I don't know how I managed to update every day when I was writing Lock Up like damn there were even days where I'd have a double update.
We've got a new episode for The Summer I Turned Pretty in a few hours and I'm curious. Which team are you on? Jenny Han is one of my favorite writers and hopefully, I'll get to write something as beautiful as her books in the future 🤍
Enjoy!
*****
June 9, 2028 - USA
"I know Andrea has you on a strict diet, but one slice wouldn't kill you." I smiled at Charles as I returned to our table holding a tray that was filled with two cups of coffee and two slices of Boston cream pie. I laughed when his eyes landed on the dessert and he picked up his fork, ready to devour it.
We arrived early in the States since Gabby invited us over the grand prix, saying that her family was more than happy to accommodate us for the weekend. Charles and I flew in with Max who'd be staying here until he had to fly to Canada while Charles and I would be making a short stop to New York.
"Oh my god?" Charles groaned after taking the first bite and I smiled at him, careful not to spill my coffee. "This tastes like heaven." I wanted him to get the full experience so after this, we were passing by Quincy Market to get some lobster rolls. We still had a few hours to kill before we had to go back to Gabby's childhood home for dinner.
"Easy there." I said when he took one bite after the other. "You've seriously never had this?"
Charles shook his head as he leaned his elbow on the table, smiling at me. "When we come here for the races, it's usually just Texas and New York and we're only there for a few days. Besides, Andrea would never let me have this."
"Which is why we are still keeping this a secret, yes?" I said and he agreed, knowing that his trainer would be furious.
Charles held my hand the entire time we walked around. A few people had recognized him but were thankfully subtle enough to not draw attention on us. Since it was a Friday, the subway was packed with both people going home and the ones who were about to end the week by going out with friends. Charles prepared for this, putting on a cap over his head and hanging his face low during the entire ride.
Because it was rush hour, we were both left to stand just by the doors. All of the hang rings were being used and I've lived here long enough to know that the metal poles were far from clean. Charles was leaning against the side of the wall, both hands on my hips to keep me steady.
I almost lost my balance when the breaks were used, causing me to tighten my grip on the sleeves of his sweater. "What?" I asked him upon seeing the smile on his face.
"That was adorable." He grinned and I rolled my eyes at him, feeling a blush creep into my cheeks.
"Your definition of adorable is questionable."
We arrived at Gabby's house five stations later with Paul opening the door for us. "How was the market?" He asked as we stepped inside. The placed smelled like pot roast and it was heavenly.
"It was great. I don't know if I still have room for whatever Eve is cooking." Charles laughed as Paul waved a hand. Paul was a six foot tall man whose wardrobe composed of only gray sweaters and black t-shirts no matter the weather outside. He used to be a filmmaker before he left the movie industry to teach film at Boston University. He was the reason Gabby got into photography, growing up with Paul and Eve filming her childhood memories.
I trailed behind them as they walked towards the kitchen, talking animatedly about Rush which was conveniently one of Paul's favorite movies. That certainly went well with Max.
Speaking of, Max was standing beside Eve in the kitchen while Gabby watched the two of them from the small breakfast nook they had. "Are we switching careers?" I teased, taking a seat beside Gabby.
Max glared at me before smoothing down the purple apron he was wearing. "Don't be surprised if your food has poison in it." He smiled sarcastically at me, Eve laughing behind him.
"He looks adorable, doesn't he?" She said, patting Max's shoulder before returning to the pots she had on the stove.
"Your definition of adorable is questionable." Gabby told her mom and I caught Charles' eyes as they widened, gaze moving between me and Gabby. "Why is Charles glitching?" She asked when she noticed the expression on his face.
I couldn't help but snicker. "I said the same thing earlier."
"Independently, you two are already scary." Charles said, shaking his head.
"Together, you're a nightmare." Max finished for him, cleaning up the dishes he and Eve didn't need anymore. A flash went off and we all looked at Charles who had his phone trained on Max. "Hey! You better delete that."
"I'm posting this on Instagram if you win next week."
"When I win." Max corrected him, pointing a dirty spatula at Charles who scoffed in return.
"Yeah, let's see about that."
