Charlotte sat in the doctor’s office, daydreaming about the night before. She couldn’t stop thinking about Angelo even if she wanted to. They had finally officially exchanged numbers and had been chatting nonstop since she left. She had to sneak out as soon as the sun rose, making it home before her grandma woke up. She was able to shower and get ready just in time to drive her grandmother to her doctor’s appointment.
She was just getting a routine check-up. Charlotte had the rest of the day off until her final open gym. It was Friday, and her auditions were Monday, getting closer every second. Charlotte was anxious about it, but whenever she thought of Angelo, she felt a sense of calmness wave over her body.
It was strange thinking about him from the night before. People like him seemed like they only existed in movies. Everyone seemed to know who Angelo was, and being by his side made her feel all the more special. He didn’t even have to order drinks; the bartenders just knew what to bring over. They had a private driver to cart them around all night.
She didn’t have to worry about a think as long as he was right by her side. She also remembered how some of the men who had shown up were doing drugs in the back of the bar. Though Angelo declined, she couldn’t help but wonder if he would have accepted had she not been there. She didn’t want to get too deep into that dangerous world.
On the table in front of her, an array of magazines was spread out. Right on top was a popular tabloid with the headline that week being “The Rise and Fall Of New Jersey’s Biggest Boss.” She knew she shouldn’t read gossip magazines like that, but she was interested to know more about the family. She had resisted looking anything about them up online, but the magazine sitting in front of her right there felt like a sign. She knew to take everything she read with a grain of salt. She had spent two nights with this boy at that point, so she deserved to get to know him a little better than she already did. What could be in the magazine that would be so bad anyway?
The article started by discussing how New Jersey used to be. She knew that construction was huge in the state, but she didn’t realize how important it was to the economy in the past few decades. It was wild to see photographs of the city from decades ago. She had only been to Jersey City a few times before to visit her grandmother’s home on certain holidays. None of her memories there really stuck, so seeing the comparison was pretty shocking.
There was always one investor involved in everything, Angelo’s father, Paul Luciano. At first, everyone knew him as a businessman and investor. Eventually, after noticing that he was making more money than expected, rumors started to circulate that he might be involved in the mafia.
The article then goes on to start talking about Angelo’s family. He had two brothers, Sebastian and Francesco. They showed a picture of the boys when they were children as well as high schoolers. Charlotte could recognize little Angelo right away. It was easy to see the family resemblance in all three brothers as well.
The article stated that the family lived like royalty. There was likely a hidden secret that might damage their reputation, however. The police were always following the family, suspecting they might be responsible for several disappearances related to the construction business, but still, Pauly was never formally charged with anything illegal. His wife was diagnosed with cancer when they boys were in their final school years and eventually passed away, leaving Pauly a single father. He had spent decades building up most of the construction in the area, growing his wealth rapidly. Eventually, Paul Luciano was found murdered on one of his own construction sights. There were no suspects, and he was killed in a mob-styled execution. His fortune went to his three children, and they collected a massive life-insurance policy as well.
She knew that Angelo had a lot of money, but the magazine article made it seem like an unbelievable amount. Various sources said that there was no way to figure out the exact amount of money they had, but each of the boys was likely to have received several hundred million dollars, as well as a billion-dollar life-insurance policy split three ways.
Charlotte felt overwhelmed thinking about the man that she had spent the night with. With a fortune like that, he was clearly capable of anything. He could have any girl in the world, so why Charlotte? What about her made him so drawn to her? This was clearly a powerful family, and though Charlotte had an idea that was true, she didn’t realize the level until reading that article.
His father had never been charged, but it was rumored that he had likely been responsible for many deaths and mysterious disappearances during his time alive. She wondered if Angelo had ever committed anything as awful as his father. They likely traded drugs, held illegal gambling at different properties, and might have even been responsible for several underground brothels in the area. Charlotte was shocked but also knew that a lot of these might have been rumors. Still, she couldn’t help but wonder who the man that she was dating might really be. She knew a sweet man who treated her like a queen. That didn’t mean that he didn’t have an evil side he was trying to hide from Charlotte.
