Song: Who Are You - Fifth Harmony
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"I feel like drinking orange juice right now" I exclaimed loudly, leaning against my seat.

On my left, Blake did not bulge a fraction. His eyes focused on his laptop as he pretended not to hear me.

"I SAID I FEEL LIKE-"

"This is getting out of hands now!!" He screeched, cutting me off. He turned his chair in my direction and looked at me with a mixture of irritation and anger.

"What do you mean its getting out of hands? Today is just the first day and-" I started, turning my chair in his direction too.

"And you have already made me leave for some stupid demand of yours six times now!!!" He cut me off.

He was trying not to be loud. To stay calm and collected as we had people surrounding us but I could see the annoyance on his face, around his body like a shadow.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to interrupt me while I am speaking?" I questioned, looking at him sternly.

To say I was enjoying this would be an understatement. I am so glad I agreed to Blake's offer because now, for two whole weeks I could make him do anything I desire and he could not say no to me. I was going to make him suffer and that made me extremely happy. In front of me, Blake scowled, trying not to say anything nasty. I have never seen Blake excersize patience like this before.

"Now orange juice. Please" I said, turning back towards my laptop.

It took Blake three whole minutes to groan loudly and get up.

"I will get back to you on this" he threatened and then left.

The smile that I had been hiding from him, broke on my face. I never knew annoying someone could be this fun. No wonder the twins irritated me all the time.

As the thought of the twins entered my mind, I picked up my phone. I still missed them alot, wishing that they would come back and stay for a few more days. But of course that was not possible.

I dailed dad's number and waited for him to pick up, correcting a spelling I had typed wrong in my article. He picked up on the third bell.

"Hey, I was just thinking of you" he said picking up.

My whole body relaxed after hearing his voice. If I could  I would right now jump through the phone to hug him. It had been months since I last saw him and I had never gone this long without seeing him before. He had always been there in the background, taking care of me and looking out for me. Never leaving me alone. Adjusting to Canada would have been impossible if he wasn't there with me. Telling me constantly that everything will be okay. That I was strong and courageous and can overcome anything.

"What are you doing?" I asked, breaking my train of thoughts.

"I am going back home" he replied.

"From the restaurant? Its late, was there an event today?" I asked.

Usually dad would be home by now, drinking a cup of tea after having dinner. A book in his hand as he talked to me about his day.

"No, from a date" he replied.

A smile appeared on my face as I remembered he had a date today.

"So? How did it go?" I inquired curiously.

"Well, it was good. Better than I expected. I was less awkward and she was really nice." He answered.

"That's great dad, I'm happy for you" I replied feeling genuinely happy.

It had been long since dad went on a date. After shifting to Canada he was always too busy handling the restaurant. Which left him little time for us and even less for himself.

I was glad he was going out more now.

"Anyways, enough about me. How have you been? what is going on? Any dates you are going to that I don't know of?" He asked as I heard the beep of a horn in the background.

My mind shifted to the pretend date I was going to have with Blake. It was the first date I was going to in months even if it was not a real one.

I still had my reservations about it. How would we act while we were there? As friends or as people in love. What answers did we have to give as a couple to questions that would be asked. Questions like where did you meet? How long have you been dating?

This reminded me that we needed to have a talk about this date. There was so much I wanted to ask, my most important question being if this date would be like a real one in any way.

"I'm good, in the office right now and no there are no dates currently planned by my side." I replied, leaning back in my chair.

"Well you should go out and meet new people then. Maybe you will find someone you like"

I thought about it for a moment. Someone I like? An image of Carter appeared in my mind. I sat up straight, getting rid of his thoughts.

"No dad, I don't think that will be a good considering how I have to come back to Canada" I sighed.

Dad didn't say anything. Probably thinking about what I just said or about what to say next. Maybe he was thinking of Carter too, how we didn't work out because I moved away.

"How is your mom?" He finally spoke, changing the topic.

Dad had seen how much seperation from Carter had affected me. I hadn't mentioned all my meetings with Carter to him but he knew something was up, something was affecting me. He had always been able to hear a slight change in my tone.

This was what I liked best about him, no matter how much distressed or upset I seemed he would never push me to tell what was wrong. He would always give me space and wait for me to come to him.

"She is better than before, weak of course but getting stronger" I replied.

"That's good to know"

"I miss you alot" I said finally, closing my eyes as I leaned back in the chair again.

"I miss you too buddy. Why don't you come visit for a few days?" He asked.

"I was thinking that too but not right now, ever since the kids left mom had been down, I don't want her to be more stressed emotionally by not having me around"

"Yeah, your right" he replied then added "Take care of her"

I nodded at his words although he couldn't see me.

