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My phone vibrated with a new text message next to my glass and the screen lit up. I picked it up and saw a whole range of emojis, from mermaids to birthday cake to balloons. Smiling, I sent a quick message back to Beth so she could show it to Ivy. I was about to put my phone down, but I held onto it. I took another sip of my drink.
Then decided I was going to text Charlie. If she… texted me, maybe she wasn’t enjoying her date as much as it seemed. If she didn’t write back or even read my text, I needed to leave immediately.
My fingers hovered over the screen, but I wasn’t sure what I wanted to write.
William: Hello again.
I groaned quietly, but couldn’t find it in me to delete the text. I wasn’t sure if she’d remember, but that’s how I’d greeted her for a week when we’d met at the diner years ago. It wasn’t original or even interesting, but who knew if she’d even check her phone. I hit send and waited without turning around to see if she’d notice.
Charlie: Hello William.
She texted me back.
William: You okay? I barely saw you at the office today.
Charlie: Didn’t we have a meeting today?
William: Yes. I barely saw you. Also I don’t count meetings.
Charlie: Did you… by a small chance miss me? Maybe?
I turned my head and looked at their table yet again. Charlie had her phone on her lap and was staring at the screen, but I couldn’t tell whether she was smiling or not. Then her date said something and she looked up at him. I kept my eyes on her, and a corner of her mouth lifted, but it didn’t look like one of the smiles she gave me. She didn’t brighten up for him. I turned back around and focused on my phone.
William: Would that make you happy? Me missing you. Would you like me to be right next to you, right now?
I glanced back at Charlie again.
And this time… This time she couldn’t even try to hide how my text made her feel even if she wanted to. She brightened up. For me. But then the guy touched her hand that was still on the table next to her water glass, and Charlie looked up at him with my smile still on her lips. The lips I seemed to be so fascinated with.
That pretty much called it for me. I left some bills next to my drink and headed towards their table without stopping to think about what I was doing.
I stopped next to Charlie, my eyes on her date. He looked up at me and his brows drew together in confusion.
‘Can I help you with something?’ he asked.
I pulled out a third chair at their table and sat down without a word. Charlie was staring at me with an open mouth, her eyes flitting from me to her date.
‘Ah… I… What are you…’
Completely ignoring the good-looking Ralphy, I faced Charlie and pulled my chair closer to her.
‘Why are you doing this to me?’ I countered, loud enough so her date could hear what I was saying.
She glanced at her date, then stared at me with a frown.
‘I’m… what?’
I closed my eyes and shook my head, trying my best to look upset. ‘You’re breaking my heart. How could you do this to us, Charlie?’ I met her confused eyes and waited for her answer.
‘What is going on here?’ Ralphy asked, putting down his wine glass and looking from Charlie to me. ‘Do you know this man?’
I paid him no attention. Reaching out, I grabbed Charlie’s hand and held onto it. ‘Do you remember the day you told me you fell in love with me on sight?’ The second I grabbed her hand, she tried to pull it out of my grasp. She was still looking very much bewildered. If I wasn’t trying to look and sound so serious, just the look on her face would’ve set me off. And it wasn’t as if I was lying, she had actually said those things before. Almost. ‘How can you forget what we have so quickly? You always said you couldn’t spend another minute without me.’
The more words spilled out of my mouth, the bigger her eyes got. Then she leaned forward, stopped trying to pull her hand out of my grasp and touched my forehead with the back of her right hand.
‘Do you have a fever or something?’
‘Do you know him, Charlie?’
‘Rowan, stay out of this,’ I ordered without glancing back at him.
The edge of Charlie’s lips just slightly tipped up as she looked into my eyes. ‘His name is Ralph, William.’ Then she turned to meet Ralph’s gaze. ‘I do know him. He is my…’
Still holding onto Charlie’s hand, I looked at a comically confused Ralphy and finished her sentence before she could. ‘Boyfriend.’
