Heart and Soul - Chapter 59: Chapter 59

Johnny and Lauren were the last to join them at lunch, on Monday.
Carter smiled lovingly at his boyfriend as he sat next to him, while Lauren took her usual seat next to Roy. To Johnny's surprise, Carter casually put his arm over the back of his chair, looking absent-minded. That was new, but Johnny didn't say anything. He did tell his chest to calm the fuck down, though.
"You look totally whipped," Jenna mused, giving Carter a knowing smirk. "Does that mean you two had a good weekend?" She waggled her eyebrows.
Johnny watched a pale blush rise to Carter's cheeks and smiled.
They had ended Friday night with sweet kisses and semi-innocent touches, until they fell asleep in each other's arms, only to have sex in the next morning, just before they snuggled back into one another to go back to sleep. When they finally woke up, they ordered some food and fused together again. They took a long shower after that, and tumbled back into bed together. They spend the evening watching the last season of Peaky Blinders, between some more kissing and not-so-innocent touching, then they had sex.
On Sunday, they woke up late, but they still had time for a quick shower together, which ended up not being so quick at all, before Johnny's parents came back home.
It was safe to say they were having trouble keeping their hands off each other, after unlocking that final step in their relationship.
"He was already whipped before that," Lauren said matter-of-factly, before either of them had to reply to Jenna.
"They definitely had a good weekend, though," Bella said. "Carter was completely MIA. He only texted his mother back on Saturday afternoon, to let her know he was alive."
Carter glared at her, while Johnny laughed.
"How was your slumber party?" He taunted.
"It wasn't a slumber party," Bella growled in her stepbrother's face.
"Your sister is wild, Johnny," Jenna blurted, in answer of Carter's question. "You should really start selecting the movies she gets to watch."
"Some of the horror stuff she watches was too hardcore even for Bella," Lauren mused aloud.
That comment steered the conversation to Bella's 'girls night in'. Johnny didn't quite catch any of it though, because Carter's hand on the back of his chair fell to his shoulder and moved down to caress the top of his arm. Johnny turned his head to the side, just to check if Carter had even noticed he was doing it, and found him already looking at him with a smile.
Johnny's heart melted and he smiled back. He had stopped worrying about keeping his emotions in check around Carter, since they had confessed their feelings to each other. Now they were both a lot more open. Everywhere, expect in school.
To his friends, Carter was Carter. Caring, loving, modest, imperfect, and in love with Johnny. To everyone else, he was still the picture-perfect, all-American quarterback. In that moment though, their dopey, loved-up, close staring might be giving them away.
"I really wanna kiss you," Carter murmured.
Johnny bit his lip. "We're very much in public," he pointed out.
"I know."
Johnny smiled. "Everyone would see," he added evenly.
"I know that too," Carter told him.
Johnny licked his lips. "And you still want to?"
Carter nodded. "Really bad," he whispered.
Johnny's chest swelled. "Then do it."
And Carter did.
Johnny wished, at this point, his body had gotten used to its own reaction, every time Carter kissed him. But his heart still fluttered, his fingertips still tingled, his stomach still pooled with warmth, and every nerve in Johnny's body was still every bit as electrically charged as their lips connected—and each time it was still a surprise. The good kind. A not-so-small part of Johnny wanted it to be permanent, for the novelty and the excitement to never go away.
They parted when a carrot stick hit Carter's cheek. Carter kept his arm draped over Johnny's shoulders as he scoffed at Joey.
"Please, don't rub your happiness in our sad, single asses," Joey chided, pointing at himself and the two girls sitting to his right.
"Speak for yourself," Melanie told him.
Every pair of eyes on the table turned to her, interested and inquisitive.
Melanie rolled her eyes. "I meant my ass is not sad," she said. "It's still very much single, and I plan on keeping it that way."
Jenna smiled coyly next to her. "Planning on starting your discernment after graduation?" She asked.
