"Can you please hug me?" Carl said to Anne.
He couldn't tell her about his feelings because he was unsure of how Anne was going to react. He just felt like hugging her so he could feel better since his heart was aching.
Anne faced and stood opposite Carl, in between his thighs and they were now the same height since he was leaning against a table.
She hugged him and placed his head on her shoulders. Hearing Carl's story made her realize he was only trying to be a happy man despite what he has been through.
"Carl I'm really sorry for accusing you of being a pervert," Anne said in his embrace.
"you've apologized before, why are you apologizing again," Carl said in a deep voice.
"I just feel the need to. Richie told me what really happened on the subway that day and I feel terrible for accusing you in the first place" she said.
"As a matter of fact, I'm happy Richie did what he did if not, I wouldn't have met you," Carl smiled.
Anne didn't know how and what to respond, she was still in his embrace, hugging him like she was comforting her son.
They were both quiet for a while inhaling each other's sweet scent and Carl felt a lot better hugging her as if he had just taken a painkiller.
It was like magic, he felt so much better in her embrace. He didn't want this feeling to end. He wanted to continue holding her like this.
Carl gently removed his head from her shoulders still holding her, and stared deeply into her beautiful silver orbs, smiling with so many desires in his eyes.
"you have the prettiest eyes," he said in a soft tone, subconsciously biting his bottom lip in a sexy manner.
Carl noticed that there were a few strands of hair obstructing her gorgeous face and he gently inserted it into the back of her ear.
His eyes traced her glossy pink lips that appeared to be more sexy than usual. Perhaps it was because he had never stared at her face this close before.
His eyes were filled with lust and he felt the sudden urge to taste her sexy full lips. He wanted to steal a kiss from her.
Carl leaned closer to her face intending to kiss her and before he knew it, Anne angrily pushed him just before their lips could touch.
She broke free from him and took a few steps back. "what are you trying to do?" Anne said furiously.
Carl stood up to his feet. He had come back to his senses as soon as Anne pushed him.
"shit!" Carl cursed in his head as he facepalmed, regretting why he tried to kiss her.
"were you trying to kiss me?" she said in a husky tone, glaring daggers at him.
"No!... Yes!... I mean.. I... I... I didn't mean to..." Carl stammered nervously.
Anne's glare made him realize that he was in trouble. He might lose her for attempting to kiss her and it scared him a lot.
"oh my God!" Anne whispered to herself. "we just opened up to each other and I thought we were becoming friends..."
"…we are friends" Carl cuts in
"friends?? Did you bring me up here to seduce me? Or you don't realize I'm in a relationship with Carlos,... your best friend" she angrily said
"I know! I… I didn't know what came over me… please forgive me… I'm so sorry, I had no intentions to seduce you or…"
Anne left the balcony with rage before Carl could complete his sentence. She went downstairs to the living room with Carl chasing after her, pleading.
"Anne, I'm sorry… please wait up" Carl begged.
"show me the way out, I wanna leave right now!" she ordered.
"Please let me at least take you home, it's already late." he pleaded.
Anne looked around and saw a black-tinted glass door. She figured it was the exit out of the house and she left immediately without talking to Carl.
"Anne please, wait," Carl said to stop her from leaving but she banged the door closed.
"Fuck!!!" Carl cursed out loud in frustration.
"goddamn! why do I keep messing up!?!" he said massaging his temple.
"We were bonding and I blew it up big time" he groaned.
He sat down on the couch with his eyes shut, looking devastated.
"Oh, God! I'm such an idiot" Carl muttered to himself.
Richie came out of his room and met Carl sitting on the couch, mumbling things he couldn't hear. Carl was still insulting himself for trying to make a move on Anne.
"Carl, are you okay?" Richie asked Carl. He could tell that something was bothering him.
Hearing Richie's voice, Carl opened his eyes and turned his head in Richie's direction.
