Best Man

While Caroline was busy helping her mother clean the breakfast dishes, her father, who had been a bit of a drummer, ironically, in his younger days, was busy perusing Mike's CD and vinyl collection and then joining him on an impromptu jam session, with Mike on bass and Paul on the drum set Mike had originally bought in the event of practice being held at his house and Tre had something to use.

As for Giselle, she seemed to grow a little stir crazy; biting her bottom lip and walking aimlessly around the house, looking at the photographs on the wall and trying to pick out what objects were pieces of her sister's decorating flare and which were Mike's.

And the funny thing was, that most was Caroline's.

In the time the older Woods sister had moved in, officially, with her tall drink of water of a fiance, she'd seemed to dominate the household, already 'infiltrating the system,' so to speak, as Woman of the House.

Which is a big difference from housewife.

Caroline would always be a far cry from that.

As morning became afternoon, Giselle had declined to join her mother and sister in chatting about more wedding details, yet again, despite the pleading glares from Caroline who desperately didn't want to be left alone with their mother and the given subject.

Yes, their mother could be persistent. But she meant well.

It wasn't until almost three o'clock when Giselle finally announced she wanted to get out of the house and pick up a few toiletries. Caroline offered to come with, but she said she wanted to try and get a feel for the area on her own.

And that she needed to borrow her car.

With a hearty frown, Caroline gave in and handed her car keys over to her sister with a fair warning that if she crashed it, she'd kill her if the accident didn't.

Once outside and behind the wheel of Caroline's navy blue, 2008 S-Type Jaguar, she felt a wee pang of envy for her sister's good fortune. And by fortune, it meant that she was envious of her wealth.

Granted, of course, Caroline had already paid off all her schooling, so Caroline only had to worry about what she was going to make instead of what she was going to owe. But, still...her sister lived a comfy life now.

Shrugging it off as she turned on the ignition, the radio began to blare from what felt like all directions, causing Giselle to grimace.

"What the fuck, Care. Deaf much?"

Turning the volume down, she sorted through her sister's CD collection and squealed with glee when she found that Caroline had Fall Out Boy's 2005 record, Under The Cork Tree. Popping it in, she listened to 'Sugar We're Going Down' as she pulled out of the driveway and took her time driving through the neighborhood, trying to figure out how to get to Safeway.

At one point, while 'Dance, Dance' was playing, Giselle was sure she was getting more and more lost.

That was until she found a Rite Aid.

Drugstore chain, woo! she thought to herself in triumph. Then, Okay, not Safeway, but good enough.

As she pulled into the parking lot, she was unaware of an SUV passing her in the opposite direction.

Doing a double take, Tre felt his heart do a flip flop within his chest when he saw Caroline's Jaguar, and he knew it was hers because he recognized the license plate that said: CARE 80.

Making a subtle U-turn, Tre followed behind the car, temporarily forgetting that he was headed to Safeway to pick up some groceries he'd promised Claudia he'd get.

By the time he parked, all he saw was the quick blur of a brunette woman stepping through the automatic doors. Frowning, he pulled his keys out of the ignition and started to jog to the front doors, which slid open for him, making him suddenly think about Star Trek.

Pursing his lips together in thought as the image of Captain Kirk sitting in his captain's chair dissolved from his mind, Tre headed toward the nearest aisle which carried cards for birthdays and other occasions.

So, okay, maybe he might come off as a stalker by what he was doing, but he could be subtle. Heading back the way he came, he snatched up a hand basket and threw in some random objects to make him look like he was shopping.

He didn't even pay attention to what those objects were, either.

He was just to engrossed with 'accidentally' coming upon Caroline in Rite Aid and, in his mind, he tried to picture how he could play dumb as to how he'd run into her.

"Oh, hey, Caroline. What a pleasant surprise." "Oh my stars. It is small world after all." "Holy bejesus, you scared the shit out of me! What are you doing here?"

Then, as he turned down whatever aisle it was he turned down, Tre found himself standing before---

---Giselle?

Damn.

Shaking off his disappointment, he put on a smile and took a few steps closer to her. "Hey there, stranger," Tre greeted.

