The Reunion

Special thanks to Beci & Chase for giving me valuable editing suggestions!

*****

Chapter 4

Standing there, a cold chill made its way through Carrie's body as she suddenly remembered that she was supposed to have met Steve that afternoon. Everything was moving in slow motion as if she had suddenly stepped in to a bad dream. There before her was her high school crush, the one that she had lost her virginity to oh so many years ago, the one she had been texting for months before the reunion. Nothing in their texts to each other had even hinted about the Steve that was now standing in the lobby. Now the person she saw standing before her wasn't the one that she had fallen in love with all those years ago and had pictured in her mind as they were texting. Instead she saw a man who looked old and worn, a shell of his former self now reeking of alcohol and looking very angry.

"You fucking little bitch...who in the fuck do you think you are to keep me waiting here." Steve yelled as he stumbled making his way towards her. "And to find you waltzing in here with...with this punk," said Steve growing louder with each step towards a frightened Carrie who was now standing motionless, unable to speak.

Will had known Steve when he and Carrie had continued dating after all of them had graduated from high school. But the Steve that was now standing before them wasn't the guy who he remembered. No, this Steve appeared to be like so many of the once popular boys who had been a part of that high school clique of their generation that had allowed themselves to grow old and out of shape as they progressed through life.

Stepping in front of Carrie, Will wasn't quite sure what he was going to do. From previous experiences in dealing with drunks he knew that while Carrie could handle herself he also knew that a drunk very rarely felt pain and never understood logic.

"Punk...you got to be kidding me...get the fuck out of my way," said Steve as he attempted to push Will out of his way. The problem for Steve was that Will had never let any of the people that they had partied with know that when they were younger that he had studied martial arts. Though living as a pacifist and avoiding conflict at all cost, the last few years had forced him to once again study and sharpen his skills even more.

"Steve, you don't really want to do this." But that was all Will was able to get out as he saw the drunkenly thrown punch. Instinct took over and he quickly blocked the punch, dragging Steve to the ground in the process. From there he was able to apply a basic joint lock immobilizing him until the hotel security seemed to suddenly appear from the shadows. They quickly cuffed Steve and hurriedly removed him from the crowded lobby with many of the hotel guests staring, not quite believing the events that had just transpired in front of them.

Shielding Carrie from the crowd of onlookers Will quickly lead her through the lobby to the elevators. As the elevator doors closed behind them the reality of what had just happened sunk in to Carrie's mind. Carrie normally a strong willed woman could no longer hide her emotions. Collapsing in to Will's arm she began to sob. "Will, I'm so sorry," she said as she sobbed. "When I ran in to you this afternoon I totally forgot that he...that he was going to meet me here," she said as she continued sobbing. "Will I'm so sorry that..." Carrie's words trailed off as she suddenly realized that Will had defended her from yet another man who had callously looked at her as nothing more than a mire possession to be used as they saw fit. It was then that she realized that meeting Will was more then accidental. It was if the powers of the universe had aliened and led them to each other. Holding tightly to Will, Carrie knew that she never wanted to be apart from him. She didn't know how this could ever actually be, but she knew deep in her heart that Will was now much more than just a friend.

"Shh...don't you worry...you're safe now," Will said as he wrapped his arms around her shaking body, trying to calm her down. "You had no way of knowing that Steve would just show up here."

Over the course of dinner Carrie had confided in him that months before the reunion she had been texting Steve. She also had said that they were going to possibly meet that afternoon if she had found time to call him. Part of him wondered had they not bumped in to each other that afternoon would Carrie really have found Steve desirable and done the things that he and she had. Will forced himself to dismiss such thoughts; they were friends, true probably now more then just friends, but he knew still that Carrie was her own person and someone who didn't want to be controlled by men.

Instinctively Will had pushed the button for the floor of the hotel that he was staying on. As the doors opened it dawned on him that though Carrie was still holding on to him that she might want to be alone in her room. "Well this is my stop," Will said still holding Carrie, "would you like me to walk you to your room?"

