She started to walk in and took a deep breath. She reached out and grabbed his hand. She felt misty from the rain, but her hands were still frozen. She didn’t feel very nervous until she stepped into the theater. Her stomach felt empty even though she had eaten a salad at the diner.
She started to feel hollow, like she had walked away from her body. She wanted to fast forward so bad and skip right through the audition. What she didn’t realize what that this pain, this nervous aching, was going to go away so quickly once she was done. She just had to remember what was on the other side of the finish line.
“You’re capable of anything,” he told her. “Don’t be so nervous! You don’t have anything to be nervous about! You’re my princess and the most amazing dancer I’ve ever seen. They’d have to be crazy to cast anyone but you, Charlotte.”
She was amazed at how supportive he was being. No one else had ever cared for her so much. He was being so understanding in a time that she was so incredibly anxious. She wished he could go into the audition with her and hold her hand the entire time. That might make things a little more challenging for her, however.
He made her feel so confident. She never doubted herself with him. He was so specific and so genuine with his compliments. He pointed out things about herself she had never realized before. The way he thought amazed her. He helped her start thinking in new ways, too. She looked at the world in a different way after being with him. He could have anything he wanted, but he didn’t act recklessly. He had a passion and fire inside of him that burned through her.
“I think I’m going to explode!” she told him.
“If you do, I will too,” he joked. He was good at making her less anxious by telling jokes.
People had started to recognize her at dance class. She didn’t blend in as much. The girls would talk to her in the bathroom afterwards and the boys always had a compliment to give. Kelly had been close with her too. It was crazy to think back about how different her life was at just the beginning of that week. She was single and insecure. Now, she was about to audition for her first role since high school productions. She was terrified but in a positive way that she hadn’t felt before. She realized then that even if she wasn’t able to land a role she wanted in the production, she would still forever be a better person because of that week of practice.
It felt like slow motion walking through halls of the theater, but it was the least anxious she had felt in a while. She waited for her name to be called. There were a few seats set up outside the theater, but most of the people waiting for their names to be called were stretching and warming up. Some people were alone, and others had groups of friends with them. Charlotte was happy to wait with Angelo. She remembered how just moments ago, he had beat her boss to the ground. It felt like a different time. She only had five minutes until her scheduled audition time and wondered how long she would actually have to wait. The theater doors opened, and Kelly stepped out.
“Charlotte James?” she said, looking directly into Charlotte’s eyes.
She looked at Angelo one last time before heading into the audition. She waited to let go of his hand until the last second. He squeezed it tight and pulled her in, giving her one last kiss before she walked away.
She followed Kelly into the theater. It was completely empty except for five people sitting in the front row. She walked onto the stage. She hadn’t gotten a chance to warm up, but her heart had certainly been racing and working out had allowed her to stretch out a little bit as well. She took a deep breath and looked at the people in front of her.
“Go ahead and start whenever you’re ready,” Kelly told her.
****
Angelo and Charlotte burst out of the theater. Charlotte had done so much better than she expected. She had performed an original routine, and the judges were stunned. They asked her for a few specific moves as well, and she landed those, doing a bit extra to show off. It worked in her favor. She stayed in there longer than she expected, a good sign that the directors were willing to work with her.
Charlotte had never felt so confident after an audition in her life. They didn’t have one negative thing to say and seemed utterly impressed at every move. Charlotte felt like she was on top of the world. There was no way to describe the amount of relief she had felt after the told her she could go. Now she just had to wait for them to decide to find out if she would have a part or not.
“I have the perfect place to celebrate!” Angelo told Charlotte. She didn’t have a job, and until they announced the cast list, she didn’t have dance either! She was more than willing to celebrate with Angelo. After the amazing day they had the night before, Charlotte was willing to try anything Angelo suggested. He clearly knew his way around the city. Charlotte couldn’t ask for a better tour guide.
