Stand-Ups in New York

Chapter 39 - Midnight Oil

Pete tried to catch his breath while Charlotte was in the bathroom. As much as he hated not seeing her in person for a month, that felt very worth the wait. He wondered if the sex was so great because he was in love with Charlotte or if she was just a fucking animal in bed, and realized he didn't really care either way. He picked up his shirt and jacket and put it back on. He'd already done the majority of the clean-up while Charlotte was out of the room and he knew they would need to get back down to the rehearsal dinner soon. He pulled his pants on and picked up Charlotte's dress from the floor, laying it on the bed.

Charlotte walked back out of the bathroom in her bra and panties. Pete looked at her, wishing he had a picture of her exactly like this for when they weren't in the same place. However, as soon as that thought crossed his mind, he remembered that they wouldn't have to be apart for much longer. Charlotte had already fixed her hair and make-up, probably attempting not to look like she'd just had sex while her entire family and a decent amount of friends sat on the porch outside. "Hey, handsome," she said.

"Hello, gorgeous," he answered, sitting on the edge of the bed. Charlotte walked over to him and positioned herself between his legs. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him. He rested his hands on her hips, playing with the band of her underwear.

Charlotte pulled away. "If I ask you how things are going with my family, will you be honest with me or are you going to try to make me feel better?"

Pete cast his eyes down, fixating on a freckle on Charlotte's neck rather than making eye contact. "Probably the second one," he said.

Charlotte sighed. "That bad, huh?" Pete shrugged, then Charlotte continued. "Well for what it's worth, I think my dad likes you."

Pete looked into Charlotte's eyes again, his brow furrowed. "How the fuck could you come to that conclusion, you didn't even talk to him."

"He was smiling when I came to the table," Charlotte said.

"That's it? He was smiling?"

Charlotte smirked. "Yeah! Trust me, if he didn't like you, it would have been very evident." She backed away from Pete and grabbed her dress. She slid the material over her head, adjusting it and turning around. She pulled her hair to the side and Pete automatically went to zip it up. When he finished, he left his hand on her shoulder and traced the freckles that sat on it. Charlotte looked at him over her shoulder, then turned and took his hand. She kissed the back of it, then wrapped it over her as she hugged him. Pete moved his other arm over her, buried his face in her blonde locks.

"My mom is going to love you once she knows you, trust me. She's just very protective, but she'll feel better knowing that you're staying with me over the summer. She'll be so excited to get to know you, I mean, they're over all summer anyway. It'll be a great time for all of us to get close."

Pete thought for a second, then asked, "How often do they actually come over?"

"Oh, at least three times a week during the summer I would say," she said.

Pete was about to comment on how often that was when he realized it would come off as hypocritical from someone who was still currently living with his mother.

Charlotte and Pete separated and looked at each other. Charlotte was smiling wide, he blue eyes gleaming. "What?" Pete asked.

"I'm just picturing you at my house floating around the pool and grilling with my dad and Victor."

Pete smiled back at Charlotte. "That sounds like a really great way to spend a summer," he said.

The pair left their room and went downstairs, back to the porch.

_________________________________________________________

Marie Costa stood with her husband talking to Annette and Ted Capaldi about their daughter's wedding. She had a smile on her face, but she couldn't help but notice how long Charlie and Pete had been gone. She knew how upset Charlotte could get, she hoped that Pete knew how to comfort her.

"Oh, here, she is, our beautiful MC!" Annette said as she waved to someone walking behind Marie.

Marie turned to see Charlotte approaching their small semi-circle, her hand set in the crook of Pete's arm. She was smiling and her cheeks were flushed. Marie didn't let herself observe anything further than that.

"Hi, Mrs. Capaldi," Charlie said, settling herself near her mother's side. Pete stood near her and Charlie leaned her body slightly into his as they stood.

Annette crossed over to Charlie and gave her a hug, then grabbed the girl by the shoulders and looked into her eyes. "Thank you so much for what you did, I knew that we could trust you to keep everything moving."

Charlotte's cheeks grew pinker and she cast her eyes down. "It was no problem," she said, looking up and wearing a small smile. Marie knew how uncomfortable Charlie could get with such direct praise. She noticed from the corner of her eye that as Annette went back to her original spot, Pete rested his hand on the small of her back. Charlotte's shoulders seemed to relax at the contact.

Annette turned her attention to the tall man beside Charlie. "So, Peter, Jeanie tells us that you are very funny as well!"

Peter smiled. "Some people say so, yeah."

"She said that you were one of the many comedians Charlotte used to play while she did her homework."

"Am I?" he asked, looking at Charlotte.

Charlie shrugged. "You might have shown up on my shuffle once in a while."

"Jeanie always talks about how she would wake up at three in the morning to Charlie laughing while she listened to stand-up and finished her homework."

"Ugh, staying up until three, I don't even know how I used to survive doing that!" Charlotte said, laughing.

"Well you're going to have to get used to burning the midnight oil again if you get the Saturday Night Live job," Pete added.

"Oh, she burns that midnight oil quite often at her current job," Marie interjected. She didn't know why this guy wanted her daughter on the show with him so badly, but she didn't like it at all.

Pete looked at Marie. "I know, she tells me about the crazy hours that go with the job sometimes. I always thought teachers were done when that last bell rang, but Charlotte works at least ten times harder than I ever have."

"I'm sure she does," Marie said, taking a sip of her sangria.

Charlotte was looking at Marie, her eyes squinting as she forced a wide smile on her face. "I think that's enough work talk," she said, then turned her attention to Annette and Ted. "So Jeanie told me that you guys and the in-laws went in on the honeymoon as a wedding gift?"

Marie listened as the conversation swirled around Jeanie and Paul's Disney World honeymoon that they couldn't wait for. She watched everyone laughing and smiling and she followed suit, but it was hollow. All she could really focus on was how Charlie and Pete looked at each other. She hadn't wanted to believe that Charlotte was actually serious about Pete, but she had never seen her daughter look at another person like that. Not even when she got engaged did she look so in love.

She just didn't get it. Pete was tall and pale and lanky, he had tattoos that were visible even with a full suit, and he was a twenty-six year old man that lived with his mother. He was the exact opposite of what Charlie was always looking for. Try as she might to see the diamond hidden in the rough, all Marie could see what a misshapen lump of coal. And she wouldn't watch her daughter go down the wrong path again.