"How are the kids?" 

"They are fine. Miss you a lot. Daniel got into another fight at school. I'm a little worried about him" Dad huffed, his exhaustion from working all day catching up.

"Me too but don't worry too much, he's just growing up" I replied.

Daniel's fights bad been recurring although not much. Maybe it was because he was growing up or because of what was happening. He had never been one to express his emotions clearly unlike Alex and Millie. I would have to talk to him about this.

"yea, I hope so" 

From afar I saw Blake stepping inside the hall, an orange drink in his hand. He did not look pleased at all.

"Dad, I'll talk to you later. Sleep tight" I said, hanging up the phone after hearing him say goodbye. Thinking which new task I had to use to annoy Blake with next. 
...........................................

"Don't forget, its on Saturday, four pm sharp. Reach the address I texted you" said Blake getting up from his seat, grabbing his bag and bike keys.

"Yea, yea, bye, bye" I replied still focused on my screen. 

Blake had told me the day, time and address about a dozen times already. To the point that I had it memorized by now. We also talked about the little details I was fretting over. Every question of mine was answered with 'I'll handle it' which made me give up on the conversation entirely.

It was six in the evening and about half the people had left. I was still here because I had to submit a report to Kaisey which still wasn't finished. It took me about twenty more minutes to complete it and as I typed in the last word a breath of relief left my body. 

Stretching my hands I groaned, letting go of the tension gathered inside me. Pressing the print button I got up from my seat and walked towards the printer. I picked up the clean sharp paged filled with ink now. Placing them in a folder neatly I walked towards Kaisey's office. 

I had not met her ever since that day at Carter's home. We hadn't crossed paths in the office neither was there any work for which we had to talk to each other. Now as I knocked her door I could feel the dread and anxiety building up inside me. 

"Come in" I heard her say and pushed the door open. 

As I stepped inside Kaisey looked up to see me. Her hair were tied back in a ponytail and from the look on her face it seemed like she was tired. Like she hadn't slept last night. I walked towards her desk as she casted her eyes down. No greetings which I was in some way thankful for. I just wanted to give her the report and leave.

"The report you asked for" I said, moving my hand forward for her to take the file. 

she looked up from her laptop again and took the file from my hand. I waited a second in case she wanted to say something but she didn't. Turning around I started walking towards the door, just wanting to go home and eat dinner now.

"You know, you could have given the coat to me" I heard her say and stopped in my tracks.

I slowly turned back to face her. 

"What?" I asked although I knew exactly what she was saying.

"Carter's coat? You could have given it to me. You didn't have to drive all the way to his house." She said again. her voice crisp and face stern as she looked directly in my eyes. 

"I wanted to thank him" I replied shortly. 

"You could have told that to me, I could have delivered your 'thankyou' " She countered, her voice changing slightly at the word thankyou. As if she was mocking it.

"I wanted to thank him in person. He was very kind to helping us that day, it would have seemed rude to not thank him properly" I replied, hoping my voice was as sharp as Kaisey's. 

She kept quite for a while, quietly staring at me as if she was judging me. Then slowly she stood up from her chair and walked over to me.

"I think you should stay away from Carter" she said upon reaching me. A warning clearly visible in her voice.

What did she exactly want to say?

"I am away from Carter" I replied.

"Oh really? Cause from what I am seeing, it looks like you are chasing him." She exclaimed. Her voice holding an accusatory and sarcastic tone.

"I think I made it very clear that it was Carter who approached me that day-"

"I don't care what happened that day or any other day. All I'm saying is that you need to stay away. Carter does not want you near him, he has said that to you himself. And I won't let you cause problems for him anymore."

I stared at her rigid figure, so different from the first time I saw her. No wonder I never liked her.

"I protect what's mine Eva." She said softly.

So soft that it sting me.

"Good for you Kaisey." I replied and turned around to leave, choosing not to be part of this unhealthy conversation.

..........................

I placed the shopping bags in the backseat of the car. Closing the door, I walked over to the front side. The sun was shining but not as brightly as it was a few hours ago. Settling in I turned the key in ignition and drove out of the parking lot.

After Blake told me the exact day and time for our pretend date, I realized I did not have a dress to wear to a formal dinner. When I came back here it was quick and out of blue, I had not considered taking any kinds of formal dresses with me. All I could think at that time was if my mom will be okay again. The thought that I might need a dress to wear on a fake date never crossed my mind while I was packing.

It took me an hour to find a dress I liked and to wander around looking at things I did not really need. In the end I found myself buying jeans and shoes with some jewellery. Right now as I drived to Ally's house I could feel tiredness slowly catching up on me.