She hadn’t finished the article yet, but the doctor’s door opened, and her grandmother walked out. She threw the magazine onto the table, getting the attention from a few other people waiting in the doctor’s office but going unnoticed by her grandmother. She hadn’t realized so much time had passed. She was engrossed in the article, and her brain was swirling with questions. She only wanted to talk about all of the information she had just digested, but she knew for sure that this wasn’t something that would make a great conversation for her and her grandmother.
She felt like she didn’t have really anybody to talk about this with. Anyone who know the truth about the family, like Angelo, might not reveal all of their secrets. Everyone else would just pass judgements. She tried to push it to the back of her mind as she walked out of the doctor’s office. She couldn’t let one magazine article drive her mad.
“Grandma, do you want to get lunch?” she asked when they got back to the car.
“Oh, I don’t think so. I’m tired. That doctor had me walk on a treadmill to monitor my heart and all that jazz. I just want to go home and watch my shows,” April told her granddaughter.
Charlotte understood, but there was no way she could handle going straight home and watching game and talk shows for the rest of the day before dance. She wanted to see Angelo and remind herself why she started falling for him in the first place. She couldn’t fester over what she had read any longer.
Once they returned home, she texted Angelo right away to see if he wanted to go out to lunch. It was a beautiful summer day and each day was getting warmer. Though her grandmother was tired, Charlotte had no interest in spending her time inside.
He responded with a text that said to meet him outside his house. She skipped down her street and then down his, excited to see him again. She banged on the front door and he answered, looking cuter than ever.
He was just wearing jeans and a t-shirt, but he knew how to make a simple outfit look like a dream.
“Hello, sunshine,” he told Charlotte, who was wearing a blush sundress. The light color looked incredible on her rich skin, her skirt flowing slightly in the summer air.
“You hungry?” she asked right away, more concerned about getting some food than anything else.
“Always. But first, I want to take you somewhere. It’s a must for all Jersey City residents!” he said. He led her through the house and out to his garage. When they were inside, Charlotte realized he had managed to stuff two cars into the small garage, not including the one he had come to the diner in first. “These are the cars that do best around the city,” he told her. She shook her head in shock. How many cars did he have? The strapped in and he started driving, her having no idea where they might be headed.
She wasn’t sure where he was taking her yet, and she started to get nervous. Although they had eaten a bunch before bed the night before, she was still feeling a bit hungover. Sitting in the doctor’s office without food only made things worse, and reading the article had turned her stomach upside down. She was ready to stuff her face again, but Angelo wasn’t driving to a restaurant. They passed a few places, and Charlotte thought about how she would eat a shoe at that point if someone told her it was edible. Still, she trusted Angelo and wanted to see where he might be taking her.
They pulled up to a dock, and Charlotte realized where they were. It was a boat tour of the city, one that tourists normally took.
“What are we doing here?” she asked.
“You have to go on this tour. It’s amazing!” he told her.
“Isn’t this for tourists?” she asked.
“Yeah, but who cares? Let’s play tourist!” he told her, hopping out of the car. He ran towards her side and opened the door, helping her get out. She normally wouldn’t have done something like that on her own, but Angelo seemed extra enthused about it all. She suddenly forgot she was hungry.
Angelo bought them two tickets and they ran onto the boat. People from all over the world filled the small yacht, visors, fanny packs, and with cameras strapped around their necks, looking like typical tourists. Charlotte wondered if any of them knew who Angelo was. He led her to the top deck where they got a breath-taking view of both Jersey City and Manhattan.
“This is incredible,” she said, loving how enthused Angelo was about it all.
