Unavailable Love - Chapter 4
Behind their lives.
-Charlotte-
The sound of our forks scraping against our plates was the only thing shared between Mother and I during morning breakfast.
"So what time did you go to bed?" She asked, trying to fill the silence.
"Early," I shrug.
"Please sit up straighter, Charlotte. Good women practice good posture," she complains. I do as I am told and keep my eyes on my plate, playing with a grape that didn't want to be caught under the sharp point of my fork.
"How was your meetings yesterday?" I test her for the truth.
"Fine." She cuts my conversation dry. The breeze felt so good against my shoulders as we sat on the balcony. Looking out over the resort, I see a familiar car pull up to the back entrance. Three boys jump out and disappear into a building. I smile to myself, remembering last night.
"Well," Mother stands up, straightening her Calvin Klein black dress, "I'm off to work. I'll see you for supper, Bella."
"Goodbye." I tell her as she grabs her clutch and starts fidgeting on her iPhone as she walks out without another word. As soon as she is out of the room, I get up to prepare for a day poolside.
************************************************************************************
-Marco-
"Have a nice day, ma'am." I tell a woman who just purchased a soda. I've been eying Charlotte all afternoon as she laid out on a chair, tanning herself under the L.A sun.
"Amigo!" Diego calls as he approaches the stand. I hand him a water to cool him off from the heat. "I'm getting off early. You only got 10 minutes, si?"
"Si." I nod.
"You coming to the bonfire with us?" He asks.
"No thanks, I'm just going to hang out with Ray tonight." I tell him.
"Alright, Amigo. Tell him hola for us. I'm going to get Felix. Adios," Diego left me standing in the booth by myself. Charlotte came up next with her long dark hair blowing in the wind.
"Any exciting adventures tonight?" She asked curiously cocking her head to the side.
"Don't you have your mama, chica?" I question.
"Yes," She nods, "But, she's busy. Maybe we could go to the beach or something?" She seems too eager to hang around me.
"Sorry, Charlotte but I can't hang out tonight." I tell her and watch her face faintly fall. "I need to be with my family."
"I understand." She shrugs, but I can tell she is wounded. I hated to turn her down, but Ray needed me and I wasn't going to ditch him.
"Another night, I promise." I tell her. She nods and turns away,
"I'll see you later," Grabbing her bag that probably coast more than what I get in a year, she walked away towards the hotel rooms.
Clocking out, I grabbed my backpack, double checking I had everything I needed in it before heading downtown. When the cab stopped, I paid him and entered the building I knew too well.
"Hey Marco," Nurse Shelly smiled at me. "Ray has been excited all day for his older brother to come see him tonight. Any big plans?" She asks as I check-in.
"I brought his favorite movie and some chocolates, but don't ruin the surprise." I tell her playfully. She just chuckled a bit, making her gray curls bounce. She handed me my visitors badge and I walked down the hospital halls till I made it to room 315. Knocking on the already open door, I see Ray sitting on the floor with his tubes, all hooked up to his machine. He pushed little trucks against the hard floors.
"MARCO!" He screamed giving me a toothy smile. I came and hugged him, picking him off the cold ground. His arms wrapped around me. I brought him to the bed, setting him down.
"Guess what I brought?" I asked, unzipping my backpack.
"What?!" My eager 6 year-old brother jumped up and down. I pulled out Robin Hood and the chocolates. He looks shocked and I tell him, "Sit back and relax, chico." I pushed the tape into the VCR, letting the movie pop up onto his TV. I settle in beside him in the hospital bed. I put an arm around him, and watch as he is so easily amused with the cartoon, slipping the candies into his mouth.
I wouldn't give up time with Ray for anything. Even the prettiest girl in the world.
************************************************************************************
-Charlotte-
I kept thinking about what Marco must be doing right now. My mother surprised me this afternoon by actually showing up in time for dinner. She told me she wanted to spend quality time together, so we went out to eat at the Red Line, a five-star restaurant in downtown L.A.. As I picked at my pasta, Mother's face seemed cold and distant. I wanted to ask her how her day was but I knew I'd get the same one word answer I always get. I chose a different approach,
"I talked to Izzy yesterday," I tell her in a happy tone.
"Really? What did she say?" Even her words seemed hallow.
