Sweet Escape

Thirty-Three

It was finally the day Dimitri and Elliot were set to leave. The day they arrived, Charlize had taken the next two days off to spend with them. They spent all day with Charlize, with her showing them all of the places she knew and enjoyed. She introduced them properly to Roger, Stanley, and Mariah who graciously had them over for dinner. Charlize had been glad they were there but as the time neared for their departure, she felt increasingly saddened. They had caught her up on what she had missed, doing their best to avoid the chaos that ensued when news broke over her disappearance. Elliot told her all about Darlene while she avoided saying further about Gabriel. She was ecstatic that her brother found someone and could not wait to meet her. But then she remembered. There was no certainty of when that would be.

She and Dimitri spoke as if they hadn't spent an entire year avoiding one another. She felt warm again. At peace. As if the void that followed her was finally getting smaller. The two people she missed the most helped her feel at home again. Except, she wasn't home. And now they were leaving. She couldn't follow them to the airport because she knew that she would have tried to get on the plane, but she was not sure she was ready to go home. The one thing that was stopping her was her mother. If anything had changed for the better, she was sure they would have mentioned it. Not once did they mention her ever saying she missed Charlize and Charlize knew that if anything, her mother was just more concerned with her image and reputation. She felt that if she returned home, she would be received with fury from her mother and she wasn't sure how she would cope. Charlize had reached her breaking point before she left. She didn't think she would be able to handle it if she returned home and everything came back to her full force.

"Hey, Charlize. You alright?" Stanley bumped her shoulder. Charlize snapped back, realizing all eyes were on her.
"Yes, sorry. What did you say?" She asked.
"We were about to leave for the airport." Elliot said.

"Right." She looked down at her fidgeting hands. The men all exchanged knowing looks.
"I'll give you all a minute." Stanley said. "It was nice meeting you. Have a safe trip back." He shook their hands as they thanked him. "I'll be in the kitchen if you need me." He gave Charlize a pat on the shoulder before leaving the living room. Elliot cleared his throat and Charlize finally looked up. He raised his eyebrows at her. She smiled.
"I'm going to miss you." She said embracing him.
"Me too." He squeezed back and gave her a kiss on the forehead before stepping back. Her gaze drifted to Dimitri who was staring back. "I'll wait outside." Elliot said. "Don't take too long. The cab will be here soon and it's cold out there." Once they heard the door close, they locked eyes again. Dimitri suddenly fumbled in his pockets.
"Before I forget," he pulled out a small box and handed it to her with a smile, "I think you dropped this." She took it carefully and opened it. She smiled wide when she saw the familiar ring with the shiny blue gemstone.

"You had it this whole time?" She asked, looking up at him.
"I was the one who found it." He said. She took it out of the box and slipped it on, admiring it.
"I still remember the day you gave this to me." She said. They immediately broke out in laughter.
"You thought I was proposing to you." He said.
"That's how you made it seem." She defended.
"I did not." He tried. She gave him a deadpan stare that made him laugh more. "Blame my grandmother. She was looking at jewelry and I just happened to be there and saw it. I really liked it and your birthday was soon." He shrugged.
"Well, it was one of my favorite gifts." She smiled. "Still is."

"I'm glad." He said, returning the gesture. The silence settled between them again for a moment, once again, avoiding each other's gaze. "Charlize?" She looked up. "Are we okay?"

"I think so." She said. "All of this was just a misunderstanding because of my mother." He nodded. He wanted to ask, but knew it wasn't the time. Not when he didn't know what she was thinking. He didn't want to get his hopes up.
"Do...you think you'll be home any time soon?" He asked carefully. She rolled the ring around her finger and thought for a moment. Her mind was clouded. She wasn't sure of anything anymore.

"I don't know." She said quietly. He clenched his jaw briefly before nodding again.

"Cab is here." They heard Elliot call. They looked at one another and Charlize threw her arms around him. He held her tight.
"I love you, Charlize." She couldn't say anything. The knot in her throat stopped her. She knew if she opened her mouth to try and respond, the tears that made her nose burn would start to spill. She couldn't have that. All she could do was nod. His hands slipped from around her and they shared one last gaze before he turned to leave. She watched him walk out and listened as the door closed. She stood in the silence, not moving.

A half hour later, Charlize found herself at Sweet Escape. The door chimed as she entered and she greeted Evalyn who was working behind the counter before asking for Gabriel. She was directed to the back and although hesitant to go, there was no turning back. She went around the counter and through the doors to where the staff were focused on mixing, baking, and icing various pastries. The first to notice her was Demetri who was busy icing a beautiful five-tiered wedding cake.
"Hey Charlize, what are you doing here on your day off?" He said with a slight chuckle. She tried to laugh it off but couldn't when Gabriel looked back at her from the cupcakes he had just placed in the oven.

"Just came to borrow Gabriel. If you have a minute?" She asked him. He nodded and gestured for her to follow him to the office. He closed the door after she entered and they sat in the chairs beside each other in front of the desk, turning slightly so they faced one another. After a brief silence, she began. "We need to talk." He looked up at her and shook his head.
"No, we don't." He said. The look in his eyes pained her but she couldn't back down. "I know already. I get it." He sighed. She felt a slight aching in her chest, but at the same time, a weight being pulled from her shoulders.
"I'm sorry." She managed. He stared at her for a moment before speaking again.

"Are you?"