Recipe for Love

Chapter 20

In case you haven't noticed yet...Lando Norris is a race-winner! YAYYY! <3 
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-B.

Anna

The journey back was filled with awkward silence. You are such a pure soul... Did I really tell him that? Such nonsense? How does anyone really say such things? Why didn't I just tell him the truth? That I really like him and I like spending time with him and I would really like to develop our relationship further, but I am afraid that he is too good for me and at the same time that when it comes to decisions, he will prioritize his career and I will be left alone broken-hearted. I didn't want to poke him and make fun of him. Not in the slightest. But my flirting skills are not exactly at the expert level, and my strategy is purely on the basis of "annoy them until they love you." You know that, don't you? It always worked before Charles because the previous guys were idiots who were a thousand times worse than me. I didn't want to hurt anyone with my comments, on the contrary, the guys reveled in it as tears of pain glistened in my eyes and my self-confidence dropped to freezing point. This was also proof that Charles is completely different from what I have known so far.

"It was great, wasn't it? To get out like that," Joris hummed, but I just lowered my head. I knew he was trying to lighten the tense atmosphere a bit, but it wasn't working. From my backseat, I could see Charles' shoulders and neck muscles tense, and even though we weren't at the best of our friendship right now, the smooth skin on the back of his neck and broad shoulders under the thin fabric of his t-shirt made me feel strange all over. I swallowed hard and caught his dark gaze in the rearview mirror for a second. "Thanks for taking me with you," I sputtered and Jo turned to give me a big smile. I wanted to tell Charles that I'm sorry if I upset him in any way, that I didn't mean it and I'm just clumsy. But it felt really stupid to bring it up in front of his best friend, so I had no choice but to hope that I would get another chance.

"Bye, Anna," Joris hugged me as the boys dropped me off at my car. "I hope to see you again." He gave me a pointed look as if he sensed that something dramatic had happened between me and Charles. After a while, Charles also came out and hugged me very briefly. I couldn't help but feel like it was a goodbye hug and I refused to accept that. "Can I talk to you for a second?" I asked him. Charles looked uncertainly at Joris, who without blinking an eye disappeared through the front door of the house. Charles nodded and we got back into the car together because it was getting cold, and neither of us wanted to be watched by nosy neighbors from the balconies that looked down onto the parking lot.

I folded my hands in my lap and took a few seconds to think about what I actually wanted to say to him, but Charles had other plans and started talking instead. "Anna, I understand that you don't want to tell me everything. I also have secrets that I don't want to share with everyone right away. But I feel like you're directly lying to me, and I don't want to waste my energy on someone who doesn't trust me at all. I don't think your life is that much more of a mess than mine, and I don't think it's true that you ran away because you didn't want to drag me into it," he said, and my vision went black for a moment. "Actually..." he sighed. "I really like you, and I'd like to give a chance to anything that might come out of the two of us, but I wish you'd at least open up to me a little bit."

I closed my eyes as I felt them start to burn. No guy has ever talked to me like that. So honestly, I was afraid that if I wasn't sitting down, I would pass out from the rush of emotions that was happening inside me right now. I slowly opened my eyes again and found his, which were buried in me, as if they were examining every part of my soul.

"Charlie," I said, and hesitated for a moment because I wasn't sure if he liked being called that, but his half-smile indicated that he probably did. "I can't promise you that I will change overnight, but I can promise you that I will try to earn your trust. I'm just asking for your patience and a little time. I like you too and I like what's between us. Whatever it is," I said so quietly I wasn't sure if he even heard me. He leaned into me and wrapped me in a tight hug. I felt the light touch of his lips on the top of my head, which almost brought tears to my eyes again. A kiss to the hair. Another "first" I had to wait for until Charles.