When I take my seat across from him I find myself just staring. It feels like ages since I’ve been able to just look at him, and I miss his face. I miss that smile, and those beautiful eyes. I miss his freckles and his adorable button nose. I miss his laughter and his sarcastic remarks.
“What?” he asks, when he notices me staring at him. He sets his glass down and grins at me. “Like what you see?”
My cheeks heat but I don’t play it off. He deserves to know how beautiful he is. He deserves to know what an amazing person he is and I don’t want to sully that with a joke. “I like you,” I tell him, and he flushes. I think my comment affected him even more than me saying something about his physical appearance.
“I…like you, too,” he tells me, the words soft, and careful almost, like he’s unsure if he should be saying them, and my blush deepens, until he adds, “old man,” and then winks at me. I smirk, but my chest warms because it’s so Charlie, and it reminds me of when we met, which is quickly becoming one of the best days of my life.
“I’ve missed you,” I say, as I reach across the table and boldly take his hand. He smiles at me and gives my hand a squeeze.
“Me, too.”
The waiter arrives just then and we order. I get us a stuffed mushroom appetizer and salmon as my main meal. Charlie orders lobster. We hand the waiter our menus and he hurries away.
“I haven’t even gotten to hear how your job has been going, we’ve barely seen each other,” I tell Charlie as my gaze meets his again, my hand falling right back into his.
“It’s been going well, for the most part. I did finally tell Dorine you aren’t my dad.” He chuckles and I grin.
“How’d she take the news? Not too terribly, I hope.”
“No, she apologized for assuming but said she wasn’t surprised. She said we have too much chemistry for her to not have realized it on her own.”
I blush, feeling skin prickle at the back of my neck, but I can’t take my eyes off of Charlie. “Oh, I see.” He tells me more about Dorine. Apparently she’s a single mom with a son in college and a teenage daughter, working two jobs and just trying to make ends meet. She is, in Charlie’s words “a hoot,” and is always making him laugh at work. It sounds like they really enjoy each other. He seems to be making friends with his other coworkers, too, mostly middle aged women, but a few men, and a fair number of college students as well.
“I’m happy for you,” I tell him, unable to keep the smile from my face. It feels so perfect, being here with him, talking to him, sharing my day with him, and hearing about his. His eyes are bright, his smile wide and his laughter is my heart’s song as he listens to my stories. I tell him about how the firestation is coming along, and about the antics of my coworkers, as we eat our meals.
“Dessert?” I say, as he’s finishing up his lobster.
“I know you are trying to fatten me up,” he tells me, patting his stomach, “but I couldn’t eat another bite.”
I laugh. After paying the bill, I stand again and scoot Charlie’s chair out for him. He smiles that breathtaking smile at me as I take his hand and we walk to the parking lot. We stop at the truck but I don’t open the door yet.
“Thank you for coming tonight,” I tell him, then reach up and stroke his cheek. His skin is so fair, and so soft. I feel him shiver at my touch. He gives me a soft smile, his eyelashes fluttering. They’re long and thick, and they skate over his cheek bones when his eyes close. It’s absolutely breathtaking. The makeup really does accentuate his features so perfectly. I love the way his eyes shimmer and his full lips shine.
“Of course,” he says. “I’ll do anything that makes it possible for me to be with you. Besides, who could say no to such an artfully crafted poem?”
I laugh. Cheeky brat. “Go for a walk with me?” I say, stroking his cheek again. He nods.
We make our way to the same park we went to after I took him to brunch at Sunny’s, and walk around the lake. Of course it’s evening this time, which I think makes it even more beautiful. The stars are out and the moon shines brightly above us as we walk hand in hand. I don’t think I’ve ever stopped and enjoyed nature as much as I do when I’m with him. Before Charlie came along I would go for walks, or runs, before my knee got bad, but it would be about getting a certain amount of steps in, or a certain number of miles. It’s different with him. Better. He soaks in everything. The sound of the crickets, the fresh air, the smell of the flowers, the wind blowing through the trees and ruffling his hair. Right now he stops on the pathway and crouches down, touching a delicate purple wildflower with the tips of his small fingers. I can’t help but think that it’s him that brings them life rather than the other way around. That somehow his touch, his radiance, and warmth helps them grow. Charlie is like the sun. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he was the sun, so full of warmth and light, bringing life to everything around him. I stoop down too, so that I’m right next to him, and pluck one of the flowers from the dirt. He smiles at me as we both stand, and I tuck the flower into his curls. It’s absolutely perfect for him. My beautiful boy.
He blushes beautifully and smiles at me, but then starts to shiver. “Shit, I’m so sorry.” I take my jacket off and drape it over his nearly bare shoulders. He tugs it around himself. “Do you want to keep going?” I ask. He nods and takes my hand again. We make our way to the bridge and stop there for a while, peering out at the ducks. Charlie watches them in fascination just like everything else in nature. I've learned that the word “just” doesn’t seem to exist in Charlie’s vocabulary. Everything is mesmerizing. Everything is unique and precious.
“How’s your knee?” he asks, bringing me out of my daze. It’s only then that I realize I’ve been staring at him again.
“I’m fine,” I say.
“Well, I’m not.” He winces and starts to unbuckle his high heels. I laugh as he sinks a good three inches, but it seems right to have him back to normal height. He rubs his feet with one hand, holding his shoes in the other. “These are not for comfort, that's for sure.”
I smile and step forward, scooping him up and into my arms bridal style. Charlie shrieks, but then laughs, his arms coming around my neck. The jacket falls from his shoulders, getting pinned between us. He clings to his heels as I carry him to the truck.
“I could get used to this,” he says, wiggling his legs, making it even more difficult for me to carry him.
“Keep that up and I’m gonna drop you,” I tell him. He grins at me and then reaches up and plants a kiss on my cheek. I know I’m blushing again, but I can’t help it. This is what he does to me. “You’ll have to open the door,” I say once we’re at the truck. He does and then turns to me.
“You’re not going to set me down inside and buckle me up, too?” He says it like he’s Scarlet fucking O’Hara, fluttering those insanely long eyelashes.
“You’re lucky I don’t drop you on your ass, smart mouth,” I reply. He laughs and I set him on his feet. We climb in and make the drive home, Charlie keeping his shoes off the entire way, his bare feet up on the dash, wiggling his tiny toes. I remind myself that he needs some nail polish. I keep forgetting.
When we arrive home, I climb out of the truck quickly, hurrying around before he can step out. I open the passenger side door and he grins as I take him in my arms again. “Don’t get used to this,” I say as I carry him to the door. “I just don’t want you to hurt your feet on the gravel.”
