Best Man

"The love that lasts the longest is the love that is never returned."
- William Somerset Maugham



It was past midnight and the television in the living room was switched to The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson while Caroline laid on the couch, wrapped snugly in a blanket as she stared at the screen with a smile on her face.

Craig was always such a silly bitch.

To her, she was alone and the rest of the house had gone to bed already because they had to get up early in the morning, whereas she didn't. She'd already told Dave and Nef she had to be home for the call from the doctor and, plus, she wasn't in the recording mood at the moment.

Not to mention, she was such a night owl to begin with.

"Who's Craig got tonight?" came a familiar voice.

Craning her neck, Caroline found Tre standing in the middle of the large archway that connected both the living room and dining room. He was wearing a pair of blue pajama bottoms with rubber duckies all over the pant legs, and nothing else. Barefoot and bare-chested, he was a sight for sore eyes indeed.

Even Caroline, who was devoted to Mike more than anything in the world, found herself getting cottonmouth as she looked at him; staring back down at her with his hands in the pockets of his bottoms. The television flickered in her hazel eyes as she briefly glanced at his broad chest and the muscles in his arms.

Feeling her face become flush, she struggled to sit up as she glanced back at the TV. "Uh...Michael Clarke Duncan...and some author. And I think Adele is the musical guest. I didn't really pay attention to who he announced. He just finished his opening monologue."

"Mind if I join you?"

"Uh, no. It's a free country."

"But it's your house, and I'm just a guest."

It seemed as if their was some bitterness in his voice, but Caroline let it slide as she gestured to the other end of the couch. "So, what are you still doing up?"

"Couldn't sleep," Tre replied, sitting down and focusing on the television screen, though clearly not watching.

"Obviously."

"My mind's just running a mile a minute right now. I can't fall asleep like that." He turned his head to the right and caught her eye. "Congratulations again on the baby. I barely got a word in earlier when Mike first shouted the news."

Caroline gave a small smile and a nod. "Thanks." Awkward!

"End of September, right? That's when the baby's due?"

"Or early October," she added. "I have to find a gynecologist here in Buffalo and make an appointment to be sure."

Tre just nodded. They were making small talk. Nothing more. Well, not until Caroline spoke up.

"I heard you're in love with my sister." It was a bold statement on her part, given the tension between her and Tre to begin with but, since that they were alone, she decided to take a risk.

"Yeah," he confirmed in a low voice; as if he was trying to evade the subject.

"I'm glad."

"Everyone keeps saying that," Tre muttered as he let out a slightly frustrated laugh.

"Well, I am glad. Giselle means the world to me and she deserves someone who'll treat her with respect and to love her unconditionally. And I'm starting to see that you can be that---"

"I don't want to talk about this with you, okay, Care?"

"With me? You say that like I'm diseased."

"I...I didn't mean it that way," he replied, holding her gaze with all sincerity. "It's just...this thing between us? It's never gonna go away," he added, gesturing to her and himself.

"What thing? There is no thing between us anymore."

"Yes, there is."

"There's maybe something in your head, telling you there's a thing, but that's all it is. In your head," Caroline retorted. "I don't believe for a moment you're still in love with me. It's like beating a dead dog."

"I'm not in love with you, that's true. But I love you, Care. I can't change that. When you're out of the picture, I can go about my life. But when I see you again, it all comes back and it drives me in-fucking-sane," he practically growled, subtly moving closer to her.

Unaware that Billie Joe had come downstairs to get a glass of water and was eavesdropping, around the corner, in the kitchen.

"I'm sorry, but you know how I feel about you now. And that Mike is my life. Can you accept that?"

"No."

"I can't believe how stubborn you're being!" she exclaimed in a whisper, as if she somehow knew Billie Joe was listening and didn't want him to hear.

"And I can't believe you were ogling me when I walked into the living room a few minutes ago," he threw back at her with a smug smirk on his face.

Caroline's jaw dropped to protest but was cut off by Tre when he leaned forward and grabbed her face with both hands and pressed his lips to hers. For a moment, she just sat there in surprise. Then there was a moment where her heartbeat sped up and she felt slightly hot-n-bothered. But then the world came back to her and she lifted her hands up and shoved Tre away.

"Don't kiss me!" she hissed, a little confused by the pitter-patter she felt in her heart. Wiping her mouth of any kiss residue, Caroline stood up with her blanket wrapped around her chest; clutching it with one hand while pointing for him to leave the room with the other. "I think you should go upstairs and try to sleep before I---"

"Before you what?" Tre inquired, standing up with a stealthy calmness. Almost like a lion on the prowl.

Her chest rising and falling to keep herself from getting flustered, Caroline averted her eyes. "Tre just---"

"You still feel something for me, no matter what you tell yourself and everyone else. You still love me."

"No, I don't," she insisted adamantly. "Mike has made me happier than you ever did."

Giving her a knowing look, Tre advanced on her and caught her by surprise again when he backed her into the corner of the room and pressed his body against hers. She had no choice but to grip his arms or loose her balance.

And in doing so, it allowed Tre to pull her closer and brush his nose against her jawline as he nestled his face into her neck and let his hot breath linger on her skin.

"I still affect you," he whispered. "That's enough."

With that, he let go of her and stepped back. And upon muttering a quick goodnight, he walked out of the living room and into the living room, causing Billie Joe to make a run for it and hide in the downstairs bathroom so his friend didn't know he'd been listening in.

As soon as Billie Joe heard Tre's footsteps disappear up the stairs, he withdrew himself from his hiding place and walked back into the kitchen to peer around the corner so see if he could catch a glimpse of what Caroline was doing.

And there she stood, in the center of the living room, with Craig Ferguson garnering laughs from his audience on the television, while Caroline slowly sank to the couch to place her head in her hands.

And cry.