Stand-Ups in New York

Chapter 27 - Hopefully

Charlotte laid on the bed and watched Pete, standing in front of the window and talking on the phone. Her head was spinning, between Pete surprising her by coming early and hearing Jeanie's news. She heard him negotiating with the FunnyHut for the bachelor and bachelorette outing later tonight.

Her boyfriend paced back and forth, his shoulders slightly slumped as usual and his eyes staring off as he concentrated. "Yes, we're going to have..." he trailed off and mouthed Fourteen? to Charlie.

Sixteen, she mouthed back.

He nodded. "Sixteen, we're going to have sixteen tonight." He paused before thanking the person on the other end of the line and hanging up his phone. Pete walked to the bed and plopped down on side of Charlie. "So we are all good to bring the group to the improv show tonight, front and second row seats for all."

"Wow, this is when being a celebrity has its perks, huh?" Charlie said, sitting up. She knelt facing Pete, her nose almost touching his. "I didn't realize how much pull you have. I'm dating a pretty powerful guy." She wrapped her arms around Pete's neck and kissed him, starting soft but quickly intensifying. Pete's arms wrapped around her waist, squeezing her into his body like a boa constrictor.

Charlotte broke the kiss and pulled her sweatshirt over her head, leaving her in a sports bra and leggings. Pete looked at her as she took her shirt off, a stupid grin planted on his face. "God, I am so glad I came early."

"I hope that's the only time you say that to me this weekend," Charlotte said as she kissed Pete again. She pulled away and tugged Pete's shirt over his head. "I missed you so much, no amount of sexting and inappropriate FaceTiming could replace this." She kissed him again and he guided her down to laying on the bed.

"I know," Pete said, running his hands up and down Charlie's ribcage and sides. "Hopefully you don't get pregnant, right?"

Charlotte pulled away. "What?"

Pete looked at her. "What?" he echoed.

"Did you just say 'hopefully you don't get pregnant'?" Charlie asked, sitting up.

Pete continued to stare at her, leaning on his arm in a pre-coital plank. "I was just joking about that because of Jeanie and Paul."

Charlotte nodded, though she felt some anger bubbling up inside that she couldn't quite place. "And what would you do if I did get pregnant?" she asked, then she felt her stomach twist. Even as she asked the question she knew she was being unfair. This was an old fight with her ex, when to have kids, an old fight that Pete had never heard about. But she couldn't stop herself from asking.

The question hung in the air between the two of them. Charlie could see Pete processing, trying to say the right thing, before he sat on the bed facing her and answered, "I would do whatever you wanted to do."

That answer was lackluster, Charlie knew he had more to say but didn't want to. "Do you ever think about us having kids?" she asked.

Pete said nothing. Charlotte looked at him, stared into his expressionless eyes. He gave nothing away, but in doing that he said all she needed to know. There was a knock, and Charlie put her sweatshirt on and walked out of the bedroom and to the front door. Standing in the doorway was her younger sister, Emily, and Emily's husband, Victor . Emily was tall and brunette, with a statuesque figure fit for a model. She had her hair tied in a bun, and her glasses were wide-brimmed. They framed her blue-green eyes better than any make-up could. Her husband, Victor, was slightly shorter than Emily, with black hair and kind brown eyes. He carried Emily's belongings.

"Hey," Emily said as she walked into the room. "Sorry it took us so long, someone needed to stop at some trading post on the way up."

"They had good candy," Victor said, then added, "Hey, Charlie."