𝐃𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐞- 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐨𝐝𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐋𝐚𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞

TWENTY-NINE

---

THE CROWD OF the Parisian train station was suffocating. Shoulders rammed against shoulders as people forced themselves forward, angrily shoving and pushing to get through the massive crowd waiting for a spot on the train. The faces of weary travelers wore tired smiles and low-hanging eyelids that fluttered halfway closed with each blink, and in the air disappointment about traveling home could be tasted on the tongue. 

"Come along!" Oscar's commanding voice called out, directing his little family forward through the mess of people.

"Come on, Charlotte." Rosalind pulled at their joined hands as Oscar began to disappear into the crowd. Her cousin's face was painted with nervousness as she tried to keep her gaze concentrated on her father. "The train will be leaving soon."

Charlotte gripped her suitcase in one hand and Rosalind's hand in her other, trying her best to stay close. She felt a deep pit of misery growing in her stomach with each step she took away from Paris. She was so engrossed in her thoughts, she hardly noticed she was walking too close to someone until their shoulders collided and her grasp on her cousin's hand broke apart. Charlotte's suitcase went skidding across the platform and the old gentleman she had bumped into sneered and stepped around her with an air of unpleasantness. 

"Are you alright?" Rosalind rushed to her cousin and glared daggers at the old man who had huffed and strolled away without so much as an apology. 

Charlotte nodded and searched the floor for her suitcase in the sea of skirts and shining shoes. "Go on. I'll be right behind." 

Rosalind hesitated for a moment before reluctantly continuing on at Charlotte's behest. Charlotte continued to push against the crowd in search of her suitcase. A multitude of people shot her dirty looks and huffed under their breaths in various languages, but Charlotte didn't pay them much mind. The train was beginning to fill up now and if she didn't find her suitcase fast, it would be leaving without her. She finally spotted it a few feet or so away and rushed towards it. 

A hand wrapped around the handle of her suitcase just as she reached out and lifted it up for her. "I believe this is yours."

Charlotte let out a relieved breath and reached for the suitcase appreciatively. "Oh, thank you-"

Laurie's repentant eyes met Charlotte's.

Charlotte froze. "Laurie." His name fell from her lips as a whisper.

Laurie ran his tongue over his lips as his chest rose with a deep breath. There were so many things he wanted to say to her. But he quelled the noise of his thoughts and settled on a simple, "I'm sorry, Lottie."

A guarded wall went up around her as she tugged the suitcase from his hands. She looked at him with a stinging frown. "For what, exactly?"

"Everything." Laurie admitted. He felt a weight begin to lift from his shoulders. Years of pent up torment and pining were beginning to spill from his lips. "I've been horribly blind, Lottie. You must forgive me."

Charlotte fought back hot tears. "You are the worst boy, Theodore Laurence." She turned from him, shaking her head. The bustling crowd parted for them like the Red Sea, leaving her exposed to the curious eyes of passengers as she bit back all the sadness and rejection her heart had carried for years. She wished the crowd would fill in around them and she would be able to slip between two pairs of shoulders, never to be seen again. But the crowd didn't move and she was painfully aware of Laurie's gaze on her back.

"I love you, Lottie."

 Her heart hammered wildly against her chest and begged to be listened to and let free. She turned back to Laurie with trembling hands and shook her head defiantly. "You can't mean it. Not sincerely."

"But I do! I do mean it. Lottie, I have loved you since—"

"You have loved me since Jo said no to you." Charlotte snapped as she wiped the tears furiously away from her eyes. "I will not stand here and let you confuse this for something real, because it's not. It cannot be, because... because I have loved you with every inch of my heart for years. And I have tried to bury it and forget about you and convince myself it wasn't real, and right now you are not helping."

"I love you, Charlotte. I promise you. I was stupid and foolish and I made a mistake when I proposed to Jo and I know that now." Laurie stepped closer. "I was scared you'd reject me. I tried to tell myself that this couldn't be and tried to move on, but I can't do that anymore Charlotte. And I think you feel the same."

Charlotte's eyes glanced up at Laurie hesitantly. Her heart was swirling with so many overwhelming emotions she couldn't quite place them all. Part of her was angry. Angry at Laurie, angry at herself, angry at how long she had secretly hoped he would say these exact words to her. She felt a bubbling annoyance brewing in her chest, but it was quickly becoming overpowered by something else. In the faint corners of her mind, a voice was building, rising from a meek whisper to a booming shout that discombobulated her thoughts and shoved her angry feelings away. Love. It hammered against her ribs and made her head feel light.

Laurie took a cautious step forward, careful not to scare her away. A question lingered on his lips. He looked at her with steady eyes filled with an eager seriousness. "Will you marry me, Charlotte Kohler?"

Charlotte fell silent. She bit the inside of her cheeks as Laurie took another step closer. He was practically towering above her and she had to tilt her head to meet his gaze directly. Charlotte pursed her lips together with hesitation. "I don't wish to become an object of scorn. I don't want to go through every day absolutely miserable. I don't want us to hate each other."

"We wouldn't." Laurie insisted.

Charlotte wasn't exactly sure what prompted her to do what she did next. For years to come, she would reflect back on that moment with a hazy memory. She would eventually conclude that after years of hiding and pushing away the love she held for Laurie, her heart sprung her feet forward and she was captive to the pining of her heart.

Charlotte Kohler, fueled on by a spark of incredibly rare and brazen courage, dropped her suitcase to the platform and without a second thought, pressed her lips against Laurie's. 

His hands flew to her cheeks and drew her closer, while her arms wrapped around his neck and pulled him down to her height. It was different from the few kisses they had shared before. Those had been spurred on by surprise and childish antics, mistletoe and New Years kisses that rocked her heart and spun her vision. This kiss was powerful, mixed with soft tears as they trailed down Charlotte's cheeks and interspersed with euphoric smiles as Laurie tried to calm the beating of his heart. Charlotte grasped at the curling ends of Laurie's hair as the pads of his thumbs stroked over her cheekbones gently. 

Laurie chuckled breathlessly, his hands still caressing the sides of Charlotte's face as they broke apart. He tucked a loose strand of her wild hair behind her ear. "Is that a yes?"

"Yes!" Charlotte shoved against his arms playfully as he hugged her close.

The train whistle blew impatiently, alerting them to the rapidly emptying train station. The train was about to leave any minute. 

"Stay in Paris." Laurie begged. "Don't leave." 

"I won't." Charlotte shook her head. Leaving right now seemed impossible. She wasn't even sure if her legs would move if she wanted them to. Her cheeks were red with warmth and aching from the wide smile on her lips, and every inch of her skin felt like it was tingling with lightning.

Laurie whispered in Charlotte's ear. "May I kiss you again, Lottie?" 

Charlotte looked up into his eyes with a grin. "You may."

A/N: I am actually crying rn. I have had this chapter written in my notes for such a long time it feels surreal finally getting to publish it.