In the Chaos and calm

In the Eye of the Storm

Mia held her hand the entire way home. As they paid, in the car, and as they approached the door of her flat.

Every now and then, her fingers brushed over the spot Charlotte's ring used to sit, and she shuddered.

Fifteen years. She'd married young, her and John so in love that they said they couldn't wait another year or two. Summer had said she was throwing away fifteen years of her life, not to her directly but the sentiment was there. But Char didn't feel like she was throwing away her life.

Here, stepping over the threshold of Mia's surprisingly well-lit home, it felt like giving herself a second chance.

"This place is...nice," Charlotte said a bit awkwardly, cheeks flushing when Mia raised an eyebrow at her.

"Why do you say that like it's a surprise? Were you expecting to find out I sleep in a coffin?" Mia teased.

"No! No, of course not. Although, if Autumn told me she did, I wouldn't be that surprised. But no, I just.... Well, your life... with the way everything is for you, I expected something a bit different, that's all," Char replied hurriedly, stammering and stumbling over her words like a besotted school girl. She wasn't drunk, not after one drink, thank you very much. But she was a bit tipsy, and that didn't help matters.

"You mean because my life is a mess, my flat probably would be too?" Mia said dryly, and Char was just a bit too flustered to tell if that tone was deadpan or mildly offended.

Just in case, she snapped her jaw shut and willed herself to stop speaking. She'd messed up so often with her words recently, she didn't want to ruin whatever this was. Not while it was so new, so fresh and bright and promising.

Mia's hand squeezed her own, and she ducked her head to catch Char's embarrassed gaze.

"It's alright, sweetheart, I was only teasing," she murmured softly. Charlotte tried to smile at her, to express how out of sorts she felt.

"I don't even recognize you."

Unbidden, Marjorie's words curled around her throat and forced her to swallow back whatever she was going to say.

In a way, it was a completely valid way for Marjorie to feel. Charlotte didn't recognize herself most days anyway. She hadn't felt like herself for a very long time. Old Char never would have gone home with someone she barely knew while she was emotional and tipsy. No one knew she was here, maybe apart from Reese. Mia had done horrible things in the past. If Marjorie knew Char was here.....

But no, Marjorie was "done". First John, then Marjorie. And with Marjorie in her ear, Carly would be pulling away too. It shouldn't matter what they might think. Clearly, Charlotte had burned that bridge, and it was too late to go back. Mia was here, and apart from Reese, Charlotte was the one who knew her best. Maybe.... maybe she even saw a side of her Reese only caught glimpses of, too. The woman holding her hand wasn't the same Mia that had tormented the nursery, she had changed too. A couple of weeks away had brought life back to her eyes, a healthy glow to her cheeks. There was a warmth in her that seemed more present than before, when she'd only spotted fleeting glances in the nursery.

"Char, if this is too much for you, I'll call a cab and send you home. My treat. You don't have to do anything you don't want to do. It's okay if it's too soon," Mia said, but Char had listened to her speak too often to miss the tremble in her voice.

Did she think she regretted coming here? Because of John?

Surprisingly, John hadn't been on her mind in the slightest since she walked through that door.