Ally had texted me in the morning making sure if I was coming or not. I was surprised by her enthusiasm to see me, glad that she wasn't angry at me after that incident and was not giving me a cold shoulder like Kaisey was these days.

It took me about twenty minutes to reach her house, my windows all boarded up to keep the car warm. Winter was soon going to be here in its full glory. The winds were already cold and I could not leave the house without an upper. I just hoped this change in weather brough good things for everyone.

I parked the car a little distance away from Ally's house. Getting out I grabbed the cake I had bought for her, thinking we could eat it with tea.

I walked over to the front door and was surprised to see that it was open. After a moment of hesitation I stepped inside, thinking that I should advise Ally to be careful and keep the doors locked always.

The house was quite as I walked in a little further. The smell of cinnamon hanging in the air, Ally must have baked something. I hope it was not a cake.

I was about to call out her name when I heard voices inside. They were coming from the living room, a low murmur. I placed the box of cake on a drawer outside and walked towards the voices. I remember Ally saying clearly that it would be just the two of us.

A few steps away from the door I saw Ally sitting in a chair, her arms wrapped around herself and her face wet from obvious tears. I took a few steps towards her, worry starting to rise inside me.

"I think we should end this" came Drake's voice that halted me in my tracks. I couldn't see him as only a small part of the room was visible to me through the door but I knew it was his voice.

"What?" Said Ally is such a low tone that I could have missed it. A lone tear escaped from her eye, travelling down steadily.

"Honestly Ally I am done. I am sick and tired of all this. Whatever this is. I think its better for both of us to just-"

"Drake"

My ears perked up. It was Carter. It was his voice. He was inside too.

"You don't know what you are talking about" he said, anger visible in his words.

I didn't know what was going on but from what I understood it was nothing good. It was actually something really bad. Without thinking through I walked over and stepped inside the room.

I was surprised to see the atmosphere inside, the tension and stress so thick I
I couldn't breath for a second. Drake was sitting on the couch opposite from Ally, at the other end of the room. Carter sat on the one between the length of the room, the couch I had sat on the day I met Kaisey for the first time. I looked at him and saw his eyes already piercing into mine, his face expressionless. I couldn't tell what he was thinking, what he was feelings.

Like always.

Right next to him sat Kaisey, her hand lightly grabbing onto Carter's arm as if stopping him from standing, from lashing. I was quite shocked to see Kaisey here, I had not considered her to be part of such a personal matter.

I guess they all really did trust her.

Everyone was startled to see me as all eyes in the room looked at me. No one uttered a word for a moment and neither did I. All I knew was that I needed to step in and stop Drake from saying something he could regret for the rest of his life.

From the corner of my eyes I saw Ally wiping her tears away from her face. My eyes then shifted to Drake and our last encounter played behind my mind. I remembered his anger on me that he kept inside for so many years. 

Right now I could see displeasure in his eyes upon seeing me. He also looked exhausted, as if he had been doing some strenuous work for hours and just got free.

"Eva, I don't think right now is a good time for you to be here-" started Kaisey looking at me, her facing showing very evidently that she wanted me to leave.

"Eva stays" came the sharp voice of Ally.

In some way I was relieved to hear that. Ally wasn't uncomfortable by having me here.

Kaisey on the other hand was stunned by her words, she had not expected Ally to say that.

I turned to look at Ally but she wasn't looking at me or Kaisey. Her sharp gaze was straight at Drake.

"What did you just say?" She asked Drake sternly, her voice not a whisper anymore. It felt like no one else was in the room except the two of them.

"Eva leaves" said Drake instead in his version of sharpness. "She has no business being here, especially when we are having a serious conversation.

"She is my friend and she isn't going anywhere. If Carter and Kaisey can be here for such a personal conversation, so can she." Replied Ally with the same cutting voice.

Ally was sitting calmly now, any traces of tears gone from her face. I knew this voice, this aura, this side of Ally. It was the calm before the storm. The final act of courage before she completely broke down.

"We all will leave. Ally is right, this conversation is private and you two should do this on your own. Calmly." Said Carter standing up.

I agreed with him. What I had understood from the few sentences I had listened was that whatever was happening here was extremely serious. Far more grave than the fight they had last time I was here.

All I could think right now was that I hope things wouldn't turn for the worst. Don't reach a point from which there will be no chance of return and making amends. I wish I could say something, do something but I couldn't.

This was their war and I couldn't fight it for them. Like I couldn't fight for my parents. And the only one I did fight ended in my defeat.

