AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Charlie probably feels this is all to spare my feelings, all for me, but it’s not—it’s for him. He just can’t see it as clearly as I can right now. He doesn’t understand yet. But he will, and then he’ll agree that this was for the best.
The door shuts behind me, and I make my way up the stairs, recognizing that this has been my modus operandi with Charlie from the beginning. I never intended to let him in, yet the more time I spent with him, the more time I wanted to spend with him. He got to me with his charm and cute smile, his happy blues and sleepy grays.
I unlock my apartment door and step inside, avoiding the direction of the couch. If I look at that couch, our snuggle spot, I’ll lose it for sure.
I leave the lights out and lock the front door. Tossing my keys and purse onto the dining table, I make my way into the bedroom. Everything is easier to face in the dark, even my own reflection, as I stand before my bathroom mirror brushing my teeth. In the dark, I don’t have to see the mouth that once kissed him passionately for hours or the lips that told him lies tonight. In the dark of this small room, I don’t have to see the eyes that hid the truth from him while watching his own share his every emotion. Sadly, it’s the pain in them that stays with me.
I crawl into bed, pulling the covers up to my chin, and try to remember the happiness and laughs we shared. I’m hoping one day, the memory of his smile will replace the harsh words exchanged tonight and that those memories will outweigh all of the rest.
One day.
Chapter 29
Charlie A
What the hell just happened? I stare at the door where Charlie disappeared in total shock. How did the day go from holding her on the couch this afternoon to her breaking all contact with me tonight?
My family.
My damn family and my annoying, scornful cousin Liz. That explains it all.
I should chase Charlie, or bang on her door or call her, but she seems to be in no mood for negotiation. Her mind is made up, and I don’t know how to unmake it.
I stand exactly where she left me in the middle of the sidewalk. Ten, twenty, maybe even thirty minutes pass in a blur.
The driver taps me on the shoulder, startling me out of my thoughts. “Sir, can I drive you home?”
I glance up at her window. She hasn’t turned on a single light in her apartment since she went upstairs. What does that mean? Why hasn’t she? What is she doing up there?
I’m worried about her, though I know I should be feeling rejected instead. I leave, finally convinced that she needs time to sort through her thoughts and figure out what she wants. I’ll give her tonight, and maybe I can devise a plan during these remaining hours of darkness. I refuse to let her walk away from me and end us. I refuse not to have her in my life.
In the meantime, I need to talk to Liz and figure out what happened between her and Jim. Maybe if I hear her side, I can help Charlie by knowing more about the situation. I call Liz on my cell from the car.
“Charlie?” She’s nervous when she answers. She should be. We were close as children but have had a rocky relationship over the past couple of years because my ideals changed and didn’t meet her expectations.
I rub my forehead, feeling a headache coming on. “Tell me what happened. Tell me everything.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know that was her. That she was Jim’s—”
“Jim’s Charlie? Yeah. So you knew he was engaged, yet you still fucked him?”
“It wasn’t like that—”
“What was it like, Liz?” I have no patience for this roundabout story, and I am struggling to hold in my anger. “I’m calling to hear your side. This is your one chance. Start from the beginning and tell me.”
“We met at a bar down on Wall Street. It was happy hour, and I remember a sports talk show was on the big screen over the bar. I heard a group of guys nearby discussing the Giants lineup for the season. I heard Jim before I saw him—”
“I don’t want the love story version. I want to know why you chose to hurt someone else by sleeping with her fiancé.”
“I didn’t know he was engaged or even had a girlfriend the first couple of times we hooked up. He didn’t talk about her to me.”
“You didn’t know?” I want to give her the benefit of the doubt. I want to, but she sounds like she’s holding back.
“I didn’t know for sure. I saw a photo on his phone at the bar—”
