by Ana Ashley
Charlie's cellphone dinged, pulling us back to reality.
"That's Connor. They're getting a cab home."
"Maybe we should do the same."
We got dressed and made sure all the candles were out before we left the safety and fantasy world of the cave.
On the way back to the apartments, while Charlie nodded off against my chest, I texted James about the rehearsal dinner the next day.
"You look great," Charlie said when I crossed the threshold between the two apartments.
I shook my head. Charlie was the one who looked stunning in his suit and his red hair styled like it was messy but not quite.
When we got in the car, I gave James a nod to let him know everything was okay. We'd agreed James would park the car near the venue and sit in the bar, keeping an eye on anyone that might look like they recognized me, particularly that journalist, Ceecee Bloomfield. Once we were in the private room with the rest of the dinner guests, it wouldn't be too bad.
"I never asked you yesterday. How is your brother? He seemed okay at the dinner with your parents," I said.
"He's not well. I don't know if he's coming down with something or just tired. I guess it doesn't help that his girlfriend is the Wicked Witch of the West."
I looked at Charlie, who was staring out of the car window.
"She has a troupe of flying monkeys?"
Charlie looked back and smiled. "Sorry, that wasn't very kind. She's just not my favorite person."
I got as close Charlie as I could, considering the seatbelts, and placed a kiss on his head. I didn't miss James's look in the rearview mirror but chose to ignore it.
"Maybe he'll talk when he's ready."
"Yeah, maybe."
"Are you looking forward to the dinner?"
Charlie lit up. "Like you wouldn't believe it. Ellie's parents are super nice, but it's her uncle you need to watch out for. He's a flirt and has spent the last three years trying to convince Uncle John and Aunt Gina that they need to be in a throuple."
"A what?"
"A three-way relationship."
"Is that a thing?" I'd never heard of it before.
Charlie chuckled.
"What's so funny?" I asked.
"You, believing what I just said."
I laughed and poked Charlie in his side, making him giggle.
"So, Ellie's uncle isn't interested in John and Gina?"
"Nope, but he is a flirt so watch out."
"You're not going to save me from the big bad wolf?"
Charlie laughed harder.
"I'll be running a mile. As it is, he's already asked me once if I wanted him to be my daddy."
I stopped and stared at Charlie, suddenly feeling jealous that another man might be hitting on him. That was until Charlie pulled me in for a quick kiss and said he was joking.
"You're in a good mood," I said.
"I am. I'm looking forward to the dinner, and you need to chill because you look like someone's about to come at you from behind and attack."
I smiled and put my arm around Charlie.
"I'm just a little nervous, I guess."
Having James around was reassuring, but it was still a risk being in public. Somehow, the thought hadn't even crossed my mind last night when I was at the Falls bar.
The events of the night before had been running in my head like a movie on playback ever since. Whether or not we called it fucking, there was no shadow of a doubt that I'd made love to Charlie. Had he known? Or did he see it as just fucking?
James couldn't come inside the hotel at the same time as us, so I was extra aware of my surroundings. Since we'd talked on the phone, I'd learned that Ceecee Bloomfield was a total shark who worked for a famous publication known for twisting headlines based on not much more than a blurry photo.
They were the same publication behind the first photo that had caused me to need to lay low, even though I wasn't the one in the photo, and I hadn't even been anywhere near the event.
At least it didn't seem that Ceecee was in any way connected to that particular article or that she had recognized me when we'd met at the bar. The lack of press presence in Chester Falls was a testament to that.
I took Charlie's hand in mine as we walked through the lobby of the hotel and followed the signs to the room where the dinner was being held.
"Charlie, my love," Charlie’s mom said as soon as she saw us.
"Good evening, Caroline," I said as I took her hand, placing a soft kiss on it.
"Oh, Kris." She blushed the same pretty pink as Charlie. "You kids look so happy together. What a way to make a mom proud."
Charlie blushed at his mom's words.
"Please excuse me, I need to go to the men's room," I said as I let go of Charlie's hand and tried my best to not run toward the restrooms I'd seen on the way in.
Luckily, there was no one else there, so I locked myself in a cubicle and let the tears flow.
18
Charlie
"Mom, I'll meet you inside. I'm just going to check if Kris is okay," I said, kissing my mom's cheek.
"You go, my dear. Take your time. They're starting with speeches, so you don't need to worry about being there for that."
I hugged my mom. She was the best person ever, and I had a little moment of regret for not seeing her more. I needed to change things after the wedding, but now, my priority was Kris.
"Kris? Sweetheart, are you here?" I called.
"In here."
I saw the door of the disabled cubicle opening, so I went in. Kris was sitting on the floor with his back to the wall. He had his head down on his knees. I knelt next to him.
"What's up, sweetheart?" I asked, running my fingers gently through his hair.
He looked up and his eyes were red and his face was wet from crying. I touched Kris's knee so he'd straighten his legs. When he did, I straddled him, reached out for a piece of tissue, and put my hands on either side of his face, wiping the tears dry.
"Your mom. I'm sorry, Charlie, it was just… I haven't had a mom treating me like a son in such a long time, so even though I know it's not for real, it still got to me. I'm sorry."
