CHARLOTTE“A peace offering? I didn’t think we left dinner on a bad note; the food was quite lovely,” I replied, gesturing to the sofa behind him. “Please, sit.”“Thank you.” He settled onto the couch, glancing at the bottle and glass I had placed on the table before his arrival. “Yeah, everything else was lovely, but it still felt like something was... off. So, I came here to offer these, but I see you’ve already found the stash...”I chuckled, easing onto the couch opposite him. “It seemed like a great way to distract myself from thoughts I’m trying not to pay attention to,” I admitted, catching his wistful smile.“I understand. That’s partly why I’m here,” he confessed, leaning forward.“While we’re on the subject of distractions, would you like to go to the beach with me this evening?”His offer caught me off guard, and I hesitated. “I... I’m not sure,” I began, but he raised a hand, halting me.“No need to decide now. I understand if it seems rushed. But know this: whatever happen
CHARLOTTEMy vision blurred as I struggled to open my eyes. The weight of the world seemed to rest on my shoulders, and my body ached terribly. I blinked in confusion and exhaled slowly before looking around. Gradually, my vision cleared, and I looked at the window. It was still shut, preventing me from seeing outside. I yearned to reach for the blinds and open them, but my body had a different plan. It wanted to stay right where it was. My joints ached at the slightest movement, and I decided to stay put for a while. In my seated position, I remembered Maria and chuckled, imagining her reaction if she could see me now.She’d alternate between worried and distraught, but at least I wouldn’t feel as lonely as I did, sitting in this apartment under such bizarre circumstances. I tried to focus on other things, but I didn’t have the luxury of having different experiences. Everything that had happened up until now had led to this point, so it was all I had to think about. I sighed, realizi
CHARLOTTE“Hi, Charlotte,” Thiago’s voice echoed through the speaker as soon as I picked up the phone. “How’re you doing?” He added, and I closed my eyes as my head started to throb harder. I moved the phone away from my ears for a bit. The sound of his voice directly streaming into my ears worsened the headache, so I put the call on the speaker and dropped the phone on the bed. I closed my eyes for a moment and exhaled.“I feel like crap,” I wanted to say, but decided against it. He didn’t need to know that, and I had no intention of giving anyone, especially him, any reason to fuss over me. I couldn’t tell him I had spent the entire day raiding the minibar, either. He’d seen the bottle of wine earlier, and that was enough; now wasn’t the time to make it a topic. “Hi, Thiago. I’ve been through worse,” I said instead, and he chuckled in response.“That’s one way to put it. Great to see you still have your sense of humor intact,” he replied, and I smiled wistfully.“It’s probably the o
CHARLOTTEStepping into the bathtub and feeling the cold water on my skin wasn’t as refreshing as I’d hoped, but at least it got the job done. I was thankful for that. My head still throbbed a little, and my stomach occasionally growled, but I felt much better than when I first opened my eyes. I wanted to keep my promise of waiting for Thiago, so I spent less time in the tub than I would have liked. I could tell he was worried from how quickly his tone changed when he heard me emptying my guts, and that propelled me to prove that there was nothing to worry about.I walked out of the bathroom and headed for the wardrobe. I had finally found the will to move my boxes from the living room and put them in there. I wasn’t sure if my decision to stay here was wise given the circumstances, but it felt silly to leave them in the same position for so long.One thing I was sure I wasn’t going to do was unpack—not tonight, at least. The outcome of this... meeting? Date? “Whatever it is,” I mutte
CHARLOTTE“No drivers or guards? That’s new,” I said as we entered the car. He chuckled, started the ignition, put the car in reverse, and began driving.“Sometimes... well, most of the time, I like to drive myself around. It gives me the feeling of autonomy I barely have, and I thought you’d want to meet Thiago instead of Signor Mooze,” he said, and I smiled wistfully.“So, Thiago drives himself around? Quite fitting for someone who’s barely recognized by anyone here,” I replied. He smiled, switched gears as the car turned to face the gate, and stepped on the accelerator.“That’s what makes it fun,” he uttered as we sped past the entrance. “The guards are there for security. If I’m being honest, I think they still follow me around when I drive alone, but this gives me some sense of privacy. I drove myself all the time while I was away; I don’t want that to change now that I’m here.”“Well, you’re leading a different life here. You were just another rich student on campus; I presume i
CHARLOTTEThe moments that followed from the minute we alighted from the car throughout the entire conversation aligned with the sound of the waves beating against the sand and seemed like a slow-burn movie that stirred mixed feelings within me. As we walked towards the beach, I was happy that it was empty. I hadn’t thought about it earlier, but I realized that if I had a choice in the matter, I’d want to be here alone, like the last time. But since I was here with Thiago, it felt like I was with more than enough people.However, it was empty for a different reason: it had been closed up. I overheard the guard telling Thiago that something had happened and that they had to restrict access to the beach. They weren’t letting cars through the entrance nor wanted people on the beach, but a few seconds later, a smile had morphed on the chief security officer’s face, and I could tell he had heard enough about the Mooze family to make an exception. I remembered the incident and laughed.“Wha
CHARLOTTETwo hours later, we had packed the empty boxes and tossed them in a nearby bin. We walked towards the car, got in, and slowly made our way out of the parking area. When we arrived at the entrance, the guards bid us farewell, and Thiago handed one of them his card with instructions to call him the next morning.“He’s going to sleep a happy man, knowing he will be rewarded for letting us in,” I commented, and Thiago nodded.“Well, he could get in trouble for it. It seems only right that he receives some sort of compensation from me, at least,” he replied, keeping his eyes on the road.“Fair enough. This was a great night, thanks, Thiago,” I answered. He turned his gaze to me and then smiled.“I’m glad to hear that. How are you feeling now?” he inquired.“I’ve been through worse,” I said, and turned towards the window to stare out of it as we got closer to the city. The traffic we encountered earlier had reduced drastically. The roads were clear, and it felt like we were glidin
CHARLOTTEWe arrived at the gates a few minutes later. The guards took one look at the license plate, and the gate swung open in seconds. As the car slowed to a halt in front of the entrance, Thiago offered to help me carry the bags up to the penthouse.“I can handle it,” I said, shaking my head. “It’s just food, and we aren’t trudging up a hill this time. I’m taking the elevator. And you need to get home and catch some sleep. You look exhausted.”“I feel exhausted, but in a good way. Thank you for agreeing to do this,” he said, smiling wistfully. “I might be gone for a few days, weeks even, depending on the situation,” he added, turning off the ignition.“The situation?” I asked, confused.“Before I came over this morning, I received a call from the office. They are investigating the incident at The Hilton, and the culprit is a relentless menace. He has his eyes set on my family’s fortune, and they feel like I need to lay low for a few days. That’s why I came over today; I wasn’t sur