"She's really excited to come see us in a few weeks." I take a drink from the glass of water.
"I bet," Mother nods. That was it. I yearned for her to talk to me, about anything. I wanted to tell her about last night and about how much fun I had with Marco.
I Shake the silly thoughts from my head.
That will never happen.
Unavailable Love (Love story)
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romantic_story
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- Posts: 228
- Joined: 17 Aug 2015 17:28
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romantic_story
- Expert Member
- Posts: 228
- Joined: 17 Aug 2015 17:28
Re: Unavailable Love (Love story)
Unavailable Love - Chapter 5
I believe in hope.
-Charlotte-
The bass made my skin vibrate every time it hit. The warm bodies packed so tightly together in the club as we slipped our way through. Marco was leading the pack while I was right behind him. Felix, Diego, and Dia followed. I'd never been to a club before but I felt high just being under the roof. Felix quickly grabbed Dia when we were far enough in to dance with her. I just stood there for a second, not wanting this adrenaline to leave my bones.
"You're going to dance, chica?" Marco said over the music. I just smile at him, taking on his challenge. The night continued in a blur. I draped my arm over Marco's shoulder as we shared secrets on the dance floor all night long. It didn't take Diego very long to find a girl to flirt with at the bar. Felix and Dia ended up spending most of their time by themselves, as if the world revolved around them.
"Does this beat Mozart and caviar?" Marco whispered in my ear at one point.
I froze.
My thoughts shot to Mother, Izzy and Father. The look on Mother's face if she knew who I was with and what I was doing right now. That is if she ever stopped having one-night stands with random guys. Izzy's advice she might give if she answered any of my calls. Then there was Dad, if I could talk to him without breaking down into tears because I missed him so much.
I didn't realize that Marco's arms had gotten tighter and his eyes were examining my face cautiously.
"You're alright?" His words nervous and soft.
"Yeah, just thought about something that's all," I shrug.
"Why don't we go to the beach," He smiled making me nod. Gathering the gang, we headed out, piling into the car. With all the windows rolled down, Dia and I let our hands run through the blowing wind as we drove down the coast. We found a deserted part of the beach, sprinting through the sand.
"Come on chica?" Diego challenged as they stood waist deep in the sea that was dark and unpredictable. I shook my head.
"Scared of getting your million dollar dress dirty?" Felix, pulled Dia deeper into the ocean with him.
"Come on, Charlotte!" She yelled at me. Kicking off my shoes, I followed them into the freezing water. Jumping into Marco's arms that awaited me. I laughed as the ice-cold waters surprised me, making Marco amused.
"Ready?" He asked.
"For what?" I tilt my head to the side. He doesn't reply but pulls me into the water with him summering my body with piercing ice. I gasp for air, breaking the surface as the guys chuckle at my reaction. Splashing around, I was unable to keep myself stable.
"Where's Marco?" I breathe heavily, searching the dark waters surrounding me.
"I don't know?" Dia turns, voice turns serious as I could not see her face, only the silhouette of her attached to Felix, by holding his arm. Hyperventilation came to me quickly as I thought of the horrible things that could happen in the ocean.
"Bah!" Marco tackled me back into the water, approaching me from behind. When I finally came up for air, everyone was laughing, even Marco who ran his fingers through his hair.
"Hardy har har, so funny. Let's scare the white girl." I roll my eyes. When I started walking out of the water, Marco followed.
"We're only joking." He explained.
"I know," I smiled, letting him know we were all good. He noticed my shivering arms and ran to grab his coat that was still warm and dry.
"Here," he placed it on my shoulders. I thank him and take a seat on the warm sand where he followed. "Lay down." He commanded, my palms grew sweaty and nervous.
"Excuse me?"
"Just do it." He told me, laying down and looking up at me. So I let my head hit the soft sand and gaze upward. Stars consumed the sky, like someone blew small pieces of glass all over a black blanket. I smile, knowing he respects the little things in life.
"My dad used to take me out to the beach and let me watch the skies. He saved up a bunch of money and bought a telescope, setting it up for me and my siblings to go stargazing." Marco sighs. "It's weird to think it goes on forever, that the sun is just over the horizon and these are the same stars that they see in India, Egypt and the United Kingdom. Yet, they are so far away."
