Ready To Run

***
“Ok, Dad isn’t home, want to come inside?” Carson asked as they pulled up in his driveway.
“Sure, why not,” Blaire answered shyly.
“We could just watch a movie here and I can cook,” Carson suggested sweetly.
“Oh, you can cook? How impressive,” Blaire joked flirtingly. This was only the third time Blaire had hung out with Carson outside of school though she had talked to him for about six weeks in chemistry class since they had been paired as partners by the teacher. At the beginning of the year, Blaire thought he was the same bad boy everyone else did, but at the start of this second semester and the start of chemistry everything changed. Blaire had started talking to him on Facebook and during school and learned that he was the furthest thing from a tough guy. Carson was sweet, caring, and the first guy to ever seem to care about Blaire.
“Of course I can cook what would you like me to cook for you?” Carson inquired as he led her into the house to the kitchen.
“What’s your specialty?” Blaire questioned sweetly.
“Well, I make a mean chicken alfredo,” Carson suggested.
“That sounds amazing,” Blaire responded softly.
“Well, why don’t you get comfy in the living room while I cook. You can watch some TV while you wait,” Carson stated as he motioned her in to the family room and showed her how to work the remote. As Carson cooked, Blaire began to watch one of her favorite lifetime movies, Midnight Bayou. Blaire loved the romantic pull of two people falling in love, and then in another life finding each other all over again.
“What you watching?” Carson questioned as he came in carrying two glasses of what looked like champagne.
“It’s called Midnight Bayou, what’s that?” Blaire asked pointing as the steamed glass as he handed her her glass.
“It’s sparkling white grape juice, thought it would be kind of romantic,” Carson responded blushingly.
“Well aren’t you sappy?” Blaire laughed blushingly.
“Or maybe just a hopeless romantic like my mom,” Carson stated with a smile.
“Romantic huh?” Blaire joked. “What else did you learn from your mom?”
“Well, she taught me to cook. She taught me to clean. And…” Carson began but was interrupted by a timer in the kitchen. “I’ll be right back diner’s ready.” Blaire couldn’t see any of the bad things people said about Carson anymore because all she saw was this sweet romantic momma’s boy.
“Bon appetite,” Carson said adoringly as he put her plate in front of her on the coffee table. “Be careful, it’s hot.”
“It looks delicious,” Blaire smiled. As Blaire took her first bite, she saw that Carson hadn’t lied his mom had taught him to cook, very well at that.
“What do you think?” Carson asked curiously.
“Yummy,” Blaire laughed. “Just like my grandma use to make.”
“That’s good. Your grandma taught you to cook?” Carson questioned.
“A little, mostly to bake though. I can bake almost anything. I can bake cookies, cakes, and even baked Alaska,” Blaire bragged proudly.
“We’d make a perfect cooking team wouldn’t we? I’d make the meal, and you’d make the dessert,” Carson encouraged sweetly.
“Sounds perfect,” Blaire smiled. It was that day that Blaire started to fall further and further for Carson, but this wasn’t quite why. After supper, Carson said he had a surprise for dessert. Blaire had no clue what to expect until Carson returned from the kitchen with a platter of chocolate covered strawberries.
“How’d you know I like those?” Blaire exclaimed with a grin.
“Lucky guess, I guess,” Carson joked. The truth is Carson remembered from one of his first conversations with Blaire that she loved strawberries especially covered in chocolate. Blaire had described the wedding she had attended the previous weekend, but mostly she talked about the chocolate fountain. She depicted that the set up had numerous things to dip in the chocolate, but her favorite was the strawberries. It was also this conversation that was the root reason why Carson brought Blaire here instead of to the movies or bowling. He wanted to get to know to know her more than he had. He had talked to her for six weeks now, but he still wanted to know more.
“These are my favorite,” Blaire smiled. She too remembered the converstaions and knew why Carson fixed this treat. It was during that conversation that she also learned that Carson enjoyed photography. He had said that he had spent the same weekend taking pictures of everything and anything.
“Well you didn’t take one of me?” Blaire had exclaimed.
“I’ll have to fix that one day,” Carson had promised. It was that day that they planned to one day spend a whole afternoon eating chocolate covered strawberries and taking pictures. They said it would be a date. So maybe this was it. Maybe his was that date, well except for the pictures.
“Well, now what?” Blaire questioned as she bite the end off the last strawberry.
“Well, we can watch tv, talk, show you my pictures, talk? Whatever, you want to do,” Carson hinted.
“I would love to see some of your photographies,” Blaire responded as her face lite up.
“Well ok, follow me,” Carson stated taking Blaire’s hand and leading her upstairs.
“Where are we going?” Blaire questioned curiously.
“My room,” Carson said nonchalantly.
“Well, aren’t you moving fast?” Blaire joked with a nudge.
“Well, I thought that was what you wanted, goodness make up your mind,” Carson played as he stopped midstep causing Blaire to run into him.
