Learning to Fly - 30

Chapter 30 - Game Over

Carly slept well, she had dreams, but they were calm and didn't disturb her. When she did wake, she could smell coffee, the small alarm clock on the bedside table showed seven am. Carly stretched, amazed how comfortable Lucas' bed was, and how relaxing the smell of him that lingered on the bedding and the clothes she wore was. 

A gentle tap on the door, preceded it opening. Lucas was stood there in a t-shirt and a sweatpants with a mug in his hand. 

"Sleep well?" 

Watching him stride towards her she nodded, "Very well." He lowered himself to sit on the bed,  and she added, "thanks Lucas...for everything, not just last night, this bed..."

He gave her his best charismatic smile, "We're friends Carly, you don't have to thank me!"

"And you don't have to be as nice to me as you are, I've been such a bitch..."

He shook his head, "if I thought that, I wouldn't be here. Now, I've got bacon and eggs?"

Carly was amazed, dropping her jaw, mouth open, she stared at him in mock surprise, "you cook too?" When he nodded, she grinned, "get on with it then!"

Placing the coffee on the side table, he swatted at her with a pillow, before disappearing back to the lounge.

As promised the breakfast was spot on, and all too soon, Carly was sneaking out, her coat wrapped around the mixture of his and her clothes. 

The rest of the day, Carly kept a low profile, worked her load, pulled her weight, then went home for a much needed early night. She needed to be fresh for the following day.

Her day off. 

The only thing that could be on her agenda that day, was research, planning and reading. She wanted to be really prepared for things.  Employment law, Discrimination Act, Human Rights Bill, she'd searched through pages to compile any information that she could use to defend herself. This was a war, and whilst she couldn't honestly see herself staying here after all this, but she wanted to be cleared of this slander. 

She didn't let the black cloud of depression lower it's head again, she couldn't bear for anyone else to see her in the state she'd been the previous night. And whilst she was working like this, her mind was occupied. As a bonus, her search was helpful. She managed to learn more about Konig Enterprises, and knew that previous HR complaints may glean her some hope.

Late afternoon Carly decided she needed lunch, so she packed her laptop and the ever growing file of support, into a rucksack, then dressed for the sunny yet icy cold winter day. The crunch of the fresh snow under her feet never failed to give her pleasure. She loved this place, loved the climate, wished she had more time here to improve her boarding skills - yep Lucas was right, she was an instant convert to that form of snow movement!

Entering her favourite cafe, she ordered coffee and a club sandwich with fries, then took up her favourite seat in the window, overlooking the High Street. Camilla called as she was eating her lunch, asking her to come to a party that evening. Carly shook her head, Camilla partied every night and that was beyond Carly's physical and financial capacities.

"Are you sure? You're so down at the moment? And we're all staying at the chalet...I don't like to think of you alone in out room yet again!"

Carly loved being alone, unlike Camilla who seemed to spend her life wanting to be entertained, "I'm fine alone Cam, honest. Am I'm tired!" 

Camilla wasn't convinced but Carly reassured her greatly. And as she finally left the cafe she looked forward to a night on her own, chatting on Skype to friends and family back home, and generally relaxing in her own company.

The gym was quiet. As usual. And it had been a while since she'd used the facility. Her body screamed a complaint after not very long, but she worked through the barrier, needing to stretch her body out. 

She was just warming down when Lucas walked in the room. She waved from her position, mid-Pilates stretch. It was the first time she'd bumped into him here without being angry, such had their relationship changed, and her ironic smile was matched by his.

They watched each other from a distance with eyes filled with humour as they worked on their own programs. Carly finished first, and making for the door, she turned to him.

"It's you that became nicer you know, I was always right!"

He paused his cross trainer for a few seconds to break into hearty laughter. "If that floats your boat you keep believing it!" he offered laughing, before returning to the case in hand.

Carly was chuckling too as she sauntered to the changing rooms.

Her hair still hadn't dried when she'd finished talking to her parents via Skype, so she was re-brushing it, before tying it back in a pony tail when the bedroom door burst open.

Lucas had whistled all through his shower, why he felt quite so good? He wasn't sure. But not being at loggerheads with Carly was a sweet treat! As he was leaving the health suite, he realised he'd left his gym towel near the cross trainer, so he dived back into the gym to get it. No one deserved to find a sweaty towel that had been fermenting for a full day. As he grabbed it something glinting on the floor near the treadmill caught his eye. It was only by chance that he spotted it. Jogging across the room he laughed as he spotted Carly's iPod, the "ttzz ttzz" still emitting from the small earphones. 

Lifting one to his ear he laughed.

"Ah Carly McClellan! Take That? A guilty pleasure!" 

