28.
Rich
A full minute passes before I’m able to gather myself enough to speak.
“Charlotte?” I finally gasp. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“Well, that’s certainly one way to greet me,” my ex says cheerfully, laughing as she steps around me into the room, her suitcases knocking against my knees. I watch as she drags them over to the foot of the bed, still in shock at seeing the one woman in all the world I never expected to see. Behind me, the door swings shut, the lock clicking into place.
“How…why…”
Kicking off her shoes, Charlotte turns to face me.
“How are you, baby?” she asks, doffing her wide-brimmed, straw sunhat and shaking her head from side to side, the blonde trestles of her hair cascading down from their pile atop her head. “I’ve missed you.”
“I…”
How in the hell did she find me?
“Oh, don’t look so shocked to see me.” Sitting down on the edge of the bed, she smooths the comforter with one hand as she smiles sweetly up at me.
“But how…”
She shrugs. “Not important, Richie. What’s important is that I’m here now. Haven’t you missed me?”
My surprise is quickly swelling into anger as memories of the last time I’d seen Charlotte begin to well up in my mind. Her vicious words. Her face twisted with a rage unlike any I’d ever seen. Her arms swinging wildly as she tried to rake my face. And the accusations. All of those baseless, cruel accusations that had driven me two thousand miles away in the first place.
“You shouldn’t be here,” I say quietly, my voice icy. “I told you I didn’t want to see you anymore. Especially after everything you said about me to—“
“Oh, please,” she interrupts. “You don’t honestly think that was me, do you? It was probably one of your teammates. Someone jealous of your success.”
Even though she’s dressed to the nines—expensive sundress, expensive sandals, expensive hat, expensive sunglasses—and is as beautiful as ever—her makeup immaculate, her body toned, her skin perfectly tan and without blemish—it’s easy enough to see right through this innocent act of hers. Too many times had I seen it, too many times had I fallen for her tricks. Well, no more. I knew what she was. She was a wolf in sheep’s clothing, a devil disguised as a beautiful woman.
“I know it was you.” I’m so angry that my hands are shaking, though my voice is as deadly calm as before. “Jim told me he saw you talking to a reporter.”
“Jim,” she snorts, smoothing the bedspread once more. She’s not looking directly at me but at the wall just to my left. “Please. Jim just wants to sleep with me. He’d say anything to get you out of the picture.”
I’m too angry. This isn’t good. I’m so angry that the edges of the world are starting to blur and go black. I’ve never been this furious before. I wanted to break something, wanted to put my hand through the wall.
Instead, I force myself to breathe. There’s nothing she can do to hurt you anymore, Rich. She’s powerless. Just a woman with nothing to offer but her beauty and her manipulations. Don’t let her pull you in. All she’s looking for is a reaction. That’s all she wants. Good or bad, it doesn’t matter. Whatever you do, don’t give it to her. Just breathe. Just keep breathing.
Moving slowly, deliberately, so calculatedly because any faster just might make me explode, I walk over to my desk chair and drop down into it. The room is filled with a heavy silence.
“I don’t believe you,” I say after some moments. “Not for one damn second.”
“See, that was always your problem, Richie,” Charlotte says. As casual as can be, she glances over at me, for an instant something dark flashing in her eyes. “You never did believe me. How are we supposed to build a successful relationship if there’s no trust between us?”
Breathe, Rich, breathe.
“You shouldn’t be here.”
Charlotte lets out a deep sigh. “I don’t know why you insist on being so standoffish, Richie. You should be glad to see me. I just flew eight hours, just so I could be with you. I know you love me. I certainly love you.”
“I really don’t.”
Darkness again momentarily clouds her features. Though the rest of her face hurriedly recomposes back to its façade of perfect innocence, her eyes retain this shadow.
“Yes, you do, Rich.” Her voice is oddly calm. “Because I’m the only one who can save your career.”
The sharp laugh that bursts out of me catches me by surprise. Strange. My anger was giving way to some sort of sick amusement. It was as if I were finally beginning to understand our true positions. What power could this woman possibly have over me? And why had it taken me so long to realize this?
“I don’t give a flying fuck about my career.”
It’s her turn to be surprised. With a smirk, I watch as her mouth opens, closes, and opens again. She’s not sure what to say. She hadn’t been expecting this. Her face is like a kaleidoscope with how many configurations it’s going through. I can see her wracking her brain for a response, searching for the words that will ensnare me once more in her trap.
