Chapter 19 Charlie
Charlie
The gravel crunches underneath my shoes as we walk back to Aiden’s car.
Aiden. Eli’s best friend. His roommate. The last few hours swirl in my head.
It’s not that I don’t want to believe him; his explanation is very plausible.
I know Claire’s interest in books, and she has mentioned before that she has shared some fantasy with Eli.
It’s just hard to fully trust a complete stranger.
Aiden stops at his passenger side, looking sheepishly at me before opening the car door for me.
“See,” he says, “a total gentleman.”
I fight the grin that’s trying to form on my face. Even though he gives off a scary bear vibe, he’s really a teddy bear on the inside. Aiden gets in the driver’s seat and glances over at me. He’s being very gentle, like he’s trying not to startle a wild animal.
“I’m just going to grab your phone from the glove compartment for you. Or I mean, you could do it if you’re more comfortable.”
“I can do it.” I open the compartment and grab my phone. Only it’s dead.
“It’s dead. Do you have a charger?”
“Sure. Here.”
Plugging my phone in, I stare out at the empty lot as we pull away from Maple Diner.
Silence fills the cabin. It’s like now that our dynamic is no longer captor and captive, we have suddenly become two awkward people on a first date. Oh great, just like Dee Dee predicted.
“Well, I guess we can start heading back toward Main Street. Would you like me to drop you off at the bookstore?”
“Yes, that would be nice. Thank you.”
“So, just to make sure we are on the same page. You won’t call the sheriff on me as soon as we get back, right?”
“That depends.”
“Depends on what?”
“How sorry you are for kidnapping me.” The corner of my mouth twitches into a smirk.
“Super sorry. Scout’s honor. Would I win any favor if you got to meet Jake today?”
“Oh, bribing me with your fur child, I see, that’s an unfair advantage.”
The ride back to Main Street is quicker than I want it to be. The storefronts blur by as we make our way down. The silence is awkward but comfortable.
“Do you and Eli work at the same hospital?” I ask, wanting to continue our previous easygoing conversation.
“Yeah, we’re rotating at the same hospital right now and hope to get into their residency program.”
I watch him from the corner of my eye, his hand resting loosely on the wheel, veins flexing with every turn. Gosh, I bet the nurses at the hospital love him. Those veins are probably their version of a jackpot.
“I bet the nurses love your forearms,” I blurt before my brain can stop me. The words slip out way too casually, and the second they do, I want to reel them back in. Way to have no filter, Charlie.
He glances over, one brow raised. “My forearms?”
“Yeah, I donate blood once a quarter, and the nurses can never find my veins. My arm ends up looking like I went twelve rounds with a toddler holding a marker. Yours must be heaven to them.” I’m oversharing again, but how else was I going to recover from complimenting his veins?
His nostrils flare, his jaw tightens, and I swear I see the muscles in his forearm flex tighter around the steering wheel.
“Where do you go?” he asks, his voice low, but there’s something behind it I can’t quite name.
“Where do I go?” I repeat dumbly, because my brain short-circuits at his tone.
“For blood draws.”
“Oh. I usually drive in for the Brooksdale Medical Center quarterly blood drive.”
He nods once, eyes still on the road. “Next time you give blood, come find me. I’ll do it. That way you won’t bruise.”
I blink, caught off guard. My stomach does this weird swoopy thing at his protective tone. I stare at his face, unable to comprehend why he feels the need to draw my blood for me. His jaw ticks; he’s focused, pretending not to notice me watching him, which makes me want to poke the bear.
“Sooooo,” I say, dragging out the word and changing the topic so the butterfly in my stomach will stop fluttering at his odd version of protectiveness. “What are we?”
He chuckles, head tipping back against the seat. “You’re kidding, right?”
I grin, unable to help it. “Oh, come on. You can’t fake-kidnap someone, drive them around town, feed them, and then just drop them off like an return. There’s gotta be some kind of label for us.”
He glances my way, the corner of his mouth twitching. “Yeah. The label is: mistake I’ll be paying for until I die.”
“Harsh,” I say, clutching my chest in mock offense, “and here I thought we had something special.”
