Harrison cleared his throat and nodded.
“Then again, I hardly feel like I’m thirty-one,” Emma said. Her spirits seemed to be lifting with the focus on their shared past.
“I feel the same,” Charlie said gruffly. “Where the hell did my twenties go? Don’t answer that.”
“I’m still twenty-something. If anybody asks,” Harrison joked.
“Sure, we definitely didn’t all get hired at the same age of eleven,” Emma teased.
Harrison shook his head. “Not me. I was ten. Technically.”
“Is this your only home?” I asked, keeping the conversation light.
“I have a flat in London too,” Harrison said.
“You don’t need that posh place. It’s tiny,” Charlie said. “You know you can stay with me when you’re there.”
“Your hideaway hole isn’t exactly convenient.” Emma scoffed.
“The Vicarage,” I said quietly, in surprise. I kept having these moments of dawning that RCwasCharlie. Agata. This was the same man that begrudgingly adopted three awkward preteen chickens. Something clicked. He’d felt bad for the three chickens, older and unwanted anymore. He couldn’t let them be separated. I looked up at him, and I was sure my adoration was written all over my face. This sweet, sweet man.
In the low light of the interior, his jaw was even more defined, his features at their most relaxed state. He was with his two best friends, and he was content. I wished this ease all the time for him, especially knowing how much he struggled just to come to California. Just to exist. He was so strong and compassionate and loving. So sensitive and fiercely loyal. So burdened by a past but trying to heal.
I squeezed him tighter.
Charlie smiled down at me, a little confused by my sudden affection. He turned back to the others. “You should all come and stay,” he said it casually, so I didn’t have time to register my surprise at the offer. But I knew this was important to him. To have his friends around more. Nobody even had time to answer because he quickly added, “Neither of you have met the kids.”
“I’m sorry, who?” Emma asked, eyes wide.
“My chickens. Freddy, Adam, and Lucy.”
“You have chickens?” Emma asked in shock.
“I’m an uncle?” Harrison asked, eyebrows high in delight.
Was it selfish to be happy to know a detail about his life that not even his best friends knew?
“I have a rooster too. Nugget,” Charlie said. “Though he and Agata are still working through their differences.”
“Seriously, who the bloody hell is Agata?” Harrison asked, and Emma and Charlie burst out laughing.
Not much later, we pulled up the long driveway to Harrison’s absolutely breathtaking mansion tucked away in the Hollywood Hills. It was something out of a movie, or at least afforded by movies. When they said it reminded them of the house from their childhood, I’d expected something cozier. But this was several boxy levels, covered in floor-to-ceiling windows and lit up, warm and welcoming. I hardly remembered seeing the house in its entirety last night. I’d been so completely exhausted, and then we’d rushed to leave earlier. But now, I could fully take it all in.
The inside was just as luxurious. Sleek furniture. Granite and marble. State-of-the-art appliances. It was so far from above any home I’d ever been in. I wanted to ask if I should take off my shoes but that made me feel like a bumpkin. I followed their leads and left mine on. Emma went straight to the open kitchen, setting her clutch on a sleek counter.
From a massive refrigerator I thought was just a cabinet, she grabbed several bottles of Pellegrino and passed them out. I shifted uncomfortably, wishing I could toe out of these shoes. Every single item I could see was the height of luxury. Things I didn’t even know could be fancy. The way the cabinets opened and closed. The smell of clean citrus that gently filled the air without overpowering. The perfectly controlled climate. My mother had always been successful. I was lucky to never want for anything growing up. But this was an entirely different level of wealth.
What was I even doing here? It felt like I’d been invited to a party at the cool kid’s house, but I felt so out of place I just wanted to call my mom and go home because they were drinking and smoking cigarettes. A panic began to rise in my throat. How would I ever go back to reality?
I didn’t want to think about tomorrow.
This magical evening was coming to an end, and I wasn’t ready. Especially not on this heavy note.
“Ready for bed?” I asked Charlie.
In my periphery, Harrison and Emma exchanged a look. Charlie swallowed and held out a hand to me.
I gathered my courage. I wanted Charlie. I wanted this night with him. No time like the present. Reality could wait, it was never as fun as fantasy anyway.