"No," Melanie replied pointedly. "I'm not even Catholic."
Jenna rolled her eyes. "Protestants don't have nuns?"
"I'm not becoming a nun," Melanie assured them all. "I just decided I'm focusing on school and my friends. No boys other than these five idiots, right here."
Johnny didn't take long to do the math in his head and realized he was accounted for in those numbers. It shouldn't feel so new to him, but he wasn't used to being included.
"I knew the whole gay boyfriend thing would mess her up. This is your fault," Jenna accused, throwing Carter her scrunched up napkin.
Carter scoffed again. "What?"
"I think that's a great plan, Mel," Roy chimed in. "Individual time for self-discovery is as important as finding a fulfilling relationship. It shows maturity, not emotional damage."
"Thanks, Roy," Melanie said through a smile.
There was no practice that day. Coach let them off with a vacant period, which they were free to fill with time at the gym of their own accord.
Joey immediately bolted to go hang out with some of their teammates, while Carter and Seth tested their self-discipline with half an hour in the weight room, before moving on to the locker room to shower. Once they were clean and changed, they left together.
"You meeting Johnny now?" Seth asked, as they started down the hallway.
"I guess. Why?"
"Just wanted to talk if that's okay."
Carter stopped walking. He was going to the library to meet Johnny, even though they hadn't made any plans. Carter hadn't even texted him yet.
"Sure." He shrugged, following Seth outside to the parking lot.
They sat inside his car and Seth slipped the keys in so he could turn the AC on. The air vents started by breathing out warm air, before it started to cool.
Carter waited until Seth said something and, when he didn't, he asked, "What did you want to talk about?"
Seth shrugged. Carter thought he was going to have to keep trying, navigating this with patience and cautious persistence, like the old days, but Seth spoke up.
"My dad called the other day," he said. "He's cutting my mom off completely and he's gonna start putting all the money on a college fund for me."
Carter nodded. "That's good."
"Yeah..." Seth adjusted the air conditioning vent to his left, making it face down, before he put it back the way it was before. "I don't even know if I wanna go to college," he let out.
"What will you do if you don't go?" Carter asked. It wasn't a patronizing question. Just curious.
"Bella mentioned she'd like to travel across South America," Seth said. "Apparently her mom did the same in Asia, after graduation. For photography and stuff. Her dad wants her to give college a try, though."
"Does your plan depend on Bella?"
"Maybe." Seth shot him a crooked smile. "Does your plan depend on Johnny?" He asked, in a knowing tone, because he'd been the one with whom Carter had been discussing this topic lately.
Carter sighed, letting his head hit the headrest lightly. "I have no idea."
Seth chuckled. "Bella's mom was from Chicago," he said. "She's looking at schools there, so I thought it doesn't hurt to take a look. Since I have no idea anyway."
Carter nodded.
"My dad will be happy if I get in anywhere," Seth said.
Carter hummed. He wasn't sure where Seth was headed with that, but he had a feeling he'd find out soon.
"But honestly fuck him," Seth finally blurted.
Carter laughed. "Is that what you wanted to tell me? Fuck your dad?"
Seth smiled. "Maybe." He shrugged. "Fuck my dad for thinking money makes up for actual parenting. Fuck my mom for disappearing, like, two days ago and not answering my calls. And fuck the lady at Freyja's facility for deciding I can't spend the night anymore."
Carter frowned. So there it was.
"I'm sorry," he said honestly.
"I know." Seth smiled a little. "But it's not your fault."
Carter looked down at his knees. He felt Seth lean closer.
"Cart?"
He looked up, meeting Seth's pale green gaze, which was filled with genuine appreciation and absolution.
"I mean it," Seth spoke softly. "It's not your fault and it's definitely not your responsibility. My life is not yours to fix."
Carter shook his head. "I'm not trying to fix it," he replied.
"I know. Poor choice of words," Seth soothed him. "I just... I really appreciate you always being around, yeah?"
