Learning to Fly - 19

Chapter 19 - Love and Pride 

Carly felt her jaw drop open, this was more than embarrassment at walking in on her and Jens.  Camilla was genuinely angry. Carly suddenly felt sick.

"What's wrong?" 

Camilla stopped and glared at Carly, "What's wrong? Shit Carly! What is it with you and this bloody false innocence? I've been confiding all my thoughts and fears in you, and all the while you were scheming and plotting behind my back!"

Carly raised a hand to stop the tirade of abuse, "Camilla, I have absolutely NO idea what you're talking about! We are friends - now, I've done nothing to change that, and I'm not faking anything!"

She shook her head as she dramatically tutted returning to her anger fuelled march, "you are always the perfect one aren't you? Wonderful worker, friend to everyone, and now what? Screwing the boss?"

Carly slumped onto the bed in defeat, "Cam, I don't get it..." Carly hadn't fallen into bed with Jens without a lot of thought, in fact she'd mentally debated it on so many occasions. Now her room mate was berating her for...for what? Suddenly the penny dropped, "you want him yourself is that it?"

Camilla's face was a picture, a mixture of shock, indignation and anger, "who the hell do you think you are? You only walked in here five minutes ago, and you are the one to challenge me?"

Carly took a steadying deep breath, looking up at the ceiling, "will you give me a straight answer?"

Through a very sarcastic scoff, Camilla finally hissed, "he was seeing me...he said he needed some time, but that was all it was a temporary break. I should've known that you'd jump in to my grave."

A million thoughts careered through Carly's brain. At no point had she discussed whether Jens was dating anyone before she'd dived into bed with him, htough in the last three weeks that he'd been flirting, chasing her, she'd not seen him with anyone else, and the staff gossip wagon hadn't revealed that he was involved with anyone, let alone Camilla.

Still is was obvious that Camilla was devastated, and Carly felt sorry for that. Sorry but not responsible. 

"Cam, I didn't know. And he never mentioned it..."

The hurt was etched in line across the older girl's face as she snapped, "did he even have time as you threw yourself at him? And you DID bloody know! I cried on your shoulder when he cooled things. For god's sake, you held my hand as I waited to see if I was...."

Pregnant...Carly didn't need to hear the final word, Camilla had thought she was having JENS' baby. Lucas wasn't the possible father. Carly suddenly felt sick again, she'd treated him...badly, worse than badly, and it wasn't his fault.  He was still having sex with Camilla the night she'd arrived. 

Now Carly was confused, there were far too much convolutions to this story and she had work commitments. 

"I'm sorry but at no point have you ever mentioned Jens to me, and he's never mentioned you. I'd never deliberately hurt you, and if you think I would, then you really don't know me. I'm working in an hour, maybe we can discuss this later?"

She didn't wait for an answer, instead, she grabbed her uniform and made for the shower. 

Mid morning Carly was still struggling to get her head around the revelations, Marta and Rochelle hadn't passed comment yet. But she knew they were concerned. The life and sould of the party no more. Well not today anyway. 

"Coffee!" Rochelle announced at just after eleven. "Enough! The temporaries can look after things for a few minutes. Come on Marta!" 

The two girls followed Rochelle into the small adjacent staff room. Handing them both a mug, she turned to Carly, "so...what's happening! What's wrong?"

Carly sighed, saying things aloud made them real, and she ahd no intention of making this nightmare reality did she? There was also the adage that a problem shared was a problem halved.

"I slept with Jens last night."

She didn't expect enthusiasm or whoops of joy, but she wasn't sure she was prepared for complete silence. Eventually Marta spoke.

"It was what you wanted?"

"He didn't force me!" she snapped a response.

Rochelle soothed the situation, "I think what Marta means, is that you seem so sad today, we were concerned something very bad had happened. You should be smiling at new love!"

Carly nodded, a little relieved that her friend's support wasn't deserting her, "Camilla came back this morning, foudn us...she went crazy!"

Marta nodded knowingly, "she has chased after him for a long time, they were apparently close over the autumn weren't they Roch?"

Rochelle nodded, "Franz sees a lot, in his bar. She threw herself at him quite a bit. But not recently."

"So I haven't trodden on her toes? I mean she was so angry..."

Rochelle smiled as she ran her thumb over the brim of her coffee mug, "you never know with him Carly, but you knew that he was a player...or was. He may have changed...some men do."

Carly nodded, she could see a hidden 'I told you so' in her eyes, but appreciated the lack of verbalisation. "I don't want to upset her, but he's fun..."

Marta smiled, "you've known them bith a couple of months, I don't think you should be picking sides, at the end of the day you have no obligation to anyone."

Carly groaned and covered her eyes, "she was with Lucas from reception the night I arrived,  I really had no idea..."

Rochelle laughed, "I can't believe Lucas went anywhere near her, he's not her type, and she's DEFINITELY not his type!"