Being alone in her room and apart from Will was the last thing that Carrie wanted. "No...would it be okay with you if...well if I went to your room instead?" Carrie asked not moving from, or letting go of Will.

"Of course you can come to my room...you're always welcome to keep me company." Will said as he and Carrie released their hold of each other. Stepping off the elevator and in to the hallway leading to Will's room they immediately grasped the other's hand. Anyone seeing them as they walked down the hallway would have assumed that they were very much a couple in love. With each step it was as if the scene from the lobby dissolved from their memories.

Neither Will nor Carrie spoke as they silently headed to Will's room. Each was not sure how to say what was truly on their mind. Will throughout the day had kept reminding himself that they lived in very different parts of the country and that the chances of this new development in their friendship continuing was not likely to continue after the reunion was over tomorrow. Sure, they would undoubtedly now stay in contact with each other but as far as actually being able to be together face to face just didn't seem to be a real possibility.

Carrie for her part was trying to figure out just how to keep this new part of their lives from slipping away. What she wanted now was for them to be a couple, or at least see if they could survive as a couple. She knew that each would have to make sacrifices for this to work and she was quickly vowing to make whatever sacrifices needed to be made to have Will permanently in her life. Still she had to consider her three children. Sure, they did seem to be handling her separation from Dan but how would they react if she left Dan and began a life with Will? "Stop this...you don't even know if Will wants this...well, what ever this is to continue after this weekend," thought Carrie grasping Will's hand just a little tighter.

Arriving at his room Will opened the door and let Carrie enter first as he closed the door behind them. "Will, do you mind if I stay here with you tonight," Carrie asked as she sat down on the couch in the living room of Will's suite. Emotionally drained she didn't want to be alone or away from him.

"Sure, go ahead and make yourself comfortable. You can make us a drink if you want...let me check with the front desk to see if either one of us has any messages." Walking in to the bedroom Will called the desk and inquired as to what had happened to Steve. The hotel manager assured Will that the both of them had no need to worry about the rather unpleasant incident happening again. He went on to inform Will that the police had arrived and taken Steve to jail. Apparently there had been a warrant for his arrest for not appearing in court on several DUI charges. Will then inquired if any messages had been left for either him or Carrie. The manager informed him that no calls had been received for either of them, Will then thanked him for all that the hotel had done for them and said good bye.

Returning to the living room Will found Carrie curled up asleep on the couch. Picking her up, being careful not to awaken her, Will carried her to the bed and covered her. Bending down he tenderly kissed her head. Standing back up Will turned off the light and returned to the living room. He had some decisions to make and to make them he needed to get on his laptop.

Logging on he went to his e-mail to see if his latest proposal to the board of his company had been approved. While being the founder of the company which had been an outlet for his musical creativity and burgeoning love of the computer industry; he now wanted to enjoy the fruits of many years of guiding the company to financial success. He was very pleased to read that the board had indeed approved of his hand picked replacement as CEO. The best part was that he retained his majority stockholding. Will now was free to live his life. Now he only hoped that Carried would become a permanent part of his life. Still he wasn't quite sure as to how to even bring up the subject.

Slipping out of his clothes Will went to the bedroom to finally rest after a long and unbelievable day. Apparently while he had been using his laptop Carrie had wakened briefly enough to shed her clothes and crawl back underneath the covers. As he climbed in to bed and under the covers next to her Carrie immediately curled up next to him; "I love you." she mumbled in her sleep. Will froze...did she really just say that she loved him? Was she even aware of what she had said or was she having a dream and saying that to someone else? Closing his eyes and wrapping his arm around her, Will fell asleep dreaming of how life with Carrie could be.

Chapter 5

As Will slowly awakened he reached over to where Carrie should have been only to find that he was alone in the bed. Still not fully awake he started to believe that the day before with Carrie hadn't really happened but was nothing more then a rather vivid dream. Wiping the sleep from his barely opened eyes he noticed a note taped to the mirror above the dresser of his hotel room. Getting up, Will walked over to the mirror to see what the note might say:

Will,

I didn't want to wake you up when I got up this morning.