He was still chuckling to himself as he climbed the stairs to her staff accommodation.

The corridor housed ten doors into different rooms. Normally it was a busy place, people coming and going, but at nine pm it was deserted. Except it wasn't! As he walked towards her room, two things became apparent, firstly he could hear grunting and groaning from somewhere in her direction, secondly, the door to her room was ajar. Panic and fear simultaneously hit him like an express train. Something  was wrong...

Carly was fighting, hard. She wasn't scared, she was bloody angry. Jens had seemed such a sad character as he'd burst through her door, staggering to stand up, drink affecting his judgement. He swayed as he cursed crossing the room.

"Jens! Let's do this tomorrow, when you're feeling better."

He shook his head, and for a second he had a menacing expression, "no! You are a problem Carly...causing me grief. It's taken years for my father to respect me...appreciate me. Now this!" 

She held up a hand, hoping to stop his stalk towards her, "whatever your solution, whatever your problem, just let it go now. We can talk tomorrow."

It was water off a duck's back, her words flowed over him as thought she'd said nothing. And then he launched at her, Carly had no idea what his agenda was, what the purpose of this invasion. But as he wrestled her onto the bed, his heavy eyes were suddenly fired by a different emotion to the anger, lust. Carly knew that her Alpine adventure didn't end here, with Jens. He wasn't going to hurt her, not detrimentally so, but he was suddenly taking this confrontation.

"Jens! No!" She managed to splutter as his hands started to roam under her short robe. She was naked bar the cotton wrap and now she was starting to panic. "Don't do this!"

She managed to lift a knee and connect with some unseen part of her, he gasped in pain, but there was no change in the pressure of his body on top of hers. His face buried into her neck, his hands ran up over her bare hips, parting the robe as they went. 

"Get off me!" she groaned, trying to roll him off her, but he was far bigger than her and too heavy to budge.  Just as one rough and uncaring hand grabbed for her breast, squeezing it in a painful grip, the weight shifted and cool air caressed her body. As Jens stumbled backwards, she snatched the robe closed over her.

"You heard her Konig, now keep your hands to yourself!"

Jens was slumped on the floor, a hand holding his bloody nose. Carly stared at him for a second, her fist still gripping her robe closed, then her eyes flitted up to Lucas who was stood there like the angriest man in the World, nursing what she could only presume was a bruised hand.

"Are you OK?" Every bone in Lucas's body wanted to pull her into his arms, hold her until she stopped shaking, but he worried that it was the last thing her fragile ego could take. So he stood across from her. "I need to get this man out of here, sober...Shall I call the police?"

Carly shook her head, "I don't want to think about it..."

He nodded, "look get dressed and go to mine. I'll take him, find his bloody right hand Markus and get things sorted. I'll see you back at mine, OK?"

The shock was finally starting to kick in, but she managed a nod before watching Lucas drag Jens out of her room. Alone she fought the tears that threatened to fall. The last thing she wanted was to break down, crumple into a mess. She had to be strong. 

Pulling on a sweater and some joggers, she grabbed her keys then left the room.

Jens had passed out unconscious and Markus was in a high state of panic when Lucas finally managed to leave them. This was deadly serious, and the irony was that Jens had just obliterated any defence he had against her. It was starting to sink in as he made his way back to his apartment. If he hadn't seen the iPod he'd never have gone to return it...he shuddered. Carly was struggling with Jens when he'd walked in. His anger was without boundary at that second, and even now it hadn't subsided much. But for a twist of fate...he still couldn't bring himself to say the word, but he thought it with disgust. 

He'd wanted to kill Jens, but he also appreciated in that few seconds that he'd overstepped the mark, and this was all in Carly's favour. He'd had to get Jens somewhere, get witnesses and make a statement. He'd done that with  a very reluctant Markus. It didn't mean he hadn't wanted to be with Carly, he knew she needed him then more than ever.

Opening the door to his apartment he called her name, when there was no answer he felt the same fear overtake him, bile rising in his throat. then he pushed back the bedroom door and saw her tucked up in his bed, wrapped up in his duvet, fast asleep against the pillow. 

Carly had found the room too big and imposing. As the reality of the last few hours sunk in, all she wanted was to feel safe. Suddenly his bed had seemed to be that place. She tucked herself in but didn't think she'd fall asleep. But as the mattress dented next to her, she realised she had drifted off. Opening tired eyes she saw Lucas sat beside her a look of extreme concern on his face. 

"You OK?"

She nodded, trying to blink away the tears, "could I have a hug?"

Lucas took a second to weigh up the options of lying in bed next to Carly and give her comfort or letting her down. There was no contest, he just had to rely on self will, and pray his body didn't betray him. After all Carly needed him, and it felt good.