❥𝑹𝒆𝒅 𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒆

Chapter 85

Valerie

It was shortly after we woke up that we took the elevator down for breakfast.
It was still raining outside - intensely.

Charles and I sat down in the large breakfast hall after choosing some food from the buffet.

I still couldn't wrap my mind around this whole situation.
Me and him. In a hotel, in this city which was god knows where on a map.
Kind of had something of an action movie where the main characters get stranded and later have to fight mutating zombies that crawl out of the abandoned houses.
Just, without the zombies. And the abandoned buildings.
In fact, Ferndale was quite pretty. Peaceful. Quiet.

The only thing that appeared loud was the thunderstorm last night.
It shook me to the cores to think about it.
I have had this fear since I was a child. Back then, my brother would sleep next to me whenever it was storming outside.

And I was nearly freaking out this night.
Until, Charles chose to be there.

I'm here.

His quiet, soothing words echoed through my mind since I've woken up.

When his warm hand touched my waist, god, I wanted to inhale the moment. It was all I've wished for. That he would finally open up his mind. His heart.
I could tell by the way he looked at me that he still felt something for me, that he loved me. I just knew he did.

I poked around my pancake with a fork as I stared into nothingness to gather my thoughts. I held back a sigh as I remembered that I didn't call Raphael back yesterday. I forgot it. Or maybe I just didn't want to.
He left me several messages, of course.

I replied to neither of them.

"What's up with you?"
Suddenly, Charles' voice tore me back to the breakfast hall.

My puzzled look hit him as I formed an answer, slowly.
"Huh?"

"You're thinking about something. I know that face." He gestured with his fork over to me before taking another bite of his pancake.

My mouth formed into a teeny, tiny smile as he mentioned that. Of course he would notice when my mind was stuck somewhere else.
We spent enough time together to know each other better than we knew ourselves.

Only that he seemed like someone completely different lately.

"It's nothing.", I waved off, looking down at my breakfast again.

"Tell me.", he insisted firmly, his green eyes shifting to my face.

"Would you want me to tell you even if it was about Raphael?", I blurted out, regretting it immediately after it left my mouth.

Charles froze in chewing for a heartbeat, almost choking on his food. He swallowed, sighed. Then looked back at me.

"Even then."

I eyed him for a long moment, caught off guard by his reply. I would've expected any answer, but not this one.

"So, what's on your mind?", he asked again, this time more softly, curiously.

"Well... it's complicated...", I began, noticing him shifting uneasily on his chair.

"Are you two..." Charles swallowed his bite, looking away, "together?"

"No", I answered immediately, like his assumption was offending. I picked up a piece of pancake before continuing, "I mean, I don't know..."

I could've sworn I saw him exhaling with relief, but didn't comment on that. Instead, I cleared my throat and finished as his expecting eyes rested in mine.