While on the tour, Angelo was telling Charlotte things sooner than the tour guide. It became clear that he loved his city. The tour guide was clearly someone who wanted to be a stand-up comedian, but a lot of his jokes fell flat. It was cute that they were on this tour together, a Jersey City novelty she would never forget. The two could be totally silly with each other and didn’t have to care what the other passengers thought while on the boat. Charlotte saw things about the architecture and learned interesting facts she never would have had Angelo not taken her on the tour.
They stopped and floated in front of the Statue of Liberty. She hadn’t realized until that tour that the Statue of Liberty was actually a New Jersey resident, something Angelo was excited to tell her. She got an incredible view of N.Y.C. as well, always a refreshing sight that inspired and revived her. It always was amazing to think of all the talented people who were able to build such a stunning city. She thought of all the people in the world that traveled there to see the amazing things she could see. There were so many visitors, residents, and travelers. Out of everyone, Angelo was still her favorite. This feeling overwhelmed her and made her heart feel heavy. The tour had ended, and the boat re-docked.
“This was amazing and all, but I’m still seriously starving,” she told him as they stepped off the boat.
“Well, the reason we did this first is because the next place I want to take you didn’t open right away,” he explained. “So, we had to kill some time. But trust me, it’s definitely going to be worth it,” he told her.
“We don’t have to do anything too fancy! I just need some grub!” she told him, not wanting to have to wait too long at a restaurant. Everything that he had done so far was incredible, and she couldn’t imagine what else he might have in store for the two. She was young, so she hadn’t dated much, but it was still nice to have someone take her out and treat her so nice. He was excited about showing her a good time and taking her around the city to different places he liked. She hadn’t experienced a new city before in the way that he was showing her Jersey City.
They pulled up to a parking lot that had booths lined all around. Charlotte quickly realized they had arrived at a farmer’s market. She knew she was about to experience sample heaven.
“They do this farmer’s market during the summer weekends here. Some people are farmers that sell their produce, but they also bring in representatives from different businesses and restaurants to sample their product and get new customers to hear about their businesses. It’s pretty amazing,” Angelo explained. “I wanted to take you here ever since you told me you weren’t from around here. It’s a must-see for all the locals and visitors.”
They stopped at almost every booth that offered food, Angelo buying Charlotte whatever she wanted. She got to eat some tamales, stuffed peppers, kabobs, frozen yogurt, and of course, a local craft brew. It was a perfect day that Charlotte couldn’t have asked to be better in any way. They got to eat amazing things, but Charlotte’s favorite part was all the art.
Local artists and jewelry makers had displayed their crafts for the farmer’s market visitors as well, and Charlotte was amazed. She always felt inspired to see talented artists following their passion. Angelo was just as interested as Charlotte, making her fall for him even harder. In the past, she had known boys who weren’t interested in the arts or anything creative. Angelo wasn’t afraid to show that he could appreciate the craftsmanship of these artists either.
Angelo led her to the coast of the river just outside the farmer’s market. He reached in his back pocket and pulled out a small box, handing it to Charlotte.
“What’s this?” she asked.
“Just a little something to thank you for being so beautiful,” he told her.
“You’re such a cheeseball!” she teased, not being able to handle his dorky lines. Still, she was flattered. When she opened the box, she realized it was a crystal necklace that she had spent time looking at one of the booths. Angelo had offered to buy it for her, but not wanting to impose, she declined his offer. He managed to purchase it behind her back, surprising her all the more.
“Angelo, you shouldn’t have,” she said, leaning in for a kiss. “It’s so beautiful.”
“I couldn’t stand the thought of someone else buying and wearing it. I wanted to see what it looked like on you,” he told her, leaning in for another kiss. He pulled back, and they just gazed at each other for a moment. She got lost in his eyes but suddenly felt dread over take her body when she realized she was late for the start of practice.
“Ugh, I have to go,” she whined, knowing that it was time to head there.
