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Chapter Four - Charles
I’ve attended too many social gatherings lately. It’s beginning to be more tiring than it should, but this party holds a special purpose and after agreeing to come, there was no way I could back out. However, I do need to make this the last for a while; parties have definitely lost their appeal after the one that ended in the weekend with Lillian. Well, it’s not the weekend that’s ruined me. It’s waking up to find her gone and no way to contact her again. She’s nothing but a memory. No matter if that memory is seared into my brain with no doubt of staying there till the day I die.
“He’s here! Have you seen him yet?” Felicity grabs ahold of my arm as she surveys the room, looking for our son. “I saw him at the door.”
“No, dear, but when I do, don’t worry. I won’t let him get away.” I tip the scotch back in one gulp. Putting up with my ex-wife this evening might be more painful than normal.
“Would you like another?” She reaches for my glass and takes it from my hand before I’ve even fully lowered it.
“Is water wet?” I grin when she rolls her eyes and ignores my counter-question as she goes to get refills of our drinks.
Since that weekend, I can’t help but look for Lillian everywhere, even though I know that the likelihood is that I won’t see her again. So when I see the heels she wore when I fucked her, and my eyes trail up her body, my brain doesn’t even think that it’s going to be… her.
“What… the… fuck?” I walk around the table I’d been standing at and skirt to the edge of the room so I’m out of their path to stumble into. I’m thrown by seeing her here, but I’m floored to see her here with her date. Surely the universe isn’t this cruel? I’ve done some questionable things in my life, but do I really deserve this?
I watch her body language, searching for chemistry like we had that weekend, but it’s borderline platonic. She’s arm in arm with him but there’s a gap between them and not once has she kissed him. That doesn’t mean I can’t barely stomach looking at him.
“There you are!” Felicity appears beside me, another whisky in hand for me. Before she can even offer it to me, I take it out of her hand and throw it back in one burning gulp that leaves me shuddering and gritting my teeth.
Felicity blinks at me in surprise, her red-painted lips gaping on her face. “Are you okay?” She glances across the room to our son. “He’s here!” Which is exactly why I’m beginning to think I’m going to need Felicity’s whisky reserve to survive this party. Before I can muster some kind of excuse, she catches his attention and waves him over.
I don’t see him as much as I should. I know that, and as a father I could most certainly be doing a better job. However, there is no way around the circumstances. I was inside his date weeks ago, and I’m beginning to worry if they were dating then. What if they’re appearing platonic simply because we are at a party? What if they are doing what Lillian and I did?
I square my shoulders, watching her as she approaches, oblivious. The nanosecond she notices me standing next to Felicity, a multitude of emotions cross her face. The biggest being horror. Shit. That really doesn’t bode well.
“Hey, Dad. I’ve been trying to reach you since we turned up but apparently bringing a date as beautiful as mine makes you really popular.” He reaches in a and gives me a half hug as he steps back to introduce Lillian.
“Dad, I’d like you to meet Lillian. Lillian, this is Charles, my dad.” He glances between us as we stare at each other resembling deer in the headlights.
“Nice to meet you, Lillian.” I offer my hand to her to shake, which she does awkwardly, smiling in such a forced way she looks as though she is in physical pain. I know I am.
She makes a noise that sounds like a dying animal as she excuses herself to the bathroom quickly. We all watch her scurry across the room, Chuck appearing unbothered by her departure as he turns back to me to discuss his work. I’m pleased to hear he is doing well and succeeding, but I can’t focus on what he is saying properly because I am too focused on the fact that it’s been twenty minutes and she still hasn’t returned. What if she left?
I feel sick with the reality as what is in front of me sinks in. I slept with my now son’s date, or is she his girlfriend?
“Chuck?” I interrupt him talking about taking vacation time to visit Japan with me when I next go there for work.
“Yeah?” He sips at his drink, not fazed by the change in conversation.
“Tell me about this girl you’re here with.” I'm almost sure I know more about her than he does. It blew my mind how close I felt myself getting to her over the span of that weekend. So to wake up and find she’d disappeared had been a true kick to the balls.
“Oh, it’s new. A friend of a friend. We are just enjoying each other’s company. Not rushing into anything.” He’s lying. I can tell by the way he keeps his focus around the room. It’s the same habit his mom has when she isn’t telling me the truth, which over the years became more and more until we figured it was time we got a divorce because we wanted to see other people. We have respect for each other, however, because we stayed faithful until we decided we didn’t want to be together anymore.
If he won’t tell me the truth, I’ll ask her.
