A couple of weeks later, Candy returned home from her session with the therapist, feeling lighter but at the same time emotionally drained and vulnerable, as was usually the case. The initial sessions had been difficult for her and Melinda had accompanied her but now after several months, she was confident of going alone.
The chauffeur stopped the car at the main entrance of the house and Candy got out with a sigh. Uncle Rich and Aunt Mel were in Washington so she went to the living room, expecting to find Matt there watching television. He knew the sessions were still hard on her so they had a pizza and movie night on therapy days, and Candy was looking forward to relaxing in Matt's company.
"Hey, Matt, I'm back -" she stopped abruptly.
Matt and Cara were sitting on the couch, very close together, Candy saw, her heart sinking.
"Oh, hey, Candy." Matt's arm went around Cara's shoulder, drawing her even closer to him. "You remember Cara, don't you?"
"Hi, Candy," the pretty blonde said brightly with a little wave of her hand. .
"H-hi, Cara." Candy blinked fiercely as tears pricked the backs of her eyelids.
"Cara and I are going for a drive, so I'll probably be late," Matt said cheerfully.
"Uh – okay – I'm going up to my room. Have a nice evening." Candy backed out and headed upstairs in a rush. As soon as she was in her room she shut the door and leaned back against it, tears streaming down her cheeks. Thinking of Matt with Cara like that, his arm around her, made her heart ache.
"Oh, Matt!" she thought, swiping ineffectively at her tears. She saw the headlights of Matt's convertible come on and moved compulsively to the window. Matt and Cara stood there, and something Matt said to her made Cara giggle loudly. Candy was just about to draw the curtains closed, not wanting to spy on Matt, when he looked up and saw her. He leaned forward deliberately and kissed Cara on the lips, his brilliant blue eyes on Candy.
Candy froze, unable to tear her eyes away from the sight of Matt kissing another girl. At last he broke off the kiss and opened the car door for Cara before going around to his side. He glanced up once again at Candy, and then they drove away.
Candy backed away from the window, her heart breaking. The pain she had felt seeing Matt with Gina or Nora or any of the other girls at school had been nothing compared to what she felt now. All these months of living in the same house, spending time with him and slowly starting to think of him as her best friend had only increased her love for him, and seeing him with Cara made her feel shattered. Candy threw herself on her bed, burying her face in her pillow as huge sobs wracked her slim frame.
At last the storm subsided but the tears continued to flow unchecked. A short while later, there was a knock at her door.
"Candy – it's me," Matt called.
"Go away!" she replied in as firm a voice as she could manage.
"Candy, I wanna talk to you. Let me in!" Matt knocked again.
"I said, go away! I – I'm tired," she lied. There was no way she was going to let Matt see her in this pathetic state, crying her eyes out for him.
"Candy, if you don't open the door, I'll climb in through the window," he threatened. "You know I'll do it."
"Please, Matt, just go away and leave me alone," she pleaded.
"Candy, open the door or I swear I'll go downstairs and get in through the window."
Candy knew from Matt's tone that he would do just that, so she unlocked her door before going to the window and standing there, her back to him.
"Candy."
Of course, he came right up to her.
"Candy, look at me."
"Didn't you have a date? Why did you come back so soon?" she mumbled, her face almost pressed to the glass.
"I didn't feel like spending time with Cara so I dropped her home and came here," he replied. "Now will you look at me? I can see your face in the glass and I know you've been crying," he added when she made no move to turn. "So you may just as well look at me."
Candy turned reluctantly to face him, all too conscious of her blotchy face and red-rimmed eyes.
"Candy – babe – I'm so sorry – please don't cry."
"I – I'm not crying because of you. It's - it's just -"
Fresh tears sprang from Candy's eyes and Matt groaned.
"Babe, you're a pathetic liar, you know. Just – come here."
He pulled her to him and wrapped his strong arms around her, holding her tight. Candy's arms went around his waist as she burrowed her face into his chest. She felt better immediately, but then a thought struck her and she pulled out of his embrace.
"What happened, sweets?" he asked, puzzled.
"It – it isn't right…you're dating Cara," she mumbled around the lump in her throat.
"Oh, Candy." Matt sighed and pulled her back to him. He maneuvered her over to one of the big armchairs in the room and sat down, settling her on his lap.
"About Cara." Matt looked a little ashamed of himself. "I'm not dating her, I – I just like talking to her, that's all. But I'm sorry – tonight was our night and I screwed that up."
"No, Matt, it's okay -" Candy began, but he interrupted her.
"No, Candy, it's not okay. Friday nights are our time and I don't wanna miss that. Forgive me?"
"Matt, I'm not mad at you so there's nothing to forgive," Candy said softly, and he hugged her again.
"Then – what do you want to watch tonight?"