“I didn’t change my mind,” Blaire winkled.
“Here we are,” Carson announced as he openned the door to his room for Blaire to walk in. Once inside, Blaire saw pictures covering the walls. She saw beautiful floweres and trees. She saw cute babies and loving elderly. However, her favorite picture was a picture she didn’t know Carson had taken. It was from the Spring Fling a couple of weekends beofer of all the people on the dance floor. It was blurred of everyone but her.
“How’d you take this?” Blaire questioned.
“It’s cool, isn’t it? I happened to catch it just as everyone moved but you, and then I added a darking effect. You like it?” Carson explained questioningly.
“I love it,” Blaire responded. “I didn’t even know you were there. You should have danced with me.”
“I didn’t want to interrupt you and your friends,” Carson began, “besides we weren’t that close then.”
“Well, you should dance with me now then,” Blaire suggested.
“But there isn’t any music,” Carson blushed.
“Well play some,” Blaire recommended.
As Carson turned on the radio, Blaire’s favorite love song, “Just The Way You Are,” came on. Blaire blushed as Carson grabbed her hand and began to dance. She didn’t quite expect Carson to just dance with her on the spot, but as he spun her around she couldn’t think of any place she’d rather be. All of a sudden as Carson went to dip Blaire for a kiss, Carson heard the front door slam.
“Carson!” an angry male voice from downstairs rang.
“Coming!” Carson yelled back. “Blaire, listen. Whatever you do, do not come downstairs. When I come out lock this door and do not unlock it until I tell you to, ok?”
“Ok, what’s wrong?” Blaire asked sacredly.
“Just promise, ok?” Carson reassured.
“Ok, promise,” Blaire promised as she looked into Carson’s eyes before he left the room. After Carson walked out she did what he asked and locked the door, but it was hard for Blaire to keep her promise once she heard the fighting start.
“Why are these dishes here?” the male voice exclaimed angrily.
“I’m sorry I forgot to take them into the kitchen,” Carson stated defensively timid.
“Of course you did you always forget everything. You’re disobedient, rude, and oblivious Why would anyone want a son like you?” the voice spate furiously. Blaire never heard Carson’s voice again because the next noise she heard was a loud thud and broken china. Blaire felt her stomach drop. All she wanted to do was crawl into a corner and cry.
“What the hell is happening?” Blaire thought restlessly as the silence continued.
“You’re a piece of crap. Get up and fight like a man!” the voice continued to spate at who Blaire could only guess was Carson.
“Who is this voice? It couldn’t be his dad, could it?” Blaire began to feel tears flow down her cheeks ad she continued to wait for what felt like hours. Sometime later, the voice and noises stopped, and there was a knock at the door.
“Blaire…” Carson mumbled.
Blaire immediately got up off the floor where she had been crying and ran for the door.
“Carson,” Blaire exclaimed sobbingly as she rushed open the door.
“Shhh,” Carson whispered as he embraced Blaire and closed the door.
“What happened? Who was that? Carson, look at your eye?” Blaire sobbed.
“Shhh… it’s ok Blaire. I’ll explain later hun; just calm down,” Carson comforted as he lead Blaire to sit on his bed. It seemed like they laid there for hours in silence before someone spoke.
“We need to get you home,” Carson whispered softly.
“No, you don’t need to stay here alone,” Blaire protested.
“Hun, it’s fine now, he’s asleep,” Carson reassured sweetly. “I’ll be fine. Let’s get you home.”
As Carson lead Blaire back downstairs, she thought she would be sick from sobbing again. When they hit the landing at the bottom of the stairs, Blaire saw the chaos that had unfolded. Blaire could see the broken china and overturned furniture, but worst of all she saw the stains obviously from Carson’s blood.
“Why did this happen?” Blaire asked once they were in Carson’s car on the way to Blaire’s place.
“My dad hasn’t been able to control his alcohol since my mom died,” Carson began.
“So does he do that every night?” Blaire questioned softly.
“No, normally I have everything perfect, and I’m locked in my room before he comes home. However, normally he isn’t home until three or four A.M. sometimes,” Carson explained. It was then that Blaire realized that it was her fault for what to Carson tonight. It was her fault the plates were still there, and it was her fault he wasn’t safe. Blaire could feel the tears begin to swell up in her eyes as Carson pulled into her driveway.
“Well you’re home,” Carson began as he turned to look at Blaire. “What’s wrong? Please don’t worry about me, it’s fine.”
“If I hadn’t been there tonight none of this would have happened,” Blaire explained pointing at his soon to be bruises.
“Yes, but if you hadn’t come then I wouldn’t have had any amazing night with an amazing girl,” Carson responded as he caressed her face with his hand so he was looking into her eyes.
“How can you say that with all that happened?” Blaire questioned, but was interrupted by Carson’s lips in top of hers. Their lips gave the impression to move like clockwork as romance seemed to fill the air, and Blaire began to forget everything about that night up to that majestic kiss.