Brie cleared her searches and tucked her phone in her pocket as she walked back to her little store. She wondered what the couple who walked into her store were doing; if Luz was grabbing Harry's arm while she jumped up and down excitedly, or if they shared a kiss for the arena's kiss cam. But she mostly wondered and daydreamed about some day meeting someone as perfect for her as those two seemed for each other, someone who put up with silly games of hide and seek and held her wallet in his purse. With a dreamy sigh, Brie smiled at the family who walked up to the counter ready for checkout, a small smile unshakeable from her face the rest of the day.
***
"What's that, Doctor Price?"
Luz looked down at her hand. Charlie, Luz's seven year old patient pointed at the ring on her left hand, and she couldn't help but grin. She always did when she saw her engagement ring. Still, despite her excitement, Luz had to be careful about how she answered him.
"Well, Charlie, you know Harry right? He's come in while you and I are hard at work?"
Charlie's little eyebrows furrowed as his mouth turned down into a frown. Luz could tell he was trying to look menacing, but on his little round face with his big blue eyes, it wasn't working very well. "Yes."
"He asked me to marry him, and I said yes," Luz explained gently. Charlie's frown deepened, his hands bunching into angry little fists.
Charlie was one of Luz's very first patients as a physical therapist. With a condition that left him wheelchair bound, it was her job to work with him so that his muscles didn't atrophy. Since their first appointment, Charlie had grown... attached to Luz. He greeted her with a hug every appointment and said goodbye in the same way. He talked to her about his friends at school and the games he played with his younger sister at home. Charlie even brought Luz in for career day, asking her to come to his classroom to share about her job instead of his mom. When Luz asked him why his mom couldn't do it, he told her his mom wasn't as cool as she was. He'd grown attached in a way that made him scowl the best any seven year old could whenever Harry stopped by to visit Luz at work. Luz and Charlie's mom always thought his little crush was cute and harmless, but now Luz worried he might actually be upset.
"Why?" He asked her now as they went through his routine exercises.
Luz tried to stifle her laugh at Charlie's tone, ever the protective patient. "Because I love him, and he loves me."
Charlie was quiet for the rest of his appointment, leaving Luz to finish his exercises in silence. It wouldn't change anything, but she hoped Charlie was okay with her engagement to Harry. He was the sweetest boy (when he wasn't glaring at Harry), hopefully he would understand eventually.
Luz shook her head. She sounded like she was breaking up with a boyfriend, but Charlie really did mean a lot to her, as she had grown fond of him and his family over the last couple of years. Charlie had a long and tiring life ahead of him, she didn't want to be an unnecessary weight on his young shoulders, even if he did just have an elementary school crush on her.
She walked him out of the back room where she worked with patients, pushing his wheelchair towards the waiting area. On their way back, Charlie finally spoke to her. "What if I love you, Doctor Price?"
Luz practically melted on the spot at the innocence in the seven year old's words. "I love you too, Charlie, but it's a different kind of love."
"What do you mean? If I love you, we can get married," he asked as they rounded the corner to the waiting room, two people sitting in the cushiony chairs by the front desk. Luz's heart fluttered in her chest at one of them, but she focused on Charlie.
Strangers Part 1
Start from the beginning
