You Said We Could Talk... (Carter)

[Ravyn Rozanova]

The previous few days had been a whirlwind of emotions for Ravyn, and she was still sort of walking around in a daze, unsure of what to do. She wanted to talk to someone, but she wasn't sure what she would say to Cam (especially now that he was probably distracted with his cute new boyfriend), and she didn't really want to bother Callie with her issues.

She thought about a little while back, before she had told Noah how she felt, and the beautiful stranger that had interrupted her thoughts. He had offered to talk to her, and even though they were still practically strangers, there was something captivating about him that she just couldn't quite resist. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to see him, especially now when she felt so raw. He had seemed interested in doing things other than talking, after all.

Ravyn paced her room, thinking. It took some time, but eventually she made a decision and walked out into the hall. She walked slowly, mulling over what she would say as she reached his door - 205 - and went into the common room. She found his door and, hesitating briefly, knocked. Belatedly, she ran a hand through her hair, hoping he didn't mind if she looked like the mess she felt internally.

[Carter Chevalier]

Carter liked to hang out shirtless when he was in his room. At this current point in time, he was alone. Normally he was hanging out with Dom, but he was off making a dorm call. So he could hardly bother his brother with trivial things like his own boredom. He lounged on the couch in their common room, watching TV idly because there was nothing to do.

Then a knock came at the door.

For a few moments, Carter waited just in case one of their other roommates were lurking around. But alas, it seemed the whole place was empty. That or Cel was just ignoring the door and the TV. Jumping up, Carter made his way over to the door and opened it.

"This is a pleasant surprise." Carter said when he saw who it was. He honestly never expected to see her again. "Come in."

[Ravyn Rozanova]

Ravyn looked up from biting her lip as the door opened, but her eyes were immediately drawn downward again against her will. Oh, gosh.... She hadn't expected him to not be wearing a shirt. Trying not to make her staring too obvious, she tore her eyes away from his gorgeous body and gave him a small smile. "I'm sure it's a little unexpected," she agreed, scratching the back of her head nervously. At his invitation, she stepped into the room, very aware of his eyes on her. "Thanks."

She crossed her arms over herself and took a few steps away. "I didn't really have anyone to talk to right now, and I was going crazy being alone in my room. I hope you don't mind me accepting your invitation to, you know, hang out or whatever." Her emotions were playing in quick succession across her face, as much as she tried to hide them. "How has your day been?" Might as well start simple - they were still practically strangers, after all, even if they had already shared that small kiss.

[Carter Chevalier]

Carter smirked when she noticed the way she was looking at him. Eh, why not look? He clearly had no shame and he wasn't about to say anything. He stepped to the side to let her in, closing the door behind her afterwards. "It's fine. I'm here for whatever you need." Carter replied, noting the emotions that crossed her face but choosing not to say anything yet.

"Fine." He replied quickly, because he was. "Tell me what's wrong." He sounded sincere as he sat down on the couch and motioned for her to sit with him.

[Ravyn Rozanova]

He was here for whatever she needed? It would be helpful if she knew what she needed. Now, it was apparently just someone she could talk to about what she had done. Why did she feel like trusting someone she hardly knew? Whatever the case, she nodded at his offer, pressing her lips into another automatic smile. "Thank you. I really appreciate it."

His reply was short, and when he motioned for her to sit next to him, she hesitated only briefly before doing so. Not too close, but not too distant, either. How to even start? "How do you feel about relationships?" she asked first. Might as well see what his viewpoint was before jumping into anything too heavy. "Or just... Falling for someone in general?" Weird things to ask, maybe, but something told her he wouldn't be disconcerted with the questions.

[Carter Chevalier]

Carter mused on the subject given to him for a moment or so, resting his other ankle on his knee and leaning back in the seat. "Personally, I don't see the appeal of relationships. But I don't have anything against people who want them either." He paused, gathering her reaction to that statement before choosing to continue on.

"But falling for someone is different," He began, nodding his head once, "And I think that if you do, you're... Lucky to experience such a strong emotion." He hardly expected to get all philosophical, but there it was.

[Ravyn Rozanova]

Ravyn took in the information with interest. So he didn't really 'do' relationships, it sounded like. She had sort of picked that up before, but she was glad he confirmed it. Not that her feelings for Noah would fade anytime soon, but it was good to know if, for some reason, she developed actual feelings for Carter at some point, she wouldn't be able to expect anything from it. Fortunately, she didn't think that would happen, but her heart HAD been pretty unpredictable lately. She gave a thoughtful nod to his answer, leaning back against the couch herself.

As he continued, she brought her hands together in her lap and wrung her fingers together. "I don't feel lucky," she muttered quietly, before glancing back at Carter. "What do you do if the person you're in love with doesn't love you back?" she murmured, feeling a heavy weight on her chest. Her eyes stung too, she realized with a jolt, and she looked away so Carter wouldn't see them glaze over with unshed tears. "What if they're seeing another person? And its your own fault for choosing other people over them in the past?" She was still speaking as though it wasn't her, which was the only way she could go about asking.