“No problem, I’ll drop you off,” he told her reassuringly, leaning in for one last kiss before they walked back to the car. Charlotte didn’t want the moment to end but knew that it was time to get to the gym for a final practice before the big audition on Monday.
****
After she walked out of practice, Angelo was standing there waiting for her. It was a good last practice and certainly let her feel comfortable about the upcoming audition. Seeing Angelo there only made things better. He hadn’t driven, but Charlotte was starting to enjoy their walks home together.
“How you doin’, Peaches?” Angelo asked her.
“Better now,” she told him, leaning in for a long kiss. She wove her fingers into his, and they started home. She loved the long walk, being able to feel the fresh summer air and smell the barbeques on the way home. There was an indescribable emotion that came along with the summer air. The smell made her nostalgic and the feeling she got was overwhelming.
Having Angelo by her side only made those feelings more intense. Her body ached for his when he wasn’t around, and she started to get scared of her own emotions. She was falling fast and hard for this boy, and it felt like it was getting out of control. They hadn’t talked much on that walk home, but Charlotte realized it was just because they had already reached a comfortable level of silence with each other.
“You should come upstairs but not through the front?” she said, feeling guilty they couldn’t just walk in together. “It’s just my grandma, you know?” Charlotte said. They could have stayed at Angelo’s again that night, but she wanted clothes to change out of. She also didn’t want her grandma to start catching on that she was spending the night at someone else’s house. She snuck Angelo a big kiss before bouncing up the stairs, him sneaking around to the back. It felt juvenile to still be sneaking around, but she knew that it was what had to happen to keep her and Angelo’s relationship off April’s radar.
Her grandma was already sleeping in front of the TV when Charlotte walked in. She wanted her grandma to get in bed, so she wouldn’t be lightly awoken by any other noise.
“Grandma, Grandma I’m home. Do you want to wake up?” she whispered, pushing her grandmother awake lightly.
“Oh, sweet girl, I did it again. How was practice, baby?” April asked.
“It was good,” Charlotte told her as they walked up the stairs together. “Last one before the audition! Now, let’s just hope I get the part!” she told her grandmother.
“I have no doubts that you will,” April told her granddaughter as she walked into her room. “Goodnight, girl. Get some sleep.”
She walked into her room and waited to see the light had gone off under her grandmother’s door. Once the coast was clear, she signaled Angelo to climb up. She knew he had done it before, but it was still strange to see him do it so fast. He didn’t strike her as an athletic person, though he was certainly muscular.
Seeing him climb up the wall made Charlotte envision him as some sort of skilled athlete. She wondered if he had done some illegal things in the past that allowed him to be so agile. He climbed through the window with ease, barely making a sound. Even if he did make a particularly loud noise, Charlotte knew that her grandma wouldn’t notice too much. She wasn’t confrontational even if she did.
He grabbed her and started to kiss her passionately. “I should shower,” she told him, feeling self-conscious about her scent. She had worked harder other days, but still, she didn’t want to smell like a shoe while kissing such a handsome and powerful man.
“I don’t care, I like it,” Angelo said jokingly.
“Yeah right! Just let me hop into the shower quick,” she told him, breaking away from his embrace. “I’ll be right back. Get comfortable,” she told him, pecking his cheek softly.
She snuck into the bathroom across the hallway and started to run the shower. The hot water didn’t last very long in her grandmother’s house, but she enjoyed just hearing the stream flow for a few minutes before getting in. She looked at herself in the mirror and realized she had never felt so confident. She was growing out of her teenage years and quickly becoming a grown woman. She wasn’t trying to grow up too fast, but she was still ready to break away from her high school life. Being with a man like Angelo also allowed her to feel more like a woman than she ever had.
She slipped into the shower and let the warm water run all over her body. She was careful not to get her hair wet, as it wasn’t time to wash it. Still, she let the hot water pound into her back, relaxing her muscles still sore from practice. She was happy open gym was over but was still hoping she would get to dance more next week after getting cast in the play. She washed her face and just as she opened her eyes, thought she heard someone in the bathroom. When she pulled back the curtain, Angelo was standing there naked.