Lucas! The sudden reminder that she owed him an apology to didn't settle well on her stomach. This day was going from bad to worse!

Carly found she was dreading the end of the day. Whilst she was at work, she didn't have to deal with Camilla, but she knew that once she left, she'd have to speak to her, try to rectify things. Camilla was determined and stubborn and she knew that wouldn't be easy. It was times like this that she missed home, her parents, their small home and the village that knew everyone's business. 

But she wasn't home, she was here, so she had to get on with things. Climbing the steps to her room her heart was heavy and nausea churned a rolling boil in her stomach. She hated confrontation like this, but she wasn't at fault here. Carly groaned wishing she knew what to say to Camilla to make things good. Give up Jens? She literally froze in her stride.

No. She had no intention of doing that. Carly realised that straight away. She wanted to spend time with Jens, he may not be the love of her life - who knew? Romances succeed and fail. But she wasn't sacrificing anything to make someone else happy. She'd see how things went with him. She knew that may cause problems with her room mate, but...

Jogging the last few steps, she strode confidently into the bedroom then there was the come down...it was empty. Carly sighed, she'd built up ready for the fight, now there was the anti-climax. Adrenaline was still surging in her veins and she coudldn't just lounge around. She was about to change for the gym when her phone rang. Glancing down at it she smiled. Jens.

"Are you about to spirit me away somewhere? Take my mind off things?"

His surprise at her keeness caused him to laugh, "well how can I refuse an offer like that? I was about to suggest the cinema. But I can just as easily kidnap you, take you away!"

Carly chuckled, "the cinema sounds good, but no horror?"

Jens deliberately paused, "OK, but that is not giving you the chance to drag me into some sort of dreary chick-flick!"

Carly gave a knowing tut, "we'll see about that."

Jens, as with their other dates, was the perfect gentleman. The nearest cinema was an hour away on the outskirts of a fairly big town, the complex also boasted a few well known fast food chains, and Carly after a few months living on Alpine menu's did go a little mad! Jens chuckled as he helped her eat the feast she'd bought, but was obviously amazed when she still had room for popcorn.

The film was a compromise, a thriller with a Jason Bourne type character was evading mutlipe groups of criminals. It was exciting and fun and there was nothing more natural than linking her hand through Jens as they made for the car. The drive back in the complete darkness was precarious, and it added to the other distractions that meant she hadn't discussed Camilla.

As she'd left her room to meet him earlier, Carly had run head on into Camilla and the atmosphere was so frosty she could almost have cried, the last thing she wanted or needed here was an enemy, especially one sharing the room with her.

When they had travelled along the winding, yet long road between the two places, Jens turned to her, "so what's making you quiet? Normally you don't stop talking to even eat!"

"Is that a veiled insult Mr König?" Her comment and side glance were accompanied by an endearing smile.

"Is that an attempt to change the subject Miss McLellan?" 

Carly loved the way he struggled to utter all the syllables of her name into one word, a sign that the multi languaged adonis wasn't completely perfect. but analysis of him aside, he'd given her the 'in' to a conversation she wasn't that keen to have.

"I argued with Camilla before we left. I'm not looking forward to going back to more of the same!" It was only a half truth, but it gave her chance to gauge his reaction to her name. 

He seemed unpeturbed, "she's a funny one Camilla, I wouldn't worry about her really."

Carly took a deeep breath, honesty was always the best policy, wasn't it? "It was over you...that we argued."

"Ahhh!" It was a knowing sound, not particualrly guilt laden, but a knowing sigh all the same. "Camilla..." He slowed the car down and pulled to the side of the road. "Look, it's a fairly isolated hotel, people know me...we did have a brief fling...But that's all it was. if she thinks it was more then that's her imagination. I swear to you Carly."

Carly was reeling, she didn't know what to say. He was so blaze about it all, yet people's emotions, realtionships...you couldn't just brush things under the carpet and pretend it hadn't happened. Life and consequences.

Jens spotted her down turned face, "Carly, hey, look at me!" She lifted her eyes obligingly. "it was nothing more than a brief fling. I've had a lot, I admit, but I like you..."

Carly laughed, "you're different to the others!" She mocked him. "Don't bullshit me Jens, I look at her, at all the other girls at the hotel and I have no idea why you've singled me out, I'm so pale in comparison to them. I can't help but thinking this is some huge joke and I'm the punchline!"

Jens leaned over to cup her cheek, "I can't promise you forever Carly, who can? But I don't want anyone more than you."

It was a line, probably a well rehearsed one, but she wasn't looking for life long commitment, all she wanted was fun, and for the moment the uncertainty of Jens was far more favourable than the uncertainty of her small shared room. So when he leaned in and kissed her gently, asked her to come back to his chalet, she didn't decline. 

Better the devil you know!