He exhales a quiet laugh under his breath that he tries to hide, but I catch it. And even though he doesn’t say it, the look in his eyes says enough.
As we near The Lantern Nooks, I spot Claire waving frantically at a very apologetic-looking Eli. He’s trying to calm her down while also juggling a puppy leash—attached to a fluffy little dog who looks two seconds away from bolting after a squirrel.
“Oh-em-gee, is that Jake?” I ask, my voice bubbling with excitement.
“Yeah, that’s him.” Aiden’s lips twitch. “Looks like Eli’s in damage control mode.”
“Oh, you better brace yourself,” I tease. “Claire takes self-defense classes. She’s totally going to drop-kick you as soon as you’re within range.”
“I think I can manage.” His eyes glance at Claire like he’s trying to size her up.
The street parking is full, the festival likely in full swing, so we end up a few cars down from where we spot Claire and Eli.
He executes that perfect three-point turn they teach you in driver’s ed—one hand on the wheel, the other braced on the back of my seat—I had to check myself for any drool that results in the sight of his forearm flexing as he steers.
Making our way towards the arguing couple, I can tell my sister was two seconds from calling in the cavalry.
“God, where could she have gone?” Concern and panic are etched in Claire’s voice.
“Do you think she stopped by the General Store to get more flour? Didn’t you say she had an emergency order last night?” Eli’s rubbing soothing circles up and down her arms.
“Maybe I should call Will, the sheriff; he could help us.”
They’re both too engrossed in their conversation to notice us approaching.
Jake, however, doesn’t miss a beat. He wiggles out of Eli’s hold and comes barreling toward us, drawing both their attention.
Claire’s eyes lock with mine, and before I can even react, she’s running toward me, arms wide, pulling me into a tight hug.
“Thank god you’re okay!” she breathes out.
I hug her back tightly. “Yes, I’m okay. Just a little mistaken-identity trope in real life.”
She pulls back, glaring. “What?”
Her gaze shifts past me, and when she spots Aiden, her eyes narrow. “Who are you?”
“This is Aiden. He’s my roommate and best friend. I called him to help look for Charlie.” Eli provides.
“But, you guys showed up together?” Claire looks between us, her brows furrow as she tries to piece together the situation.
Eli, seeming to realize that we did indeed walk up together, looked at Aiden in surprise. “Actually, yeah, why are you here together?”
“Should you tell them or should I?” I say, giving him a cheeky grin.
Aiden sighs, preparing himself to recount the most ridiculous fake-kidnapping scenario there ever was.
“Look, I was just following your dumbass boyfriend’s plan.
He said you liked those dark romance books and convinced me to help kidnap you, but I accidentally napped your sister.
” Tossing his thumb in my direction as he finishes up his recount of the morning’s event.
“What?!” Claire shouts in disbelief, looking at Eli, who is looking at her sheepishly.
“I did not know this.” Eli lifts his hands in surrender. “Why didn’t you tell me when I called earlier?”
“Well, earlier I didn’t know she was Claire’s sister. I thought I kidnapped a stranger.”
“How could you not realize she wasn’t the right girl?”
“They’re identical!” Aiden shoots back. “You could’ve mentioned she had a twin sister!”
“I did mention she had a twin named Charlie!” Eli argues.
“Yeah, and I thought Charlie was a guy!”
Claire and I both burst out laughing at their married-couple bickering.
The arguing duo stops at the sound of our laughter, as if suddenly remembering we’re still here.
I bend down to scratch Jake behind the ear before straightening to give Eli a quick side hug, then lift my gaze to meet Aiden’s emerald green eyes.
“Okay, Mr. Grumpy Captor,” I say through giggles. “Looks like our trope did turn from captors to lovers. How about we start over?”
Aiden chuckles. “Alright, princess, I’ll play.”
“Hi, my name’s Charlotte, but everyone calls me Charlie.” I wink at him.
Taking my hand and giving it a gentle squeeze, the gesture causes the butterflies in my stomach to flutter.
“Nice to meet you, Charlie. I’m Aiden. Would you maybe want to grab a cup of coffee with me sometime?”
I tilt my head, pretending to think. “That depends. Do you think you’ll be able to spot me in a crowd this time?”