by Laurèn Lee
“Splendid, I’ll make sure to stock up on ear plugs!”
Charlotte threw a pillow at him from across the bedroom. “Time to get up, sleepy head. The movers will be here at 10 o’clock.”
“Yes, darling. I’ll be up in a few minutes,” Liam said, saluting Charlotte.
Charlotte and Liam’s one year anniversary would come in a few short months. After their date at Woodlawn Beach, they became inseparable. They spent as much time as they could together, even if it was just a quick chat and a kiss on their lunch breaks during work.
Charlotte had graduated from Buff State with a 3.8 GPA and a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism. Liam’s congratulatory present to Charlotte had been a key to a waterfront condo he’d acquired for the two of them. He would be moving out of his current apartment at the end of the semester, while Charlotte would be simultaneously and officially moving out of her beloved dorm room she shared with Tori.
Despite many of Charlotte’s family members cautioning her to wait, she had no intentions of being patient. She was madly and deeply in love with Liam. She would do anything and everything for him, including agreeing to move in with him so quickly. However, agreeing to this, had nixed her original plans to move to New York with Tori.
Moving to a big city had always been her dream, but she was willing to give it up to focus on another dream; the chance to be with the love of her life.
She had put away her investigative inspirations and found a job in Buffalo, a local magazine specializing in the entrainment and shopping districts around the area. Liam had connections with the Editor-in-Chief of the magazine, so it was almost too easy for her to join the staff.
Charlotte was nervous to tell Tori about her change of post-grad plans. She had taken her out to lunch on a sunny Saturday afternoon before finals to break the news.
“Charlotte, is everything okay? You’re sweating like a whore in church.”
“Oh yeah, I’m fine,” Charlotte lied.
“I’ve known you for way too many years to believe that. Spill,” Tori demanded.
“Damn it, you know me too well. Okay, so Liam asked me to move in with him and I said yes.” Charlotte closed her eyes, bracing for Tori to start screaming.
“Oh, that’s it?” Tori laughed.
Charlotte, caught off guard, “Yeah, I was afraid to tell you because this means I won’t be able to move to the City with you.”
“Charlotte, honey. I knew that plan was long gone once I saw you and Liam together for the first time.”
Charlotte blew a sigh of relief, “You’re not mad?”
“Of course not!
“Why are you so amazing?”
“It comes naturally,” Tori winked.
“So, are you and Adam going to move in together too?”
“Yeah, I think we are going to stay with his parents in Syracuse for a while until we can save up enough money for our own place,” she said.
“Won’t your parents help you out?”
“Nah, they are cutting me off.”
“What? Why?” Charlotte asked, astounded.
Tori’s parents had always helped Tori financially. Hell, they even paid for all of her college expenses and her car.
“They’re mad I’m still dating Adam,” Tori admitted.
“Why? Adam is such a good guy and he makes you happy.”
“They think he will drag me down in life, because he’s in a band,” Tori rolled her eyes.
“Everything will all work out,” Charlotte promised. “Thank you for not being mad about me not moving to the City with you.”
“I got your back, babe.”
As always, Charlotte was grateful for having such an amazing best friend.
A firm knock on the door indicated the movers had arrived. Charlotte dashed to greet them with glee.
“Hi, guys! Let’s get moving!”
The moving process took less time than expected, and Liam had been able to pay the movers and send them off long before dinner time.
“Well roomie, what should we do tonight since I have you for the entire weekend?” Charlotte called out to Liam from the other room.
“I was thinking we could order in, maybe get a pizza and watch a movie?”
“That sounds perfect!”
Liam came back to the living room, kissed Charlotte swiftly on her cheek and called to order their food.
Charlotte figured she would start to put away some of her clothes before the pizza came; her clothing made up the majority of her belongings. She had several large garbage bags and totes filled with jeans, hoodies and way too many tee shirts.
She quickly realized she would have to ask Liam to order another dresser for her, because there was no way she’d be able to fit all of her clothes into the one she’d brought from home. Even with a walk-in closet, Charlotte needed more room.
The pizza arrived a short time later. Charlotte relished the sight of her favorite pie which included mushrooms, pineapple, and extra cheese.
Liam dished out the slices and promptly began surfing through Netflix for a movie to watch when his phone rang.
“Please tell me that’s not the office, babe. You said you had the entire weekend off!” Charlotte whined.
Liam looked at his phone and smiled apologetically.
“Chamberlin,” he answered. “Oh hell, that’s tonight? I’m sorry sir, I absolutely forgot. Yes, we moved today. It’s coming along well, thank you for asking. Yes, of course, I’ll be there soon.”
Liam was about to break his promise to Charlotte.
“Shit, I forgot we had scheduled a work meeting tonight at the casino downtown.”
Charlotte huffed and puffed. Liam was always going to fancy places, entertaining current clients and trying to seduce potential new ones. He had VIP access to the most elite restaurants in Buffalo.
As promised, Liam was handed over rights to his family’s investment firm once he turned 25 years old. He was dubbed President of Chamberlin Financial Resources Incorporated and made many of the company’s business decisions. His family back in England took care of the European Branch, while Liam handled the American business.
