AGAIN || MAYBE IN ANOTHER LIFE /Charles Leclerc/

Chapter 7

Charles

Before

When the girl leaves the room, an awkward silence falls among us, all eyes are on Heidi, all except mine.

"You know how it is, she's never loved November 19th, it reminds her of her childhood and today she also argued with Jean and Philippe, just let her be."

I'm obviously confused by these words, after all I still don't know anything about this girl who, I won't deny, completely fascinated me in a few seconds. I can't get out of my mind the two dimples that opened on her cheeks when she smiled at Daniel, who'd decided to invite me so that I would meet new people.

I don't even know the brunette's name, Cel: that's how Heidi called her, but it must be a nickname.
Twenty minutes later I realize that she still isn't back but no one seems to be concerned by her absence.

I'm starting to think that maybe something happened to her, a beautiful girl like her doesn't go unnoticed, especially not in a nightclub packed with people with no innocent intentions.

What I still don't know, however, is that the girl I've been thinking about for the past twenty minutes, painting her like an earthly angel, is actually the least innocent person in the entire room.

"Haven't you noticed that your friend is not back yet?" My question provoques a general laugh that pisses me off even more.

"Is this funny to you? She said she'd be back after having a drink!" I nervously run a hand through my hair pulling it back, I'm frustrated and I don't even know why. Why do I care about a girl I've never seen before?

"Don't worry Charles, she's definitely in the bathroom with a random lad, give her another ten minutes and she'll be back here with us!"

Those words horrify me, I understood the hidden meaning of the sentence without much effort and unexpectedly a lump forms in my throat. I really can't conceive one-night stands, I believe that any form of intimacy that goes beyond kissing is something extremely important and cannot be shared with some random person.

"Your friend locks herself in the bathroom with random guys and you don't even try to stop her?" My accusation is aimed at Daniel who widens his eyes and waits patiently for someone to answer in his place.

"She's like that, she likes to fuck and there's nothing wrong with that! But she doesn't want complications of any kind..."

I don't even let this girl finish speaking, I grab my jacket and leave first the room and then the club. Once I reach the parking lot I take a deep breath, letting the cold November air envelop me completely. For a moment there's absolute peace, the music of the club feels weak and the little light that comes from the street lamps is perfect for resting my eyes from the club lights.

The silence, however, is broken by some sobs coming from one of the cars parked nearby. I almost immediately notice an open door and when I'm close enough to see who those sobs belong to, I'm amazed: maybe her friends don't know her that well.

The beautiful girl with long raven hair who everyone thought was in a miserable bathroom having fun with some guy is actually crying in a dark parking lot in her car. When I realize what's really happening to her I quickly reach her, bending on my knees.

"Is everything alright?" Hearing a voice coming out of nowhere she jumps, and rubbing her hands over her wet eyes she looks up and our eyes meet for the second time this evening.

Having her in front of me again I can confirm that what I've been thinking all evening is true: she is beautiful, even in this moment with makeup ruined and cheeks red from crying, everything about her seems to be perfect.

She doesn't answer me, so I raise my hands in her direction with the intention of drying her tears, but this gesture scares her.

"No don't, don't touch me, please..."
She's literally begging, however I decide not to listen to her and when I feel her breathing getting faster and faster I gently grab her face, forcing her to look at me.

"Hey calm down, you need to take a deep breath, okay?"
But she's gone completely into panic, I don't think she can even hear my words.

"Cel, that's your name right? Listen to me, you have to breathe, breathe with me..."
She tries but it doesn't work. She's so shocked that she can't do it.

So I decide to do something totally reckless and risky, but she doesn't want to listen to me and therefore I find no other solution than placing my soft lips on hers.

The contact is brief, but not enough for me to feel a slight taste of vanilla on her lips.

Cel's eyes widen, she jumps back and starts looking at me with a shocked look. I can't hold back a small laugh.

"Better?" Immediately she doesn't understand what I mean, but then she realizes that her breathing is now more or less regular and that her eyes are no longer clouded by endless tears.

"I...why did you do that?"

It's the only thing she can think of to ask.

"You were having a panic attack, I tried to trick your brain giving you a mild shock, apparently it worked."
Cel is speechless.

"Thank you." She whispers, trying not to mention the part of our lips touching.

"Anyway my name is not Cel but Celine." Her voice tries to come out confident but the only thing in her tone is all the sadness of this day.

I go back on my feet and offer her my hand, to get up. She thinks about it for a few seconds before grabbing it.

"Okay Celine, come with me, I'll take you somewhere."
She doesn't know whether to trust me or not, but in the end she decides to do so.

"It's your birthday right? Do you like bowling? Because just around here there's a really nice place to spend the evening!"

Her eyes widen hearing these words and she suddenly stops in the middle of the parking lot. She's probably so used to spending her evenings surrounded by music, alcohol and boys that it seems crazy to her that I'm asking if she likes bowling.

I realize she's once again immersed in her own problems and that tears are ready to come out again, so I pull her closer to my body, wrapping my arm around her shoulders.

"If you'd rather go back inside just say so, just please, don't cry or I'll have to kiss you again and we'd never want that right?"

Celine smiles, wiping her cheeks, then playfully punches me in the chest and shakes her head.

"I've never been to the bowling but I definitely do prefer that instead of having to go back in there and be the center of attention for the rest of the evening."

She smiled and I held her closer protectively guiding her to my car.

"Then bowling it is, but just know that you'll be the center of my attention all evening, you've been since I saw you."