Dan is playing a superhero for a new movie. It might come to a shock to the system for old Bastille fans, but he's genuinely happy acting instead of singing. Everyone wishes him well...except for the ones who don't. They're people who think the wors...
"Now I can see your beautiful dress in this light!" Isla lightly laughs while admiring Charlie's dress. Charlie does a twirl whilst holding her glass of rosé, they're waiting for their table to come vacant. Both Dan and Rod have disappeared to the twenty four hour garden centre next door which is very typical.
"Yeah..." Charlie's voice trails off as she looks down admiring her own dress.
The dress is pastel blue and is covered in flowers. The design seems a little nostalgic. It's a pretty dinner dress that's perfect for a five star hotel.
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"The colour suits you." Isla compliments Charlie.
Charlie smiles nodding her head. "Thanks, Dan said the same thing when I brought it. Normally I'm the one to go for a little black dress, but this one caught my eye." Charlie says as she takes a sip of her wine.
While Charlie enjoys the rosé Isla disappointedly looks away. She was hoping that Charlie and Dan had bigger news that they wanted to share...but obviously not. She's keen on finding out why they're together. If Charlie clearly isn't pregnant then why else would they get together so quickly?
It's safe to say that Isla doesn't quite understand how modern love works, but she's happy for Dan. Charlie is basically the less cynical, and female, version of him.
"Isla...I hate to put a downer on this mood...but can I ask you a question about Dan's ex?" Isla's eyes widen for a second. She immediately feels uncomfortable for even thinking about that girl who destroyed her son.
"I shouldn't...talk about her." Isla whispers in case her son and husband turn up again, although what she doesn't know is that they've only packed the things away in the boot of the car.
"Did they ever find out who killed Holly?"
Isla then smiles, since smiling is better than frowning. She doesn't find Holly worthy of a frown, considering the way she treated her son. "Suicide. She threw herself in front of a train in the subway when no one was looking."
"Dan got blamed because he was the one who she was with twenty four seven, you know?" — Charlie nods her head grateful for the information that's been playing on her mind — "The reporters said that her anonymous boyfriend shouldn't of let her from out of his sight. But what was my boy supposed to do? He didn't like babying her. Dan treated her with respect...and in return Holly ruined his life." Charlie doesn't say anything.
Sometimes she notices that Dan can get a bit emotional for no reason, that and he is anxious when it comes to sex. What really weirded her out was when she saw Dan looking at her passport. But it all make sense now. He's paranoid. But....Charlie is Charlie. Although, she hides things like her broken family, it's clear she doesn't hide anything of importance.
"I know you're probably thinking I'm evil for talking ill or the dead but I'm not. She deserved it. She lied about her age, her identity, about everything. Time and time again she would play her mental health card, even for the silliest of slip ups. Dan would always blame himself and she would always snigger behind his back." Charlie never usesher mental health as an excuse to get out of something. She knows that there has been a few times where she could've, but doesn't want to be a hypocrite to her own beliefs.
Charlie once again nods her head while crossing her arm, which holds the rosé, over the other. "I think he has survivors guilt, Isla." She whispers under her breath while Isla's eyes widen a little.
"What makes you say that?"
"He's not the happiest of all guys. And I know that he wants me to be happy, and he does all these sweet gestures-" Isla cuts Charlie off short before she can finish.
"He's well past the depression stage...if that's what you're getting at?"
"The five stages of grief? No. I'm not talking about that...well not directly..." — Charlie says sounding rather confident, despite looking like a complete nervous wreck — "Dan's told me several times in the past that he wishes it was him instead of her. He's punishing himself, and the sad thing is that he'll never admit it if I bring it up. I have to wait for him to mention it." Charlie awkwardly tilts her head to the side, thinking about how Dan hides a lot of his emotions.
"I think he is blaming himself. Like 'he is the one who should've died for being an arsehole' or whatever he's telling himself. I never knew what that meant until you told me..."
Both Dan and Charlie have the same mental state. They suffer extreme anxiety and are battling depression. Although, they take nothing for it...because they're scared of going to the doctors. Even though Dan promotes 'talking to people helps'.
Isla sighs, while looking at the beautiful twenty something year old. She wants to tell Charlie that Dan loves her, that Dan hasn't loved a girl who has really loved him back. But she feels like that isn't her place to say, and especially not this soon into their new relationship. So for the first time ever she doesn't say anything at all, instead of talking she she sympathetically smiles at Charlie. Isla wants the girl to be happy and not look back at Dan's fragile past...but that's a hard thing to do.
"Let's get a top up, shall we?" Isla supportively hold's the side of Charlie's arm with her free hand, while the other clasps her champagne flute.
"Sure..." Charlie's voice trails off as she flashes a false smile. At least I have some answers, she thinks to herself while Isla takes their wine glasses over to the bar area.
