Better Man

The day of Tre's birthday, Caroline woke up first. She was lying on her right side, staring at the wall with Tre's body spooning hers; his left arm flung over her waist, holding her to him. She could feel his breath on the back of her neck. It was calm and steady from sleep.

She smiled.

Caroline had to admit, she loved this feeling. Being in a man's arms who made her feel safe. Loved. Tre was really such an awesome guy. It made her wonder what it was that made Lisea and Claudia decide divorcing him was best for their relationships. Was it just because of the traveling? If so, they had to have known about that going into the marriage. Was he shit in bed? She knew that wasn't true, 'cause she hadn't kicked him to the curb for erectile dysfunction yet. Did he cheat on them? If that were the reason why, she saw no sign of him doing that to her.

Mostly because when they started going out she told him up front that if he ever cheated on her, she'd sit on him and break him.

Caroline continued to lay there, unmoving. Just staring ahead and thinking about different things. Like, how she'd left Tre's birthday present at home because she didn't know he'd show up in New York. How annoying whipped cream got after it's been licked off and dries to the point of feeling sticky. How she felt a little confused by the events going on in her life, like putting out an album that the world was listening to and how her and the band already had a national following building, even then as she laid there in bed thinking about it.

There was also the matter of her relationship with Tre. Yes, she felt safe and loved and, yes, he treated her well. But there was that voice in the back of her head, taunting her about playing it safe. Settling for one man too soon. Her life was now just truly starting to take form and her career was finally blossoming. She was going to be busy for the next year straight, mostly due to touring and filming new videos, and whatnot.

Would she have the time to set aside for Tre? Would it be fair to him?

And what if she was playing it safe with Tre?

There's nothing wrong with being with someone who loves you and makes you feel like everything will be okay; that all the bad things in the world go away when he holds you and tells you, literally, "Don't worry about it. Everything's okay."

Sometimes little, beautiful lies -- if you wanted to call them that -- helped a great deal. And, then, sometimes it made Caroline feel like she was just trying to deny anything bad or confusing was going on in her life. Just ignore it and it will go away.

Was that what she needed?

"Mmm..." Tre groaned sleepily, his body snuggling up closer to hers.

"Morning," she muttered with a lazy smile.

"Mornin', my minx," he replied huskily in her ear.

Turning around to face him, Caroline flashed him a charming smile as she kissed him and laid her head on his shoulder. "What's the birthday boy wanna do today?" she asked, drawing circles on his chest with her finger.

"You."

She grinned. "After that."

"You again."

"Alright. After you've done me, what do you want to do that requires leaving the hotel and going outside?"

Tre fell silent, considering your options. Then, "I know."

"What?"

"I want to go to the top of the Empire State Building," he began.

"And?"

"And I want to stand with you, overlooking Central Park..."

"And?" Caroline repeated.

"And then I wanna do you right there."

She laughed. "In front of all the other visitors?"

"Yes," he replied simply. "Think of the funny pictures all those Japanese tourists will have to take home to Nagasaki with them."

Caroline began to laugh a little harder. "I'm not sure we'll get very far what with the police officers, security guards or whoever it is that patrols the observatory deck."

"Then we'll have to make it a quickie."

"Lovin' on the go, huh?"

"Somethin' like..." he nodded.

Not able to help herself, the brunette singer laughed again and sighed. "I suppose we'll have to make do, then." Lifting her head, Caroline sat up and began to pull the comforter off the bed, wrapping it around her body as she got to her feet. "I'm gonna go take a shower, okay?"

Tre propped himself up, using his elbow, not minding in the least that he was slightly exposed due to the comforter pulling the sheet underneath off him just enough to give her a bit of a show.

"Can I join you?"

She hesitated, and then nodded. "You'll have to catch me," she taunted.

With that, Tre jumped up, just about scaring the shit out of her as she tore off toward the bathroom, with him only a few steps behind her.

"Ahh!" she shouted as she slipped into the bathroom.

Just before she could shut the door on him, he slipped in as well. Grabbing her up by wrapping his arms around her waist, he claimed her lips with his and looking at her with lusty blue eyes.

"Feliz cumpleanos a mi," he muttered in a faux Spanish accent, wiggling his eyebrows mischievously.

* * *

The birthday weekend came and went, and while Tre went back to an otherwise lackadaisical life, Caroline's got more hectic. She and the guys had to take part in meetings about touring and, because they were newcomers, who they could open for.

They even talked about a small set design that could be taken down easily. Actually, there would only be a curtain behind their set with a banner. The rest would just be them. But along with the merchandise sold at the shows for whatever the main act was, there would be a few things of theirs, too. So, they had meetings for that, as well.

And if all that wasn't enough, they were asked to go on Leno, Letterman and Conan; all the while trying to plan and shop for the holidays.

Fortunately, Christmas was pleasantly calm. It gave the foursome a chance to kick back and finally breathe. Nick took Christina home to Buffalo to spend the holiday with his family while both Nef and Dave decided to stay in the bay area. As for Caroline, she felt a little conflicted. She wanted to spend the holiday with Tre, but she also hadn't visited her parents in a long while.