[Carter Chevalier]

"Hn." Carter let the sound fall from his lips. So she just told him she was falling for someone. Or that she had fallen for someone. But what do you do if the person doesn't exchange those feelings with you? "I don't know about that." He replied, looking to the side and over in her direction. He didn't move when he caught sight of possible tears.

Carter shrugged, listening to what she was saying and taking it all in. "Why don't you just tell me what happened." He simply stated. It just made things easier; he wasn't the type to lag.

[Ravyn Rozanova]

Ravyn held back a sigh. So much for talking as though it wasn't her. This was going to be harder. "I've been best friends with this guy for a long time," she began, resting her hands on the couch and tapping her fingers nervously. "Last year, when I broke up with someone, he was there for me when I was upset. We um, you know, kissed and stuff. But I was still sort of hung up on someone else, and so we never talked about it afterwards." How much should she share? "A few months ago, I started seeing someone new, but it felt... Wrong. I guess I started developing feelings for my best friend and it totally messed up the relationship. At one point he and I went to a party and got drunk and...." She paused. The cheating was still a painful memory for her. "We made out again. A lot. I totally ignored the fact that I was with someone else."

She blinked, wiping at her eyes. "I tried to put it aside as just the alcohol working, but later on, when I was with my boyfriend, I said my best friend's name instead of his. And he dumped me. Hard." She shook her head. "I don't blame him. We weren't right for each other anyway. But... It made me realize I'd been making the wrong choices, and that I really love this other guy." She let out a small bubble of sad laughter. "It's all just sort of a big mess. I told him I loved him the other day, but he's seeing someone else now. He said that he used to feel that way about me, but he couldn't wait any more. I'd made too many wrong choices." Her monologue complete, she let out a weary breath and looked up at Carter. "So now you know. Sorry I dumped that all on you." Ravyn rubbed the back of her neck. It felt... Good to tell someone the whole story. And she hadn't mentioned any names, so it was unlikely anyone else would find out.

[Carter Chevalier]

Carter listened intently. It was a long story.

"I'm just going to ask you one question." Carter said after a time, dropping his foot to the floor. He leaned to the side to look over at her in her direction, turning his body to face hers. His arm draped over the back of the couch and he would strive to catch her eyes in his before talking again.

Because he was serious. And that was a rarity. "Are you really sure that you love him?"

[Ravyn Rozanova]

Ravyn tightened her fists against the cushions of the couch. "Okay." One question wasn't bad, right? She met his gaze, her eyes hardening slightly against the tears as she waited.

At first, she didn't answer. She knew she loved him. She had loved him as a best friend for a long time. She would do anything for him, and she was pretty sure he would for her, too. The question really was, was she really in love with him? She thought about how she felt, how the feelings for him had changed gradually rather than a quick infatuation, like Cam or Lucah. The fact that she just wanted to spend time with him, rather than just the physical aspects that came with being in a romantic relationship. She wanted that too, of course, but it wasn't what was important. She thought about the way his eyes crinkled when he smiled, the way he sang to her and acted like a dork without worrying what other people thought, the feeling of his arms around her as she fell asleep...

"Yes," Ravyn said firmly, nodding. "I'm sure."

[Carter Chevalier]

Patience was a virtue that Carter had. So when she didn't answer right away, he didn't really do anything. He simply watched the wheels turning in her mind while she mulled on the answer. Fact was, it was not a knee-jerk reaction response. So he didn't smile for her.

"How do you know?" He asked, "What makes you sure."

[Ravyn Rozanova]

Ravyn was relieved that Carter still seemed interested. She would've thought he'd be bored with this by now. "In the past, with other guys, my relationships mostly revolved around.... You know, physical stuff. I mean, it was fun to hang out with them, but in the end, that was what mostly mattered. And looking back, I realize... That wasn't love. That was obsession." Did that make sense? She hoped so. "But with him, it's different. We already know each other so well, and I feel like I'm my best around him. My feelings developed slowly. And I don't want to just. you know, be physical with him all the time. I love just being around him."

She paused, then added quietly,"And I know because, if he chooses this other girl over me, I'll still be there for him, no matter what. What's that saying? If you love someone, let them go?" There was a second part to that, but that was all that seemed to matter at this point. Ravyn looked up at Carter again, searching for a response.

[Carter Chevalier]

Carter shrugged slightly. Yes, he'd listened to everything she said. But rather than making comments, it was more about her finding whatever it was she was looking for. He wasn't even sure if she knew. Maybe she wanted someone to tell her what to do.

"Do you think you could let him go?" Carter asked, "Say he kept seeing other people. Do you think you could let him go?"

[Ravyn Rozanova]

He kept asking questions, which Ravyn was actually thankful for - it was good for her to figure out the answers, rather than avoid them.

She hesitated only briefly before nodding slightly. "If that's what makes him happy. Yeah. Because that's what matters." It would break her heart, but she wasn't going to stop being his best friend just because he didn't return her feelings. "It wouldn't be easy, but I would do it."