At The End of The Day (Bars & Melody: Chardre)

Chapter 10

Charlie's Perspective

The little bursts of lights coming from the cameras in the audience looked like a sea of stars. Tonight was a full house at the Genting Arena, with 15,000 fans arriving at our concert. We sang our entire new EP for them, and the response was well received. Leondre and I planned this concert to come out to our fans with our newly formed relationship. We begged Simon Cowell to arrange this entire event for us. It was a risky business move, but it was all worth it in the end when we found out that we had sold out. The support of our fans meant everything to us.

"How did you all enjoy this concert!" I announced.

The fans roared back in response, with each individual voice resonating through my ears. I think it was finally time to do it. I walked towards Leondre and held his hand. Our fans, company, families, and all our close friends were here to share this special moment with us. We both turn towards each other and dropped the microphones on the stage. I pull Leo in by the waist for a kiss that felt like eternity. Even if the fans started screaming louder, I barely noticed. We were in our own little world in this very moment. We didn't even have to say anything to each other, our body language spoke for us.

We did it.

I slowly removed my arms around Leondre and we face the crowd. I pick up the microphone again. 

"As you just witnessed, I think we can finally agree... Chardre is real!" I declared.

Leondre laughed hysterically next to me.

"I never thought you'd be saying those words to our fans!" He cackled.

"I wanted to make sure I'd be the first to say it. Either way, before we end the concert tonight, I want you guys to know one thing. We promise that our relationship isn't going to change anything. We will always be the same goofy Charlie and Leo to you all, forever. There will be haters & rumors, but at the end of the day, we'll move past them. Thank you, Birmingham! You've been a great audience!" I say.

I wrap my arm around Leondre's shoulders like I always have, and we waved off the fans. To our surprise, the entire crew backstage piled up on us for a big group hug. Nothing felt better than receiving support from the people you're surrounded with all the time. Leondre managed to nudge me a bit.

"Are you finally up to go out and eat after we get out of this?" He asked.

"Of course," I respond.

---

I came out of my dressing room with a formal polo shirt, khakis, and dress shoes. Leondre was still dressed in his muscle shirt and sweatpants.

"Why did you change?" He wondered.

"Why didn't YOU change? This was supposed to be our date night!" I complain.

Leondre snickered and walked away from me.

"Either way, I'm the one choosing which restaurant we're going to. You're definitely the one who's going to look stupid dressing up all classy at a small vegan restaurant."

"H-hey! I thought I was going to choose!" I ran after him.

He took my hand and started dragging me along with him.

"You cater to my needs now Charlie!" He laughed.

Oh boy, this is what the rest of our relationship is going to be like. I guess the best thing for me is to support him all the way through. 

---

Leondre really meant it when he said that this was a small restaurant. There were 5 booths lined up against the wall with only a few small tables on the side. The food was surprisingly good, considering my expectations for vegan food were low. I was having a three bean chili, and Leondre ordered Asian hot pot noodles. Us and an elderly pair of ladies were the only people in the restaurant. The setting was quite boring. There wasn't much conversation between us considering we already know everything about each other. 

"So... I was wondering if you would like to go on a carriage ride around that park we went to," I requested.

"Not interested."

"What?! Why! That's like the most romantic thing ever!" I exclaim.

"Charlie, why are you trying so hard? We don't have to be the most romantic couple ever."

"I just... I want to be a good boyfriend, that's all."

"I like you the way you are, no need to be a gentleman. Got it?" 

"I got it," I promised.

"Good, since we're both done. Let's get out of this place!" He beams.

I paid the bill and left a tip. Before I could give my thanks to the waiter, Leondre was already dragging me along again with him. We were back in my car.

"So what do you want to do then?" I ask.

"Let's go back to our hotel. I've already had this all planned out beforehand."

"If you say so..."

---

Of course, I should've expected this. Leondre brought his gaming consoles and horror movies along with him.

"This is supposed to be our date?" I wondered.

"Duh! Now grab a controller, unless you're too lame to play with me," He teases me.

Now I see how it is. I pull off my belt and loosen the two buttons on my polo shirt. I stretched my arms out and pick up a controller.

"You're going down, Devries!" I declare.

And so, the seemingly perfect romantic date I set up was scrapped. We spent the entire night playing shooting games and doing a marathon of movies. In a way, this felt more real. This definitely beats going on a carriage ride around the park. I understood now that our relationship just meant being ourselves around each other. It meant being the best friends we always were. 

It was 3 AM, and the credits to the final horror movie were playing. Leondre recorded the two of us on our 'date' the entire time. He uploaded the footage onto his laptop for us to view. There were funny parts, cringey parts.... And things that should just be left unseen.

"I didn't realize we kissed that much," Leondre blurted out.

"We're going to edit those make-out scenes out... Right?"

Leondre didn't even answer, before I realized it he was about to upload the entire video in its bare form on YouTube. I tackled him back on the bed to stop him.

"Listen to me when I'm speaking!" I scolded him.

"Have a little fun! I'm sure the fans would love to see us kiss multiple times," He giggled.

I couldn't help but smile looking down at his goofy face. I will never understand my feelings for this boy.

"You know what, you're really annoying."

"At the end of the day, you still love me, haha!" He remarked.

I sighed and lowered my head to give him a kiss on the forehead.

"You're right, I do."  

[That's the final chapter! Short, but sweet. I hope you guys enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it! If you liked this story, be sure to share it with your other Bambino friends! As always, vote/comment and follow to stay tuned for more from me in the future!]