“I promise I’ll make it up to you, love,” he said.
“How about you make it up to me by not going,” she snarled.
“I can’t miss it, sweetie. You know how important these meetings are!”
“Meetings? You mean the parties you go to where you get to schmooze rich people and drink from an open bar?”
“Don’t be like this, please. I promise I’ll make it up to you next weekend.”
“That’s what you said last weekend when you got called into work. You promised me we’d celebrate this weekend, Liam.”
“I know, and it’s completely my fault. I should have tried to reschedule beforehand.” Liam kissed Charlotte on the cheek. He had been aiming for her lips, but she turned her head, avoiding the gesture.
“I promise, next weekend we can do whatever you like. Anything at all, it’s on me,” he pleaded.
“Anything?” she asked quizzically.
“Anything at all, I promise!”
“Hmm, I don’t know, Liam. Your promises don’t seem to count for much these days,” Charlotte said airily.
“I’ll take you to the Sabres, Leafs game. We can use my company suite. How does that sound?”
Charlotte took a few moments to think about it, “Damn it, you know I”m a sucker for a Sabres game.”
“Anything you want to eat and drink, I can put it all on my company card.”
“I suppose I could find it in my heart to forgive you, just as long as we order the pretzel sticks.”
“Thank you, darling!”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” she said.
“I’ll keep my phone handy in case you need to get a hold of me tonight,” Liam promised as he dashed into their bedroom to find a suit.
“When will you be home?” she called out.
“Not sure, it might be an all-nighter. These guys really l
ove to gamble and drink!” he responded.
“How convenient,” she muttered to herself.
Charlotte felt the loneliness begin creep in as Liam prepared for his night out. Knowing she’d be home alone during their first night living together felt like a stabbing in the back.
In the past, she had tried to invite herself to events with him, but he was adamant about the fact no guests were allowed. Not even the firm’s partners brought their wives. Now, she didn’t even ask to join him, knowing the answer would almost always be, “no.”
Liam suited up, while Charlotte “suited-down”, threw on PJ’s and turned on Netflix to watch all by herself.
“Have a good night, my love. I will make it all up to you next weekend. Do you need anything before I leave?”
“No,” she responded curtly.
“I love you, Charlotte.”
She simply grunted in return and refused to walk him to the door as she usually did before he left the house.
She was on her own now.
Halfway through an indie movie, Charlotte flipped off the TV and picked up her phone. She had no texts or missed calls from Liam. She wondered what he was doing at that exact moment. Was he thinking of her? Was he gambling? Talking to a client? Did he even care he’d left her home alone when they should be celebrating moving in together?
Unlocking her phone, Charlotte scrolled down to Tori’s name. She pressed the “call” button and patiently waited for her best friend to answer.
“Hello?” a voice slurred.
“Tori?”
“Baby, it’s you!”
“Tori, are you drunk?”
“As a trucker. We are at a bar, I don’t even know the name, but people keep buying me shots! Something about Friday specials?”
Charlotte knew if she’d asked, Tori would find a way to come over and spend the night with her, but she didn’t want to ruin her night too.
“Okay, well be safe!”
“Is everything okay?”
“Yes, I just miss you. That’s all.”
“Love you,” and Tori hung up without waiting for Charlotte to respond.
Shit, now what.
Charlotte got up from the couch and started pacing around the living room. She walked over to their wine fridge and peered inside.
Hmm. I suppose a glass or two of wine couldn’t hurt?
She pulled out an expensive looking bottle of Riesling and used her Houdini to open it with ease. Charlotte raised her glass to nothing in particular and downed it in one gulp.
After another two glasses, Charlotte still felt restless, but now she was drunk, too. She knew she wasn’t technically supposed to call Liam unless it was important. She’d learned the hard way when she called and texted Liam repeatedly during one of his business outings. Apparently, the client became so annoyed he left the dinner table without saying goodbye. Liam found out the next day, the client chose another company to do business with. Despite learning her lesson, Charlotte felt the need to give him a piece of her mind and remind him how he’d promised to stay home this weekend.
Ignoring her conscience pleading her to stop, Charlotte furiously dialed Liam’s number, prepared to give him a profound speech. She hoped she didn’t sound too drunk as she realized the call had been answered.
“Hello? Liam?”
There was no response. Instead, Charlotte could hear faint screaming in the background.
His phone must be in his back pocket, she thought.
“Liam? Can you hear me?”
The shrieking continued and she wondered what kind of party Liam was attending. It sounded as though someone was being tortured. Maybe the casino was playing a movie in the background? Maybe the client he was meeting with tonight was a female and she’d won a hand at poker, or something? Or, maybe Charlotte was simply too drunk to distinguish anything at all.
Asshole.
She hung up the phone, noticed it was already after midnight and finished the bottle of wine. She went to bed, knowing Liam wouldn’t be home until the morning.
10
Present
Charlotte woke up in an ambulance. Her memory hazy and she had no idea how she’d gotten there. The last thing she remembered was staring into the stranger’s eyes until she blacked out.