“Anything you want! I can’t thank you enough for supporting me like this! I know it sounds strange to say, but I really don’t know if I could have done this without you,” she told Angelo.
“Are you joking? This was all you, girl! You’re the one who danced, I didn’t do anything. Don’t give me any credit, you’re the real superstar here!” Angelo told her. She gave him a big kiss, and they headed to her house.
Angelo blasted music the entire ride home, both of them singing loudly, not caring who heard. She hadn’t seen the cast list yet, but Charlotte felt like she already won.
“I’m going to wait in the car, so I don’t have to park,” Angelo told her as he pulled in front of April’s house.
“Oh geez, that’s so sweet of you!” Charlotte told him sarcastically. “Just kidding, I’ll only be a minute.”
“Yeah, you better be!” he teased as he tickled her on the way out.
She laughed her way into the house and saw her grandmother sitting in front of the TV.
“Hey, girlie girl! How’d your audition go?” April asked.
“Grandma, it was perfect! I don’t want to be too confident, but I just really think I nailed it! Angelo’s taking me out to celebrate. I’ll let you know when I hear the results!” She told her grandma, running up the stairs. April laughed and looked back at the TV, not sure what to say. She couldn’t remember ever seeing her granddaughter that happy.
****
Charlotte slipped on a black velvet dress that hugged her figure tight. Her hair and makeup were still fresh and on point, and she was ready to join Angelo. He drove quickly, still not revealing where he was taking Charlotte. When she had run back to the car, she heard him frantically talking to someone on his cell phone, so she had assumed that he was planning something special. He pulled up to the river on yet another dock.
“What, are we going on another cruise?” she asked.
“Something like that,” he said, as he pulled up to a valet driver. The city was breathtaking in the night sky. Charlotte slid out of the car and over to Angelo. He led her to a boat the size of the one that they had taken a tour on early that day.
“Are you trying to make me seasick?” she teased.
“Just get on the boat,” he laughed.
When she stepped onto the boat, she realized they were the only ones on the boat besides a few staff members. There weren’t any loud tourists or tour guides that were trying too hard. There wasn’t cheesy background music, but instead, a string quartet set up on the side. In the middle of the front of the ship, there was a table with a candle on it.
“Angelo, how did you? I don’t understand,” Charlotte said, looking around at the incredible presentation.
“If you two wouldn’t mind taking your seats, we’re about to leave the port,” a man told Charlotte and Angelo. She assumed he was the captain. They walked over to the table and sat down. The quartet started playing a light song that Charlotte didn’t recognize. They slowly left the dock as a server came to fill their wine and champagne glasses.
“I don’t understand what’s going on. How did you do all of this?” she asked Angelo again, more confused than ever.
“I know a few guys, and a few others who owe me a favor. Don’t worry about it. I wanted to celebrate tonight,” he told her. She was speechless. She was also starving, but luckily, the server brought out a seafood dinner plate for each of them. She was excited to get right to the main course.
“My father would have loved you,” he told her, looking right into her eyes.
“Oh, Angelo. I’m so sorry I’ll never get to meet him,” she said, not realizing how harsh that sounded until the words left her mouth. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to- “
“No, you’re fine. I understand what you mean. I mean, it’s true. But honestly, he knew when a person was good. He would have seen it in you. I can’t say that about a lot of people,” Angelo told her. Charlotte was numb with bliss. How could she have asked for a more perfect night? She had one of the best days of her life, yet again. She wondered how Angelo could top it, but then remembered that she had probably seen just a small amount of what he was really capable of.
Her parents wouldn’t approve at first, but how could they not like such a charming man? They were very strict, both of them having fairly strict parents. Charlotte’s grandmother had certainly lightened up as she got older. Charlotte was her only grandchild as well, so it wasn’t surprising that she gave her more lenient treatment than she did her daughter. Still, it had caused Charlotte’s mother to be pretty hard on her own daughter. She would certainly judge Angelo fairly harshly, but Charlotte wasn’t too concerned with what her mother thought, or at least, she tried not to be. It was just a waste of time at that point. She knew how she felt about Angelo, and what anyone else thought about him wouldn’t change that one bit.
