close your eyes and feel me

19

Another short chapter, but I hope you like it. The story is getting interesting and I'm happy to be there in the storyline, I was excited to write this part :) I don't think this story will have a long of chapters, and honestly it'll probably be over sooner than you think ;) It think that 30 chapters is a reasonable number of chapters for this story! Anyways, we'll see ahah. I hope you're all staying safe :)
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Next morning, when Charlotte woke up in her bed, she felt paralyzed. She was afraid that if she moved, reality would come back and what happened last night would be true.
She could hear her sister in her head, telling her that she had to avoid trouble. Allison knew something like that was bound to happen, and Charlotte didn't listen back then. She should've.

Charlotte should've take the whole Sanditon experience as a life lesson. These people that she used to find so fascinating, were nothing more than trouble. She didn't belonged here. She never did and never would.

The Charlotte that practically begged her parents to let her go to Sanditon was dead and long gone. This innocence that she once had, was gone too.

With a long and heavy sigh, Charlotte found the strength to get out of bed, get dressed and walk out of her room. The house was particularly silent, Susan was still sleeping and all you could hear was the sound of the birds outside of the windows.

- « Miss? » quietly said one of the butler. « You have a visitor »

Esther, probably. They were supposed to see each other and talk.

Talk about what, Charlotte didn't know. Nothing was to be said. She kissed an man that wasn't hers. She was caught. Her life was now over. Was there more to talk about? Did Charlotte had the strength to talk at all?

As she walked down the stairs in the direction of the front door, Charlotte's stomach dropped. How she did not disappeared right in this instant was a mystery.

- « Miss Heywood. » said Eliza, « care for a walk outside? »

Charlotte was petrified. She followed Eliza outside, even if she wanted to run away.

Why was Eliza here? What was going to happen?

They walked in silence for a couple of minutes. Eliza was holding her hands, her head up, proudly. Her eyes were red, like she had cried. Charlotte couldn't say if she was angry or sad.

Eliza finally stopped after what felt like eternity. She turned around to finally face to woman who had kissed her fiancé the night before.

- « Has this happened before? » she asked right away. Eliza did not come to ask meaningless questions. She wanted, needed, answers.

Charlotte gathered the courage to look at Eliza in the eye. She was expecting to see anger, hate, but was surprised to find an emotion that felt out of place in the situation.

Jealousy. Envy.

- « yes » said Charlotte with a tight throat.

Eliza's was now holding up tears. She wanted to look strong, undefeated in front of Charlotte. She had too much proud to be crying here, now, for him. Because of him.

- "He only proposed to save Sanditon, didn't he?" She asked more to herself in a gulp.

Charlotte's heart was beating fast and hurting at the same time. She never intended to hurt anybody, but she had. She couldn't stop thinking that if she had stayed truly distant, maybe Sidney would've got over her and fall right back into Eliza's arms. It is what should've happened.

Charlotte thought of lying, tell her that he still loved her and that whatever last night was a simple fling. That the passion between her and Sidney would eventually fade away and he would go back to Eliza, not for the sakes of a city, but because they were made for one another. She wanted to lie, but even Charlotte knew it was unnecessary. She would never believe her. Charlotte didn't even believed herself. She instead chose to not lie. Lies and mysteries had already done enough in their story. It had hurt enough people now.

- "He loves his brother" she tried to justify with a shy voice.

Eliza let a dry laugh of her mouth.

- "Sidney has been cleaning up after his family for all of his life" she sniffed, looking away. " He has a duty and is a man of honour." She quickly looked at Charlotte and then added " at least, most of the time he is."

Charlotte gathered what was left of the energy and courage she had left and finally faced Eliza with a strong look.

- "I truly am sorry, for the pain we've caused you." Her chin was shaking a little bit, she was about to cry but was holding on. "I promise that what happened last night will never occur ever again."

Eliza laughed again, a single tear finally falling down her cheek quickly.

- "I mean it, I won't cause you, or him, any problems. I'll leave London, never go back to Sanditon, get married to the first man that present himself to me back home." She was rambling now, " You'll never see me again, you and Sidney will be together and both of you will forget i ever had a place in your story."

- "You are unbelievable, miss Heywood."

- "What do you mean?"

- "To think that he will ever forget you."

Eliza was now crying silently in front of Charlotte. After a moment, she turned around and left. Charlotte stayed standing there, powerless. It was like nothing could ever be done to make this right. No matter what she would say, where she would go, this story, Sidney Parker, would never truly leave her. And neither would she leave him. They were bound to each other, and they're stories were intertwined forever.