Looking up with an expression of confusion and then awareness, Giselle smiled and tilted her head, hoisting her own hand basket up for a better grip.

"Oh, hey Tre," she replied. As he gave a lame nod to her, she took into consideration where she was, and where he was. "What're you doing in the women's hygiene aisle?"

"Uh, I came to pick up some stuff and, um..." he stalled. His eyes scanning the shelf beside him, he quickly grabbed a box of tampons. "I needed some of these. I like sticking these up my nose," he joked. "They're great at preventing all sorts of leaks."

"Even nasal?" Giselle asked with a laugh.

"Even nasal," Tre repeated.

"Well, you should try the Pearl ones. They go in smoothly." Sharing another laugh with him, she shifted her weight. "So, why are you really here?"

Tre just stared at her. "You think I'm joking?" Giselle mirrored his blank expression for a few seconds before he continued. "I was on my way to the, um...the make-up aisle but I saw you and so I decided to come over and say hello. The make-up aisle is next...I swear, I'll show you," he muttered insistently, pointing behind his back with his thumb.

Holding up a hand, Giselle offered him a lighthearted smile. "Tre," she cut him off. "I believe you. You don't have to prove that the make-up is next to the women's hygiene aisle."

"Uh...yeah."

Giselle wasn't a dumbass. She could already tell why he was there. Looking down into his basket as they began to walk side by side out of the aisle, she gave him a questioning look.

"What's with the Scotch tape, Cranberry-scented candle and Snickers bar?"

Tre looked down, then shrugged. "I dunno," he answered blandly. "I'm random?"

"Yeah. That you are."

As Giselle went about getting the rest of what she needed from Rite Aid, Tre walked with her, eventually finding some of the things Claudia had needed from Safeway at the drugstore instead.

When they made their way to the cash register to pay for what they'd place in their respective baskets, Giselle turned to Tre and looked at him until he felt her gaze upon him and he locked eyes with her.

"What?"

"Just thinking."

"Did it hurt?"

She shook her head, letting his joke pass her by on purpose. "No. I was just thinking about some things that have been piquing my curiosity lately," she responded after they paid and were walking out of the store with their plastic bags in hand. "I was wondering if maybe you could shed some light on the subject."

Tre hesitated to answer, but then inquired, "What's the subject?"

"You. You and my sister." Then she added, "And Mike."

Almost turning a shade lighter than pale, Tre frowned. "I don't think I want to talk about what you wanna know about."

Tilting her head to the side and giving him a pleading, puppy dog look, she puffed out her bottom lip and pouted. "Pretty please. I swear, I am the best listener, and you know it's what I do. I let people talk to me and I evaluate the situation to help them better themselves. To ease their minds and such."

He paused, then looked sideways at her as he stepped closer to his SUV. "I dunno." But he was starting to cave.

"Please with sugar on top?"

"And a cherry?" he smirked.

"Yes, and sprinkles," Giselle nodded. "Just let me listen to you and analyze you. It's my obsession," she teased.

Smiling despite himself, Tre finally nodded. "Alright, alright. You can analyze me."

Clapping her hands together teasingly, she walked over to Caroline's Jag and unlocked the doors, throwing her bag in and onto the passenger's seat.

"So, when're ya gonna analyze me?" Tre called over to her.

"Now?" she suggested. "Wanna get coffee or something?"

"Sure," he nodded. "There's a Starbucks right there," he pointed over to the opposite end of the small plaza where the coffee chain sat in all it's coffee chain glory.

Mike would be in heaven right now.

"Good for me. Should I leave Care's car here and we walk the rest of the way or should we park closer?"

"Park closer. That way we can grab window seats and keep and eye on the cars."

"Good idea."

"And I thought you were the brain," Tre snickered, sliding into his SUV.

"I'm on vacation. I don't need to think," she called back.

Both vehicles turning on, they pulled out of the Rite Aid parking lot and drove to the end of the plaza and parked right in front of Starbucks. Once they were out of the SUV and the Jag, respectively, Tre held open the door for Giselle.

"After you."