Rediscovered Love

by Celeste Carrara

  I looked at her, confused. “Are you sticking up for him?”

  “Well, I guess I am. Hear me out. It’s not every day that your best friend dates your ex-girlfriend. How would you feel if the shoe was on the other foot?”

  We were alone and it occured to me that if I smacked her, there would be no witnesses. It would be her word against mine.

  “I would hope that if I was in Jason’s position, I would be a good enough friend to try and understand why and how the two ended up together. I would hope that I wouldn’t jump to conclusions and think it was all about revenge. I would hope that I would know my best friend well enough to know that if he was with my ex, there was a damn good reason for it. Now, if you’ll excuse me, there is a piece of chocolate cake with my name on it waiting for me.”

  “Tori, wait. I’m sorry. You’re right. Just give him some time. He’ll get over it eventually.”

  “You know him so well, don’t you, Casey? You say that with such confidence.”

  “Yeah, I do know him, very well.”

  She was challenging me and I wanted so badly to say something to wipe that stupid look off her face.

  I took the high road. “You’re right. You do know him better than me.”

  She was kind enough to wait a few minutes before following me out of the bathroom. When I returned, my cake was sitting there and I concentrated on it and it alone and prayed there would be no more outbursts. David rubbed my back and I appreciated the comforting gesture. The conversation over dessert was all about the upcoming nuptials. Mike and Amanda didn’t want to wait so they planned on having a summer wedding. The highlight of the night was when Mike asked all four guys if they would be his groomsmen. All replied with a cheerful “yes” and Mike looked overjoyed.

  Amanda stood up so we all turned our attention to her. “I would like to thank all of you for coming out with us tonight. It really means a lot to Mike and me. I know how special you all are to him and it’s really great to see all his old friends come together to help us celebrate. I hope this is the first of many celebrations to come that we can all share together. Cheers!” She held up her glass and we all followed.

  Jason’s uncontrollable laughter ruined the moment. “I don’t think there will be any more weddings, if that’s what you’re getting at.”

  We all looked at him, surprised by his outburst.

  “I know I’m not headed down the aisle anytime soon. No offense, babe.”

  Casey gave him a death stare and I couldn’t help but feel sorry for her.

  “Unless you meant these two.” He pointed at David and me. “That right there is just my best friend having fun with my leftovers and my ex getting back at me for not making her my girl.”

  David stood, too quick for me to catch him, and flew around the table. Joey was there to catch him midstride but couldn’t stop the words that came out of his mouth.

  “Shut the fuck up, Jason! Enough! I will not sit here and let you disrespect her. Apologize. Now.”

  “What are you gonna do? Go ahead, hit me. I dare you.” Jason taunted.

  Mike and Brian had to join in to keep the two from tackling each other.

  “I’ll fucking wipe that stupid smirk off your face, you jealous bastard! It’s not my fault you were too stupid to realize what you had. It was only a matter of time before she woke up and realized what an asshole you were to her. Don’t blame me for being the better man.”

  “Better man? Give me a break, David. She’s just trying to get back at me, and if you were thinking with your head instead of your dick, you’d see that.”

  “Are you kidding me? Did it ever occur to you that this has nothing to do with you? What a fucking ego, man.”

  I had been quiet for too long. “I’m not trying to get back at you for anything. I wish we didn’t have an audience for this conversation, but it seems you want to lay out all our shit on the table, so bring it. Say what you want to say to me.”

  He didn’t hold back. “I think you are nothing but a revengeful bitch, Tori. The sight of you makes me sick.”

  That I didn’t expect, but he was drunk and angry so I let him get it all out. Maybe he needed to and then he would be able to let it go. That didn’t mean I wouldn’t stick up for myself.

  “Nice, Jason. Thank you. Do you feel better now?”

  David was red-faced and I knew it took all his strength to not barrel through his friends and knock Jason out.

  “Fuck you.” That was his classy response to me.

  “Yes, fuck me, I’m a bitch, I fucked all your friends, blah, blah, blah. Grow up, Jason. Seriously. Get your head out of your ass and wake up. We’ve been over for a long time. That last hook up was a mistake, us just falling back to old habits. When I said I didn’t want to be with you in the car that night, I meant it. I have no reason to get revenge. I’m sorry if you feel David and I betrayed you in some way, but it wasn’t on purpose. The truth is, we are in love. Your rants can’t change what’s happened. We are going to be together whether you approve or not. I would hope that you can put your ego aside and repair your friendship with David. I could care less if you never speak to me again, but don’t ruin your friendship with David because of this.”

