Please Don't Forget About Me

Court

The envelope is still there, lifeless on the counter, unopened. I was so stupid to even want to do this paternity test, what could I possibly gain from it? DNA and a bit of spunk doesn't make someone a father. My dad has loved and cared about me since the day I was born. Even if Burton was proven to be my father it's not going to change anything, Pale is my dad and he always will be. It's 3am and Charity is pacing around the kitchen, Pale still hasn't returned home yet. It's nothing out of the ordinary, but due to the circumstances it terrifies Charity that he could do something stupid. With the mentality of him losing Anna and now he has it embedded in his head that in some way he will lose Charity as well. "Come back to bed," Adam groans from the bedroom door, beckoning her to come back. He is in his boxers shorts with his chest and toned physique out on full display. Adam thinks he is punching above his weight with me but I sure as hell know how lucky I am to have him, Charity smiles to herself. "Give me five, I'm just struggling to get to sleep knowing that he's out there somewhere," she sighs. "Do you want me to go looking?" He asks, rubbing his eyes. "No, you're all good. Go back to sleep and I'll join you in a bit," she half smiles at him as she turns to face the window. He reluctantly goes back to bed, falling back to sleep in an instant whilst Charity is still deep in thought. She glances over at the envelope, tempted to open it now and put everyone's minds at peace. Tapping her nails on the worktop, the curiosity gets the better of her and she takes it, tracing her name and address with her index finger. Shit, there is no going back from this now, she thinks, taking the envelope opener from the pot. "You can't do that alone!" Ezra exclaims, pointing at her. "Fuck me, why do you keep doing that?!" She gasps, nearly cutting her finger. "Why are you so surprised? Do you remember the time when you were in the middle of one of your classes and I sat at the back watching you? I was so proud, like I was yesterday," he replies, approaching her cautiously. "I thought after my outburst earlier on that I'd never see you again," she says, unable to hold his gaze, ashamed. He shrugs, leaning up against the worktop. "You're not getting rid of me that easily," he exhales sharply. "This whole thing is so fucked," she replies, smiling up at him weakly. "Of course it is. But we've got better things to worry about now, shall we go and look for Pale?" He asks, a sweet smile sweeps across his lips. "At this time in the morning?" She frowns looking down at the time on her phone. "Come on, I'll be with you. It'll be quiet, I've seen many things at this time of night," he grins taking hold of her shoulders. "Good Lord," she squirms. "No,no. I didn't mean it like that, I'm no perv. Although, I am yours. Well, I used to be," he whispers as he presses a brusque kiss on her forehead. "Still are," she replies simply. To be able to still touch and feel him is another thing that she will never be able to comprehend. If she wanted to they could carry on like this, however, the reality is they are separated between life and death. "There is no future for us," he says softly as if he was reading her mind. She nods tentatively, stroking her chin with her index finger, desperately trying to find a way to deviate from this conversation. "Right, come on then. Let's go and find daddy. Pale, I mean. I'm not referring to your daddy in the bedroom over there," he chuckles, leading the way out of the apartment. "There should be rules about all this, no peeping Tom's allowed," Charity laughs as she pulls her hoodie on over her head. "Where's the fun in that?" He grins, making room for her to leave first as he slaps her backside playfully giving her a wink.

"So, how does it feel?" Ezra asks as they both walk through downtown Manhattan together. It is a chilly night yet still incredibly busy with many tourists and early risers. "What do you mean?" Charity responds, hugging herself from the cool breeze. "To be in another relationship?" He tuts. "I thought we were trying to find dad, I'm not really comfortable having this conversation with you," she says, her teeth chattering. "It doesn't bother me in the slightest," he shrugs, putting his arm around her. "It's the weirdest thing to be talking about with you. How can you be okay with all this?" She asks bewildered. Ezra opens his mouth and then pauses for a second, pondering his response. "Anyway, here we are," Charity exhales, approaching the back door of Pale's restaurant. "Go and speak to your dad, God knows I miss the conversations I used to have with him," Ezra chuckles as he tilts his head from side to side. "Do you remember that time we bunked off of school and came here?" Charity giggles, reminiscing on their teenage years. "Larry was helping out front of house and he hid us in the pantry," Ezra beams, wiping away a loose strand of hair from her cheek. "We were so naughty," Charity's eyes brighten with nostalgia. He nods, aware that someday soon he will be nothing to her but a memory. A loud bang from inside prompts Charity to go inside. Sensing Ezra's withdrawal she turns back sharply. "There's still room in your heart to love other people too, remember that," he says in his usual gentle tone as he fades in an instant. Shaking her head in disbelief, trying to digest what Ezra's just said to her, Charity bites the bullet and trots off inside.