Stand-Ups in New York

Chapter 32 - Near

Charlie hugged Jeanie as the two girls walked offstage. She felt amazing, buzzed but still very aware. She was sitting right in that sweet spot before the alcohol made her too tired to function. She remembered drinking with Jeanie when they were both newly twenty-one, how they could stay up for an entire night when they drank and ate frosting out of the can while watching romantic comedies. It didn't feel like that long ago, but five years and one real job later, Charlotte was done after two glasses of wine. They were both asleep by 10:00 last movie marathon they'd attempted.

Pete walked up to the pair as they sat back down on their stools. "Not a bad performance," he said, kissing Charlie on the top of her head. "All those years in show choir really payed off."

"You should hear her sing Let It Go, she's as good as Idina Menzel," Jeanie said.

Charlie laughed. "I don't know if we can say that to someone who knows actual singers." She looked at Pete and saw him staring at her, grinning. She pulled him closer and hugged him into her, resting her head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

Paul appeared at Jeanie's side a moment later. "Hey, I think it might be time to get you to your room," he said to his pregnant fiancé.

"You might be right," Jeanie answered standing up. Charlotte hadn't noticed how tired her friend looked before that. This baby must have been kicking her ass already. Jeanie looked at Charlotte again. "I will see you in the morning to work on favors, right?"

"Absolutely," Charlie said, blowing her a kiss. "Love ya."

"Love you, too."

After Jeanie and Paul left, Charlotte pulled away from Pete and looked at his face. "Would you like to go for a walk?" she asked, already putting her jacket on.

"That sounds great," Pete said, stepping out of Charlie's way so she could slide off of the stool.

Charlie looked at Emily, who was talking to Victor and Kirstie, the bride's maid of honor and younger sister, Kirstie. Emily looked over for a brief moment. Charlotte waved to her and pointed outside. Emily nodded and went back to her conversation.

Charlotte and Pete weaved through the crowd and left through the front door, which led to the gorgeous porch that would serve as the site of the rehearsal dinner the next night. They walked down the stairs, Charlie pressed closely against Pete as they strolled arm and arm towards a path leading to the lake. Charlotte had missed being so close to Pete, smelling his mint body wash and feeling his slight frame against her more full figure. She'd gotten used to constantly having Pete in her presence when she was in New York City, and even though that had only been one week it felt like her new normal.

The pair strolled in silence, Charlie enjoying the sensation of simply walking with someone she cared so much about. The moon was waxing, and shone brightly against the inky sky. The water of the lake reflected this view perfectly, no waves or ripples. The couple walked far enough that the sounds of revelry were lost in the night, only the light from the moon to show them their path. There was a small beach that looked like it only existed when the tide was low on the side of the path. Charlotte led Pete to it, and they sat on what was left of an old dock overlooking the water. Charlie leaned her head on Pete's shoulder, and he wrapped one arm around her shoulder and leaned his own head atop hers.

Charlie sighed. "About earlier today, with the whole pregnancy thing..." She trailed off trying to form the best way to say it. Pete waited patiently until she continued. "I was being unfair to get so mad at you. I'm glad you don't want to get pregnant by accident, an unplanned pregnancy is literally one of my biggest fears. I just got scared because I thought maybe you didn't want kids, and that's something I should have asked you about before getting as defensive as I did."

Pete rubbed Charlie's back as she said this, then moved his hand to her waist. He didn't move his head to look at her, but Charlie could feel him burrow his ear into her hair. "I should have been more articulate," he answered. The pair sat in silence for a beat before he added, "And I do want kids, just so you know."

"You do?" Charlie asked. She felt a tear gather in the corner of her eye. She'd wanted to ask him about that for a while, but was too afraid of the answer she would get.

"I do. I've always wanted kids. It was actually a big fight with my ex. I wanted them as soon as possible, and she wanted to wait. So I'm glad that you definitely want kids, because if the time comes for us, I would consider myself lucky for my children to have a mom as sweet and caring as you are."

Charlie smiled, feeling the tear become too full and then dropping from her eye onto Pete's shoulder. "Well I would feel lucky for my kids to have a dad as understanding and funny as you."

The couple watched the lake flow slowly, the little light that hit its surface shimmering. Pete wanted kids. Charlotte felt like her heart was going to beat out of her chest. He wanted kids and said she would be a great mom. And she knew he would be a wonderful dad. Pete may have been flawed, but he was the most caring person Charlie had ever met. He cared about her harder than anyone outside of her family ever had. She could only imagine how much he would care for his own children.

"I wanted to run something by you," Pete said.

"For the last time, I will not let you write roast jokes for me for my speech tomorrow," Charlie said. This conversation had come up at least once a week since she told Pete she would be toasting Jeanie and Paul at the rehearsal dinner the next night.

Pete chuckled. "I get it, you have your own material, don't worry. It was actually about this summer."

"Oh?" Charlotte had been wondering if Pete would want to plan something for the summer. She assumed he wanted to go on a vacation before her audition.

"So I know that you want to spend as much time as you can with your family this summer, because there's a good chance you'll be splitting your time between New York and Massachusets if you get the job at SNL in the fall."

"Yeah, I definitely need some family time before figuring all that out," she said.

"Right. And I want to get to know your family, too. So what if I stayed with you this summer?"

Charlie moved off of Pete's shoulder and looked at him. Pete stared back, waiting for Charlotte's answer. Finally, she asked, "You want to stay with me for the whole summer?"

"I do," Pete answered. "I have a short thing that I have to do after the show ends, but I'll only need a couple of weeks to do that. Then I was hoping we could stay together at your house."

Charlie's mind raced. She thought of a million questions before landing on, "Why do you want to stay with me?"

Pete shrugged. "I want to be near you. I've missed you like crazy and I don't want to spend another couple of months away."

"You want to be near me?"

Pete paused, then smiled and took Charlotte's hand. "Who doesn't want to be near someone they love?"

Charlotte stared into Pete's dark brown eyes. He didn't blink or waiver, just looked steadily back into her baby blues. She grinned. "You love me?"

"Well, I mean, you're okay. I really just want to be closer to Victor, but--"

Charlie pushed Pete's shoulder and laughed. She heard a peal of laughter escape him as well. The two stopped and smiled at each other. Charlie felt her cheeks turning pink. Pete was the second person outside of her family and close friends to tell her he loved her, and the first person who seemed like he truly meant it. She laced her fingers through his. "If you want to stay with me this summer, I think that would be amazing. I want to be near the person I love, too."

Pete looked down at their hands, then back up at Charlotte. His eyes shone in the night, the moon catching a tear's trail left behind on his cheek. He leaned his face towards Charlie and pressed his lips on hers. Charlotte shifted, putting herself closer to Pete. After the kiss broke, the couple pressed their foreheads together. Charlie sat with her eyes closed, feeling the air around her and the breeze from Pete's exhales. They stayed like that, time having no real meaning. They measured the moment in breaths and the barely audible flow of water on the lake.