Carter gulped, averting his eyes. "Back at ya," he answered lamely.
This was not the type of conversation they usually had. But it was the kind Seth had brought up in that moment, so Carter figured it must be important to him.
He met Seth's eyes again and said, "You were always here too. Even after I kinda bailed on you for a while."
"You didn't bail on me," Seth countered. "You had your own shit going on. That's what I'm trying to say. It's not your job to always be here. I know you feel that it is, because I didn't use to have anyone else, but I talk about this stuff with Bella too, now."
Carter nodded. "Okay."
Seth smiled. "I just want you to know you don't have to take care of me. You always want to take care of people, and that's great, but sometimes you just have to take care of yourself."
Carter nodded again.
Seth snorted a laugh, leaning back against his seat. "This got a lot deeper than I intended," he admitted. "I just meant to tell you to stop worrying so much about others and live your life."
Carter laughed, because he felt like it, after the intense turn the conversation had taken.
"Thanks," he said, looking at Seth. "For everything. You're a really good friend."
Seth smiled contentedly and Carter felt it spread to his own lips.
"You look happy lately too," he added as a side note. "Despite the family stuff you can't control."
"I guess I am," Seth concluded.
"Any particular reason?" Carter teased.
Seth chuckled, but he didn't answer. As though on cue, Bella—aka, the reason—knocked on the driver's side window. Seth unlocked the car and she slid onto the back seats.
"Let's go," she urged. "You too, golden boy," she added before Carter could reach for the door handle. "My dad just texted. He's summoning a family meeting."
"What does that mean?" Carter asked, trying to keep the exasperation to a minimum. Santoro traditions seemed never-ending. He'd been living with them for months and these traditions just kept multiplying.
"The fuck should I know," Bella said, fastening her seat belt. "Maybe the old man's going senile."
"I thought your dad wasn't even fifty yet," Carter said, pulling his own seat belt on, while Seth started the car and drove out of the parking lot.
"Yeah, but he's got seven children," Bella reasoned. "It eats away at a guy's brain."
Carter could only imagine.
"Thank God he's done having more," he mumbled.
"As long as your mom's past her years," Bella shot back.
Carter gave her a horrified look.
Bella's eyes widened. "What? I sure hope she is, because I don't see any female contraception around the house."
"Don't even joke about this, okay," Carter warned her seriously.
When they finally got to the Santoro household, everyone was in the living room. Carter had just finished texting Johnny to let him know of the 'family meeting', when he looked up from his phone to see Tony sitting on the armchair, with Charlie perched on his lap. Carter's mom was sitting next to him, across the plump armrest. Mike, Frankie and Luca were sharing the couch and every eye in the room turned to the three of them as they stood by the doorway.
"Come in, guys," Tony said. "You too, Seth. You practically live here, at this stage."
Carter and Bella exchanged a look, while Seth only had the sense to look half-embarrassed.
"What's up? Do we need to start searching for homes for the elderly?" Bella asked.
Frankie let out a cackle. "That's what I said."
Their father shook his head. "I like to think that, after raising so many children, at least one of you would volunteer to take care of me without admitting me to a home."
"I'm good to do that until you start eating hair and peeing yourself," Luca offered. "Then I'm out."
"Your father and I have an announcement to make, and we'd like everyone to be present so we can just do it in one go," Carter's mom intervened, before Tony could call on the Stupidity Jar.
As though to prove her point, Mike turned his phone for Carter, Bella and Seth to see Richie and Jack on video. The two oldest Santoro brothers waved at them, before Mike turned them back to the parents.
"Last time someone made a big family announcement, that person messed up the statistics Luca and I so carefully drew up," Frankie pointed out, sneaking a glance at Carter.
He laughed, shaking his head.
"I guess, in a way, our news will also alter the statistics," Abby told them.
It was only a second before understanding flashed in Mike's eyes, quickly followed by surprise. Everybody caught it, but nobody understood it.
