Happy Merry Everything (Charlie Barber)

Opening Night pt. 2 - Showtime

"W-what are you guys doing here?"

"We came to surprise you, Dad. Are you surprised?" Henry's voice was so small. After hearing Charlie talk to him on Facetime so many times, you'd recognize it anywhere.

"Yeah, honey. Daddy's super surprised."

"Aren't you going to invite us in?" Nicole posed.

"Uh, uh...sure. Sorry. Come in."

You never eavesdropped, but you couldn't stop listening.

"Hey man, how's it going? Nice cologne."

"Oh, he's right. You do smell nice." Nicole must have hugged him or walked past him to come inside.

You were unsure about who the first voice belonged to. Was it a friend of his? Did Nicole have a brother? A boyfriend? You didn't know for sure. All you could do as you stood there staring back at yourself in the mirror was contemplate what could have prompted Nicole to show up on Charlie's doorstep unannounced on tonight of all nights. Why the hell would she fly all the way across the country?

It hit you like a ton of bricks as bile threatened to rise from your stomach.

She flew out to attend to the show.

Son of a bitch.

You typically weren't one to pass judgment and knew that Charlie's view was only one side of their story. However, if you were being honest, to you it was the only side that mattered.

"Um, can I get anyone anything?"

You felt like you were hiding, but you weren't sure if he'd want you to just step out and say hello. You always thought you'd meet Nicole eventually, maybe one day if Charlie invited you to go with him to LA to visit Henry, but not like this.

You took a deep breath, grounded yourself, and decided it was better to be bold than let him flounder all alone.

"Charlie? Who was at the door?" You walked out of the hallway to see Charlie holding a juice box and a bottle of water. Nicole was on the couch with a gentleman beside her. Henry was planted in the armchair holding a stuffed animal. Relief washed over Charlie's countenance the moment he saw you.

"Uh, honey, this is Nicole.—My ex-wife. Our son, Henry, and" ---he gestured to the man next to Nicole, "This is Nicole's boyfriend, Carter."  Carter started to speak, but Nicole reached over and touched his arm.

Charlie walked over to you and put his arm around your waist. "This is—"  he said your name as he held you closer. "My girlfriend."  It was the first time he had called you that out loud. While it was nice to hear, you never thought it would be under these circumstances.

Nicole stood up and offered you her hand. "Nice to meet you." You shook it firmly. She was a vision in a flowy white pantsuit with a printed t-shirt under her blazer. You were grateful your dress looked as good on you as it did on it own and the fact it hugged you in all the right places without being overly provocative was a bonus.

As they stood near each other, Nicole was seemingly very bridal in appearance next to Charlie's "groom" in all black. It painted an all too real portrait for you of the life they used to have.

"Uh--Henry never mentioned you were dating anyone," said Nicole as made eye contact with Charlie.

"That's probably because I didn't tell him. I didn't want make things any more complicated for him than they already are."