MATILDA II charlie dalton

iii. caves and secret meetings

୨୧ Chapter iii. caves and secret meetings ୨୧

"Are you serious?" Matilda sat at the public phone booth, nervously twirling the cord around her finger as she listened to Neil's familiar voice on the other end. "I'm telling you, Tilly. He made us rip out the whole introduction," Neil sounded just as baffled on the other end, recounting the latest from Mr. Keating's class.

Matilda's eyes widened in disbelief and amusement. "The whole introduction? Are you serious? Don't let Father hear about that."

Neil chuckled. "Don't worry, he won't find out. Anyway..." His tone shifted playfully. "Charlie's been asking about you."

Matilda's heart skipped. "What's he been asking?" Her voice came out a little too eager, but she quickly cleared her throat to cover it.

"He thinks you've got a boyfriend." Neil said, clearly enjoying this bit of gossip.

"What? Why would he think that?" Matilda's brow furrowed, caught off guard.

"Meeks made some off-hand joke, and now Charlie's been moping around like the world's ending," Neil replied. "You know how dramatic he can be."

Matilda rolled her eyes, but before she could respond, Neil's voice became muffled as someone else spoke on the other end. After a moment, Charlie's familiar voice came through, his tone light, but with that signature mischievous edge. "Hello, Tilly"

Matilda smirked at the nickname, raising an eyebrow. "No 'beautiful' or 'gorgeous' today?"

"I figured your boyfriend wouldn't like that," Charlie said, voice dripping with mock politeness.

Matilda rolled her eyes, a smile tugging at her lips. "When has that ever stopped you before? And for your information, I don't have a boyfriend." There was a beat of silence. "You don't?" he finally asked.

"No."

"Well then," Charlie's voice lowered, a suggestive tone creeping in, "would you like one, beautiful?"

Matilda could practically hear the smirk on his face, and despite herself, she felt a smile forming. But before she could respond, the school bell rang, signaling the end of break. "Sorry, Charlie. Gotta go—lunch is over," she said quickly.

"Alright. Have fun in class... and stay away from the boys," Before Matilda could argue, the line went dead with a click, leaving her staring at the phone and shaking her head in amusement. Charlie's words lingered in her thoughts, along with the smile she couldn't quite hide. her boys, she thought, always keeping things interesting.

⋅˚₊‧ 𐙚 ‧₊˚ ⋅

"And five, six, seven, eight! Glissade, jeté, glissade, sissonne, assemblé—" The ballet director's voice echoed through the studio as the dancers moved through a petit allegro, their bodies warming up for the choreography ahead. Matilda, alongside the rest of the dancers, focused on perfecting the steps. They had learned more of the choreography today, and after a few run-throughs, the rehearsal wrapped up.

"Great job, everyone! Remember, our first full run-through is next week," the director called out as the class began to gather their things.

Chris and Matilda exchanged tired but satisfied looks as they packed up to head home. "So, what do you think of Knox?" Matilda asked casually, trying to sound nonchalant.

Chris raised an eyebrow, a smirk forming on her lips. "Knox? He's nice, why?"

"I don't know, just thought you might be interested in getting to know him better," Matilda said, trying to keep her tone light. "He's a cool guy, and I think you two could totally hit it off."