In the end, she decided to fly to Raleigh, alone, which Tre understood. He had Ramona out and he couldn't walk away from his children. They promised to exchange gifts when she got back for New Years.

The day before Christmas, Caroline caught a flight to Raleigh, which had a layover in Chicago. She didn't mind it, though. She enjoyed looking at the gift shops and getting a bite to eat from Subway while she waited. Finally, she got on to the next plane which took her to North Carolina. Her dad picked her up, glad to see his oldest daughter, having missed her a great deal.

What surprised Caroline the most was trying to walk through the airport, heading to baggage claim, while a group of young travelers, no older than twenty, kept pointing to her and talking in hushed, as well as animated, voices. Finally, they gathered up the nerve to approach her.

"Aren't you Caroline Woods from The Sinners?" one of them asked.

Caroline smirked and nodded. "Yeah," she replied, throwing one of her bags onto her shoulder as her father grabbed her suitcase off the conveyor belt.

"Oh wow, could, um...could we have your autograph?"

"Uh, sure."

As Caroline went about signing random things, such as a guy's pant leg, one of the girls in the group snapped a picture of her with her camera phone. It felt a little strange to Caroline, not just because people knew who she was and wanted a part of her, but because the tiny commotion these fans were making raised other travelers' curiosities about 'who was this girl?'

After all was said and done, Caroline and her dad finally escaped to his truck, and left the airport.

Arriving home within a half hour, Caroline was greeted by her mom and Giselle, who gave her older sister a wary smile. The two of them hadn't spoken much since the topic of 'sleeping with Mike' was thrown down on the table. And they didn't speak much after Caroline arrived until the following day. Christmas Eve.

The singer was standing in the kitchen, pouring herself a glass of eggnog when Giselle walked in, holding two empty glasses.

"Hey," Giselle muttered, placing the cups in the sink.

"Hey," Caroline repeated.

Giselle studied her sister's face and sighed. "How long are we gonna do this?"

"Do what?"

"Avoid the inevitable."

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Zelle."

"Bullshit," Giselle commented with a laugh. "We've always been close, but ever since I told you about Mike and me, you barely have the time to talk on the phone to just say, 'Hi.'"

"I've been busy," Caroline remarked as if her little sister were retarded.

"Oh, don't give me that shit. Like I haven't been busy, too? I mean, hello. Fourth year medical student here. I'm a very stressed woman, I'll have you know."

"I know what you are, you dip. I do recall you applying to fucking med school."

Giselle folded her arms across her chest and sighed. "Gee, does becoming a rockstar always mean becoming an asshole?"

"I'm not an asshole. You're the one who's become the asshole."

"How?"

"By...nevermind."

"No, Care. I'd like to hear how I've become the asshole."

Caroline stared at her sister, tightlipped, her expression; unwavering. "You slept with someone you barely knew a few days and think it's okay. You're the med student, Zelle. Even if you had protection, you still could've gotten pregnant if the condom broke..." she ranted and then winced. "Ugh, I don't even wanna think about that."

"Why? Just because I'm a med student means I can't be a woman who has needs? Mike asked me if I was sure I wanted to go through with it, and I said yes, and shit, Care. It's not like I was the only one who didn't think that much of it after the fact. I may think Mike's an attractive man, and he may think I'm pretty, but that doesn't mean we like each other like that."

Caroline simply looked away, finding something else in the kitchen to focus on while Giselle ranted right back at her.

"I know for a fact he doesn't like me like that. He admitted as much, and he didn't even have to say it. I knew that as soon as I met him at your birthday party. I know for a fact who he does like, though."

Caroline lifted her eyes, a strange feeling tightening in her chest.

"Goddammit, Caroline. I saw how much Tre and you adore each other, but you jumped right into that relationship without a second thought it seems. You barely knew him when you slept with him and don't give me your 'that's different because we started dating' excuse. Did you perhaps consider your options?"

"What are you talking about, Giselle?"

Giselle rolled her eyes and shook her head, incredulously at her older sister. "How blind are you, exactly?"

"Blind?"

"Yeah, blind," Giselle confirmed. "You're blind. Wanna know why?"

"I wouldn't be standing here, listening to you ramble, if I weren't curious," Caroline retorted.

"Mike is in love with you, Caroline," Giselle blurted. "He fell in love with you when he met you and he's been silently loving you since then. For a lack of better words, he's pining. It's not just a crush, either. I could feel it oozing from his every pore."

"He--what?" Caroline wasn't sure she'd heard Giselle clearly.

Giselle tilted her head and placed hands on her hips. "You kissed each other a couple months ago, and you said it was nice. Didn't you sense anything from him then? Didn't you feel a little something stir in you?"

"I..."

The younger sister sighed. "I think you're not completely sure of your feelings with either Tre or Mike." She took a step forward and pulled Caroline into a 'peace offering' type of hug. "I love you, Care, but you seriously need to open your eyes."

As they pulled apart, Giselle stepped out of the kitchen, leaving Caroline to sink down into one of the kitchen table chairs, her mouth hanging open.

Mike loves me? Caroline thought. Mike loves me.

She wasn't sure how to take the news, except...

Holy shit.

Mike loves me.