The Darkness Between Us || [C.L.]

// f i v e

Charles was already standing outside the tube station, hands in his pockets, nervously biting his lip. He wore a fitted black button down shirt that he had tucked into a pair of charcoal grey trousers, and on his feet, a pair of crisp white trainers. It was almost laughable that Nina didn't pick up on the fact that he was a celebrity, as he stood oblivious, looking as though he had been cut from a magazine and pasted into the middle of London.

He grinned when he saw her, eyes studying her body. Tonight, she had ditched the oversized suit, mainly because it still smelled of last night's booze, and also because Rosie had convinced her to dress to impress. She wore a simple figure-hugging red cami dress with a lace up back, and had even gone as far to stick on a pair of black heels and swap out her usual canvas bag for a black clutch bag that she had stolen from Rosie in her Tonique days. Her hair was slicked back into a bun, and her make-up, which Rosie had jumped at the chance to do, was simple. All except the red lipstick.

"Wow." Charles inhaled, taking a step toward her and wrapping an arm around the small of her back. "Red suits you."

Nina allowed her eyes to meet his, knowing she would melt all over, but not caring. "Not as much as it suits you."

Green eyes narrowed as he tried to work out what she had meant by the comment. His mind raced back to his outfit from the previous night, and this morning, knowing that neither had contained any red. He shook it off as an awkward attempt at a compliment.

"Do you like Italian food? Carlos told me about a place not too far away that is supposed to be really good." Charles asked, removing his hand from her back and slipping it into hers so as not to lose her in the growing crowd.

It was funny, because earlier she could hardly remember what Carlos looked like. Now she could see him in her mind, both him and Charles smiling, surrounded by the red interior of the Ferrari garage. "It's my favourite."

"Mine too!" Charles smiled, leading her through the busy streets. She could see a few people look, and even one or two point and whisper, or at least she thought.

"I was really worried you would not want to come tonight." Charles began, letting his internal monologue run free. He didn't mind too much, he felt comfortable enough with Nina to know that he could trust her with his thoughts. "I got worried after you left earlier that you didn't want to be around me or that you regretted last night. Then when I called you and you sounded a little down, I was scared it was because of me. But I'm really happy you came, and I hope I can make sure that you don't regret it."

For a brief moment, it was as though her earlier revelation was gone. "Of course I wanted to come. Last night was the most fun I'd had in a long time."

"I feel the same." He offered her a warm smile. "I know we only just met and things, but you make me feel very comfortable." Nina met his smile with her own, but quickly dropped her gaze to the pavement, wondering why he had said that whilst still keeping a huge part of his identity a secret. Then she thought back to last night, and what she had said to the group when George had asked about the past. She had done the same as he had. She did not lie, she had just missed out vital truths. There were some things that were too uncomfortable to say, so she understood why maybe he wanted to pretend a little longer before potentially changing everything between them, no matter how new.

"Honestly, Charles, I feel the same. It's like I already know you." Parts of him, at least. "When will you be returning to Monaco?"

It wasn't something he wanted to think about, not right now. Things had barely begun. He wasn't ready to stop them already. "I am here until Thursday and then I travel to Austria for work."

Fuck. Three days. That's all they had before he went back to the glitz and glam, and she'd be stuck, alone, on her wonky dining room chair. Still, she could sense his sadness, and decided to meet it with excitement, even though she felt very little. "Austria? That's cool. I've never been."