Take Me Out

by Dawn Robertson

  After he left, I headed to the living room and grabbed my Mac Book so I could fire up my blog. The last entry I made was so self-centered.

  I Can’t Fight this Feeling Anymore!

  Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies. - Aristotle

  The world is a rare place. One moment you can be content in your life and the next your reality could be turned upside down by a chance meeting with a person you would never give the time of day. My mood couldn’t be any more optimistic than it is in this moment.

  Chapter 6

  Cutting Ties

  (Charlotte)

  While I was sitting at my computer, I knew it was time to make sure Landon and I were on the same page. He needed to know that we’d never be more than friends. I really enjoyed his company, but there was just... no chemistry between us, even if I did ignore the creepy vibes he gave off.

  To: Landon Williams

  Subject: About last night

  Date: June 26 11:45

  From: Charlotte A. Windsor

  Landon, I’m sure what you saw from last night looked bad. I’ll be the first to admit, my actions at the bar may have been a little extreme. I wanted to blow off some steam and it’s the only way I know how. I ran into an old flame last night and no matter how much I try, my feelings for him are far too strong to let go. I enjoyed all the moments we spent together, I just don’t think we could ever be more. I do hope you will continue to be a great friend.

  -Charlotte

  I felt guilty for breaking up in such an impersonal way, but no matter how it was done, I knew it was the right thing to do. I’d be going away with my parents for the weekend and I didn’t want them asking about the status of my relationship with him. As it turned out, Landon was only at the party because our mothers were acquaintances through the Historical society. If I knew he was someone I was going to have to deal with in social situations long term, I would have kept things much simpler.

  I decided to take the plunge and see if Bentley would like to join us at the Cape.

  To: Be.Young@BU.edu

  Subject: 4th of July Weekend

  Date: June 26 12:02

  From: Charlotte A. Windsor

  Good afternoon Mr. Young. I had a wonderful time last night and this morning. I wanted to see if you might be interested in joining me for my annual 4th of July weekend escape? I’ll be hitting the Cape with my family. You already know Trey, I wouldn’t be surprised if you know the rest of my brothers, too. There’s no pressure if you have other plans! BTW, they throw this huge party when we are up there, so just be prepared for the circus if you do come!

  -Charlie

  “Shay, get your ass in here,” I screamed from my room. “If you go up to the roof and lounge by the pool with me, I’ll catch you up on everything from last night.” There was no way she’d turn down the chance to find out what happened between me and Bentley. I pulled my favorite bikini out of the dresser.

  “I can’t think of a better idea,” she squealed as she ran to her room to change. Since we’d both had a busy start to the summer, I had to catch Shay up on everything that had happened in the last month. She’d been in Atlanta for two weeks to visit with her grandparents and check out some fancy medical program she was looking into. I wanted to discourage her because I didn’t want her to leave Boston, but being in the South in the winter would be a nice change. I just couldn’t imagine not having her with me after living together for so long.

  We interchangeably sunbathed and jumped into the pool for a couple of laps to cool off. She caught me up on all her final grades for the summer semester while I just gossiped about the men I’d become involved with. Shay laughed at my misfortune. Walking along the side of the pool with her guard down after making me the butt of her jokes was a mistake; with one swift movement and she was underwater and I was laughing on the edge of the pool.

  Once she reappeared from the depths of the deep end, she exited the pool coming right for me. No way I was getting away that easy. The next thing I knew I was flying thru the air and into the water.

  As I was climbing out of the pool, I heard the e-mail alert from my cell phone. I had two emails, one from Landon and one from Bentley. I was scared to open either of them. I knew the e-mail from Bentley could go either way, but the e-mail from Landon was going to be bad no matter what.

  Since I knew Landon was going to be pissed, I decided to open his first.

  To: Charlotte A. Windsor

  Subject: See Ya Around

  Date: June 26 14:05

  From: Landon Williams

  I am sorry you feel this way Charlotte. I thought we could really have been something great. I guess I’ll see you next weekend at the Cape. I’ll be there with my parents. I hope things aren’t weird.

  -Landon

  Knowing Landon was going to be at my parents’ party, I rushed to open the e-mail reply from Bentley. I almost prayed he said no. I couldn’t imagine what kind of sparks would fly between Landon and Bentley when they encountered each other, especially after Landon called him a scumbag.

  To: Charlotte A. Windsor

  Subject: Re: 4th of July Weekend

  Date: June 26 13:35

  From: BE.Young@BU.edu

  My Lovely Charlotte,

  I know it sounds crazy but I would love to join you. I can’t think of any place in the world I’d rather be than with you for the weekend. We’ll talk plans over dinner tomorrow night. I’ll be at your apartment to pick you up at 7. Wear comfortable shoes and dress down.

  -B

  I needed to figure out how to handle this situation. I could feel my latest meal churn in my stomach as the panic set in. While we laid out in the sun to dry off after our water war, Shay and I started devising a plan, which included sucking it up and going to dinner with my parents in the coming week. Shay was going to call and set it up at my favorite restaurant, Chart House. I couldn’t get around introducing them to Bentley before the Cape if I wanted things to go off with minimal drama once we were there. My parents could be tough, and I wanted him in their good graces.

