"Oh! Don't worry I'm leaving" Charles said as he pointed to his luggage. "But not before I say this..." He looked up at his Father and continued, "Where were you when Clarie went through all those things? Guilt is eating you up, but instead of you to rise up and improve on yourself, you keep drinking and bullying your 14 year old son. Yes, you don't have a son like me cause I refuse to acknowledge that I have a Father like you! And I'll never call you dad again!" Charles said, tears streamed down his cheeks and walked towards this mother. Giving her a huge hug as he whispered in her ears, "Thank you, Mom. For everything."
Charles walked out resolutely without looking back.
Bella fell to the floor, covered her mouth and started crying. It was unknown when Caeser woke up and started barking and howling.
Javier seemed to be shaken but he thought to himself, 'He'll be back'
*End of Flashback*
"Charles, Charles"
"Hun?" He snapped out of his thoughts and looked to his side. A beautiful woman in suit and pant trousers was standing beside him, he could see worry in her eyes.
'When last did someone look at me like that' Charles thought as he laughed depreciatingly
"Charles, are you alright?" Alessia looked at him. Her family and his family has been long time friends, just that they even made an arranged engagement between him and her; effective when they were both 18 years old but due to him running away from home all these years, it has never been mentioned. She's been in love with him for a long time but he just never notices her. He keeps all of his emotions locked in him. This is the first time that he seems so easy to read.
"Oh it's you, Sia"
Sia was stunned, this was the first time that he has called her by her nickname and she loved it; the way her name rolled off his tongue. He insisted calling her by her full name as it was professional. She was probably the only one who could boast that she's the closest to him, especially after seeing him at his lowest five years ago.
"Are you alright?" She asked again.
"Me?" Charles said as he pointed at himself "I've never been better, my sister just came back and I'm here to celebrate" Charles said as he laughed drunkenly.
'Liar' Sia thought within herself but she could not help but feel both stunned at jealous at this reveal. She remembers that little girl in her memory who always gets all of his attention leaving her nothing at all. She couldn't help but wonder how she looks like now. 'She must be very pretty now' she thought as she remembered that that girl already looked like a little fairy when she was young.
"Sometimes I envy your sister, she gets to be at the receiving end of your amazing smile" Sia muttered.
"What did you say?" Charles said as he was about to take a gulp from his drink only to find out that it wasn't in his hands anymore. He looked towards the cause and tried to take it from her.
"Give me back" Charles said but seeing Sia's fierce look he added, "Pleaasseee" so cutely.
Sia's heart melted right there and she felt like giving in but she steeled her heart and dropped some bills on the table.
"Ma'am, you don't need to pay. It's on the house" Nick quickly added, she might be the lady boss in the future. It's best to suck up to her now.
'Ma'am? Do I look like an old lady' Sia thought as she looked at herself. Although, she knows that she always dresses so uptight but it's because Charles once said that he hated women who showed off more flesh.
"Then keep it!" She shouted at Nick clearly annoyed by the title he used on her. She moved to Charles and dragged him up, rested him against her shoulders.
"Let's go, Charles" She said as she moved towards the door. Her tiny frame contrasted against the man's build.
As she got to the passenger's side of the car, she struggled to open the door. She tested Charles against the car before finally succeeding opening the door.
'Now to get him in' she thought as she pulled him away from the car. But that just made him fall towards her.
Sia froze, she could feel his breathe on her neck as her own breathing turned irregular. She pulled herself together from the excitement of having her long time crush rest against her and reminded herself that it's just because he's drunk and he doesn't know what he seems to be doing. With that she successfully placed him in the seat and closed the door.
Sia went to the driver's seat and put in her seatbelt, she looked at Charles and moved to do the same for him. She could hear her own heartbeat as she moved closer and closer to him. She placed her hands on the seatbelt and prepared to drag it but she froze as she noticed that her lips was near to Charles cheek. She wondered if she could just give him a peck, she knows that this kind of opportunity will never come again.
"It's just a peck, it's not as if I'm molesting him, right? And I can just take it as a reward for helping him" Sia kept looking for excuses to make herself less guilty as she inched closer to Charles.
But things like this never go the way we expect, do they?
As she closed her eyes and inched more close to his right cheek, so close that she could her his own heartbeat and breathing, Charles who suddenly felt a discomfort in how he's head angled tilted his head to the right making her lips land on his instead.
Sia froze in that position as she screamed in her mind, 'Can someone just explain what just happened?!'
Sia frettingly left his lips and dragged his halfway seatbelt all the way. She placed her hands on her lips, as a blush crept it's way to her cheeks. She licked her lips and looked at his pouted lips and wondered how his mouth tastes like.
'Probably like Vodka' Sia thought as she started the car and drive off.
"Wait! I don't even know where he lives and he probably won't want to go to his family house the way he his, well I'd just take him to mine. It's his fault for being so secretive about his life" Sia muttered as she drove in the direction of her place.
"Finally, home sweet abode" Sia said as she entered her house with Charles against her. She changed into her house slip-ons and walked towards the bedroom. Getting there she laid Charles against the bed rest.
Charles eyes fluttered open and looked at her.
"Sia?" Charles called out slowly and unsure.
"Yes, it's me. Wait, ok? Let me get you something that will help with your hangover tomorrow" Sia said as she stood to move but was dragged back by Charles.
Sia froze as she was hugged by Charles, she prayed that her fast beating heart would not jump out of her ribcage.
"Please don't leave me" Charles said so softly that if Sia wasn't so close to him, she wouldn't have heard him. She felt so bad for him, this was the first time that she saw him looking so... small and insecure.