rich man's world; charlie dalton

[eighteen] "then lets run away together"

"I was wondering if I could talk to you outside?"

This is what she had been waiting for but strangely enough, hearing those words weren't as comforting as she once thought. "What...what about?" she fixed her denim jeans' cuffs before putting on her new favorite pink headband on. She walked toward the door awkwardly, her hand touched the doorknob as she waited for an answer.

"Us."

The answer was short but opened a million wounds. It was enough for her to open the door. His hand removed itself from the knob, now looking at her and her puffy eyes. A millisecond of confusion overtook his features when he realized she had been crying. She looked away to rub her eyes making it seem like it was just allergies.

"Charlie," she bit her lip nervously as she started, an eyebrow soon quirking upwards. She let go of her lip, "I think that ended a long time ago."

His frown deepened, "No, it hasn't," he didn't sound convinced with himself. He blinked rapidly before kissing his teeth, "Sigrid, look at me please."

She couldn't.

He bent down to get her to look at him, a small laugh left her lips, "Sigrid, please."

She retaliated. Hesitant to make eye contact but the moment his eyes melted into hers her breath hitched and she walked outside, closing the door behind her. She frowned as she watched him play with his thumbs the way she did when she was skittish. He closed his eyes, sighing in tiredness he hadn't realized had crept up on him.

"Would you be more comfortable talking somewhere more private?" his eyes met hers for a second before they widened more and shot to his hands. His voice was breathy, she noticed his foot tapping lightly. It ticked her off in its own sweet time.

"I know I wouldn't want to share every detail of our relationship out in the hallway. I know you've been avoiding me...why did you still go to dinner with my parents?

Her tongue stuck to the side of her cheek, "I have," she mumbled to herself before repeating with a nod in a louder tone, "I've been avoiding you, and you know exactly why Charlie. It's a joke honestly. That's exactly what she wants, for you to keep trying."

She took off her headband to fix her hair one last time before sliding it back on and opening her door. Charlie's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "You know I wouldn't hesitate to leave my family name for you."

"What if I'm freaked out Charlie?" Her hand stayed on the door, scared but hoping to give herself the approval to let him step in. "It wasn't a simple slap in the wrist. She treats me like I don't have a mind. Charlie, us ending wasn't you. It was her fault. And as long as I have to go through all of that, I don't want nothing will you."

His hand reached for the door, his eyes glossy with a certain light behind them. "Sigrid...then let's run away together."

"Huh, love really does make you crazy," she couldn't help but laugh as her stomach sank.

"Yes," he looked down at her lips before looking back into her eyes, "It really does."

She found herself opening the door even more and letting him in. Their first fight replayed in their mind as that abysmal hole began to form in their chests again. She propped her stationary chair for him and she took a comfortable spot in her bed. The silence was excruciating, the cold sizzled between their gazes.

But he didn't care because he hadn't been this close to her in over a month.

She looked so different. She seemed more composed, like she'd broken the shell without him. And it made his eyes glossy. He romanticized every second of his life he was with her. It saddened him to think the time he was supposed to be with her were discarded for moments he couldn't be a part of. Her cheeks still managed to be that welcoming shade of pink and her lips were still coated in strawberry lipgloss and a tint of cherry stain.