She was lying on a stretcher with an oxygen mask strapped firmly around her head. She began to hyperventilate despite the steady flow of O2.
A young EMT whipped around at the sound of Charlotte struggling.
“It’s going to be okay, Miss. We are going to the hospital. We are taking care of you and your husband.”
“Liam, Liam!” Charlotte cried, though her voice was muffled.
Charlotte gazed around the ambulance, hoping she would see Liam and he’d be telling her everything would be fine. He was not there. Thoughts of Liam not surviving petrified her and every possible scenario of his death began swirling around Charlotte’s head.
The ambulance began to slow down and the intensity in the air increased; they must be at the hospital now. Carefully, a group of paramedics lifted her stretcher out of the ambulance and onto the pavement of the ER entrance. Doctors and nurses alike came running outside asking the paramedics for updates.
“What are her vitals?” a red-headed nurse asked.
“She looks like she’s in her early twenties, Tony did she have ID on her?”
“No Doc, there was nothing on her at all actually. The police said someone called it in, but there were no signs of how she got hurt.”
“No signs? What do you mean?” the doctor questioned as he continued to check over Charlotte on their way to the ICU.
“They just found her and her husband lying in the grass passed out. It looks like it could have been a car wreck, but nothing else was found at the scene. She has multiple lacs and possibly a bruised rib or two,” the EMT said.
“Okay, thanks. Hey, Nancy! Make sure to run a chem-lab on her blood to see if she ingested anything which may have caused the accident.”
Charlotte’s stomach rolled, she felt terrified. What were they all talking about? She didn’t take any drugs, they were in a car accident! And where was Liam?
“Tony, where’s her husband?”
“He’s on another bus, not sure of his status. Last I knew he flat-lined.”
Charlotte felt as though her heart was going to stop too and then everything went dark again.
…
Charlotte woke up to a nurse softly whispering to her.
“Miss? Miss? Can you hear me? Blink once for yes,” she said.
Charlotte glanced around and realized she was no longer in the ER or in any kind of trauma area, she had her own room. The room appeared bleak and adorned. Still, no signs of Liam. Even though her heart and body were aching, she blinked.
“Miss, you didn’t come in with an ID, what is your name, is there someone we can call?”
“Liam,” she gasped.
“Liam? Is that your husband?”
Charlotte nodded. She couldn’t bring herself to explain they were only engaged.
“Did he get hurt too?”
Charlotte nodded.
“Hang tight, I will see if I can find an update for you,” the nurse said, scurrying out of the heavily sanitized room.
Charlotte felt all the hope in her body evaporate. If she was in dire need of recovery, and Liam had been worse off than her, how could he possibly still be alive?
“Well, well, well. It appears your prayers were finally answered.”
Charlotte closed her eyes, recognizing the voice. She opened her mouth to scream, but before she could make a sound, she felt a rush of air. The next thing she knew, the stranger was hovering over her. His finger pressed firmly to her lips.
“No! No! Naughty, naughty,” he jeered.
Surprisingly, the man didn’t look as grisly up-close as Charlotte assumed he’d be. Sure, his eyes still revealed crimson flames as before and he was probably twice her size, but it could have been worse; he could h
ave killed her already. The sheer terror had melted away, or, maybe she was still woozy, feeling the effects of the pain meds the doctor had administered. Either way, the fear she felt after the accident had vastly diminished.
She noticed his chiseled face, pronounced jaw and well-kept facial hair. Even under a black motorcycle jacket, she was able to notice his broad shoulders and muscular arms. His hair, still tousled, and his malevolent smile kept her from looking away. She couldn’t be certain, as she was still lying down, but the man seemed extremely tall, too. Definitely over 6 feet.
“If you try to make a sound or call for help, I will snap your neck before you even take a breath,” the stranger warned. “Understand?”
Charlotte vigorously nodded her head.
Okay, maybe he is scary.
“Great! Now, I have some good news and bad news, which would you like to hear first?” he asked with a deep, husky voice.
Charlotte remained silent.
“You may answer me now, I won’t snap you in half,” he smiled.
“Screw you,” she mouthed, regaining some confidence.
The stranger burst out laughing, clearly, he hadn’t expected that answer.
“Fine, we’ll start with the bad news,” he paused, “Liam is in a coma and he probably won’t wake up.”
Charlotte’s eyes welled up with tears and the bleeps on her monitor started to increase with dangerous frequency.
“Oh, there, there, Sweetheart. There’s good news, too!”
Charlotte gripped the sheets around her, feeling as though a spontaneous combustion was right around the corner.
“The good news is, I may be able to save him. All I need is for you to say ‘yes’ to a few stipulations,” he grinned.
“What do you want?” Charlotte asked through gritted teeth.
“Oh, nothing crazy. For starters —” he stopped suddenly and stooped low enough to be nose-to-nose. “Your soul.”
11
Past
“Cheers, darling,” Liam toasted as they clinked their 24 oz. Bud Light beer cans together.
“Let’s go, Buffalo!” chants erupted from the Key Bank Center as the Sabres had begun a power play against the Leafs.