  Casey didn’t know about our hook up in the summer because the look on her face was of pure shock. It was too late to take back what I said and I felt bad she had to find out in room full of people. Before I could say anything to her, Jason yelled back at me.

  “Love? You and David are in love? Give me a break. You can’t be serious!”

  David answered for me. “She is serious. It’s true and I don’t plan on being without her, ever. You either need to get over it or you’ll lose us both.”

  Joey, Brian, and Mike loosened their holds on David and Jason. I stood across from Jason and couldn’t read the expression on his face. At that moment, all I cared about was what David had just said. He had no plans on being without me, ever. It was totally inappropriate, but I swooned anyway. Everyone else was quiet and awkwardly sat with their desserts untouched.

  I tried to end the confrontation before things got worse. “We’re ruining Mike and Amanda’s night. I’m so sorry guys. David? I think it’s time for us to go.” Before we could leave, Jason had more to say.

  “For the record, it’s not about you, Tori. Only a scumbag would do what David did. A one night stand I could get over, but this? I can’t do it. It’s cool though. Now at least I know who my real friends are.”

  David couldn’t hide the hurt on his face. I wanted to wrap my arms around him and comfort him in some way.

  “If that’s how you feel, then there’s nothing I can do about it. I won’t beg for your forgiveness when I’ve done nothing wrong. You didn’t want her, you never valued her, and I had to love her from a distance and sit there and watch her be hurt by you over and over. You have no idea how happy I was when she finally realized her worth. I am lucky that she sees that I’m the right one for her. If I lose your friendship because of it, then so be it. She’s worth it.”

  He walked over to me, grabbed my hand, and we walked out together. Once we were in his car, he leaned over and kissed me.

  “I’m so sorry he treated you like that, especially in front of everyone.”

  “Don’t apologize for him. I’m sorry for everything that happened tonight.”

  “It is what it is.” That was all he said on the subject for the rest of the drive to my house. He didn’t spend the night and I didn’t press the issue. He needed to be alone and under the circumstances, I understood.

  Chapter Eighteen

  My winter break was over and it was time to go back to school. David followed me to Boston and spent the weekend there with me. Things couldn’t be better between the two of us, but I could tell he was still upset about Jason. The two hadn’t spoke since their fight. It pained me to see David upset, but there was nothing I could do about it. They say time heals all wounds and I truly hoped that would be the case in this situation. Until then, all
I could do was wait.

  David and I continued to grow closer and when he asked me to go away with him for spring break, I happily said yes. I had never been anywhere special and he planned a trip to Disney World. He remembered it was somewhere I had always wanted to go as a kid. My parents were preoccupied and never took me. He amazed me with how thoughtful he was. We were to leave from New York, so I went back home to pack the extra clothes I needed.

  It was the morning of our trip, when my doorbell rang, I assumed it was David and wondered why he didn’t just walk in. When I got to the door, I saw that I was wrong. It wasn’t David there, it was Jason.

  “Hi. Mind if we talk?’

  Shocked was not enough to explain how I felt. “Yeah, sure, come in.”

  He stood awkwardly in my foyer before he followed me into the living room.

  “You’re going away?”

  “Yes.”

  “With David?”

  “Yes.”

  “Mind if I ask where?”

  “Disney World.” I said flatly.

  “Ah, good choice. You’ve always wanted to go there. That’s nice.”

  “Yeah. So what brings you by?”

  He didn’t look me in the eyes, he stared at the floor and flipped his cell phone over in his hands and said, “I wanted to apologize for how I acted that night. You didn’t deserve it.”

  Surprised, I replied, “Thanks.”

  He forged on with what was on his mind. “Tori, is this for real?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “This, between you and David.”

  “Yes, it is. I know it’s hard to understand, but I love him.” I watched his reaction carefully. I was surprised when he finally gave me a ghost of a smile.

  “Actually, it isn’t hard to understand. I always knew he loved you. I was just in the way. My stupid ego got the best of me. Listen, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and I’m not gonna give you any more shit about being together. I just wanted to make sure that it’s the real deal for you. I don’t want to see him get hurt.”

  “I’m not going to hurt him. I promise. You know, you sound an awful lot like a best friend looking out for his buddy. Does that mean...” I didn’t want to get my hopes up, but I wanted to ask because I knew it was important to David.

