You Were Always Mine

18: Damsel in Distress

Carter

My mom runs around frantically, making sure everything is in order for her boyfriend's arrival. I set the table, paying little attention to her ramblings, too stuck inside my own head to hear.

No matter how good I am to Jasmine, no matter how much I show her that I care... That I love her. She always and I mean always, chooses him. If she feels the tiniest bit for him of what I feel for her, then I can understand her struggle in not being able to let him go. I am thinking that maybe it's time for me to move on. I mean, if he is what makes her happy, then I will just have to learn to live with that. And besides, I will be gone soon so I won't have to stomach her with somebody else anymore.

The doorbell rings.

"I'm coming!" My mom yells as she runs for our front door. I hear her open it and greet her boyfriend. The two of them have a whispered conversation before she brings him into the kitchen.

The guy is built like Dwayne Johnson and looks to be in his early forties. He is a few inches shorter than me, however. My mom beams at him. He has an aire of intimidation about him, but that doesn't seem to bother her at all.

"You must be Carter," he says in a husky voice as he extends his hand to me. "I'm Nicolas, friends call me Nick."

I shake his extended hand but say nothing. My mom looks nervously between the two of us.

"Nick is a policeman." She eyes me.

"A policeman?" I raise an eyebrow.

"Yes, sir." Nick chuckles, "been on the force for almost two decades now."

I nod in response. I can tell my mom is beginning to feel uneasy as she moves about the kitchen checking on our meal. I feel bad because the mood I am in is really making it hard for me to be on my best behavior.

"Carter, can you help me bring this all to the table, please?" My mom asks.

"I can help too." Nick says enthusiastically as he makes his way to her. She hands him the garlic bread, and he carries it to the table.

"What's wrong?" She whispers to me, her eyebrows knit together in concern. "Is this too much for you? Because I can tell Nick it isn't a good time."

I smile at the fact that she is always willing to put me first. I decided to get over myself and put her needs first for once. "Nothing is wrong, mom." I lean in to whisper to her. "I can't go too easy on the guy, though, gotta make him work a little for you."

She laughs and slaps me on my arm. We both make our way to the table and take our seats.

We spend the next hour eating and chatting. Nick is actually a pretty funny guy. His personality doesn't match his exterior at all. He asked me a million questions, obviously trying to ease the tension that was there earlier.

While Nick and my mom talk, I take that time to excuse myself to go to the bathroom. As I pass by my room I can hear the notifications on my phone blowing up. I grab my phone off my bed and see texts coming in one after the other from Jasmine. I begin to panic as I read them.

J: I think something was put in my drink. Please come get me. I'm at the club we went to

J: Carter please

J: I need you

The rest of the texts are pretty much the same, her begging me to come help her over and over again until it looks like she begins not being able to spell. Her last text was sent five minutes ago.

I waste no time and rush out of my room. "Mom, I need to borrow your keys."

"My keys?" She looks confused. "But where are you going?"