"Does Mikey have this real smart look on his face, like he's figured it out before the rest of us morons, just from that cryptic line?" Richie's voice crackled through Mike's phone.
"Yup," Luca answered.
"That's my boy," Richie cheered.
Carter frowned, looking between his mom and Mike. Tony had his head cast down to his legs, but Carter could still see the giddy little smile on his lips.
His eyes widened. It couldn't be that.
It wasn't, right?
His mom saw the look on his face, though, and she smiled.
"Wait. Seriously?"
"Oh, come on," Frankie whined. "Is this a math problem? Because I suck at those."
"I hate to agree with Frank, but can we just get on with it?" Bella grumbled.
"How's this for a math problem," Tony piped up, grinning at his children. "Eight, plus one."
"Nine," Luca shot immediately.
Mike laughed.
When nobody seemed any more enlightened, Carter's mom put them out of their misery.
"I'm pregnant."
"What?"
"Come again."
"Say whaaa–"
"Oh, shit."
Luca, Bella, Frankie and Richie, respectively, reacted simultaneously.
"Swear Jar," Tony called.
"I'm in LA and an adult," Richie's voice sounded from Mike's phone. "I'm not giving you a dollar to put in a damn jar."
"Wait, can we back up," Jack chimed in, voice altered through Mike's phone speaker. "Abby's having a baby?" He asked, slowly.
"This is dad's baby, right?" Luca asked.
"I think, if it wasn't, this moment would have played out a little differently," Frankie mused.
"Yes," Carter's mom said, ignoring the last two interventions. "I'm ten weeks pregnant and it's your father's. You're all having a little brother. Or little sister."
"Dude. By the time this kid finishes college, I'm gonna be almost dad's age," Richie blurted.
"To play Devil's advocate here—because why wouldn't I—where exactly do you plan on housing the midget?" Bella asked.
"Bella," Tony reprimanded.
"She's got a point," Carter said. "You're kinda running a fully booked house already."
"Mike's moving out next year to go to Stanford, and you two will be gone next year," Tony explained. "In fact, if all goes well, in four years, you'll all probably be out of the house."
"So you two thought, 'You know what goes well with the new curtains? An eff-ing baby'," Frankie joked.
"Think it's extreme Feng Shui," Luca mused.
Frankie shrieked with laughter, while Mike just shook his head next to them. Through his phone, Carter could hear Richie laugh.
"You know, most men just buy a sports car, when they have a mid-life crisis," Jack said.
Bella snorted. "The old man got eighteen years' worth of expenses instead," she snickered.
Tony sighed, shaking his head. On his lap, Charlie was playing on somebody's phone, probably his dad's, and didn't even seem to have processed a word so far.
"Congratulations to you both," Mike piped up. "I'm sure the new baby will be very happy and very welcome."
"Thank you, Mike." Carter's mom smiled at him and her hand slipped to her stomach.
"Aw, man," Luca blurted out in a whine, making everyone turn to him. "I just realized something."
"That you really can't go a day without showering, without people noticing?" Bella asked.
"No," Luca scoffed. "I shower every day!"
Bella raised her eyebrows. "That's even more troubling."
"I just realized," Luca said pointedly. "I was super stoked about finally not having to share my room, next year. I was supposed to have three whole years before I had to get a roommate in college. Now, I'll have two years, tops."
"Would it be really insensitive if I wanted to go back to those body odor issues we were discussing earlier?" Bella asked.
Carter laughed, despite himself. "That baby is going to grow up with one hell of an ego without you around," he said.
"Who said I won't be around?" Bella exclaimed. "I'll call to insult him, even if I'm living out of state. Same thing for all of you."
"We would miss you otherwise, Belz," Frankie said.
Looking at his stepsister as she flashed her brother the finger, just before Tony called 'Swear Jar', Carter couldn't help but think that maybe they really would.
Maybe even Carter would miss her a little bit.