"It's okay, come 'ere."
I pulled Kris into my chest, which was easy since I had a height advantage sitting on his legs. I held him for the longest time until he straightened up.
"What a head case, hey?" Kris joked.
"Ugh, even with a tear-streaked face, you're still the most beautiful man I've ever seen," I said, kissing him. "I hate you."
"No, you don't."
"No… I don't."
When we made it to the dinner, Ben, who was Ellie's best man slash man of honor, was doing his speech, so we hung by the door, waiting for it to be over so we could take our seats. Kris stood next to a pillar and pulled me in front of him, wrapping his arms around my shoulders.
"I've never been to an American wedding, but isn't this meant to happen at the wedding?" Kris asked.
"Yes, but Ellie and Hannah wanted the speeches only for close family and friends, and the wedding day to party."
I scanned the room to see who was there and saw where my family was. Ellie and Hannah were sitting as close together as was possible without actually being on each other's laps. I smiled to myself, and when Hannah made eye contact, we waved at each other.
She winked and then moved her head to the right. I followed the direction until my eyes fell on Connor and finally on the Wicked Witch.
She was staring at me with eyes wide open.
When I didn't move my gaze, she relented and turned to speak to Connor. I couldn't see Connor because his back was to me. I wondered how he was feeling today. I'd almost seen traces of my older brother during dinner and at the bar yesterday, but there was an underlying sadness in his eyes.
"Will this take any longer? I'm starving."
I chuckled. Kris was right, we hadn't really had lunch, so I was also fairly hungry.
"Hopefully not, or I might have to start nibbling on
you," I said, taking Kris's hand from where it rested on my chest to suck and bite his thumb.
Kris drew in a breath, and I felt his erection against my back.
"And now we need the speech to go on a little longer, you fucking tease."
I turned my head and kissed Kris. God, we were so good together.
We were both glad when the speeches were finished and food was served. We'd ended up on the same table as Uncle John and Aunt Gina, which was a relief.
I'd noticed Rory at a table on the other side of the room. We didn't make eye contact, but Kris must have seen Rory, too, because all of a sudden, Kris's chair was moving closer to mine, and his arm was on the back of my chair.
"Look at you, all caveman-like," I whispered.
"Just marking my territory, baby. You're all mine."
"Oh really?"
"Yup, ever since you fell all over me in the hallway."
I looked at Kris with the most indignant look I could muster.
"Excuse me? I believe I was pulled down."
"Aw, look at you two," Aunt Gina said. "Charlie, darling, I'm so happy you found someone at last. I was starting to get worried."
"Me too," Uncle John said. "She was about to get the cast of the local Magic Mike to turn up at your doorstep one by one and offer to date you."
"Can that still happen?" Kris asked, wiggling his eyebrows up and down.
I stared at him until we both laughed.
"Aunt Gina, please do not send men to my apartment. You know Tom doesn't do well in the presence of other members of the same species."
"Have you met Tom?" Gina asked Kris. "He's Charlie's adorable roommate. Such a sweetheart."
I rolled my eyes.
"She only likes him because he's the only one who can cope with a whole day of shopping in Macy's with her."
"That and he has a knack for cocktails."
I nodded my agreement. They always came back from their shopping trips with more bags than they could carry, and Aunt Gina a little more on the drunk side than the tipsy one.
Kris rubbed his hand up and down my arm. "Um Tom, he…well, you know, are you…"
I put my mouth near Kris's ear and whispered, "Are you asking if Tom and I had adult nap time? Bumped uglies? Did the dirty deed?"
Kris coughed.
"No, sweetheart," I said, placing a hand on his thigh. "Tom and I are just friends." And then I kissed his cheek.
Kris put his hand on top of mine and squeezed. "I'm glad. He sounds like a fun person for your aunt, and I'd hate to have him killed."
I chuckled.
We made pleasant conversation with the rest of the guests at the table and enjoyed the good food. I glanced toward Hannah a few times. I couldn't believe in just two days my sister was going to be married to the love of her life, and I couldn't be happier for her. Ellie was a phenomenal person and like another sister.
I looked around for Connor and saw that he wasn't at his table. The witch, as usual, was on her cellphone, ignoring the other guests on her table.
"I'm going to look for Connor," I said to Kris when the main course flatware was cleared.
"I'll come with you."
We excused ourselves from the table and left the room.
"Where do you think he might be? The restrooms?" Kris asked.
"Either there or outside."
We started with the male restrooms but found them empty, so we went outside. Connor wasn't in the parking lot, either, so we looked around the building. Fortunately, it was still light enough outside.
I spotted Connor sitting on a picnic table. He had his back turned, so he didn't see us approach.
"Con," I called.
Connor turned around but didn't change how he sat hunched forward.
"Hey, Charlie. Hey, Kris."
"Con, you're not okay. Please talk to me or I'll need to use combat tactics."
When we were growing up, Connor and I used to fight just like any other siblings, and when we did, Hannah used to get in the middle and punch us both until we apologized to each other. We never dared to tell our parents about her, and we were also very embarrassed that we'd been bested by a girl.
