Healing Hearts

Chapter 5

Charlotte's brain felt like it was stuck in ice. Did he really just say that? She stared at him, completely unsure of how to react. She searched his face for some sort of explanation. Finally, she managed to stammer out, "I'm sorry, what?"

A small smirk appeared on Simon's lips. He brought his hand down to his thigh with a loud clap, then burst into laughter. "Your expression was priceless!" Still laughing, Simon added, "I couldn't resist teasing you."

Charlotte could feel her cheeks burning with a mix of anger and embarrassment. "You jerk," she muttered, sending her foot forward under the table until it connected with Simon's leg. "Act your age, will you?"

He winced in pain. "Ow!" Now it was Charlotte's turn to laugh. "How does it feel?" she taunted.

Standing up, she wrapped the last bit of her sandwich in a napkin. "I should have known this was a bad idea," she said firmly. "If you don't want to tell me the truth, fine, but don't lie and say you're in love with me. It was a mistake letting you into my apartment that night, and it was a mistake going to dinner with you tonight. Just leave me alone."

Simon stood up as well. "Wait, Charlotte, I do have feelings-" But she had already started walking towards the door, no longer listening to him. As she reached for the metal handle and pulled open the door, she threw one last glance back at him. He was still standing at the table, watching her.

She shook her head and stepped out into the dark night. Once again, fooled by Simon Macari.

***

Simon thought back to the moment he caught sight of Charlotte in the parking garage of his new apartment building. The shock and disbelief coursing through him had made it hard for him to believe she was really there.

He'd rubbed his eyes, hoping that when he opened them again, she would be gone--just a figment of his imagination. But she had remained, keys in hand, dressed down in sweats and a sweatshirt, looking nothing like the woman he had last seen half-naked in her bed.

Memories flooded back to Simon, memories of their night together and how he'd messed things up the next morning. His divorce and hectic work schedule hadn't helped with his already restless nights. And now, here she was, living in the same building as him. It was almost too much to take in--from colleagues to lovers to neighbors and now potential future lovers? The thought made Simon feel both excited and conflicted.

When Charlotte's stomach had rumbled and she mentioned dinner, Simon saw it as an opportunity to make things right between them.

Sitting across from her at the café had felt surreal. He apologized for his behavior and learned more details about what happened before he woke up on her couch. But then he messed everything up, yet again, by blurting out that he loved her.

Did he really love her? He wasn't sure. And why did he say it like that, as if he were trying to scare her off? As he tried to backtrack and play it off as a joke, any trust Charlotte had started to build in him crumbled away. She walked out before giving him a chance to explain himself, and he couldn't blame her.

But Simon couldn't give up on her. He needed to come up with a plan to win her back. As he walked back to his apartment, thoughts of Charlotte consumed his mind.

***

It took a while for Charlotte's new place to come together. She used a few days of leave from work to unpack box after box, taking the time to find a home for her belongings. In her haste to pack up her old place, she had unwittingly thrown things in that were more appropriate for a donation box, or, realistically, the trash. There were also unrelated items mixed up together, creating chaos that somewhat resembled a bad garage sale. She wanted to take her time now to ensure everything that needed to be tossed was, and everything else was neat and organized.