In front of me I saw Kaisey stand up too, unsurely. I took a few steps back, looking at Ally to give her an encouraging nod. To tell her through my eyes that everything will be okay. However she wasn't looking at me, her eyes fixed on Drake as if she could not move them.

"But before we leave, I want you two to remember how much you love each other and-" started Carter, looking at both of them in turns. I could see fear and frustration in his eyes. It was obvious he did not want to leave them alone because of what might happen. There were a lot of bad possibilities.

"Eva? A friend? That is a joke" Said Drake with a mocking laugh.

Everyone stopped in their tracks once again, no movement visible.

"Eva is not a friend, never was. Infact, she was the person who was most against our marriage." Declared Drake.

A cold shiver ran through my body after hearing Drake's words. My ears couldn't believe what he said. Slowly I shifted my gaze to him.

"Drake" said Carter as a warning.

"What? I'm being honest here and everyone would agree. Eva can never be anyone's friend because she is too damn selfish and a total hypocrite. All this caring and loving attitude, this innocent nature is just a pretence. She sucks at friendship" he said looking at me directly now, a teasing smile still on his face.

"And relationships" he added as an after thought.

"That is enough" spoke Carter again, this time more sharply.

But Drake wasn't listening. All of his concentration was on me. He slowly stood up too.

"You are the worst thing that happened to all of us, to Carter. I should have never let him date you. He was better off without you. I can't believe I got trapped into your charm too, thinking you were different from all the other gold diggers chasing Carter-"

"I said that is ENOUGH!!" Said Carter again, his voice high as he looked at Drake angrily. It seemed like he was ready to jump on him any second.

But all I could think about was Drake's words ringing in my head like a siren.

"But I was wrong, you were just like any other girl in that high school. Infact cleverer than them all. You wrapped Carter around your fingers, used him for your own benefits until you didn't need him anymore. Until you found a better opportunity. And then you left without looking back at the damage you had caused. To tell you the truth, I wouldn't be surprised if you were a part of Kaiden's plan. And after what he wanted was done, you didn't feel the need to stay with Carter any longer."

"DRAKE, STOP IT" I heard Ally's voice but I didn't register it. Drake was the only one I was paying attention to.

I knew I should speak up, say something to stop him. But my words were clogged in my throat, refusing to come out. I knew Drake had reservations towards me and I was okay with that. However I had not predicted him to straight on hate me. To accuse me of such horrendous things.

I took in a breath when I realized I had forgotten to breathe. A movement in my peripheral made me look up and I saw Carter grabbing Drake by his shirt collar, his face angry like I have never seen before. He was visibly shivering with anger.

"You. Will. Not. Utter. Another. Word" he said with clenched teeths, trying to keep his volume down. To control himself.

"Or what?" Asked Drake raising an eyebrow. Looking at Carter seriously.

"I am done with your shit Drake" said Carter loudly, shaking Drake a little as if to snap him out. Kaisey stepped forward and grabbed Carter's arm, pulled him back.

Drake did not reply, just stared at Carter as if asking a silent question. Carter's eyes didn't leave Drake's either as if answering him.

"I really think you should leave now Eva. You have no business here and clearly Drake doesn't want you to stay. Look at what you have caused-" said Kaisey.

She was facing me with an irritated expression. I could even see traces of anger. Her hands still holding onto Carter's arm. That was all I needed to snap out of my trance. To come back to reality and gather my strength.

"Shut up" I said calmly, looking Kaisey in the eye.

Her mouth opened slightly, shock written on her face. She had not predicted me to say that, to be like this towards her but right now at this moment, I did not care.

I could see surprise in Carter and Ally's faces too while I avoided looking at Drake right now.

"Excuse me?" Kaisey huffed unbelievably. "Who do you think you-"

"I said shut up" I repeated, forcing Kaisey to stop talking. "I know more about these people than you ever will. So I suggest YOU stay out of this conversation."

Kaisey's eyes widened but I couldn't care less. I did not wait for her reply and instead turned towards Drake. I walked over to him and stood directly in front of him. He looked back at me, confused by my actions.

"I am taking Ally with me until you get your shit together. Until you are sober enough and realize your mistakes. Until you regret them and beg her for forgiveness. Have I made myself clear?" I said gravely. With so much seriousness and sharpness that Drake was unable to say something back.

"I pity you Drake, pity the man the you have become. I can't believe Ally stayed with you this long, put up with all of your problems for this long. You don't deserve her at all and she can have a much better life with a much better person......."

Slowly anger started gathering in Drake's eyes.