  “Yeah, I plan on trying to patch things up with him. If he wants to.” He hung his head and looked directly at me.

  “Believe me, he’ll want to. I’m glad you had a change of heart. I think you should know that we didn’t just jump into bed with each other and not take your feelings into consideration. We both agreed losing you as a friend wouldn’t be worth it. But we both deserve a chance at true love and we’ve found it with each other.”

  “That’s good. I’m happy for you. Both of you.”

  I’ve known him for a long time and I knew when he was full of shit and when he was being truthful. He actually meant what he said.

  “So, you and Casey?” I had to ask. I wanted him to find love in his life. It was too sad to imagine him alone because he was too scared to get close to someone.

  “Nah. She would love it, but I’m not ready to settle down.”

  David chose that moment to come in. He was surprised to see Jason and me on the couch. I could see the thoughts running through his head. For a split second, fear flashed across his features. It was quickly replaced by confusion.

  “Hey bro, what’s up?” Jason said casually.

  David replied, “Nothing. What are you doing here?”

  “He came to apologize to me and to speak to you.” I injected.

  “Really?” David looked like he couldn’t believe what I just said.

  “Yeah,” Jason replied.

  “I’m going to go put my bags in your car, give you two a chance to talk.” I made my exit despite David telling me I didn’t have to leave. They needed a moment without me there and I was happy to give it to them.

  If it was two girls in the house patching things up, hours would go by. There would be screaming, crying, laughing, and hugging. Guys...well, guys were different. Not a sound could be heard from outside even though they talked for nearly ten minutes. When Jason and David exited the house, you would’ve thought nothing ever happened. Jason got into his car and left, but not before honking and wishing us a good time on our trip.

  David looked happier than I had ever seen him.

  “All is right in the world?” I asked.

  He scooped me up in his arms and replied, “Yes, all is right in the world. I got my girl and my best friend back. And, I’m going to Disney World!”

  We laughed. His excitement was contagious. He didn’t tell me what was said between them, and he didn’t have to. His happiness was all that mattered.

  “Only one thing can make this day better.”

  “Oh really? What’s that?” I asked.

  “You agreeing to find a job here after you graduate.”

  The way he looked at me as he waited for my answer made my heart swell.

  “I think I can do that. But I have one condition.”

  “Okay, what is it?”

  “Move in with me.”

  I could tell he didn’t see that coming. His face broke out in a huge smile and he pulled me into his arms and brought his lips against mine. Every time we kissed, butterflies fluttered in my stomach and my body tingled with excitement. He broke away from our kiss and I pulled him back for more.

  He mumbled, “Yes, I’ll move in with you.”

  My kisses didn’t stop, I couldn’t help myself. I faintly remembered we had to be somewhere. The airport! Yes, we had a trip to get to.

  “What time is it?” I asked him.

  He looked at his phone and said, “One o’clock. We gotta leave in about thirty minutes.”

  “Thirty minutes, huh?” I said with a wicked grin.

  He lifted me off my feet and carried me into the house. We didn’t even bother locking the door. We needed each other more than ever at that moment. Up the stairs we went, me still cradled in his arms. He kissed me everywhere while repeating the same line. “I love you, I love you, I love you.” I knew I would never tire of hearing him say those words to me and I would never stop saying them back to him.

  About The Author

  Celeste Carrara grew up in New York City where she spent her days exploring all of its amazing treasures. Her writing started as a teen when she turned her heartache into poetry. From then on, she found a love for reading romance novels as well as books in other genres such as paranormal, mystery, poetry, thrillers and more. Celeste never dreamed that one day she would be lucky enough to become a full-time writer.

  After having a dream that she couldn’t get out of her head, Celeste decided to put that story on paper. She was amazed at how fast her pen flew with the help of her characters leading the way. The result was book one in her Paranormal City series, Give Me Forever. A paranormal erotic romance based in her favorite city, New York.

  Celeste has been on an amazing journey and has self published four additional books in her series. Recently, she tried her hand on new genres that produced two novellas, an erotic romance and a new adult contemporary romance. She spends her days writing in her office in her home in New York that she shares with her husband, and their two children. She has no plans on stopping and is currently working on the next novel in her Paranormal City series.

  For more info and to read more books by Celestte, please visit www.celestecarrara.com

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen


  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  About The Author