"I've been told we need to get married."
"You're engaged?" I said a little too loud and felt Kris's hand slip into mine.
"No, no, but she wants to. She's been really pissy, saying she didn't want to get married after Hannah."
"Is the woman for real? I'm sorry, Connor, if you love her, you do what you need to do and I'll respect that and support you. But don't you see how she behaves with other people?"
"I think she's just stressed with her new job."
"Okay, then, so what's the problem?"
"Um, just other stuff," Connor said.
"Okay."
"Okay?"
"Connor, whatever it is that you're struggling with, you can always come to me, but I would never force you to talk about anything before you're ready. You know where I live." I smiled and then stepped forward to wrap my arms around my older brother.
"Thanks, Charlie."
"What are you going to do about the wedding?"
"I'm not ready. I think I need to—"
Before Connor had a chance to finish, I heard high heels on the path. Sure enough, I turned and Ceecee was strutting our way.
She looked stunning in her red dress and with her hair made up into a bun. There was not a single thing out of place, maybe just her personality.
"Hi, Ceecee," I said.
As usual, she ignored me and went straight to Connor.
"Babe, they're serving dessert Do you want to come in? Are you feeling better?"
I could tell her concern was an act, but there was nothing I could do or say in that situation.
Ceecee seemed to finally notice there were more people around. Her smile went from fake to super fake and then predatory.
"Your Royal Highness, we meet again."
My first thought was that she was now being bitchy, but then I noticed her eyes were locked on Kris who had gone as white as a sheet.
"What are you talking about, Ceecee?" I asked.
"Oh, poor Charlie. Dating one of the richest men in the world, a prince no less, and you have no idea? Or maybe he didn't want you to know so he could have his way and then discard you like he did his ex-boyfriend, Sergei?"
I turned to Kris. "What is she talking about, Kris?"
Kris opened his mouth and then closed it again.
"Oh bless, you're so cute." Ceecee touched my cheek before I pulled away.
"What's this about, Ceecee?" Connor asked.
"Nothing much, babe. Just my passport to that promotion I've been working my perky little ass for in the last year. Ceecee Bloomfield, Editor-in-Chief of Monza magazine. Has quite a ring to it, doesn't it?"
She took Connor's hand and they left me and Kris on our own. Connor looked behind and shrugged like he had no clue what was going on. That made two of us.
19
Kris
I'd gone to a whole different country to run from the eyes of the press, and I'd found myself face-to-face with it, and the wrong kind, nonetheless. So much for trying to hide who I was and keeping a low profile.
I almost couldn't look at Charlie because I knew I'd need to tell him everything now, and the look in Charlie's eyes told me the walls around Charlie's heart were already going up.
"What was she talking about, Kris?"
"Baby—"
Charlie put his hand up.
"Sorry, Charlie. I am what she said. My name is Kristof Ivan Maxim, and I'm the prince of Lydovia."
Charlie's hands went to his mouth, and his eyes filled with unshed tears.
"Your clothes, you said your assistant got them, and then you backtracked. I knew you were wealthy, but I thought maybe you didn't want to show off so you could be a regular person."
That was exactly what I'd wanted, and I'd succeeded until Ceecee-fucking-Bloomfield outed me.
"I thought you were trying to g
et away from the ex you mentioned, or work stress—you know, the stuff that regular people want to escape from," Charlie said.
"I'm not a regular person, Charlie. That's why I couldn't say anything."
"No, no you're not. But I am."
And with that, Charlie walked away.
I ran my hands through my hair and paced the length of the gardens. I needed to tell Charlie how I felt, but I was afraid of going back inside the party in case Ceecee was talking about me. The last thing I needed was for the rest of the guests to know who I was.
Too many scenarios were going through my head. Charlie upset. The press swamping the place. The headlines that would be printed. Had Ceecee taken any photos of Charlie with me?
"Kris." James came running. "We need to get you out of here and back to the apartment."
"How about Charlie?" If James was worried about the press, I didn't want Charlie exposed to it. God knew what Ceecee meant when she was talking about me being the passport to her promotion.
"I just saw him leave. Maybe he's getting a cab back too." James kept looking around in all directions. The sun had gone down, so the only light came from the tiny lamps that lit the path to where we stood.
"Come on, you can tell me what happened in the car."
I left reluctantly, but I knew James was right. I needed to get to the Old Mill before the press could track me. I just hoped Ceecee didn't know where Charlie and I were staying.
"I really messed up, James," I confessed.
"What I saw earlier wasn't just two guys having fun, Kris. Even through the rearview mirror, I saw how you looked at him."
"I've totally fallen for him." I sighed and rolled down the window to catch some fresh air. "He didn't know who I was until tonight. That woman, Ceecee." I wanted to strangle her. She had no right.
"Have you seen the news feeds?"
"No."
James took his phone from his pocket, unlocked it with his thumb, and passed it to me.
"Look at the Monza app."
I searched for the app and tapped the screen. At the top of the feed was the photo that had caused me to go into hiding. It showed Sergei in a club surrounded by guys, and there were lines of drugs on the table. There was also a semi-hidden figure that the press had wrongly assumed was me.
