sweet escape [c.l.]

chapter six

Now

"You still have time to run." Rory whispered to Charles as they made their way inside the restaurant, Charles simply smiled at her and kissed her forehead.

They had settled on a restaurant near the hotel Rory's dad was staying in. Charles had gone to get Rory as a good boyfriend would.

"Don't worry, I can survive a dinner with your dad and Alejandro."

Charles and Rory walked to the table where Alejandro and her dad were already at.

"Charles, good seeing you again." the two men shook hands, "And Rory, you cleaned up nice."

"She always does Mr. Delgado."

"Call me Gabriel please boy."

The two finally sat down, Rory stayed facing her dad and Charles facing Alejandro, who hadn't muttered a word since the two arrived. Charles' arm was wrapped around Rory's chair while they picked what they were going to eat.

"So, Charles, ready to start a new season?" Gabriel asked after they told the waitress what they wanted to eat.

"Yeah, everything is ready to start this new season and everyone is excited about the new possibilities."

"After last season, you definitely need luck this time around." Alejandro smirked while taking a sip of his drink.

Rory was ready to take off on him but a hand on her thigh from Charles stopped her. "You are right Alejandro." Charles started. "After last season needing luck is right."

Charles leaned back on his chair while taking a sip of his wine and not saying anything more. Aurora looked at him with a creased eyebrow not understanding where he was coming from.

For her Charlie was an amazing driver. It was not just luck that would get him to win, but his talent, that was the bigger factor in all of this.

"Hey," she got closer to him, "you know that you are amazing right?" Charles just looked at her and gave her a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

As they settled into their meal, Gabriel's gaze lingered on his daughter before turning to Charles. "So, Charles, how did you two meet?"

Rory tensed up but Charles simply glanced at her, a fond smile playing on his lips. "We meet during the holidays in a little café in Andorra. Rory was just sitting there and after seeing her beautiful face," he put a hair that had fallen in her face behind her ear and continued to talk looking directly into her eyes, "I had to go to her. We struck up a conversation, and the rest is history."

Gabriel nodded thoughtfully. "And how long have you been together?"

"Almost two months, Dad." Rory interjected, eager to cut the intense eye contact she was having with Charles.

Gabriel's face hardened as he looked at his daughter. "Two months and we haven't heard a word from it?" Rory was going to intervene but he cut her off immediately. "When you started going out with Alejandro we heard of it in the first week."

"Dad..."

"Actually, it was me that asked Rory to keep it a secret for now." Charles gently squeezed Rory's waist. "You know with the way the media is always looking for the next big story about me I just wanted to keep this little thing a secret for a while. I'm sure you can understand, sir."

Gabriel nodded, taking a sip from his glass. "It's just that with her past boyfriends Rory was always eager to tell her family, especially her brother and now no one knows."

"Matteo knows." Rory immediately regretted her words as they came out of her mouth. Matteo didn't know and Matteo would not know.

"Yeah? I saw Matteo last week and didn't say anything about being in a relationship." A smirk grew in Alejandro's face.

"Well," Charles felt protective over Rory but remained composed, "we asked him to keep it a secret so I assume he would be keeping true to our request."

Rory shot Alejandro a pointed look, silently daring him to say more, but he remained silent, focusing on his meal instead. As they continued their dinner small conversation was made about lighter topics and Rory couldn't wait to get out of there.

The drive home was silent with just the soft beats of the music playing on the radio. They both needed this moment to unwind.

"Well, that dinner was interesting." Rory stated, with a small laugh breaking the silence after a couple of minutes.

"Interesting?" Charles took a quick glance at her. "I would choose other words but if you want to go with 'interesting' you do you." They both laughed. "Now I get why you broke up with Alejandro."

"Yeah, he is quite a piece." She took a deep breath. "And my dad always defending him doesn't help."

"He didn't defend him as much tonight."

"Because you were there. When it's just me, him, mom and Matteo, Alejandro is the golden child."

Charles looked at her. "So, Matteo also would like you to be with him?"

"God no. Matteo was the first person who told me to leave him." She had a thin smile on her face. "He defends me anytime they bring him up and he is there. And now we brought him into this mess that was supposed to be just for today." She let her face fall into her hands.

"Hey," he put his hand on her thigh giving her a reassuring squeeze, "it's going to be okay." When he saw her shaking her head he knew he had to act fast, "Maybe we could go for it."

She raised her head and looked at him. "Go for what?"

He pulled up in front of the hotel. "This fake dating thing..."

"Charlie..."

"Hear me out before you say no." He gently turned her on the seat so she would be completely facing him. "It would get both Alejandro and your parents off your back and we don't need to come out to the public with it, we can keep it between four walls." He knew that the thought of the media that would be surrounding them would pull her away and he couldn't have that happen.

"Charlie... What's in it for you?" She couldn't believe that she was actually considered this. Start a fake relationship with the guy she wouldn't let herself be in a real relationship with.

"Don't worry about it mon amour."