Breaking the Rules (Back to Brooklyn)

by Heinzer, HB

  Carly rolled her eyes. "He's just a drama queen. You know how theater people can be. I'd better see what his highness needs."

  "Rain check, then?"

  There was no way she would have time before Adam went back to Wisconsin. The thought depressed her more than it should have. "I'm going to be stuck here until late every night this week. Maybe next time you're in town?"

  Adam's shoulders fell. "Right. Opening week–" In a twisted way, it lifted Carly's spirits to see that he was upset.

  "Turner!" Dax was clearly in a foul mood today.

  "I have to get out there. Try to find me when you come back with the part," she grumbled. She turned back as she neared the stage. "Hey, you said two hours, right? The queen will want to know."

  Adam tried to stifle his laughter. "Yes, tell his majesty I shall return in two hours." Carly nearly lost it when he bowed flamboyantly before disappearing into the summer sun. Just as the door was about to slam shut, he threw it open again. "Oh, and Carly, it was great seeing you."

  ***

  Two hours later, Adam returned with a box that looked far too small to hold anything that had the ability to cripple the intricate lighting plan for their show. "Time to save the princess from the evil king.”

  "My hero," Carly shrieked, throwing her arms around Adam's broad shoulders. She kissed his cheek and immediately felt the burn as her cheeks turned red. Between feeling the firm ridges under her fingers and inhaling an intoxicating blend of body wash, soap and woodsy cologne, Carly knew she was in trouble.

  "Turner, what in the hell do you think you're doing? Even if there weren't a hundred things to do, you can't screw the vendors." Carly’s embarrassment from Dax having caught her changed quickly to laughter at Dax's stunned expression. Anger quickly followed her laughter as Carly hit her breaking point with his mood.

  "Screw you, Dax," she shouted toward the stage, her arms frozen around Adam's neck. Not usually one to feel a need to explain her actions, Carly followed him. "For your information, Adam is a family friend. I have no intentions of screwing him backstage or anywhere else. And even if I was going to screw him, you're just pissed that he would be one more gorgeous man you're not getting." Maybe one of these days Dax would realize that Carly's tolerance for his bullshit directly correlated to the time she was required to roll out of bed in the morning.

  Dax didn't respond to Carly's dramatic monologue. In fact, he acted as if he hadn't heard a single thing she had said. That was actually a good thing because she needed to make it through this run so she would have one more show on her resume. She couldn't wait until he had to find another whipping post.

  When Carly turned to apologize to Adam, he was nowhere to be found. Her fingers brushed across her lower lip. The taste of Adam lingered on her skin from just that slight touch and her lips tingled, remembering the feel of his whiskers brushing against them. She reached into her bright green leather purse, grabbing a cigarette and her iPhone. When she stepped outside, she crouched against the side of the brick building and tapped out a quick email.

  Hey Annie,

  Do you ever talk to Julia? I heard a rumor she's moving back to WI, but not where. Let me know. We need to catch up.

  C

  In high school, Carly didn't go anywhere without Julia on one side and Annie on the other. If anyone would know what was going on with Julia, it would be Annie. Asking about Julia wasn't what Carly actually wanted to talk to her about, but she figured it was better wading into the conversation rather than jumping directly into the deep end by asking for information about Adam.

  "You know those will kill you," Adam said, plucking the cigarette out of her mouth and taking a long drag. The way his lips curled around the butt of the cigarette made Carly wonder what they would feel like on her skin. When he exhaled, a perfect ring of smoke ascended into the air from his lips. She briefly wondered what other oral talents he possessed. This had to stop. Nothing but trouble could come from thinking about Adam this way.

  "Have you seen what I have to deal with?" She deadpanned, waving her hand toward the stage door. "I figure it's me or them. I can't go to prison for killing myself. And wouldn't the same go for you? I highly doubt you're immune to their toxic effects."