Need to go to my room for some fresh clothes. Call me in room number 5309 when you see this.

Love, Carrie

Smiling, Will realized that the wonderful day that yesterday had been really had happened. Looking in the mirror he realized he had not been this happy for quite some time. Rather then dialing the number for Carrie's room, Will decided to surprise her by showing up at her door. Making a quick trip to the floral shop in the hotel's lobby Will picked up a combination of white and red roses. He wasn't even sure if she liked roses but decided to take the chance anyway. "Beautiful roses for a beautiful lady," he said to himself. As he rode the elevator to floor that Carrie's room was on he grew nervous as to what he was going to say.

While he knew that she would now forever be a part of his life, he wanted more then anything to have her in the same town and house sharing that life together. As the elevator doors opened Will took a deep breath and walked down the hallway. Standing in front of her door, Will hesitated before knocking. He knew that once he said what he wanted to say that there would be no taking the words back. Carrie would either agree to what he was going to propose or she would reject his desire to spend the rest of their lives together.

Just as Will was about the knock, Carrie opened the door. "I was just about to come see if you had seen the note that I left. I tried calling your room but you didn't answer." It was then that Carrie noticed the rather large bouquet of roses that Will was carrying and smiled. "Why don't you come in. I'm almost finished getting ready."

As Carrie turned and made her way back to the bedroom of her suite Will stepped in to the room. Closing the door behind him, he placed the bouquet on the table and sat down on the couch.

"So what would you like to do today before we have to meet everyone else tonight at the restaurant," Will asked. As Carried emerged from the bedroom Will could only stare. "You're...," was all he could say. Every time that Will saw Carrie she seemed to be more beautiful then before.

For her part Carrie was falling deeply in love with Will. The man that he had become was something she had seen a hint of when they had been friends in college. Now before her was that man. Smiling at Will's lost for words, "So I take it that you approve of my outfit." Carrie said walking up to him and kissing him.

As they kissed, each thought of not wanting to be apart from the other, not knowing that other wanted to be together forever as well. As their kisses grew more passionate they became lost to the world around them. Neither of them had heard the phone in Carrie's suite ringing, it wasn't until the sound of knocking on the door that the two were brought back to reality. Looking at each other there was a look of yearning for each other, with a look of disappointment for having been interrupted.

"Are you expecting somebody?" Will asked still holding Carrie close to him. "No, I haven't been expecting anyone," Carrie said looking up at Will. "I'm not done with you...but let me see who it is...maybe it's just somebody from room service wanting to clean."

Carrie, turning towards the door, was hoping that it was just room service. She desperately wanted to know if Will was feeling the same way about this new part of their friendship. Whoever was knocking though was apparently growing impatient at being made to wait as the knocking was getting louder with each passing second.

When Carrie opened the door there was no way that she could have expected to see who was standing before her. "Jessica!" Carrie shouted. Jessica Stewart had been one of the other cheerleaders at the university and had been one of her closest friends back then. "How did you ever find me here? I thought that I had snuck in to town." Carrie said giving a Jessica hug and asking her in to the room.

"Well I actually had called your house last night to see if you had decided to come. Tabitha said that you had asked her to watch your house while you were gone for the weekend." As Jessica was saying this she couldn't help notice that Carrie was not alone. "So are you going to introduce me, or do I have to guess as to who this man might be," Jessica said walking over to where Will was standing, eyeing him up and down. "Damn, I hope that they aren't a couple," Jessica thought to herself, "it's been a while since I got laid and by the looks of him I bet he fucks like a race horse."

Carrie knew that look in Jessica's eye and she knew exactly what she was thinking. She had seen Jessica look this way at many boys back in college right before she had taken them back to her apartment only later to tell Carrie in explicit detail as to what she had done with them and to them. "But to answer your question this is a close friend of mine, Will Morris."