He climbed into the shower and started to kiss her.
“What are you doing in here?” she asked, terrified but thrilled.
“I got bored waiting in the bedroom,” he told her.
“I wasn’t that long!” she said. “What if my grandma comes in here?”
“Does your grandma always come into the bathroom while you’re showering?” he asked.
She smiled and kissed him back. No one had ever joined her in the shower before.
“You know, I’m glad you joined me, because I thought you smelled bad too,” she said, squirting soap right at him.
“Hey! That’s not very nice,” he teased, tickling her side. They kissed under the water for a moment, but just as the soap washed off their bodies, Charlotte felt the water start to turn cold on her back.
“Oh no, it’s getting cold. We should probably get out,” she said, ending things before they got heated.
“That’s fine. I don’t mind it. I’ll be back over in a minute,” he said, still rinsing off. She pecked his cheek and carefully climbed out.
Charlotte headed back across the hall to her room. Her grandmother’s light was still off, and she felt relieved knowing she likely hadn’t heard anything. She was also relieved things had ended. She worried she’d feel too guilty about making love in her grandmother’s shower. It was an exciting place and something she hadn’t experienced before, but it still wouldn’t have felt right.
The window was still open in her room and she got a cold breeze on her skin when she walked through the door. It was still warm outside but not has much as the hot shower. She decided to keep the window open to let the buzz of the city seep in. She liked the muffled sounds of the cars and dogs barking. It reminded her she wasn’t alone.
She started to clean up the clothes on the floor. Charlotte definitely had an obsessive need to keep a clean area at all times. Something about a freshly organized room made her feel safe and secure. Angelo had taken off his jeans right in the middle of her room. She didn’t see his underwear and hoped he wouldn’t forget them in the bathroom, if he was wearing underwear at all.
She picked up his pants to set them neatly on the chair in the corner of her bedroom. When she lifted them off the floor, she felt something heavy in the back pocket. It was a gun. She had known he brought one in her house the first night, but that was only because he had taken it from the man that tried to attack her. This one was different than the one she had pointed into her back. Why would he feel it necessary to bring that gun into her house?
He walked into the room while she still held it in her hand. He had a towel wrapped around his waist and his underwear in his hand.
“What the hell is this?” she said angrily.
“You know how to use that thing? Don’t be pointin’ it at me,” he told her.
“Yes, I know how to use this, but I’m asking why it’s in here? In my grandmother’s house?” she asked firmly.
“It’s not that big of a deal; everybody has a gun,” he said loudly. Charlotte wanted to scream at him but knew she would risk waking up her grandmother. “Put it down, Charlie.”
Charlotte normally hated when people called her Charlie, but it was cute when Angelo did it in his thick New Jersey accent. “What else do you have on you?” she asked rudely. She was referring to drugs or anything else as offensive as a gun in the middle of her bedroom floor. Did he have his own pack of white powder? Some might think she was overreacting, but after reading that article that day and knowing about his father’s past, she worried what that gun might have done or will do in the future.
“Don’t worry about it,” he said, walking over to her. “I always have to carry one. It’s just better that way, Charlotte; you wouldn’t understand.”
She handed it to him and asked, “What did you plan on doing here that you would need the gun anyways?”
“It’s just so I can protect myself, just so I can protect you!” he explained, taking the gun from her hands. He started to put his underwear back on. She sat down on the bed, wrapped only in a towel herself.
“Have you ever killed anyone?” she asked, afraid to find out the truth. It might not have been the best time to ask, but she wouldn’t be able to stop thinking about what the answer might be.
“You know, you’re starting to sound like a cop,” he told her.
“Is that so bad?” she asked back, thinking of her grandfather.
Her grandma started coughing in the other room. Were they being quiet enough?