  I figured I should at least give him a heads up. Meeting the parents was kind of a big deal for any new boyfriend. Bentley meeting my parents was going to be a baptism by fire.

  To: BE.Young@BU.edu

  Subject: Meet the Parents

  Date: June 26 14:24

  From: Charlotte A. Windsor

  Comfortable shoes and dress down? I’m intrigued, as always, Mr. Young. I would like to have dinner with you on Thursday evening. The only catch is it will include Shay and my parents. I’d like you to meet them before we head out to the Cape for the weekend. I hope that’s okay.

  -Charlie

  As I hit send, I panicked. I knew he would meet my parents over the weekend, but dinner? That is like one of those formal things real couples did. Are we a real couple?

  I logged into my Twitter account to see what was going on in my social world when I noticed someone had tweeted something at me.

  Crushin’ on @C_A_Windsor fella’s. She’s off the market for real now. @HardcoreBentley

  Leave it to social media to clear up any confusion I had about my own relationship status. Seeing Bentley staking his claim on me for the entire world to see was more than I ever could have hoped for.

  Shay went back down to the apartment to put our plan in motion while I hung around for one last dip in the pool. After I showered, I got dressed and thought about my evening plans. I was catching a game with my brothers. I thought that might be the last opportunity Trey would give me to come clean about Bentley. If I didn’t come clean, he would out me himself.

  Shay had a smug smile on her face when I got back to the apartment. There was a huge flower arrangement sitting on the breakfast bar for me. It was brimming over with red and white roses. They were perfect. Every last flower was perfection. I plucked the note off its little plastic holder, already knowing who they were from.

  To new beginnings with a beautiful woman.

/>   -Bentley

  “Everything set for Thursday night?” I asked, not looking forward to the evening with my family. Knowing Bentley would be by my side was both comforting and terrifying.

  “Yup, Mom and Dad are looking forward to it. I don’t think they suspect a thing, either.” I loved Shay for being willing to act as a go-between for me and my parents. Sometimes they were just too much for me to deal with.

  Shay warned me our brothers would be attending our family dinner as well, at the request of our mother. She’d said something about not seeing us all as often as she would like. Maybe if she wasn’t such a head case we would come around more often. While I had been able to simply skirt the issue with Bentley by saying I was seeing someone, I knew Trey wasn’t going to let that fly for long. Only time would tell how everyone would react Thursday night. The more I thought about it, the more nervous I felt. I broke into a cold sweat. Damn my nerves.

  To: Charlotte A. Windsor

  Subject: Thursday

  Date: June 26 15:30

  From: BE.Young@BU.Edu

  Thursday sounds like a plan. I’ll be looking forward to it! Check your Twitter.

  -B

  To: BE.Young@BU.Edu

  Subject: I’m Yours

  Date: June 26 15:32

  From: Charlotte A. Elwood

  I noticed you staking your claim on me for the world to see. Isn’t that bad for your playboy reputation? Ha!

  I’m glad you can come on Thursday. Thank you for the flowers. They are beautiful.

  -Charlie

  Even without physically being near Bentley, he was everywhere: email, Twitter, text messages, my blog and Facebook. Our relationship was anything but a secret. That fact was kind of sickening. He called me his girlfriend and when I talked about him I blushed like a girl experiencing first love.

  To: Charlotte A. Windsor

  Subject: Tonight

  Date: June 27 13:45

  From BE.Young@BU.edu

  Can’t wait to see you tonight. Remember what I said about dressing down and be sure to pull your hair back.

  -B

  Even when I was a little girl, I’d hated surprises. As the hours ticked by on the clock, each one bringing me closer to our date, my nerves took over. I didn’t like being clueless about his plans. Shay had tried to reassure me that it wouldn’t be anything I couldn’t deal with. “Homeboy isn’t going to scare you off. Just relax girl!”

  My phone began to ring as I headed down the hall to my bathroom. Pulling it from my back pocket I saw that it was Christian. My blood started racing nervously, he never called unless he had a damn good reason. “What’s up Chris?” I answered.

  “Charlie, we need to talk about this thing with Bentley Young.” I could hear the pissed off tone in his voice even though he was trying to mask it.

  I swallowed hard at his words. I knew I was about to get a lecture from yet another one of my brothers about the dangers of my new bad boy lover.

  “Well hello to you too!” I said sarcastically. He had already pissed me off. “What is there to talk about Christian? I’m a grown woman. I can make my own choices,” I snapped. While I understood their concerns, it didn’t change the fact that, eventually, they needed to trust me to make my own decisions.

  “I don’t think you know what you’re getting yourself into Charlie. I know you probably got this from Trey and you’ll get it from Jon too. We love you, but we know him. We know his bad habits and his flaws. We don’t want you to get hurt.” His tone wasn’t as condescending as I expected it to be, there was genuine concern there. Far from the terseness with which he’d begun the conversation.