It’s no use. Say anything you want. You can’t win anymore.
“Baby,” she finally whispers, her tone meek and submissive and full of an aching sadness. Ahh, so it’s your heartstrings she’s going to try to pull. “Don’t you remember all the fun times we’ve had together? How much we’ve been through? Don’t you remember our week in Aspen? The hot tub, the champagne? That was the first time you told me you loved me. Do you remember that? How perfect everything was? The moon overhead and the stars twinkling and just the two of us out on that balcony? And what about Cancun? All of those lazy days on the beach, all of those nights dancing in the clubs. Do you remember that tiny little room we had overlooking the ocean? Remember how it was the first time I ever let you put it—“
My abrupt rise from my chair silences. Marching over to the front door, I yank it open. As amused as I was, it was time for her to go.
“Get out,” I say. “Now. I don’t want to see you again. Do you understand? Never again.”
“Oh, stop that,” Charlotte says, the hurt and longing that had been in her voice a moment before now nowhere to be found. “Fine. I hear you. You don’t want to be with me anymore. I get it. Can’t you at least sit and listen to me for a few minutes? I mean, I did fly all the way out here to see you. Don’t I deserve closure at the very least? After all, you did just sort of disappear on me.”
“Yeah, after you accused me of assaulting you.”
“That wasn’t me! I swear!”
“Uh-huh. Sure.” Despite knowing I should remain firm, for some unknown reason—pity, most likely—I return to my seat. The door I leave cracked open. Perhaps Cal or a maid or some other resort employee would stop by and save me.
“Thank you, Rich.”
I don’t respond. For several minutes, we sit there, neither one of us saying a word.
The only reason you’re still indulging her is because you’re scared she’ll make a scene. Don’t worry; you’re not falling for her wiles again. Just be patient. She’ll be gone soon enough. She’ll say whatever she wants to say, whatever she thinks will bring you back, and when you don’t budge, she’ll have no choice but to leave peacefully.
Peacefully. Yeah, right. If I knew Charlotte, that was the last thing she’d do. Still, what other options did I have?
Come on, Cal. Come on!
Another five minutes drip away. She’s watching me closely, the fingers of one hand twiddling with the thumb of the other.
“You know,” she says finally. “You’ve changed.”
“Yep,” she goes on when still I don’t answer, nodding like she’s agreeing with something I’ve just said. “Definitely changed. You’re more sure of yourself, more confident. I like it.”
Rising to her feet, she walks over to me.
Baby,” she says softly. She runs a hand through my hair. Though her touch makes me flinch, I don’t move to stop her. “Baby, it’s me. It’s Charlie. It’s your Charlie. I love you, Richie.”
“You don’t know how to love.”
My words hit her like a slap across the face. For a split second, her hand tightens in my hair, her lips clenching into a thin, angry line. Forcing herself to breath, she smiles, her hand relaxing.
“Oh baby…” she says, shaking her head like I’m a kid who’s just said something foolish. “Richie, Richie, Richie…”
Moving too quickly to prevent her, she straddles my knees and plops down onto my lap.
“What are you doing? Stop it. Get off me.” Though I want to push her away, I keep my hands firmly down by my side. The last thing I was going to do was risk touching her. I didn’t doubt for a second she’d be only too happy to tell everyone about my latest “abuse”.
“Baby, baby, baby,” she coos. “I love you, Richie. Don’t you know that? Why don’t you let me show you just how much I love—“
She’s cut off by the sound of the front door swinging open. Thank God, I think, turning my head towards it. Please be Cal. Please please please be Cal.
But it’s not Cal. It’s Becca.
“Becca?” I murmur. Was I imagining things? What was Becca doing here? She was the last person I was expecting to see. “Becca…”
Our eyes meet, my chest constricting so tightly I can hardly breathe. She’s as lovely and as beautiful and as perfect as ever. Everything in me wants run to her, to lift her up, to bury my face in the soft locks of her hair and never let her go again.
Her gaze flashes over to Charlotte, recognition blossoming. She looks back at me, tears welling in her eyes.
“Rich…” she whispers. She sounds broken, utterly destroyed. As if she’s been shot, she staggers backwards.
“Becca…” Shoving Charlotte off of me, I spring to my feet. “Becca, wait!”
But it’s no good. For she’s already gone.