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Date Posted: 18:37:46 03/05/01 Mon
Author: Vick
Subject: One Step at a Time, part 10

Carrie’s hand trembled as she turned the doorknob walked into the hotel room, her eyes blood shot and puffy. She
quietly closed the door and set her key down on the coffee table. It was then that she saw him. She had hoped he’d
be gone, at least that’s what he had said last night. But instead, there he was, asleep on the couch. More like passed
out, Carrie thought. She looked at his face and winced. His left cheek was still slightly red from where her hand had
made contact with his skin. The memories of the previous night came flooding back to her.

~*~*~

Carrie couldn’t believe her eyes. He was here. She’d been searching for him, worrying about him, and he was here all
along. As the woman leaned over to give Mike a kiss on the cheek, Carrie’s blood started to boil. Her hands
clenched into fists and she wanted nothing more than to pulverize the woman who dared to lay a hand, let alone a
kiss, on her man. But when Mike returned the favor with a kiss on her cheek, Carrie about lost it. Suddenly her rage
turned to sickness. The vibrant color that her skin used to possess was gone; turned ashen. Tears started to well up in
her once sparkling eyes. Her stomach, once filled with butterflies, felt ill. And this was the appearance of Carrie when
Mike finally turned his head and made eye contact with her.

Mike looked from Carrie to his drinking companion. When he looked back up at Carrie, she was gone. Mike was
dumbfounded. What have I done? But then he remembered the phone call and that made him mad all over again.
When he had left the hotel room earlier, he hadn’t known where he was going. He’d ended up in the bar and started
to drink away his sorrows and broken heart. That’s when Linda had sat down in the empty seat, offering him another
drink. While she sipped on her margarita, he stuck with his whiskey, straight up. Mike was amazed at how the
combination of the alcohol and Linda’s lively nature had made him forget about Carrie. Seeing her just now had been
like a blow to the face.

“Mike…are you okay?” Linda asked with genuine concern. She had seen his smiling face turn stone cold and as she
turned in her seat, she saw what, or rather who, it was that had caught his attention. Although Mike had never said it,
Linda had had her suspicions that some girl had broken his heart.

“Huh, what?” Mike jerked his head up.

“I asked if you were okay. You look as if you’ve seen a ghost.”

Mike rested his head in his hands, his elbows on the table. “No, I’m not okay. But then again, that seems to be the
story of my life.”

Linda placed her hand on Mike’s shoulder. “If you want to talk about it, I’m a good listener.”

“It’s a long and complicated story.”

“Well, I have a major in lit. I love stories, so start talking.” Linda smiled at him, hoping to break the tension in the air.

Mike took another long swig of his drink and then proceeded to tell Linda about his feelings for Carrie. He started
with her commitment to Austin and moved to their affirmation of love for one another which had occurred that very
morning. Mike ended with the phone conversation.

“She said she doesn’t me, that she never did and that telling me was all a big mistake. I just don’t understand. She
was the one to tell me she loved me first. Hmmph…I guess I was right when I told her that she didn’t really love me,
that she was still in love with Austin. But when she said it again this morning, I believed her. Now I feel like such a
fool.”

Linda had remained silent during Mike’s account of the story. “Mike, you are not a fool. Life is about taking risks.
You put your heart on the line when you told Carrie about your love for her.”

Mike spoke up again. “And that’s the last time I’ll ever do that. Every time I let myself love some one, it never
works.” Mike held up his glass. “I vow to never love again.” He sealed that by finishing off the drink.

Linda’s own heart was breaking. Although she had just met Mike, she felt like she’d known him for a lifetime. “Mike,
that’s not what I was trying to get at. I think you need to go and talk to her.”

“What for?”

“Well, for one thing, she’s still your best friend.”

Mike looked at Linda in disbelief. “You’ve got to be kidding. After all that I said to her, after pouring out my heart to
her, do you honestly think that we can still be friends?” The sarcasm in his voice hit Linda like a torpedo.

“Well, I know that Carrie still has feelings for you. It was written all over her face.”

“Like hell it was. She’s probably glad that I’ve found someone else to hang out with. After all, I was a mistake,
remember?”

Linda stared at him and shook her head. Boy, this is going to be a tough one to crack. He’s a stubborn one.
“Don’t you think you at least owe it to yourself to talk to her and make her explain her conversation with whomever it
was?”

“Why, so that I can hear it to my face that I’m nothing but a joke? No thanks.” Mike summoned the waitress and
ordered another whiskey. The minute it came, he downed it, after which he stood up. “Thanks for the company,
Linda. I’m outa here.” Mike started to walk, but was forced to grab his chair for support.