"Do you want to be a part of NASA or something when you grow up?" I ask him, watching him as if he were a kid in a candy store.
"Nah, that was just a fun hobby." He shrugs, however now I'm curious.
"Marco?" I sit up.
"Yeah?" His eyes twinkle in the moonlight.
"What do you want to be when you're older?" I let my elbow hold my weight as my hand rests on my chin.
"A doctor." His answer surprises me.
"And why is that?"
"I believe in hope," his eyes gloss over as if he's thinking of something else, so I left it at that.
However the answer echoes in the back of my head.
I believe in hope.
I believe in hope.
I believe in hope.
I believe in hope.
-Charlotte-
The bass made my skin vibrate every time it hit. The warm bodies packed so tightly together in the club as we slipped our way through. Marco was leading the pack while I was right behind him. Felix, Diego, and Dia followed. I'd never been to a club before but I felt high just being under the roof. Felix quickly grabbed Dia when we were far enough in to dance with her. I just stood there for a second, not wanting this adrenaline to leave my bones.
"You're going to dance, chica?" Marco said over the music. I just smile at him, taking on his challenge. The night continued in a blur. I draped my arm over Marco's shoulder as we shared secrets on the dance floor all night long. It didn't take Diego very long to find a girl to flirt with at the bar. Felix and Dia ended up spending most of their time by themselves, as if the world revolved around them.
"Does this beat Mozart and caviar?" Marco whispered in my ear at one point.
I froze.
My thoughts shot to Mother, Izzy and Father. The look on Mother's face if she knew who I was with and what I was doing right now. That is if she ever stopped having one-night stands with random guys. Izzy's advice she might give if she answered any of my calls. Then there was Dad, if I could talk to him without breaking down into tears because I missed him so much.
I didn't realize that Marco's arms had gotten tighter and his eyes were examining my face cautiously.
"You're alright?" His words nervous and soft.
"Yeah, just thought about something that's all," I shrug.
"Why don't we go to the beach," He smiled making me nod. Gathering the gang, we headed out, piling into the car. With all the windows rolled down, Dia and I let our hands run through the blowing wind as we drove down the coast. We found a deserted part of the beach, sprinting through the sand.
"Come on chica?" Diego challenged as they stood waist deep in the sea that was dark and unpredictable. I shook my head.
"Scared of getting your million dollar dress dirty?" Felix, pulled Dia deeper into the ocean with him.
"Come on, Charlotte!" She yelled at me. Kicking off my shoes, I followed them into the freezing water. Jumping into Marco's arms that awaited me. I laughed as the ice-cold waters surprised me, making Marco amused.
"Ready?" He asked.
"For what?" I tilt my head to the side. He doesn't reply but pulls me into the water with him summering my body with piercing ice. I gasp for air, breaking the surface as the guys chuckle at my reaction. Splashing around, I was unable to keep myself stable.
"Where's Marco?" I breathe heavily, searching the dark waters surrounding me.
"I don't know?" Dia turns, voice turns serious as I could not see her face, only the silhouette of her attached to Felix, by holding his arm. Hyperventilation came to me quickly as I thought of the horrible things that could happen in the ocean.
"Bah!" Marco tackled me back into the water, approaching me from behind. When I finally came up for air, everyone was laughing, even Marco who ran his fingers through his hair.
"Hardy har har, so funny. Let's scare the white girl." I roll my eyes. When I started walking out of the water, Marco followed.
"We're only joking." He explained.
"I know," I smiled, letting him know we were all good. He noticed my shivering arms and ran to grab his coat that was still warm and dry.
"Here," he placed it on my shoulders. I thank him and take a seat on the warm sand where he followed. "Lay down." He commanded, my palms grew sweaty and nervous.
"Excuse me?"
"Just do it." He told me, laying down and looking up at me. So I let my head hit the soft sand and gaze upward. Stars consumed the sky, like someone blew small pieces of glass all over a black blanket. I smile, knowing he respects the little things in life.
"My dad used to take me out to the beach and let me watch the skies. He saved up a bunch of money and bought a telescope, setting it up for me and my siblings to go stargazing." Marco sighs. "It's weird to think it goes on forever, that the sun is just over the horizon and these are the same stars that they see in India, Egypt and the United Kingdom. Yet, they are so far away."
