my head like a storm.

Little did I try to distract myself from thinking about Carter but he doesn't leave my thoughts. He is confusing me about my own feelings, I don't know how to handle him and my emotions when they're both in the same place. He is a bad distraction and whenever he is close I lose all my sense of control over myself. I know that if he didn't stop last night I may have let him do as he desired.

I always fall for his type even though knowing he is better than any choice I ever made in men still I can't get careless. He is handsome and desirable but... I'm sure I will lose every control I want over emotion and sense whether physically or emotionally if I let him in. He is a dominant, controlling, and a man so good to be true. That's what I predict from his posture and his actions, leaving alone the fact that we met before and I clearly have no idea when and where. I only had a get in public drunk incident once and I barely believe he can be the same person I constantly dream about.

"Will you stop Angel?" Carl's voice brought me out of my thoughts. He clearly seemed bothered.

"Sorry." I left the glass properly seated in my place.

"Is there something wrong?" This time I looked at him for the sudden question.

"Why would you think so?"

"Cause I know you very well, maybe that's why? You finally decide to leave the house and now you're out with me physically but in your mind you're somewhere else." Exhaling an internal sigh I didn't say anything further, in fact how could I reply that.

"It isn't anything you should worry about. Just the show made me stressed for a while, till it folded up I had to be careful." Not so convinced, Carl was staring back at me with his lips formed in a thin line like he wanted to figure me out. When I tilted my head to the side he snapped out of it, giving me a smile instead.

"What's with the outfit of the day?" Slowly looking down at my gray pants and black V neck sleeveless tight top I examine if the colors were mismatched or if something was off in the outfit. Both colors looked well matched however I admit this outfit was my not so loved theme.

"You look like a perfume bottle." He snorts pointing to my neck with his eyes. My hand reached to touch the silky neckerchief that I forgot was tied around my neck.

"Carl!" He laughed loudly, certainly enjoying his joke. The scarf matched with the outfit, gray flower patterns perfectly simulating the gray color on my pants. Was it looking that bad? I adjust the ribbon making sure it's in place. The hickey wasn't looking much like a normal one, the skin where he sucked was looking like he had a bite on it and was even darker by morning when I checked. Since I couldn't use foundation because of my allergy I had to use a matching ribbon to hide the mark Carter left there and look like a perfume bottle as Carl said. Smoothing the piece of fabric on the particular spot I hoped It wasn't showing a glimpse even though I did use the 2 loop way around the neck so it would cover most of the skin on my neck.