Learning to Fly - 29

Chapter 29 - The Big Come Down

Any confidence or adrenaline buzz that had helped Carly swish out of the room, abandoned her the second she rounded the corner out of view of the office. Her legs almost buckled and she staggered rather off kilter out of the management suite. As she was about to head down the stairs, two arms encircled her from behind and she was directing into an office. Camilla and Lucas both paced across the space as she slumped into a chair.

"Rochelle told us you'd been summoned to the office, we've been hidden away in here waiting for you to emerge!" Camilla finally sat opposite her.

"She's right!" Lucas confirmed, "what happened?"

Carly half smiled, "Jens threw hundreds of examples of me apparently abandoning ship, gross misconduct he called it!"

Lucas almost spluttered in anger, "the bastard, no wonder that schmuck Markus was following you around the last week!"

Carly laughed, "you're right. But I threw it all back at Jens." She explained about the other people present as witnesses, and that it may have backfired in Jens' face after all.

Camilla giggled clapping her hands together in a really girlie fashion whilst Lucas strode across to Carly and pulled her into a bear hug, "well done young un! Sounds like you did good!"

She shrugged, "I hope so, I just need to get more evidence to back me up before he infiltrates things!"

Camilla pffed, waving both hands in a dismissive manner, "no one here would agree with him, you know that!"

Lucas shook his head, "I'm not so sure Cam, he's the boss after all, and not everyone wants to make life hard for themselves. He's both powerful and manipulative, you're right to be wary." 

Carly knew that unrelenting reassurances from her friends would have been misplaced, but hearing the doubt in Lucas' voice disconcerted her. As if he sensed that, he squeezed her hand, "look Rochelle and Marta are given to be in your camp. They don't have anything that can help Jens'..."

Carly sighed, "but Danica is torn. She has to think of her job. It's all a mess!"

Lucas was still holding her hand and he squeezed it again, "we'll beat them Carl, honest!"

The afternoon passed in a blur, Carly wasn't really as focused as she could be, but she managed to survive. Marta and Rochelle were increasingly concerned, so she knew she had to share everything with them. Before the end of the day, the three women arranged to meet up in their favourite bar that evening. It wouldn't get busy until after nine, so they'd have time to chat first, somewhere safe and away from the hotel.

Carly was there first, and she was well into her second beer when Rochelle, and immediately after her Marta, arrived. Rochelle raised a concerned eyebrow when she saw the already empty beer bottle in front of her friend.

Carly sighed and extended her left wrist to show the still adrenaline fuelled shake that was still controlling her. "My nerves are shot! This is purely medicinal!"

The story only took a few minutes to tell but both women were equally stunned and impressed. Neither had expected her to take Jens on in this manner.

"I'll never agree with any of his claims!" Rochelle announced vehemently, slamming down her own beer bottle in anger.

Carly shrugged, "what I don't want is for you to get yourself into trouble. You're both settled here, your other halves live here. I'm disposable in that I can restart elsewhere. Losing your job, or becoming out of favour with the boss is something neither of you need to worry about. And I'm confident that even if I am sacked, I'll go with a bang! Take him down as I go!" 

Neither woman seemed convinced, but Carly was very persuasive. And soon they were sharing several more drinks, dances and drunken hugs on the dance floor.

Whilst she was busy her mind was occupied, but the alcohol was making her morose inside, and soon she had an almost suffocating sensation at being in the bar. Hugging the girls she assured them that she would be fine on the short walk home, then headed out into the dark night.

But the cold air seemed to hit her like a sledge hammer, and after walking for a couple of minutes she realised whilst she wasn't horrendously drunk, added to the sadness, emotional trauma and desperation she was experiencing, it was all a bit much for her. It had been a hard few weeks, and the tension of the day, the adrenaline, the fear, her anxieties - she was almost paralysed by it all.

Pulling out her phone, she called the only person she could rely on one hundred percent in a situation like this - Lucas.

He answered sleepily on the third ring.

"Carly? You OK?"

She'd intended to smile, tell him she needed a little boost to know she was doing the right thing, instead, the concern, the sympathy in his voice, caused the floodgates to open and she descended into a blubbery mess of tears.

"Carl! What's happened? Are you OK?"

She gulped trying to control herself, "I'm just tired...and..."

He groaned, "you've been through a lot, you can't always be strong. Where are you? I'll come and get you."

Within ten minutes he was striding through the heavy snowfall towards her, wrapped up in his snowboarding gear. She stood in a doorway shivering and had never felt safer than when she saw him appear around the corner at a jog. 

Carly could've cried with relief, and slowing in front of her, he pulled her into an embrace, not asking any questions, just holding her, his lips warm against her forehead. 

"It's OK," he finally breathed. "Even I need a meltdown every now and again!"

She whimpered a response, and he chuckled into her hair, "come on, let's get you home."

He led her home more patiently than she deserved, after all she'd woken him up, at the door to her part of the accommodation she shook her head, "can I sleep at yours? Camilla's away tonight..."

He laughed, "I don't get many offers like that!" With an elaborate wink and a wicked chuckle, he guided her around the hotel grounds to the stairs that led to his apartment. Carly had never seen his apartment, and despite her state, appreciated with envy his small lounge and kitchen. As she sat on the small sofa, he turned on the kettle.

"Think you could do with some coffee!"

She nodded, slumping her head into her hands. Carly'd never felt so bad, it was like suffocating, there was too much to deal with and the drinks earlier had made her feel ridiculously vulnerable. Now that she was here, illuminated in the partial light of his lounge, she felt exposed. Lucas' all seeing eyes were catching her at her worst and she hated that invasion, yet she knew for most of the last hour she'd needed him. To make this better. 

"Hey?" Lucas' voice disturbed her cascading thoughts. "Have this."

She lifted her tear stained face and tried to smile, "I'm sorry Lucas, I should go..."

Stopping her with a raised hand he shook his head, "don't be stupid! You're upset, it's OK to need a strong arm every once in a while. Is this freaking you out that I'm seeing Independent and Strong Carly a little vulnerable?"

She scowled and took the mug, "alright so you know me!"

Lucas chuckled, lowering himself onto the opposite end of the sofa, "you really do want to do everything yourself, don't you?"

Carly watched him from under her lowered lashes, the fog of the alcohol was started to lift, and she was feeling a little bit awkward. "I've always done everything myself Lucas, and to be honest, I'm feeling a bit stupid now. I think it was just the fresh air, and the drink..."

Lucas was watching her and trying not to laugh, she was such a mess, and it was a great sight. Not because he wanted to see her upset, but because it was a sign that she was human. After all that had happened the past few months, it was impossible to think that she could have dealt with it all and stayed so composed. And now as she recovered from her blip, the anger, the vehemence that he found so exciting was rising like a furnace.

Taking a deep breath in preparation of some onslaught, he paused when nothing happened. Glancing at her, he realised she'd curled her bare feet up under herself and was watching him through half closed eyes.

"Come on, take my bed, I'll sleep on the sofa."

She shook her head, "I can't do that to you!"

Heading into the bedroom ahead of her, he pulled a faded t-shirt and a pair of tie waist shorts from a drawer. "I'll wake you in time for work, OK?"

Carly wanted to argue, to take the sofa if not go back to hers, but his clothes were as soft and comfortable as his bed. She was asleep before he'd closed the door.