  Adam extended a hand and pulled Carly so that she was standing close enough to smell his cologne over the rotting garbage. "True," he agreed, tapping her on the nose. Carly felt the corners of her mouth turn up slightly. "But it'd be a waste for you to kill yourself. Plus, you're going to be one of those scary broads whose voice sounds like a dude someday. That will seriously kill the cute little sex kitten thing you have going on now. I, on the other hand, don't have to worry about sounding like a guy or killing my sex appeal."

  Deflecting the attention off herself, Carly smacked Adam in the chest. "Stop it. You're the creepy little brother; you don't get to call me sexy."

  For a moment, Adam looked almost hurt by the statement. "Creepy, huh?" Carly worried that she'd offended him until he started laughing.

  "I... Uh..." Once again, words failed her. She rolled her eyes. "Shut up, you know what I mean. So, are you done? Does his highness have light once again?"

  "Yes, all is well in the kingdom." He bowed before her and she broke out laughing. Having someone laid back to talk to was fun. "Guess I'd better let you get back to it.”

  "Yeah, I guess so," she said without trying to hide the disappointment in her voice. She wasn’t ready to say goodbye. Even though they wouldn’t have time to get together during this trip of his, she hoped there would be a next time. It would be wonderful to have someone laid back, and down-to-earth to talk to from time to time. "Next time you're--"

  "Turner," Dax threw the door open, almost hitting Carly in the face. "We're getting ready to have a rehearsal in here. Care to join us?"

  "Coming," she snapped. When she turned to give Adam her phone number, he was turning onto the street at the end of the alley. She had obviously misread any vibe she thought she had gotten from him.

  Chapter Two

  Rehearsal was torture. The closer they got to opening night, the more lines and blocking the actors forgot. Carly had faith they would all magically remember everything as soon as the curtain rose to a live audience. Dax, on the other hand, was certain babbling idiots would fill the stage on opening night.

  By the time Carly walked through the stage door into the alley after rehearsal, every bone in her body ached. She'd been at the theater for seventeen hours, not including the time she was out having lunch with Adam.

  Adam. Her stomach ached in a way she wasn’t used to as she realized she had totally missed the opportunity to find out when he would be back in town. She still wasn’t comfortable with the blatantly sexual daydreams that had haunted her all evening while she was trying to get through rehearsal, but she told herself those would fade. It was just the fact that he was so different from how she remembered that was causing her imagination to run amok. As she told Dax, he was a family friend, nothing more. Now, if only she could get her body to listen to those words.

  Leaving alone at night was not normal for Carly. No matter how comfortable she felt in the city, she was neither brave nor stupid enough to walk into a dark alley alone. Maybe it was too many action movies, maybe common sense, but it was a rule. Tonight, she broke her rule. She wanted nothing more than to fall into her bed and so help anyone who woke her up before noon.

  She pulled her phone out of her purse as she reached the back door. Ignoring her surroundings, Carly scrolled through the list of emails she had missed during the day. The only one of interest was one from Annie confirming that Julia was moving back to Wisconsin and asking Carly to keep that information to herself.

  Carly was so absorbed in trying to figure out why there was so much secrecy that she didn't see the tall figure lurking near the door. "Dark alleys are no place for little girls late at night," he scolded. Carly's heart raced until her mind registered the voice.

  "Adam!” She shrieked, beating her fists agai
nst his firm chest. "You scared the crap out of me! And screw you and your 'little girls'. I'm more than capable of holding my own. What are you doing here?"

  Adam pulled her close to him. This time the embrace didn’t feel quite so platonic as before. She pushed the thought out of her mind, certain she was making more of his presence than he meant. "Sorry, I came to cash in that rain check." He motioned her toward the street. "Please tell me you don't do this every night," he said motioning to the stage door.

  Carly sighed as she remembered that Adam had always tried to act as if he were the older brother even though he was younger than Julia was. "No, Adam," she huffed, "I normally leave with some of the guys, but I'm tired tonight and want to get home." She immediately wished she hadn't mentioned being tired. She was, but if given the choice between sleeping and spending time with Adam, she'd much rather stay up. Now that both of them were off work, she wanted to find out what he had been up to, how he got into theater lighting sales. And no matter how much she told herself it didn’t matter because they were friends, she wanted to know if he had a Mrs. Sanders at home, or someone who might be in the future.

