“Well, for starters, we aren’t even dating. You’ve never asked me, and I recall the last time you were married you couldn’t stay faithful. What’s to say you won’t do that to me?”
“I’m not the one seeing two people right now.”
“Please don’t get into this, Lex.”
“So, you don’t trust me? Is that it?”
“Lex, it’s not just the trust. There are a lot of things.”
“Like what? Tell me, Charlotte. How do you expect me to read your mind?”
Will grabs Charlotte’s hand saying it’s time to go.
The conversation may have been interrupted, but goddammit, I’ll find a way to bring this up again. Perhaps later tonight. Maybe I need to get some more alcohol in her to open up to me.
The seven of us walk to the park where the carnival is held. It’s your typical rollercoaster, bumper cars, Ferris wheel type of shindig. Charlotte, Adriana, Rocky, Nikki, and Will go on the bumper cars. There’s quite a long line, so Elijah and I stand on the sidelines waiting for them to finish.
“So, this weekend is looking promising for your two,” Elijah mentions.
“Is it? I can’t read her. One minute she hates me, the next minute she wants to be friends. But she’s holding back and I don’t know why.”
“Even though you had your reasons at the time you left her, imagine if the roles were reversed. It’s hard to get over the hurt. I’m surprised she has let you get this far. Charlie is one tough woman. Give her time. She needs to make this decision on her own. Don’t push her.”
“I’m sick of waiting,” I utter with frustration. “Plus, I think she’s still fucking Julian.”
“Honestly, Lex, do you really believe that?”
“I don’t know. She hasn’t denied it. I need to get rid of him.”
“Which you know is wrong because Charlie will hate you for it. Lex, he hasn’t done anything wrong. He fell in love with a woman and then in walks her ex. You gotta feel sorry for him.”
“Sorry for him?” I let out a ridiculous laugh. “The jerk should know not to mess with me by now.”
The rides finish, and the five of them come back laughing, talking about Rocky and his poor driving skills. I didn’t hear much of the conversation apart from Rocky whining about a little girl who kept ramming into him which is why he got stuck in the corner for most of the ride.
“Lex, can you play the shooting game with me, please?” Will begs.
“Sure, buddy. Let’s go.”
We sit down at the stools while the others get food. We gear up to play, and as the buzzer rings, the gun squirts onto the target, and I released my grip every so often so Will can catch up. He wins and happily picks out a large stuffed lion.
“Cha Cha, look… I won!” He jumps up proudly showing off his toy.
“Yay! Did you kick Lex’s butt?” She grins, ruffling his hair.
“I sure did.”
He runs off to show his parents while Charlotte and I decide to walk around.
“He’s such a great kid,” I say, watching him as he proudly holds up the lion to Nikki, mimicking his shooting. She hugs him tight before he finds Adriana and does the exact same thing.
“Who? Will? Yeah, I know.” Her expression softens as she parts her lips with an adoring smile. “Since the moment I held him for the first time, I knew he was special. There’s a reason why he came at that time.”
“What do you mean?” I question, confused.
Twisting her neck, she glances in the opposite direction. “I mean, like, you know, a blessing
in disguise. Nikki and Rocky weren’t ready to be parents, but it worked out. They made it work.”