“Will you dance with me?” he asked her, reaching out a hand. She was finished with her fish and started to feel the effects of the champagne.
“You want to dance with me?” she asked, remembering how he had been reluctant to dance when they were at the bar. Of course, she wanted to dance. It was her favorite thing to do.
“Who else would I be talking to?” he teased back. “I want a reason to hold you and look into your eyes.”
Charlotte laughed at his cheeky comment. He stood up and reached out a hand, her own enthusiastically taking his. He pulled her closer to the band, causing them to switch to a more romantic tune.
The city looked mystical behind him. His eyes sparkled, and his cheeks glowed. The water was a little bumpy, but it didn’t stop the two from dancing along to the string quartet. He held her close and looked into her eyes. She turned her head and he leaned in to kiss her cheek. All of a sudden, the boat hit a wave, and the two stumbled back. Charlotte almost fell, but Angelo held her close. The band stumbled in the song as well and had to start over.
“Whoa, maybe we should take a break from dancing,” Angelo laughed. He led Charlotte to a bench on the front of the boat. There were pillows and blankets set up, exactly what Charlotte needed to get warm on the boat as it was getting breezy.
“Whose boat is this?” Charlotte asked, wondering where they were and how they came to be there. Angelo just gave her a look and raised his eyebrows. “Yours? This boat is yours?”
“What can I say?” he said, feeling awkward. She wondered why they hadn’t taken the boat earlier that day but figured he might not know how to drive it himself.
“Would you ever move out of Jersey City?” she asked him.
“I think I would. I would need a reason, but there are a few things I could think of that would get me out of the city,” he told her.
“Oh yeah?” she asked. “Like what?”
“Well, a business opportunity. You know, something that would make me have to be on location. I always thought it would be cool to like, open a restaurant or something. But I still think I would want my first restaurant in Jersey City, though,” he explained. “I’d also move for love. A beautiful woman, of course.”
Charlotte blushed. “Oh really? What would you do if you weren’t you know…”
“A business investor?” Angelo laughed.
“Right, a business investor,” Charlotte laughed too. “What did you want to be as a little boy?”
“Honestly, I have no idea. I never really thought about it. I guess I didn’t have to. Like, my parents never encouraged me to be anything. I don’t want to blame them, but still. If I didn’t have money, I don’t know what I would do,” he explained, sounding disappointed.
“Really?” Charlotte asked, surprised he didn’t have any specific passions. He just seemed so enthused and interested about life that he struck her as a guy who had an exact direction or vision they saw themselves in.
“This life, it wasn’t my first option. But I can’t say too much bad because it’s treated me well so far. I have several beautiful homes throughout the country, this boat, gorgeous cars, and now, an incredible woman. What more could I ask for?” “Well, you didn’t buy me,” she said.
“Of course not, baby; you’re priceless,” he told her. They both laughed and fell onto the pile of pillows they had surrounding them.
The Jersey City skyline looked as beautiful as ever. Charlotte had managed to see it in a different way than before. It twinkled like the night sky and filled her with warmth. Holding Angelo while she looked up made it so much better. He rubbed her back, causing a warm sensation to spread across her. She could still hear the band playing, now performing a softer tune. Angelo reached over and kissed Charlotte, slow and soft. He kept his lips pressed to hers for a moment, going back in right away for another kiss. She didn’t want him to ever stop.
His phone started buzzing. He tried to ignore it, but the calls kept coming in. He hung up five times before he finally gave in.
“I’m so sorry, this is a nightmare,” he told Charlotte.
“It’s fine, don’t sweat it. It might be important,” she told him reassuringly. She had known from having strict parents that consistent calling was never good. He gave her another kiss before walking to the other side of the boat. Charlotte sat up and looked at the skyline, taking it all in over and over again. Looking at the twinkling lights of both Manhattan and Jersey City would never get old to her.