“I don’t know how to handle all of this,” she told him honestly. “I know the truth. About your family. That’s just not a kind of life I want to be a part of.”
“Does this mean I should go?” he asked.
“We’re both young. Summer’s getting started, and I have a lot going on,” she told him, not making eye contact. She thought about how hard she was falling for him. It wasn’t a smart decision for them to be together. She was blocking her heart for her benefit, health, and sanity.
She didn’t give him an obvious answer, but that was enough for him to know that it was time to go. He slid on his pants and quickly half-buttoned his shirt.
“You can go out the front door,” she told him. He ignored her and walked towards the window. She watched him climb out the window, wondering if that would be the last time she saw him.
She wanted to be with Angelo, but her brain couldn’t stop thinking about other boys who wouldn’t bring guns over to her grandmother’s house. Boys who wouldn’t have to hide from her grandma either. It was nice that he was so well-known and successful, but that brought on a lot of baggage as well. Still, she wondered if this was just a defense mechanism to protect her heart from being broken? Had she made a huge mistake letting him walk away? She ran towards the window, but he was already gone.
What was causing her to have such conflicting emotions? She didn’t want to have to choose between having him or not. She just wanted him, but that would bring along so much more. Why did falling in love have to be so scary? She was too far in her head, over-analyzing everything about the two.
They had such amazing chemistry, but was that enough to fight through all the other challenges? She knew so little about her future that it was hard to let herself fall all in with Angelo. That’s what her body felt like it wanted to do. Her heart felt connected to Angelo’s with a string. If he was too far, it hurt. He wasn’t the type of guy she thought she would end up with. He was wealthy, but potentially for immoral reasons. She pictured herself ending up with a doctor or a lawyer. Not a mobster.
Her mother had such an influence on her thoughts. It was hard to know which to trust. What were her own words and what were the ideas of other people that raced through her brain? Did the status of someone matter at the end of the day? Was she just too heavily influenced by what other people thought? She had to listen to what her heart was telling her, but even that was hard to understand. She was so filled with passion that she didn’t know what to direct it towards.
He hadn’t done anything wrong, but it still didn’t feel right that night between them. Something was off, and Charlotte wondered if the blissful phase was ending. They had an instant connection, but could it just be dissolving away? Then she remembered how easy it was for them to talk and have a conversation. They played like kids and teased each other like elementary school crushes.
She felt so comfortable around him like she could say anything, and they hadn’t even been together that long. She knew when she talked that he was listening and that he understood what she was trying to say. He made her feel appreciated and only lifted her spirits up, never purposefully contradicting her for the sake of arguing. They would still argue, but only about who was cuter or a better kisser. Things felt so easy with him, but why was there still something that felt wrong?
She wondered if her passion for him was clouding her morals. Had he done bad things in the past to get him where he was now? He hadn’t chosen to be born to his father in that particular family, but he still was nonetheless, and there wasn’t anything to change that. He made Charlotte feel so amazing, however, that she felt willing to forgive any of that just to get another kiss. This made her test her own morals, wondering what defined a good person and made someone have a strong character. He treated her well and was always respectful. He still knew how to be tough and stand his ground. How could she know she wasn’t just looking at him so highly because she felt so passionately for him?
She had a lot at stake and knew she shouldn’t risk it all for a summer fling. He seemed like he really cared for his city and didn’t have plans of moving out. Still, she wondered if they would last past the summer and what she might do for him. Moving to New York City was her dream but was he enough to make her stay. Part of her wished she had never met him so she didn’t have to feel so conflicted. The rest of her hurt imagining a life without him.
It would be hard, but she felt that it was likely best if she cut things off with him for now. She needed to focus on her audition and not let anything get in the way of the production. She wanted to just send him a text and apologize for the fight more than anything, but she knew that wouldn’t be the best option. She had to put herself first and do what was best for her future, no matter how hard that might be.