"Do you want to be a part of NASA or something when you grow up?" I ask him, watching him as if he were a kid in a candy store.
"Nah, that was just a fun hobby." He shrugs, however now I'm curious.
"Marco?" I sit up.
"Yeah?" His eyes twinkle in the moonlight.
"What do you want to be when you're older?" I let my elbow hold my weight as my hand rests on my chin.
"A doctor." His answer surprises me.
"And why is that?"
"I believe in hope," his eyes gloss over as if he's thinking of something else, so I left it at that.
However the answer echoes in the back of my head.
I believe in hope.
I believe in hope.
I believe in hope.
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romantic_story
- Expert Member
- Posts: 228
- Joined: 17 Aug 2015 17:28
Re: Unavailable Love (Love story)
Unavailable Love - Chapter 6
"You're... Channel on a Sunday afternoon." - Dia.
-Charlotte-
It seemed that time was flying all of sudden, however at the same time, it felt as if it could stop. My mother's late night meetings would allow me escape to see Diego, Felix, Dia, and Marco. We would go all about the town, normally ending up at places my mother would frown upon. However, I didn't care. Being with Marco allowed me to snap to a different reality. It's like time would stop in these exact specific moments that made everything else seem so small.
Tonight we walked the streets of L.A when Dia pointed out a place to eat.
"Why not?" Diego shrugged, leading us in. It was obviously a grill and bar. However the specialty was Karaoke. When I saw the obvious banner hanging above the stage, I quickly turned around.
"Why don't we try somewhere else?" Felix laughed.
"You're actually afraid of a little singing? Come on, Char." He took my shoulders, turning me around and guiding me to a table right up front, sitting me down for the show.
"You're gonna sing for us chica?" Marco smiles, taking the seat next to mine, making sure our knees touched.
"Question is... are you going to sing for me?" I put up a brave wall, testing his limits. This was one of those moments, however he noticed and moved away, turning his attention to the stage where a middle-aged women was singing a country love song completely off pitch. It took me by surprise, the last few days he's been with drawling and it makes me curious.
After watching for a while, cheering on some of the clearly drunk participants, the boys go to get drinks.
"What's wrong?" Dia notices my falling face.
"Has Marco said anything about me?" I ask, almost pleading her. "It's just, I thought he might be into me but he's been... distant, lately. Like, he's ignoring me in a way."
"He does like you." She assures me, smiling.
"Then, why doesn't he make a move?" I lean across the table, hanging on to every word she says.
"He's just nervous he will overstep the boundary." She tells me simply. I slump back into my seat.
"What does that me? There is no boundary!" I sigh, giving up.
"Yes there is." She goes into explaining. "We love hanging out with you, you're almost one of us. But, at the same time you aren't. You're... Channel on a Sunday afternoon. Bottom line is, he feels as if he isn't worthy of you."
"That's so silly though. I don't think of it that way at all!" I explain.
"Then you need to give him the green light. Let him know that it's okay."
"And how do you suppose I do that?" I beg for more information.
"Do what?" Diego returns with the other guys. Marco places my drink in front of me. When I turned to smile at him, he isn't even looking at me.
"Nothing, absolutely nothing." I say firmly, capturing everyone's attention, except his.
I am fed up.
"Anyone else want to come and sing a song?" The host of the karaoke called through the microphone. I stand, walking up the stage, my heals click against the wood. I whisper in his ear. His reply was.
"Sounds great! Give it up for our next participant; Charlotte!" He hands me the microphone and runs to start the music and all my friends are staring in awe, except Marco, whose eyes were in another direction. Suddenly a wave of nerves rush over, but my anger reins them in.
I begin to sing "This Kiss" by Carly Rae Jepsen. I don't have to read the words on the projector in front of me, I just kept staring at the one person in the room I was trying to impress. While I sang, he slowly let his gaze retreat to me, but I knew it was through curiosity. When he finally noticed that my gaze was fixed on him, I prayed he understood the message.
When the song was finally over, I was still concentrated on Marco, so when the thunderous applaud hit, I was taken back. Handing over the microphone, I return to my friends, sitting back in my seat, not making a big deal out of it.
"That was incredible!" Dia complements.