"So, I am taking her with me and if you want her back you need to prove you have changed, that you have become the person who deserves to be with her. Otherwise you will lose her forever and I will make sure of that"

"Who do you think you are? Get the hell out of my-" started Drake but I didn't let him finish, I wasn't going to listen to another word of his. He had said enough.

"And don't you dare speak about me like that again. I would not tolerate it. I would not let you turn me into some sort of villian so you could feel better about yourself. I am not your punching bag. I will not allow you to make me feel guilty about my life choices. Just because I do not speak Drake does not mean I don't know how to. This is the last time you talk to me and about me like that."

Drake was quite now but his anger was still there if not increasing with each second.

"I always thought of you as a friend, as a brother. For a long time I thought it was my fault our friendship got strained. But I was wrong, I had blamed myself for so many things just because people pointed fingers at me, accused me for stuff I didn't do. I thought I was the reason for losing friends and love-" my voice stuttered, shaking because of the tears threatening to come out but I held firm. I wasn't crying today.

"But I was wrong. You are the reason why we are not friends anymore Drake and why your marriage isn't working. No one else but you. You are the worst thing that happened to Ally, not me. All I can hope is you learn and become a better-"

"ENOUGH" Roared Drake jolting me. His loudness passing a tremble down by body.

"Your not going to insult me in my own house. I'm asking you nicely to leave or I'm call the police." he said. 

My heart was beating fast due to the sudden loud voice. I watch him walk over to the table placed in the left corner of the room. He picked up his phone and looked at me again.

"Oh and before you leave Eva, I think you should know...."

His voice was calm, no anger or irritaion in it like a few moments ago. I just stared at him, waiting for him to say what he wanted so I could leave with Ally. I was done being here and arguing with someone like Drake who refused to understand. Refused to acknowledge the troubles he had caused.

"Carter never loved you. You were just another naive girl he dated in high school." he said with as much despise as he could muster. 

My breath got caught in my throat, a soaring pain rising from inside me but I didn't know from where. He wanted his words to be a knife. To twist inside me and hurt, to cause everlasting injury. And Drake was successful.

I didn't know what to say, what to think, what to feel but before I could process anything, I felt a hand pull me back. I saw Carter move towards Drake and in one swift moment punch him in the face.

My eyes widened in shock. The scene infronf of me looking unreal. What had Carter just done? He rarely got physical with people, let alone his best friend. I don't think I have ever seen him act like this towards Drake. Like this with anyone except the people who kidnapped me.

Drake stumbled a few steps back due to the impact. His jaw starting to get red because of the force. I took a step forward to pull Carter back so he could not hit him again but Kaisey beat me to it.

"That's it, your leaving with me" he said furiously and started dragging Drake out of the room. Kaisey's hands falling to her side.

Drake was still fuming but this time he silently walked away with Carter. Lightly touching his face and wincing due to the pain. I did not look at them leave. I just took in a deep breath to calm my nerves down. 

....................................

Hello everyone!!! I hope you are all well and I am so sorry for the absence. I had been sick recently and was unable to write this chapter on time. But I'm all better now and here to give you a 5000 word chapter yay!!!!!
This is the longest chapter I have ever written and with so much difficulty. I wanted it to reflect the emotions I felt while thinking of these scenes. I hope I was able to portray them the right way and you all liked it.

Before I leave I wanted to clear a thing that I had been thinking about alot lately. As a writer I do not expect my readers to think the way I do or see my characters the way I do. I love to hear your own thoughts on the story, your likes and dislikes relating to the events that happen. But I do feel like reminding a few things to all of you about the character of Carter.

First of all, I do not tell the story to you all from the point of view of Carter. Whatever is written is from the perspective of Eva which means his feelings and emotions about everything are unknown. This also includes his feelings towards Eva. He could say or mean something which could be interpreted completely differently by her (and in some cases it is)

Second, he has never loved a girl before Eva. To be exact, Carter never knew what love was before meeting her. He did not have a loving family or lots of friends (except Drake) while growing up and to couple this with his connection with the world of drugs he turned into an icy and cautious person. Eva on the other hand had a loving family and friends with her her whole life. This is the reason why Carter became too protective of her and too scared to lose her. He also had abandonment issues due to his parents and people trying to be with him just because of his wealth and status.

Lastly, you all need to remember that Carter was only eighteen when he asked Eva to stay instead of moving to Canada. He was a boy, who did not know what love was, in love and wanted to keep his love safe and with him forever. And when he saw that wasn't possible, like any heartbroken person he made a desicion.

Does he regret that decision? Does he still love Eva? You need to read to find out.

Vote and Comment.

Love,
S. Maham Fatima