“Hey, it’s Sebastian. I’m at a game here at the hotel and, well, it’s getting a little messy. I need you to come down,” Sebastian said on the other line as soon as Angelo answered the phone. He didn’t even say hello.
“Why can’t you handle that?” Angelo asked angrily.
“They aren’t respecting me. I need your backup, Ang. They respect you, and they look up to you. It’s getting a little out of hand. Shorty’s in the hole twenty grand, and I don’t want to have to keep bailing him out. You have to get down here quick and end this game before it gets even more out of hand than it already is. Pleas little bro, I’m dying over here,” Sebastian begged from the other line.
“I just can’t right now. You don’t understand,” Angelo explained. “Get Francesco or someone else. It can’t be me,” Angelo said, firmly hanging up the phone. He ran back to Charlotte and sat down next to her again. “I’m sorry. Just dumb stuff that shouldn’t have happened,” he told her. “Nothing too serious. What’re you thinking about?”
“Just how much different it must have been growing up here than in the suburbs. I don’t think I would want to raise my kids in a place like where I went to high school,” she told him. She wasn’t sure if it was awkward to be bringing up raising kids already. She didn’t mean anything by it. He had been the one to ask her what she was thinking about. How else was she supposed to answer?
“Growing up here wouldn’t be my first choice,” he said. “Don’t get me wrong, I love Jersey, but it wasn’t easy. Not only did you have to deal with all the dumb stuff kids and teens have to deal with, but you also had to survive in the city. As a kid, people beat up on you if you’re smaller than them much more in the city. I had to learn at an early age to defend myself.”
“Don’t you think that made you a stronger person though, at least?” she asked.
“Well yeah, but I can’t say that if I hadn’t of had to do it I would be any sadder,” he replied.
“Life in the suburbs wasn’t always as challenging as I wanted it to be. When I’m in a city like this, there are just endless options of what to do,” she explained. “I can never get bored. It just feels like the past when I go back to the suburbs now. Like everyone is stuck in a different decade.”
“I know what you mean. People are so afraid of change sometimes it makes me sick. We should embrace the future because it’s not like we’ll ever be able to go to the past,” he told her.
“Exactly. I love new things. I love challenges and meeting different people and just exploring new places. I like that you like that too,” she said, leaning in for a kiss. He couldn’t resist her, and she wasn’t planning on stopping him.
They sat on the front and he wrapped a blanket around her cold shoulders. She couldn’t believe that she had met such a perfect man. If her muscles weren’t still sore from dance, she might have thought she was dreaming. The pain reminded her that wasn’t the case.
“How’d you get to be so beautiful?” he asked her, looking right into her eyes. She hadn’t felt that beautiful before now. She felt attractive, but not all around admired, like the way he treated her. She leaned in and rested her head on his chest once again. She felt so safe and warm cuddled up next to him.
She melted in his arms and dreamed of falling asleep right there. Unfortunately, the boat had begun to dock. Angelo was a wizard for being able to put that all together, but everyone had to end their shift at some point, and the band and the servers could only stay on the boat for so long. She should probably get off the boat anyway, as the champagne was certainly still affecting her motor skills. She was a lightweight, and being on a rocky boat didn’t make that any easier. Still, it was difficult to stand up once they had reached the dock were asked to get off.
“Well, do you want to continue this back at my place?” Angelo asked.
“There’s no place I’d rather be,” Charlotte responded, remembering how comfortable his bed had been the other night. She couldn’t wait to get home and back into his arms. It was like jumping from a hot tub back into a swimming pool when she had to let go of his hands.
She couldn’t imagine having to walk home and felt eternally blessed when the valet driver pulled his car right up to where they had stepped off the dock. Charlotte thought about how it couldn’t get any more V.I.P. and how she didn’t think she could ever return to normal life after this.
