She laughed again and I couldn’t help it but laughed, too.

Carmen: “Somebody can’t wait to get out of here, huh.”

Shane: “Oh, yes…How are you?”

Carmen: “I’m fine…I’m working at the Planet again. I have a gig in three days, do you think you can come?”

Shane: “ Sure, I’d love to. So…you’ve been busy lately?”

Carmen: “Uh…yeah… My sister is moving to Seattle, we had to help her to pack her stuff.”

I know that she’s lying. She never looks into my eyes when she lies. I think I would have lied to. I mean it’s not nice to tell somebody that you just don’t want to see him. But I still wonder why she’s here right now. Well maybe she cares for me at least a bit.

Carmen: “Is something wrong, Shane? You’re so quiet.”

Shane: “Yeah…I’m okay don’t worry.”

I didn’t look at her when I was talking. She sits down at the edge of my bed and takes my hand.

Carmen: “Look at me. Hey, Shane. I know you. I know that something is wrong with you. Just tell me.”

Shane: “Why are you lying to me?”

Carmen looks away. She seems to be contemplating. But why? Is she searching for an excuse?

Carmen: “I…I’m sorry Shane.”

Shane: “You know it’s not your duty to come and see me. If you don’t want to, you really don’t have to. But don’t make up any lame excuses to justify your absence. You don’t owe me anything. I just thought that we could be friends again and as a friend you could have called me or something like that. I don’t know. Just tell me if you don’t want to see me anymore. I…”

Carmen: “Shane! Stop it. That’s bullshit. What do you know about my feeling towards you, so please. Just stop talking. You don’t know anything!”

Shane: “Then tell me, I don’t get you, Carm. Are you mad at me? What is it?”

Carmen’s silent but her eyes fill with tears. She doesn’t sit at my bed anymore. She’s standing next to the window with her arms crossed and her back turned towards me.

Carmen: “I’m sorry…I’m sorry that I wasn’t a good friend to you. I don’t know why…but I was afraid to come. But you know that day when Paige came into your room…I realized that you do have other people who care about you and that means that you moved on and that you don’t need me anymore. And to be honest…I was disappointed. She’s your girlfriend, Shane. You were going to cheat on her. Didn’t you change at all?”

I didn’t expect that question. First of all I wasn’t going to cheat on anybody because I’m not with Paige anymore. But I guess Carmen doesn’t know that. To be honest, I really don’t know if I’ve changed my attitude concerning monogamy.

Shane: “Carmen, I was going to cheat on anybody. I can’t cheat on anybody because I don’t have a relationship with anybody.”

Carmen: “ What about Paige?”

Shane: “ I had a relationship with her…but not anymore. “

Carmen: “Oh okay…I see…I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to blame you for something you haven’t done…”