  The air was still humid, but at least there was a breeze. That made walking slightly more bearable. "Don't you think it's just a little creepy that you were sitting in a dark alley waiting for me to come outside?" Carly asked. Adam hadn't removed his arm from her shoulder, and she had to crane her neck back to see his face.

  "Creepy or sweet?" Adam joked. "I can see this going either way."

  Grown-up Adam was a flirt. She liked it. He didn't flirt in an overt way that said he was only interested in a roll between the sheets; his flirting was playful and fun. "No, this is New York," Carly said sarcastically. "Lurking in a dark alley is never sweet in the city."

  He stopped and looked into the distance while he contemplated what she had said. After a long silence, he shrugged. "Okay, I'll give you that one." He knelt in front of her. "Can her highness find it in her heart to forgive me?" Adam asked, batting his thick eyelashes. It was unfair that any man should have lashes so long and thick they were visible even in the dark.

  She laughed at the fact that they had managed to keep the feudal quips going for most of the day. Outside of her drama friends, she hadn't met anyone who would think this type of playful banter was amusing. She looked up and down the street to see if they were being watched. "Get up, you're being an idiot," she laughed.

  "True, but you're laughing, so my job here is done," he said lightly grazing her knuckles with his lips. Once again, her skin came to life at his touch. She wanted to feel those lips on so much more than her fingers, but she couldn’t bring herself to make the first move or even hint that it’s what she wanted. She had never had problems taking the reins before when she was attracted to a man. Then again, she’d never found herself fighting this internal battle between what she wanted and what she thought she was allowed to have.

  Carly didn’t like feeling as if there were some sort of code of conduct when it came to spending time with someone, even if that person happened to be related to the woman she still considered one of her closest friends, despite their lack of contact over the years. Rules were made to be broken, and Carly had a sneaking suspicion she was going to do just that before long.

  "When was the last time you ate?" Adam asked, suddenly serious. It didn’t feel like small talk; it felt more like he was trying to take care of her. She thought back to the times when they were younger, and how she would get so wrapped up in what she was doing that she would forget to stop for dinner. Surely, Adam wouldn’t remember such a mundane tidbit about her, would he?

  "What time were we at the deli?" Carly asked in response. The thing about hell week is there wasn't time to think about little things like eating. On show nights, they would at least have food to snack on in the green room. During rehearsals, it was every man or woman for themselves. Today, her schedule had been thrown off. She didn't think to bring anything from home, and there hadn't been enough time to run out for anything.

  "That's what I thought," Adam scowled. "Let's get you some food. You're too damned skinny," he observed, placing his hands on her hips for emphasis. That was something Carly wasn't used to hearing. She was certain that the concept of being too skinny was non-existent in a city like New York. His hands lingered near her waist. If he lowered them even a fraction of an inch, she could imagine his fingers sliding between the denim of her shorts and her skin. That thought sent her mind spiraling into places she certainly didn’t need to go.

  She laughed, "When in Rome. Come on, I know a little place by my apartment." She relaxed into the crook of Adam's arm. Right or wrong, it was a comfortable place to be. When she hooked her thumb through one of his belt loops, her fingers brushed along his hip, and she noted that the denim of his jeans was every bit as soft as she had imagined. She pulled him into one of her favorite bars, preparing him to be impressed with the abundant selection of micro-brews. She had no clue if he would be into that sort of thing, but she wasn't sure what else to say to keep the conversation going. Beer was a safe bet for two kids from Wisconsin.

  They settled into a high-top table near the back of the bar. There was an ease in the conversation that made it feel as if this were a regular occurrence rather than a chance meeting earlier in the day. It almost felt like a date; something Carly realized she hadn't been on in far too long. By the time their waitress brought their sirloin burgers to the table, Carly had managed to stop thinking of Adam as her friend's younger brother. She was thrilled because she was tired of trying to keep herself from flirting with him.

