Stand-Ups in New York

Chapter 34 - Favors

Pete never thought he could actually be as excited as he was putting stickers on candy bags, but he was practically buzzing with anticipation. Charlotte getting her official audition for Saturday Night Live wasn't a surprise. Lorne had asked him when Charlotte was done with school and had mentioned several times that Colin was going to cover her audition because he thought she would be an asset to Update. Apparently, she'd already pitched several characters during their meeting that would make great Update segments.

It was more the fact that it was so real at this point. Pete had already resolved that if Charlie didn't get on the show he was going to leave so they could tour together. He'd already talked to Mulaney about the possibility of them performing together with Charlotte as the opener, and John was more than open to the idea. But even all of this planning was unnecessary. Pete knew in his gut that Charlie would be on the show. She'd proven herself a hard worker when she was a guest writer, and her talent for writing was undeniable.

Now all Pete could think about was how much time he and Charlotte were going to have together. They could transition from spending a summer together to living together full time. She would teach him how to cook and he would show her how to navigate the city. They could do random gigs and test out their new material for fresh audiences. And the couple could split their time between New England and New York, so neither of them was missing out on too much.

"Hello?" Pete looked up to see Charlotte standing in front of him, waving her hand slightly. "Someone is stuck in La La Land today." She plopped herself down next to Pete, a stack of bags in one hand and stickers in the other. "We have to finish putting the stickers on the candy bags, then we need to work on packaging up the mini cheesecakes for tonight's dessert."

"Sounds good, boss," Pete said, kissing her hair.

Victor cleared his throat, then began to speak. "So, Pete, how are you feeling about meeting the family tonight?"

Pete looked up and felt the color drain slightly from his face. "The family?" he asked.

"Yeah, the rest of the Costas."

Pete looked at Charlotte, who had already thrown herself entirely into the favors. "I'm meeting everyone tonight?"

Charlotte answered without even glancing up. "Yes, Peter, I told you that weeks ago. My parents and Theresa are coming today, they wanted to be at the rehearsal dinner."

Pete had been so wrapped up in the weekend he'd totally forgotten about meeting Charlotte's family that night. His memory flashed to the perfect group pictures of them he'd seen hunting for Christmas trees and going pumpkin picking. The whole family was like a Norman Rockwell painting. Pete tried to picture himself inserted into the scenes but struggled to conceptualize how he would ever fit in.

Emily tried to save him as she put her own favors together. "You have nothing to worry about. Our parents are just happy that Charlie is happy."

Victor interjected, "Yeah, nothing to worry about man, their dad isn't as scary as he looks." Pete had just enough time to picture Charlotte's tall and muscled father before Victor added, "Watch out for mom, though."

Emily elbowed her husband before looking back at Pete. "Don't listen to him, you'll be fine."

Pete nodded and got back to his work. He felt a dainty hand on his lap and turned to see Charlotte looking up at him. She smiled as she said, "They're going to love you."

Pete raised the corners of his mouth and went back to his work. He hoped that Charlotte was right. He wanted her family to like him as much as Amy loved Charlotte, but he knew the chances of that were slim. When Amy first met Charlotte she saw a girl that was functional and normal who could bring her son down to Earth. What would the Costas see? A guy who took their daughter away from her life with them?

The favors were done in no time, and Pete helped shuttle Jeanie and a select few of her bridesmaids to pick up last minute things from town. They got her dress and Paul's suit from the dry cleaners, dropped off welcome baskets to some last minute guests who had just arrived, and  bought McDonald's for the pregnant bride. Charlie held his hand as she sat in the passenger side. He hoped she couldn't tell how sweaty his hands were as his mind continued to wander to meeting the Costas.

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"Are you sure I can't wear a suit jacket and pants?" Charlie asked from the bathroom.

"I think you should probably stick to the dress," she heard Pete answer from the other side of the door.

Charlotte put the dress over her head, careful not to mess up her hair in the process. It was already frizzing from being so close to the lake and she didn't want to have to put any more hairspray in. She was the last one to get ready, having tried to get all of the decorations out before going upstairs, but she was actually making excellent time. It was amazing how quickly one could get ready when they only brought four or five outfits with them.

She opened the door to the bedroom and saw Pete sitting on the bed in a navy blue suit and tie. Charlotte had never seen him so dressed up before. His hair was neatly gelled so it resembled a wave and almost all of his tattoos were covered. He barely even looked like himself. She almost missed the t-shirts and ill-fitting jeans.

Pete looked at her as she entered and smiled. "You look beautiful," he said. Charlie was about to answer when she looked in his eyes and saw that something wasn't quite right. They were so dark, and bags had appeared underneath them since this morning. He was stressed, and she knew why.

Charlotte walked over to Pete and took his hand. "You look worried," she said. Pete's gaze moved to the floor, but Charlie put her other hand on his cheek and guided him back to her. "Why are you so stressed about meeting my family?"

Pete stared into her eyes for a moment before answering, "I don't think they're going to like me."

Charlie moved her thumb back and forth across his cheekbone. "Pete, they are going to love you."

"How do you know?"

Charlotte put her other hand up and cupped Pete's cheeks. "Because I love you," she said, and then kissed his forehead.

Pete hugged Charlie into him and put his head on her chest before he continued. "Your family is perfect, Charlotte. I don't want to spoil any of that."

"You could never spoil anything for me. You only make things better. Besides, my family just wants me to be happy. And you make me happier than anyone I've ever known."

Charlie felt a drop roll from Pete's eye and get caught where his cheekbone pressed into her chest. "You make me happy, too," he said.

The couple stayed like that for a moment, holding each other, before Charlotte pulled away. She took Pete's face in her hands once again and kissed him. She felt Pete's arms wrap around her waist as he pulled her in close again. She reluctantly pulled away. "Unfortunately we really have to get downstairs before the rehearsal starts," Charlie said, taking Pete's hand and guiding him up.

"You don't think we could take five more minutes?" Pete asked.

Charlotte turned to face him again. "We haven't done anything in a month and you only want five minutes?" she asked.

Pete smiled. "No, you're right, it has been a month. I'd probably be good with three."