  “I know you’re worried Chris, but I’m a big girl. I really like him and I’m going to give this the good ol’ college try. If it doesn’t work, it won’t be the first time in my life something didn’t turn out as I had planned. It’s a life lesson Chris. I can’t stay hidden in my ivory penthouse forever.” I could hear him take a deep breath. Seconds felt like minutes, until he finally broke the silence.

  “Okay, baby girl. I just wanted to tell you I care. I’ll see you on Thursday night. But if he does anything to you, I want to be the first one you come to. Do you understand me?”

  He was still seething on the other end of the phone, but his anger wasn’t directed at me. There clearly was something else eating at him.

  Something seemed wrong about it all. Maybe if my brothers got laid more often, they’d stop worrying about my own love life. That thought reminded me that I needed to call my gynecologist and make an appointment to get on birth control. We couldn’t have another shower incident.

  “Tomorrow at 11:30,” I repeated to the gynecologist’s receptionist over the phone. I was able to breathe easier, knowing that in less than twenty-four hours, I’d be on the pill and wouldn’t have to freak about the possibility of getting knocked up.

  I climbed into the tub. The water felt amazing and helped me relax away the anxiety of seeing Bentley again. Nothing in the world mattered; not the opinion of my family, not what the world would think. Nothing.

  Chapter 7

  Head Over Heels

  (Bentley)

  In just a few days, my world had turned upside down. Charlotte was back in my life and we showed no signs of slowing down. A few days before, I’d been sitting at home wallowing in my own self-pity when Drew texted me from the bar. Charlotte was there getting completely shit-faced and grinding on any guy who would go near her, which apparently was a long line with her dance moves.

  I rushed to Boston Beer Works as fast as I could. I didn’t want her to do anything she’d regret the next day. As soon as I walked in, I saw her at the bar, throwing back a shot and chasing it with a beer. I made my way towards her and begged her to talk but she wanted to dance instead. We talked and she had this carefree nature about her. Maybe it was the alcohol? Maybe it was the time apart? I was over-analyzing everything until she asked me to go home with her. It turned into one of the best nights of my life that was for sure.

  When we walked out of the bar, I fully expected to carry her home and tuck her drunk ass into bed. As we walked and talked, it seemed like she sobered up a bit. Her playful nature became more serious and you could see every emotion on her face. She had it just as bad as I did and the alcohol made it difficult for her to hide her feelings. Shay hated me, I could see it in her eyes. I didn’t worry about her right then, how she viewed me didn’t matter if I couldn’t get back in Charlie’s good graces.

  As right as it felt when we made love, I still can’t believe I was stupid enough to go through with it. The very thought of our intimate moments was controlling my existence. I feel like I fucked up so bad but on the other hand I needed to use the event to my advantage. I needed her in my life. I needed her to love me. I already wanted to spend the rest of my life with her and I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t a part of me that loved knowing I would be the only man she had ever been with.

  The very thought of claiming her barely touched womanhood made my dick grow hard. Down boy.

  “Why the hell are we going to a jewelry store, bro?” Drew complained as he drove to Copley Place. I wanted to stop by Tiffany & Co. to get something special for Charlie. While all the caution in my head screamed not to even go there; my heart told me it was now or never.

  “Just don’t ask questions you don’t want the answers to bro.” Yes, it was a bit soon for jewelry, certainly too soon to give her that little turquoise box most girls would die to receive, but I knew in my heart this was what I wanted. This was right.

  “But you just met her. You have been dating for what, a day?” He was starting to push my buttons, but I wasn’t going to be bothered by it. He was only trying to look out for me. Drew was really the only person who cared enough to worry about me besides my brothers and they had no idea what I was getting myself into.

  “I just want to get her a little something. I was thinking a three carat pink diamond should suffice,” I joked. If Drew was going to
jump to conclusions, I was going to fuck with him a bit. I really just wanted to get her something nice to give her the night I met her parents. Nights like that are supposed to be special right? I had never been down this road as an adult. And when I was in high school with Layla, I never had money or the means to do anything special for her anyway.

  Maybe that’s why she had ended up in the back seat of my best friend’s car?

  We strolled around the store for a few minutes. Once the young blonde behind the counter noticed us, she practically ran across the store to flirt while trying to get us both to spend a good chunk of change. I could never understand women like that, flirting with unavailable men when they’re in the process of spending thousands of dollars on another woman. “Did I mention that I’m going with you guys too?” Drew asked as we walked out of the store. I found the perfect silver heart pendant for Charlotte, not too plain, but nothing so fancy it would scare her away.

  “Going where?” I asked.

  “To the Cape. Shay invited me. She didn’t want you to feel like the odd man out since it’s one of those rich-bitch social hour events. She must like you for some ungodly reason.”

  “Sounds like a plan! I’m going to need my wingman with me,” I said. Drew had no clue just how much I meant those words. I was just about to the car when I heard someone yelling my name. As he jogged across the parking lot, I realized it was Christian Windsor, one of Charlie’s older brothers. I knew her brothers from different business dealings, but we weren’t what you could call friends. There was bad blood between us, well deserved thanks to some of my past mistakes.