Angelo wasn’t being subtle at all about how much he wanted Charlotte. He put his hand over onto her leg as soon as they got into the car. She climbed over the middle and started kissing his neck, careful not to accidentally mess up his driving. She was hoping they had more time on the boat, as her body was aching for his while they were on the water. After about ten minutes of groping back and forth on the drive home, they had finally managed to pull back into his garage. Charlotte thought she was going to explode right there.
They both hopped out of the car and ran to the back door of Angelo’s house. He pushed her up against the wall and started kissing her up and down. Her feet weren’t even touching the ground as he moved his lips across her neck and chest. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his keys, desperately trying to get them to go into the keyhole.
He pushed them both through the back door, never taking his hands off her waist. Charlotte hated having to kiss with her eyes open, but it seemed like she might die if she stopped kissing him. He pushed her up against the wall in his hallway, bumping into a picture frame. Charlotte wanted him so bad right there, but he kept teasing her, pushing her hand up against the wall when she ran her hands below his belt. She could feel that he was getting hard and couldn’t wait for him to rip her clothes off. Just as she thought she might explode, she overheard a man grunt from the other room.
“Did you hear that?” Charlotte asked. Angelo shook his head and continued to kiss her neck. “No, Angelo, I think someone’s really here.” He pulled away and walked down the hallway towards the front of the house. Charlotte realized there was a light on and followed quickly behind him. When they got to the living room, Charlotte’s body froze with dread.
Sebastian and Francesco sat in his living room, not looking pleased.
Charlotte immediately turned around, deciding it was probably best to just walk home at that point. She could go through the back door and cut across the alley, straight through the back of her grandmother’s yard. The last thing she wanted to do at that moment was leave Angelo’s side, but she knew that it was what she needed to do.
She would have loved if she were in a scenario in which she could meet Angelo’s family and get to know what his blood relatives were like, but that was certainly not what this situation called for. She walked out of the apartment just like she had imagined, Angelo letting her go. It was hard but the best option at the time.
“Please explain to me why you just broke into my house and ruined one of the greatest dates of my life,” Angelo told his brothers. He was good at keeping unwelcome guests out, but his brothers were even better at breaking and entering. He couldn’t keep them out of his life physically or emotionally no matter how hard he tried. They always managed to find their way back in somehow.
“We needed you tonight, little brother. And you did not come through. You let two of your family members down and forced us to lose the respect of some of our colleagues,” Francesco told his little brother. “How are we supposed to recover from this embarrassment? I’m dealing with a mess. I’m drownin’ in garbage, Ang!”
“Shorty owes me 200 G’s now; do you think I’ll ever get that back from him? He’ll die before he gives me a penny. You know I needed you, Angie. You knew it and you let me down,” Sebastian cried. He always got too emotional during confrontations.
“I can’t do this anymore!” Angelo screamed. “I never asked for this. I never wanted this responsibility! I’m not a prince! There isn’t a throne. I’m just your brother, and I don’t want to be a part of this.”
“What would our father think?” Sebastian asked. “What would dad think to know his son was ashamed he was born?”
“No, you’re twisting my words, Sebastian. I just didn’t choose to be here,” he tried to explain. But it was too late. His brothers already thought what they thought.
“You say you want to leave, but how can we trust you? How can we know you won’t turn your back on us?” Sebastian asked. “You think any of us asked for this? No, we didn’t. We’re dealing with the mess our dead father left us. Someone killed him, so they could get to the top. We were dealt a heavy hand, and if we start looking like we’re turning on each other, that’s only going to make us look weaker to everybody else. We have to stick together, whether we like it or not.”
“Do you think you would get this many chance if you weren’t our baby brother?” Francesco said. “We need to know we can count on you. If we can’t, we have a problem. Blood is thicker than water, but still not stronger than a bullet.”
The three brothers looked at each other, not quite sure exactly what to say.