For his part Will also knew that look in Jessica's eyes. While he hadn't really known her when they all were in college, he knew enough about women to usually know what they were thinking and in this case he was sure that given the opportunity Jessica would avail herself to him if he so desired. But he also knew that who he wanted to be with forever was Carrie and he wasn't going to let some fling, albeit a most likely torrid fling, come in between the love he was rapidly developing for Carrie. As Carrie positioned herself between him and Jessica he wrapped his arms around her waist slowly pulling her closer to him.

As she felt Will wrap his arms around her waist Carrie knew that Jessica was not going to be a threat to their burgeoning relationship. Still she wondered, had Will initially felt some sort of sexual attraction to her when she had walked in to the room? After all, Will was a man and a damn good lover who knew how to bring so very much pleasure to a woman. A part of her wondered what it would be like to see him fucking Jessica.

"Well why don't we order some room service and get caught up. You can tell me all about what you have been up to," Carrie said motioning Jessica to sit on one of the couches in the suite, "Will why don't you call and order us all something for lunch, I'm sure we can trust you."

"Better yet why don't I give you two lovely ladies sometime to catch up with each other? I'm going to go down to the front desk to see if this one Italian restaurant that use to be here in town is still open. If so, then I'll order some appetizers and maybe a pizza and then go pick it up. How about if I come back in about an hour and a half with lunch? That should give you two a chance to catch up." Will was also thinking it would give him a bit longer to figure out what he wanted to say to Carrie. When he had wrapped his arms around her just now it felt just so right, and some how he could sense that the feelings he had were being shared by her as well. "Okay, I'm off...don't you two get too wild while I'm gone."

Chapter 6

Little did Will know how prophetic those words were to become for as soon as the door had closed behind him an uneasy tension filled the room. While they were in college there had been the typical lesbian experimentation one night between Carrie and Jessica after a night of a little too much partying. For Carrie it had just been an experiment, a pleasant one but she simply preferred men while after college Jessica had committed to a bisexual life style. But the problem for Jessica had been that none of the women she had been with since that night had quite measured up to the pure sexual power that Carrie possessed. While earlier Carrie had worried about Jessica making a move on Will, she was now just as worried that Jessica was going to want to relive that night they had shared.

"So does he know that you're in love with him," Jessica asked Carrie as the door closed. "What...wait...how do you know that I'm in love with him?" Carrie fumbled for the words. This question totally threw Carrie for a curve. She had totally expected Jessica to make a move on her, but instead she wanted to know if Will knew she was in love with him. Love was the one word that scared her throughout her life. In fact, it was the one word that she had even taught Will to be one hundred percent sure he meant and felt should he ever believe that he was in love with somebody. The one time in her life that she thought she might have been truly in love was with Dan...the man that seemed to be the escape out of the house she had grown up in, only to discover much, much too late that while she cared deeply for Dan, she had not really been in love with him.

"I haven't told him...I'm...I'm not sure if I'm really in love with him or if it's something else," Carrie said not looking Jessica in the eyes.

"Ah, so you have fucked him...haven't you," Jessica said laughing, "you're such a little slut."

"Oh god...you think...well, I didn't mean to fuck him...well at least not the first time." Carrie just couldn't help but smile and laugh hearing herself say that out loud.

"Wait, how many times have you two fucked?" Jessica asked. "I want details, and don't you dare leave out any of the really juicy stuff."

Carrie wasn't sure if she was ready, or even wanted to share the details of what had happened between her and Will. But she thought that if she told Jessica everything that had happened; perhaps it would help her to sort things out in her own mind. "Okay, I hadn't really plan on seeing Will. In fact I was just going to maybe meet somebody else while I was in town."

Soon as she had said this Jessica raised her eyebrow and was getting ready to say something. Not wanting to go in to the details of the disastrous events of the night before she quickly continued relating the events concerning Will. "I was getting ready to leave the hotel through the lobby. I wasn't really watching were I was going and as I was about to exit the hotel I bummed in to somebody. When I looked up I was stunned to discover that it was Will." What she also failed to mention that while she been masturbating in her room a short time before that that she had mentally saw his face just as she came while fucking herself.