Linda quickly came to her feet and took hold of Mike’s arm.

“I’m fine,” spat Mike, trying desperately to steady himself.

“No, you’re not. I’m going to walk you up to your room.”

Mike started to protest, but Linda wasn’t going to take ‘no’ for an answer. Slowly and unsteadily, they made their
way up to Mike and Carrie’s suite.

**

Carrie felt like she was in a bad dream. Everything was happening in slow motion and was slightly out of focus. The
image of Mike falling all over that woman was burned into her head. No matter where she looked, she saw them.
Somehow, Carrie made her way back to their room. Through watery eyes, she looked at her bed. Her hand swept
over the satiny sheet that covered the pillow. She cursed herself for having thought that tonight she and Mike might
have made love in this very bed. That it would have been her cheek that Mike’s lips would have brushed over. That it
would have been her back that Mike’s hands would have touched. The thought sent shivers up Carrie’s spine. She
closed her eyes in haste and her ecstasy was shattered by the ever present picture of Mike in the bar.

“Damn him!” Carrie grabbed her suitcase and started to put her belongings into it. What a day this had been. Carrie
felt as though her life was doing cartwheels and sometimes she landed on her feet, while other times she landed on her
head. This morning had started out bad. She believed there was no chance in hell that Mike loved her or ever would
love her. But then a miracle had happened and Mike had confessed his love for her. Carrie’s life couldn’t have gotten
any better. And that was the truth…it had only gotten worse. Seeing Mike with that woman had shattered her heart.
Now, all she wanted to do was leave before she saw Mike again and was humiliated even further.

Fate, however, had made its own decision. And not seeing Mike wasn’t in the script. Carrie stood, frozen, as she
heard the click made by the key card. She held her breath as she heard the door swing open. She gasped as she
heard her voice, telling Mike that he’d be okay. Somehow, Carrie’s legs moved and she left her bedroom, finding
herself face to face with Mike and his escort.

Linda felt like something was piercing through her. As she brought her head upright, she found out what was causing
that feeling. There was Mike’s friend…her eyes glaring first at her then at Mike.

Linda tightened her hold on Mike as he started to sway. “Come on, Mike, let’s get you seated.” They slowly made
their way to the couch. Mike plopped down, taking Linda with him. Finally, she managed to get her hand out from
behind him and she stood. Carrie was still staring at them.

Linda looked back at Mike. “I think I’ll leave you two to talk.”

As Linda started to leave, she whispered to Carrie, “He loves you more than life itself.” Linda didn’t wait for a
response. She turned at left the room, leaving Carrie alone with Mike.

Carrie continued to stare at the back of Mike’s head for several minutes. When it was obvious that he didn’t have
anything to say in his defense, she turned to go back to her room.

“Don’t you have anything to say to me?”

The question caught Carrie off guard. She spun around and found Mike staring at her. “Excuse me?”

Mike refused to break the stare. “You heard me.”

“I could ask you the same thing.”

“Hey, ask what ever you want. I’m not the one that broke things off.”

Carrie couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “I didn’t break things off. You’re the one who can’t keep his hands off
any female in sight!” Carrie spat.

“Is that how you see this? Well let me refresh your memory. And I quote, ‘I don’t love him, I never really loved
him…it was all a big mistake.’” Mike waited for his words to register in Carrie’s brain before continuing. “So tell me,
Carrie, just how long were you planning to string me along? Was this all some game to get back at Austin and now
that he’s ready to give you the time of day you’re just going to throw me out like yesterday’s trash?” Mike stopped,
out of breath. He hadn’t realized he’d been yelling.

Without warning, Carrie slapped his face. “I don’t know what you think you heard or what you think you know, but
you should have come and talked to me about it instead of getting all cozy with that tramp!”

Mike brought his hand to his cheek and rubbed it. “Linda is not a tramp.”

“Oh, you mean you actually took the time to ask her what her name was?” Carrie rage had gotten the better of her
and she was finding it more and more difficult to think straight. She had to get out of there, and she had to get out
now. She started walking toward the door.

“So that’s it, huh. You’re leaving? Well, don’t bother, because I’m leaving.” Mike tried to get to his feet, but before
he had succeeded, he heard the door slam shut. Carrie was gone.

~*~*~

Mike woke up, unsure of his whereabouts. His head felt as though he’d been hit with a Mack truck. He sat up and his
eyes began to focus on the room. Instantly, the events of last night came flooding back to him.

“Carrie.”

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