Maripolite

Untitled Part 11

"Lets' go shopping" he'd teased after the most delicious breakfast at the pool

"I don't need you to spend money on me Charles"

"You don't need me for anything, all the more reason for me to prove myself worthy by wasting needless cash on you, and sprinkling you with absurdly expensive jewels" he wrinkled his nose and squinted his eyes in her direction like a jester jeering for a laugh

"I prefer to go get some things from my apartment for Jessie and me"

"I can facilitate that. I worked hard yesterday just so that I could have the entire day to spend with you"

"Is that so"

"That's so" the warmth of his words held nothing but truth but the forcefulness of his eyes was enough for Nathalie to know that he was intent on his shopping spree so that he could bring her up to his standard and he always won, "once you get those things would you consider moving in permanently and giving up your apartment?"

"You mean to stay until Jessie is better and I have not thought further than that just yet"

"Well at least the breakfast is always good at this Inn"

It sure is she thought savoring the last pieces of fresh fruit from her bowl.

"So glad to see that the fruit can make you happy where I can't"

"Why do you say these things, cant we stay on the happy thoughts? I don't like talking about us all the time, I said I would think about it!" Nathalie exclaimed as she rolled her eyes in Charles's direction.

They were sitting on the edge of the pool and the cool water lightly brushed her toes. It was nice here but she wondered if Charles understood the gravity of what he implied every time he tried to rebuild their romantic relationship

"Does Jessie know your parents?" Ahh... the Charles Morgan topic change always an unexpected arrow aimed straight to the heart of a painful memory

"No, they abandoned me a few months after I got pregnant and dropped out of college" she did not wish to talk about this but it was clear that he needed to know the past as much as she needed to forget "they expected great things from the first family member to go to college even if on a scholarship, therefore, the events turned out to be a great disappointment and I was forced to get a job while six months pregnant, rely on donations to survive, and give birth in a clinic because I did not have any insurance I've been on my own and struggling day after day since then. Have you sufficiently brought up the most embarrassing moments in my life and tortured me enough or would you like to dig into my wounds some more because you can?"

"That's not why I ask and you know it, I just want to know what happened. Sorry if the memories hurt but I'm not sorry for asking."

My chest began to throb and pound in my ear and I had to move away from him hoping to slow the emotions, as I walked to the edge of the pool fighting the tears of what was, I wanted to think of better things but before I knew it they had decided to gush, I was taking deep breaths to compose myself but it wasn't working, Charles come up behind me at first he just put his hand on my shoulders but as the tears increased he pulled me close so that I could cry on his chest.

"Why are you trying to keep it together, you can talk to me if I know what you need I can help – you don't have to be strong all alone anymore you know"

"I know but it's not easy to lean on you or anyone for that matter I just don't like to remember it I want to move forward"

"So move forward, give up the apartment move in with me and start building a new life the person who is stopping you is Nathalie Blossom from where I stand"

"With you, such ultimatums Charles. Does any of my moving forward involve me?"

"Again that's not what I mean" His jaw muscles flexed as he bit on his teeth again constantly holding his power in check to protect her from his trueness "Then tell me how to help if my suggestions aren't to your liking, whatever you need I can do, or at least try"

"I don't know," I said laughing hysterically "I need help that's for sure, but I don't know what I need and you're right maybe a little too much pride because listening to myself right now I don't even know why your suggestion won't work"

"So the hardest part to all of this is you just trying it?" cleverly he stumbled across the words that might change her life forever

"I don't know"

"Even if you don't agree to Nathalie unless you have another idea that I can help with, maybe you should just try it first. Keep your apartment but move in and just take it one day at a time open up to me build a relationship with me again as hard as it might be, then if it's not working for you you can judge it but why are you judging it before you've tried it and you don't know what's better? It just doesn't add up."

Nathalie nodded her head but did not respond Charles reached for her again but she pulled away and she could see the blood run to his face and hear his teeth grinding behind his cheeks it was clear that he was not a man that usually had to convince any woman to trust him or spend his money on all the ridiculous things. He just stood by helplessly waiting for her to make a decision willing himself not to let his volcano erupt.

"I can't decide Charles, be patient with me please,"

"I can but can I make a suggestion" Nathalie nodded "Let's start with something small. You refused my shopping trip, let's start there – just say yes it'll be fun just don't hold back and turn it into what you can afford to get yourself get whatever you want." She began to weigh the options of his words tilting her head to the sky and closing her eyes for the sun to scar her face with its rays she rolled her neck and ran her hand through the tangled black forest on her head, but his voice penetrated her exasperated attempt to turn him down "Your doing it, that thing you do where you talk yourself out of something that's good for you because you don't think you deserve it or I don't know what's going on inside your head but I can see your thinking of a way to say no you can't instead of yes let's start small"

'The King of the Kingdoms' was right she was thinking of a reason to turn him down. He had done so much already she didn't want to take too much but he was right and it made her stop and think of why she kept turning him down every time he tried to help. "Ok" She nodded "let's start small; I would like to go shopping." Looking down at her warn sweater "I could use some new sweaters" She smiled making peace with her decision even though she did not trust him and was scared that the rest of his life would take precedence over her and Jessie as it had before but she could see that he was trying and she felt that she owed it to Jessie and herself to try too. Charles offered another world that could change their world forever.