Dinner was fantastic. It was unfortunate Gabby didn't inherit Eve's cooking skills because we would've had better food back when we began hanging out. The two were like carbon copies, having the same blonde hair and doe eyes. The only difference was their personalities, which Gabby evidently got from Paul. The man was just as witty and fiery as her.
Charles and I were sleeping in the guest bedroom downstairs while Max and Gabby occupied her old room. The night ended with everyome except me retreating to their rooms while I decided to finish the night with another glass of wine and a book that I brought for the trip.
"You're not sleeping yet?" Charles asked as he walked into the living room wearing a black shirt and sweatpants. I lightly shook my head, expecting him to turn back and return to our room, but he walked towards me instead. "What are we reading for tonight?" He asked, lightly pushing my back so that I'd make some space for him on the couch.
"We?" I asked, my smile only widening when I noticed him copy my position– legs bent and feet over the sofa– but he made some space for me to sit in front of him.
"I'm trying to live up to my new personality of being a bookworm."
"I don't think I've ever seen you finish a book that has more than a hundred pages." I smirked and Charles pinched my side, making me yelp.
"This will be first, then." He replied. "Now, turn around and let me read." I followed his instructions, noting how we were in the same position two years ago when he brought me to that cafe in Hungary.
I read faster than he did and naturally, he grew frustrated every time I was about to flip the page. It ended up with him grabbing the book from me so that he could turn the page when he was done, allowing me to sink into his warmth, my hand drawing small circles by his knee. My head was leaning back on his shoulder and at that moment, I could definitely say that this was the most relaxed I've been in months.
There's just something so mundane about it, as if the accident didn't happen and we were just stuck inside this little bubble we made for ourselves. Charles is still himself, but there are new parts of him that have swam towards the surface. He's not as confident as he was before and I think the fear of driving an F1 car still lingers in his bones. I just hope that with any memory he regains, he'll get back a piece of himself that I will never be able to help him with. When it comes to the memories he had with me, I could definitely show him or talk about it endlessly. But when it comes to the sport he loves? Deep down, I knew that the only person who could help him is himself.
*****
June 12, 2028 - USA
All my plans of showing Charles around New York again were thrown out of the window when he got sick during our last day in Boston.
None of us were sure where he got it from, but we couldn't risk him getting worse because of the race so we decided our stay in New York would be spent inside the apartment we were renting.
"How are you feeling?" I asked, sitting down by the edge of the bed. I already called Andrea earlier today and made a short trip to the pharmacy to grab some medicine for him before we left Boston.
"I feel like the entirety of Berlin is having a party in my head right now." He groaned, pushing his face further into the pillow. I placed the back of my hand on top of his forehead and sighed in relief when he didn't have a fever. "I'm sorry we had to cancel our plans."
"That's okay." I said, giving him a smile and light peck on his forehead. "We could always come back next year." To be honest, I was really disappointed that I wouldn't be able to show him around and hopefully bring back a few memories from our trip here back in 2025. But I have to put his health first above all else. There will be plenty of chances to help him remember.
"You could always go, if you want. I'll be alright here."
"Charles, I'm not leaving you in this apartment while you're sick." I frowned at him, pulling the covers over his upper body.
"At least get me a bagel or something. I'm starving."
I couldn't help but scoff at his bossy tone but began putting on my shoes nonetheless. "Be thankful you're sick or else I would've thrown another pillow at you."
Charles gave me a soft smile before he closed his eyes, already drifting off to sleep. There was a coffee shop two blocks down so this would just be a short trip. As I was falling in line, I couldn't help but look around and admire the streets of New York.
This city will always hold a special place in my heart. New York was where I realized I was in love with Charles and my feelings have only grown fonder ever since. No one knew about that little trip we took nor the one after that, making it even more special because it was just between the two of us.
I was walking back to the apartment when I came across a DVD store, an idea forming in my head. Charles was still asleep by the time I got back, giving me enough time to decide on which films to watch. If we can't go out and see New York the way we did, then I'll just bring it to him in the comfort of the apartment.
That was how he found me— lying down on the sofa with my laptop connected to the television as I browsed through the small movie list I made. "Are you hosting a film festival?" He asked, ruffling his hair as he walked towards me. He seemed like he was feeling better but his eyes still held a bit of tireness in them.
