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Their dancing was swaying and a few steps in circles, but it was one of the best dances of his life. She looked so happy, and her smile only grew when he twirled her. He could have stayed there forever, with his hand on the small of her back and his hand in hers. He didn’t want to let her go.
Charlie loved feeling her small body against his.
He realized that, despite their fallout, Violet had never left his life. Whether she was a friend or an enemy, she had always been under his skin. She was always on his mind, whether he wanted her to be or not. His pain and anger he felt when they didn’t get along were only masks for the real feelings, but the real feelings were terrifying.
He had been trying to deny it, and maybe it would have been better if he could, but while dancing with her on a street corner, listening to music he didn’t care for, having the time of his life - he knew.
He was in love with her. He was so in love with her it wasn’t funny.
And he couldn’t trace back to when it had begun. Maybe it had been the whole time. Maybe she had always owned a part of him from the moment he looked at her. Maybe he’d never exactly fallen out of love with her, either.
Lauren must have seen it from day one. There was no part of Charlie Davis that didn’t love Violet Moore.
But this was a feeling, not a fact. As much as he would have loved to kiss her, he didn’t know how she felt, or how she would react. He didn’t want to ignite a spark of pain and rekindle their arguments. He didn’t want to ruin this.
Ignoring how much he loved her was futile, but he would try if it meant he kept her.
“Are you okay?” Violet asked, frowning at him. “You look deep in thought.”
“I’m fine," Charlie said, trying to put it out of his mind.
“It’s not the dancing, is it?”
“No, never," Charlie said, and he meant it. “I’d dance with you any day.”
~
Violet
Liv: Can we talk after you get off work? I’m worried about you…
On Monday, her day had gotten so much better. She and Charlie had spent the entire weekend together, and it was hard to be worried when she was with him. So, when she finally got a message from Liv, as promised, on Monday morning, she felt ready for it.
Violet: Yeah, we can get some coffee at five.
Liv: You’re working that late?
Violet: I usually do.
Liv: Okay then. Five works.
Violet was excited to get coffee, but first, she was watching Jason for a few hours after school. He was quiet and spent the whole time reading. But he looked like he didn’t want to be bothered, so she left him alone. His mom showed up at four thirty, and Violet almost didn’t want to look her.
Jason’s mom had been combative, almost as if she felt threatened by Violet. And Violet didn’t want to overstep, she only wanted to help, but some couldn’t see the difference. After thinking about it for the last week, she decided to step back and try to help at school only. It was hard, but she needed to.
Jason’s mom saw right into her classroom. Violet watched as Jason got into her car, and for a moment, Violet wondered if Jason’s mom was still angry. But she looked tired. More than tired - exhausted. Violet could only imagine what she was going through, so instead of holding on to hard feelings, she smiled and waved through her window. His mom returned the wave.
Violet felt her chest loosen in relief.
As she drove to the coffee shop, she sent Charlie a text message letting him know where she’d be, and she’d bring him something if he wanted. He told her he had a big project from work, so he didn’t need anything, but he wished her good luck.
The coffee shop was warm and inviting. Liv was already there, sitting in the corner watching the door. When Violet get in, she immediately stood, looking worried. Violet smiled and got something to drink before joining her.
“Hey," Liv said. “Since when do you work until five?”
“I sometimes watch a kid. His mom gets there late.”
“You’re not avoiding Charlie?” Liv asked.