"Talk to me are you alright?" Richie asked again and Carl shook his head.
He was too upset with himself to be happy that Richie was worried about him. Anne must've done a good job in talking to him to come out of his shell, he thought.
"It's Anne" Carl muttered.
"you two are fighting again?" Richie rolled his eyes.
"sorta, and this time it's actually my fault" he sighed.
"What did you do?" Richie asked as he walked closer to him.
"Richie… I can't tell you," Carl said.
"Why can't you? …too embarrassed to tell me?"
"you won't understand," Carl said.
"then make me understand" Richie insisted.
"maybe when you're a lot older," Carl said.
Richie rolled his eyes "I'm 13, what am I not going to understand? Dude, I know you're in love with Anne, it's not a secret,"
Carl looked at Richie with narrowed eyes as he was listening to him.
"…and I'll approve if you start a romantic relationship with her. Anne is a very beautiful woman and you're not bad yourself" Richie added.
Carl sat down erectly on the couch, glaring at Richie. He was shocked at how Richie was casually talking about love and romantic relationships at his young age.
"hey!!" Carl voiced out to Richie.
"What?" Richie shrugged his shoulders.
"what do you know about love and romantic relationships? And if I want to date her why would I need your approval?" Carl scoffed.
"you know what? It doesn't matter, besides, Anne is already in a relationship with Carlos," Carl said and Richie immediately remembered how Carlos murdered the delivery man in cold blood.
He started breathing heavily and trembling in fear at the thought of that. Hearing the name Carlos alone gives him a panic attack. He couldn't help but get scared.
"Richie, what's wrong? are you okay?" Carl rushed to Richie and held his arms but Richie didn't respond.
He ran to get a glass of water and quickly gave it to Richie to drink. Richie drank the full glass of water and then he started breathing normally again.
"Why do you keep on scaring me?" Carl scolded Richie but in a worried tone.
"Carl, it's nothing," Richie said in a shaky voice like he was about to tear up.
Carl sighed, he noticed he was being hard on Richie and he hugged him to comfort him.
"please tell me what's wrong," Carl asked him holding his hands.
"It's nothing," Richie mumbled, shaking his head.
"Richie, you can tell me anything and I promise to protect you. Don't be scared okay?" Carl cupped his face.
"the truth is, I've been having nightmares lately and… and it disturbs me… I'm just paranoid" Richie looked down.
"Don't worry Rich, you're going to be fine, I'm always here to protect you. Have it at the back of your mind that you're stronger than all your fears" Carl said and Richie nodded his head.
"good boy!" Carl whispered and Richie went back to his room.
Carl was deep in thought.
"Why does he get super scared when I mention Carlos's name?" he asked himself. "or is it just a coincidence?"
He has noticed Richie's weird behavior whenever he mentions Carlos's name.
Carl left his house to take a walk around his courtyard to clear his head. He was wearing an oversized black hoodie on top of his shirt.
He exhaled deeply and he fixed his gaze on the full moon. He started reminiscing about the moment he spent with Anne on his balcony. He thought of how beautiful she was under the moonlight and he smiled subconsciously.
"Carl what is wrong with you, she has a boyfriend for Christ's sake!" Carl scolded himself.
"I should make things clear," he thought.
******
Meanwhile, Anne was in her night dress and fluffy pink slippers. She was going to the freezer to have a glass of water and her eyes met a mirror that showed her reflection from her waist upward.
She stared at her reflection and became lost in thought. She thought of how Carl almost kissed her and she subconsciously touched her lips.
"shit!!" Anne cursed under her breath as she came back to reality.
"I should call Carlos, we only talked in the morning," she said to herself, bringing out her phone to call him.
She called his member several times but Carlos didn't pick up. "why isn't he picking up?" Anne said to herself.
"…Because he's sleeping with other girls that's why," Dexter said going to the freezer. He overheard Anne complaining to herself so he decided to give her an answer which was probably the truth.