Sweet Escape

Fourteen

It was Friday evening meaning Charlize's first ever work week was over. It had been an exciting time for her. She felt as if she was finally getting the hang of her life in the city. She had fallen into a groove. She had her own routine that she set for herself and wasn't being forced to do anything or be anywhere she didn't want to. The freedom was nice, but it almost felt surreal. It seemed too simple for her and she was wary of it all. There had had been an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach that slowly grew as the days passed., but she was not certain why. Part of her believed it was because she was about to be snatched back to her home at any point, but if she were, she was sure Archibald would have given her a proper heads up. Regardless, she could not shake the feeling and it made her anxious.

"Thanks for helping me close up again tonight." Gabriel said as he returned from putting the money in the safe.

"Of course." Charlize said. The day flew by too quickly for her. She was not ready to head back to the house. If she did, she would have called Archibald right away and she knew that would only miss home more. All week, home had been on her mind, adding to the uneasiness she was feeling. As much as she was trying to fight it, she was feeling homesick.

"Is everything alright?" He asked, standing before her.

"Yeah. Why?" Charlize asked back.
"I dunno. Today you just seemed a little...down."
"Oh, no. I'm fine." She lied, giving him a little smile. He continued to hold onto her gaze with a little skepticism in his eyes. He slowly nodded, seeming to let it go.

"Okay." He said. "Thank you again for helping me out. You really did a great job this week. For it being your "first" job."

"I appreciate that. I've learned so much already." She said. "Thank you for the opportunity."

"I think the thanks should go to Stanley to bringing you to me - us - here." He caught himself quickly. "For bringing you here." He cleared his throat and looked away nervously. Charlize giggled.

"See you Monday?" She said. He met her gaze again.

"Yes, see you Monday." He replied. They said goodnight before Charlize left the shop.

When Charlize walked out, she was hit with the brisk night air. She called a cab and went straight home. She remembered Gabriel's offer from earlier that week of going out for drinks and wondered why he didn't bring it up again. It could have been that he didn't remember or that he realized taking out an employee for a drink alone was not the best idea. However, Charlize could have used the extra time out. She would have went for a walk, but she was not quite comfortable doing that on her own yet. Especially since it was so dark out. She did not want to risk it. Once she reached the house, she greeted Roger and Mariah before heading to the room. As soon as she closed the door behind her, the tears fell. Charlize slid down to the ground and covered her mouth so she wouldn't be heard. She didn't know exactly why she was crying but all she knew was that she was feeling overwhelmed. She brought her knees to her chest and buried her face in her arms, taking deep breaths.

After a few minutes, she was able to calm herself down. She wiped away the remaining tears and took out her phone, calling Archibald. He did not answer. She tried again. It was the first time since earlier that week that she was calling him. She had decided to not do it often for fear of missing him too much, but she needed to hear his voice. Again, he did not answer. Before she could try once more, there was a knock on the door. She quickly jumped to her feet and made sure her cheeks were dry before opening the door, doing her best to look like her normal self.
"Hey." Stanley greeted with a smile. "Since it's Friday, I thought you would want to go out and celebrate your first full week?"

"Oh, I – um – sure." She managed a smile. Although she wanted to decline, he had been so kind, she couldn't.

"Cool-." He stopped and looked more closely at her. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine." She said quickly.
"Did something happen today?" Stanley was unconvinced.

"No, nothing happened." She tried to laugh it off. "I know it sounds silly, but I'm just feeling a bit homesick." She finally admitted. His expression relaxed a bit and he nodded.
"I understand. We don't have to go out tonight. We can go another day." He smiled. Charlize shook her head.

"No, I think I need the distraction." She said.

"Good. Being alone and homesick sounds like a bad idea." He said.

"Yeah." She agreed with a sigh.

"I'll call up the others and come get you in a little bit." He said.

"Sounds good." She replied. He gave her another smile before walking off. She closed the door and let out a heavy sigh before plopping down on the bed.