"How was your nap?" I asked, leaning my head back against the sofa. Charles smiled at me before placing both of his hands just by my head.
"It was good. Thank you." He smiled, leaning down to give me a short kiss. "Now, what's the plan for the rest of the day?"
"Your bagel is in the kitchen and I was thinking that since you can't go out, we'll just watch some movies?"
"Sounds like a plan to me." He disappeared momentarily and came back with his bagel in one hand and a bottle of water in the other. "What have you prepared for us, Ms. Kaplan-slash-Leclerc?" He asked as he took my laptop from me, too busy to notice the blush forming in my cheeks.
I cleared me throat, pulling myself out of my thoughts as I pressed on the first movie. "This is a bit gory, so I'd finish that quickly if I were you."
Charles chuckled, taking a bite of his bagel. "If it's not as bad as Dahmer, then I'll survive."
We started out with Cloverfield, then Ghostbusters to lighten up the mood. I managed to pick three movies for us to watch, the bright sky turning dark as we continued to watch. Before we began the third movie, we decided to order some food since it was clear the bagel only lasted him a few hours.
I was craving for Japanese food, so we spent a majority of the third movie, Serendipity, sitting on the floor while boxes of sushi and grilled meat were placed on the table in front of us. There was about thirty minutes left of the movie when the doorbell rang and I turned to Charles confused.
I glanced at the food in front of us before saying, "We didn't order anything else, right?"
He grinned, standing up. "I did. Give me a minute."
I paused the movie and waited for him, finishing up the last of the sashimi. I heard him exchange a few words with the delivery guy before the door closed and Charles' footsteps echoed in the apartment.
"You ordered an ice box." I slowly said, watching as he weirdly smiled at me before opening it. It was only a small one which doesn't explain more what the hell he ordered.
"It was a requirement for what I ordered. They don't deliver, but I promised a hefty tip if they did." He checked whatever was inside and seemed satisfied when his smiled widened. "Now, don't peek because I have to get something."
"What—" Before I could even end my sentence, he was already heading for the kitchen. I glanced at the ice box before looking at the kitchen, pushing the box with my finger so that it was farther from me because the temptation to look was pretty strong.
Charles came back with two glasses and a spoon, sitting down beside me as he set them down. "I didn't know these were real until I looked it up." He said, bringing out a container that held a brown substance. It seemed like it was liquid but the consistency was thicker than I expected as he began pouring it into the glasses. "You can play the movie now."
I followed his words before returning my eyes to what he was doing. Are those milkshakes? Charles pulled out another container that looked like it was holding whip cream. My lips parted when I turned back to the television, seeing the two lead characters sitting across from one another in a cafe. "Is that—?"
"Yes." He said, briefly smiling at me before he placed a few chocolate shavings on top of the whip cream. "Ta-da." He put one glass in front of me before dropping a straw into the drink.
I don't know what came over me as I watched Charles take a sip of his own glass, green eyes bright with happiness as he enjoyed the frozen hot chocolate. He pulled back to ask me something but before he could even speak, I leaned forward and kissed him.
He was caught off guard for a second but he returned the kiss, one hand moving to cup my cheek as my hands gripped the front of his shirt. From the efforts he has shown to the day he began wearing his wedding ring again, it felt like I was slowly falling in love again. It's a privilege that I will never take for granted because not everyone can fall in love with the same person twice.
"What was that for?" He asked, breathless, as we both pulled away from one another.
"I love you." I blurted out and Charles held me tighter. "I know you're not ready to say those words yet, but I just want you to know. You are the love of my life and I am so grateful that you're here with me. Thank you for choosing to stay despite everything that has happened. I don't even know how I'd be right now if I hadn't met you that night. You are my serendipity."
He was a chance I never knew I needed— the sign that told me things haven't ended for me. He was my restart, a second chance for me to feel the love I lost. Meeting Charles was me experiencing luck during a time where all I had was pain and grief.
Charles gave me a smile that was enough to make me melt, nudging my nose with his as he gave me a kiss. "I think you're my serendipity, too."
*****
What I hate about being a writer is I keep writing stuff that makes my standards so unattainable 😂
✧Reese✧