  It was after three in the morning when they left the bar. "You said you live near here?" Adam bristled, looking around at the less than attractive surroundings. It wasn't the best area, but it was livable and the rent was almost affordable. There wasn't anywhere in New York that was truly within Carly's budget, but she always made it work with the help of her rarely present roommate.

  "Yep, one block back," Carly said, pointing down the street.

  Carly wished she had put a jacket in her bag this morning. When she wrapped her arms across her body, Adam pulled her in tighter rubbing her arm. He was a walking space heater. "I'll be fine. You probably need to get back to your hotel," she said, not wanting him to feel obligated to walk her home.

  "Come on now, Papa Bear would have a conniption if he found out I let you walk home alone," Adam said pulling her closer to him. Papa Bear was the man they had all adopted as a second dad in Wisconsin. It was funny that Adam was worried what the man would think about him letting Carly walk home without an escort. He was right; Papa Bear probably would find a suitable punishment for him, even if he were twenty-seven. "Besides, I'm having a terrific time. Usually, it's just me in a crappy hotel room with ESPN."

  Knowing that Adam was enjoying himself made her relax. "So, when do you go back?" Carly asked, chewing a fingernail. Her lip curled as she realized she was turning into a whiny girl. She couldn't remember the last time she'd enjoyed an evening as much as this one and she liked to think there might be the possibility of a repeat performance.

  "Well, I was supposed to fly home Friday, but they moved around a few meetings for next week," he said. His pale blue eyes shimmered in the moonlight. "So, I'm just going to stay here through the weekend, and I'll go home next Tuesday night."

  Carly hated knowing he was going to be here the entire time she was busy and then go home on one of her days off. "This is me," she pointed to the non-descript brick building behind them. "Want to come up for a while?"

  She was exhausted but not ready to say goodnight. As soon as the words fell from her mouth, Carly wondered if Adam thought she was asking him upstairs for a late-night booty call. She wasn't thinking that, but why else would a single woman ask a man into her apartment in the middle of the night?

  "Sure," Adam shrugged. "I don't have anywhere to be in the morning."

  They walked in silence up the five flights of stairs. After two years of hiking to
the top floor every day, it no longer affected Carly. Adam, on the other hand, seemed winded by the time they reached her door. "Couldn't find a place with a few more stairs?" Adam huffed as she fumbled for her keys.

  It wasn't often that Carly invited anyone into her apartment. The walls, which had once been a muted sage, were now dull grayish green and the hardwood floors were marred beyond repair. Most of the furniture was from a former roommate who left everything behind when she moved to parts unknown. It wasn't much, but the price was right and she had injected her own personality into her place as much as possible.

  Everything about their night felt normal. She wasn't sure what spending time with Adam was supposed to feel like, but it wasn't this. She curled up next to him on the couch while he explained his rise from the assembly line to one of the lighting manufacturer's top salesmen in a major market. She shared her dreams of directing rather than doing the grunt work backstage.

  Before she knew it, the sun filtered through the blinds. It was going to be a long day.

  Carly walked down the five flights of stairs delaying their goodbye for as long as possible. Twenty-four hours ago, she rarely thought about home. Walking away hadn't been as easy as she thought it would be but she was determined to make something more of herself than she would have been able to in her sleepy little hometown. She leaned against the open door watching the gentle giant who had forced her to remember her roots until he disappeared around the corner. It was the first time in over a year that she truly missed Brooklyn.

  It wasn't until Carly curled under the antique quilt on her bed that she realized she still hadn't given Adam her phone number. How could she spend more time with him if he had no way to contact her? She thought about emailing Annie to see if she knew how to get in touch with him. That woman knew everything about everyone in the little town of Brooklyn, Wisconsin. Carly had no doubt that the day would come when Annie would be the driving force behind the rumor mill in their sleepy town. Unprepared to answer the twenty questions that would accompany his phone number, Carly set her phone on the nightstand and tried to sleep.