****
Her body felt frozen from his touch, aching that it couldn’t get more. She came through the front door excitedly. Charlotte was upset that she wasn’t able to spend the night with Angelo, but seeing him and spending time with him on the boat was enough for her to feel too blissful to worry. She figured his brothers being there was because of some business he had to attend to on the phone while they were on the boat. She was still buzzing from the high of an amazing date to worry about what his brothers might be there for or what he might be getting involved in.
“Honey, you look different,” April told her granddaughter. She had fallen asleep in front of the TV but woke up once Charlotte slammed the back door. Charlotte was too caught up in her feelings to realize she was stomping around the house like a giant.
“Grandma, I feel different. I can’t explain it. How do you know when you’re in love?” Charlotte asked.
“Child, when you start acting goofy asking questions like that? You think a normal person would go around pretending like they were in a romance movie? You can tell you might be in love if you aren’t afraid to make a fool of yourself. Only crazy people are in love,” April responded. “Are you talking about a certain boy that lives around here?”
“I only want to hug and kiss him. There’s nothing else I’d rather do,” she told her grandmother. It was true. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Angelo. It was hard to think badly of him. She lost sight of all other men. She could only see attraction towards Angelo. He drew her in so much, she wasn’t able to break away. Whenever Charlotte was touching him, she imagined them flying away from the Earth, away from everyone. She didn’t care if they were the last two people alive, that was all she needed. She ached, hoping that he felt the same way too.
“Baby girl, it sounds like you’re in love.”
“I don’t know a lot about love, but I do know that it’s late, and I need to go to bed,”
April laughed. Charlotte felt sad that her grandmother had been inside watching TV all day while she was having the time of her life. She longed for her grandmother to feel what she felt. Perhaps she had at some point in her life, but knowing that it was taken away from her broke Charlotte’s heart.
“Goodnight, Grandma. I love you,” Charlotte said, hugging her grandmother.
Falling in love with Angelo helped her realize just how much she loved everyone else in her life. She felt guilty about neglecting her grandmother, promising herself she would treat her better from there on out. Charlotte was good at sticking to her promises. April hugged her back hard in one of those special, extra loving hugs that only happen so often with certain family members. She watched her grandmother walk upstairs, and she grabbed a glass of water before heading to her own room.
Charlotte took off her dress, mourning the fact that it wouldn’t be Angelo that was stripping it off her body and tossing it to the floor. She felt extra cold thinking about how she wouldn’t have anyone to hold her while she fell asleep. Angelo had been spoiling her, and she didn’t think she would be able to survive without that now.
Charlotte looked out of her window, knowing she wouldn’t see what she wanted. Angelo’s house was still dark, not having turned on any lights when they entered. She wished so badly she was in his house looking out the window at her grandmother’s. Part of her was glad that she had gone home to spend time with her grandmother that night. She felt more connected to her even though they had only spent a quick moment together.
She could still feel him on her body. He had an amazing smell that Charlotte couldn’t quite pin down. It was probably some expensive cologne that he had specially made. Or perhaps he was an actual angel sent from heaven who had a natural smell that could attract anyone. Charlotte would have believed it. She could have believed anything after the week she had. Every time she touched Angelo, she felt closer to him. Still, she could never get enough of his touch. There wasn’t a number of kisses that would ever be too many for Charlotte to receive from his perfectly soft lips.
She threw herself into bed, surrounding herself with a wall of pillows. She wrapped herself up tight in the blanket, wishing she was wrapped up in Angelo’s arms instead. Charlotte gazed out her window at the night sky. She hoped he was all right. She knew he would be fine, but still, she couldn’t stop longing for him to be with her. She didn’t think she would ever be able to fall asleep.
She hugged her pillows, trying to alleviate some of the passion she was feeling for Angelo. It wasn’t the same, and it would never be enough. She sighed and closed her eyes, hoping that he was thinking about her as much as she was thinking about him.