Knowing Me, Knowing You

On and On and On

"I don't understand why you are wanting me to come with you," Dante stated as he slipped his recently sewn dress into a dress bag. "I thought you wanted me to stop fantasizing over Trevor anyway."

"I know what I said, but I still need you to come with me," Carter replied as she cleaned up the excess mess they made in the sewing room. "I don't want to be alone at that meet. Xander may have asked me to come, but there is no guarantee that he will have time to talk or hang out after the meet, so I don't want to be alone there."

"So, this is all about you?"

"Yes," she grumbled. "But at the same time, it could be beneficial for you. You keep staring at Trevor as though you long to be held in his arms and kiss him from sunset to sunrise."

"What's your point? It's just a little fantasizing."

"That could hurt you in the long haul. Who knows, maybe you two can talk and have an actual conversation that will allow you to get some closure and move on." She hugged Dante's shoulders from behind and kissed his cheek. "You're such an amazing guy. You deserve to be with someone who is going to treat you right. I don't want you to keep fantasizing over a straight man when you will one day find an incredible gay man who will give you the love you deserve."

Dante squeezed Carter's hands and turned back to smile gloomily at her. "I know you're trying to help, but it's not. I know what I'm doing, even if you don't believe me. I just need you to trust me a little more."

"This isn't about me not trusting you-"

"In a way, it kind of is," he insisted. "You think I don't have it in me to get over Trevor. You think I'm just going to continue to suffer by fantasizing about him, when it's actually doing the opposite. I have plans to work on," he said as he shook the dress bag. "We have shit to get done. Focusing my romantic energy on him is keeping me occupied in a way you'd never believe was actually working."

"Is it actually working?"

"Have I seemed distracted to you when it comes to our upcoming show?"

"No."

"Or with my studies?"

"No."

"And haven't I told you before that I'm not suffering as much as you think I am? That it's not the one sided love you think it is?"

"I have heard you say it many times, but you have to understand that from my side, that's exactly what a person in denial would say. You do understand how bad that sounds?"

"I do understand," he said, dramatically flinging his arm around her shoulders and yanking her in close. "But it's the truth. I will go with you this weekend, because I know you need a friend, but I will only go if you drop this thing with Trevor."

"I will drop it until it becomes so bad that I have to slap some sense into you."

"Then no deal."

"Then I'll go alone."

Dante stared down at Carter incredulously, letting her go and spinning to properly face her. "Oh, my- You're really not going to drop this, are you?" he softly said.

"No. I love you, and I don't want you pining after some straight jock who's taken. You deserve so much better than just fantasizing over that. If you did a better job explaining why it's not one-sided, then I would drop it, but I don't know how you'd be able to."

"Because when I fantasize about being with him, I know who I'm projecting my feelings onto," Dante exhaled. "I know what my outcome is going to be at the end of the day, and a little fantasizing never hurt anyone. It's the actions you have to be worried about. If I start flinging my arms all over him and gushing at him in person, then you can be as concerned as you want to. At this moment, I know where I need to be romantically. I know what I have to keep an eye on and where I want to be. I am content where I am. I have important things to worry about right now, as do you. So, instead of being super-duper worried about me right now, let's focus on the fashion show instead. Can you do that for me?"

In the end, it was Dante's life, and Carter knew that. She knew he knew his boundaries and what to look out for. She was well aware that he was going to be alright at the end of the day. As much as it bothered her to see him project feelings onto someone who would never think romantically about him, Dante knew what he needed. If his fantasizing was going to help him get to where he needed to be, then she would allow him to do just that. However, the moment he started to get physical with Trevor, like he warned her, she would step in and break it up. Nothing would happen on her watch.

"Deal," she nodded, grabbing his hand by his side and shaking it firmly.

Dante laughed and patted her back as they exited the sewing room, shutting off the lights on the way out.

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