"That was really good Charlotte." Felix was amazed. I thanked them. Even though I felt Marco's eyes on me, I didn't turn to meet them. I made my feelings very clear.
When we finished eating, we decided to walk for a while. So, as we did, Marco made a point of making me stay back with him as the others joked around a couple of yards ahead of us.
"You were phenomenal tonight." He murmurs, trying to make it a big deal.
"Thank you. Did you like the song choice?" I try to push. He shrugged. I abruptly stop, surprising him.
"Marco, decide what you want, because I'm getting sick and tired of waiting around for you to make up your mind-" When his lips suddenly found mine, I stopped my quick talking. He didn't give me any time to react because he pulled away just as suddenly as he kissed me.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to. That was crossing the line." He quickly steps away.
"There are no lines." I step forward, finishing what he started.
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"You're... Channel on a Sunday afternoon." - Dia.
-Charlotte-
It seemed that time was flying all of sudden, however at the same time, it felt as if it could stop. My mother's late night meetings would allow me escape to see Diego, Felix, Dia, and Marco. We would go all about the town, normally ending up at places my mother would frown upon. However, I didn't care. Being with Marco allowed me to snap to a different reality. It's like time would stop in these exact specific moments that made everything else seem so small.
Tonight we walked the streets of L.A when Dia pointed out a place to eat.
"Why not?" Diego shrugged, leading us in. It was obviously a grill and bar. However the specialty was Karaoke. When I saw the obvious banner hanging above the stage, I quickly turned around.
"Why don't we try somewhere else?" Felix laughed.
"You're actually afraid of a little singing? Come on, Char." He took my shoulders, turning me around and guiding me to a table right up front, sitting me down for the show.
"You're gonna sing for us chica?" Marco smiles, taking the seat next to mine, making sure our knees touched.
"Question is... are you going to sing for me?" I put up a brave wall, testing his limits. This was one of those moments, however he noticed and moved away, turning his attention to the stage where a middle-aged women was singing a country love song completely off pitch. It took me by surprise, the last few days he's been with drawling and it makes me curious.
After watching for a while, cheering on some of the clearly drunk participants, the boys go to get drinks.
"What's wrong?" Dia notices my falling face.
"Has Marco said anything about me?" I ask, almost pleading her. "It's just, I thought he might be into me but he's been... distant, lately. Like, he's ignoring me in a way."
"He does like you." She assures me, smiling.
"Then, why doesn't he make a move?" I lean across the table, hanging on to every word she says.
"He's just nervous he will overstep the boundary." She tells me simply. I slump back into my seat.
"What does that me? There is no boundary!" I sigh, giving up.
"Yes there is." She goes into explaining. "We love hanging out with you, you're almost one of us. But, at the same time you aren't. You're... Channel on a Sunday afternoon. Bottom line is, he feels as if he isn't worthy of you."
"That's so silly though. I don't think of it that way at all!" I explain.
"Then you need to give him the green light. Let him know that it's okay."
"And how do you suppose I do that?" I beg for more information.
"Do what?" Diego returns with the other guys. Marco places my drink in front of me. When I turned to smile at him, he isn't even looking at me.
"Nothing, absolutely nothing." I say firmly, capturing everyone's attention, except his.
I am fed up.
"Anyone else want to come and sing a song?" The host of the karaoke called through the microphone. I stand, walking up the stage, my heals click against the wood. I whisper in his ear. His reply was.
"Sounds great! Give it up for our next participant; Charlotte!" He hands me the microphone and runs to start the music and all my friends are staring in awe, except Marco, whose eyes were in another direction. Suddenly a wave of nerves rush over, but my anger reins them in.
I begin to sing "This Kiss" by Carly Rae Jepsen. I don't have to read the words on the projector in front of me, I just kept staring at the one person in the room I was trying to impress. While I sang, he slowly let his gaze retreat to me, but I knew it was through curiosity. When he finally noticed that my gaze was fixed on him, I prayed he understood the message.
When the song was finally over, I was still concentrated on Marco, so when the thunderous applaud hit, I was taken back. Handing over the microphone, I return to my friends, sitting back in my seat, not making a big deal out of it.
"That was incredible!" Dia complements.
"That was really good Charlotte." Felix was amazed. I thanked them. Even though I felt Marco's eyes on me, I didn't turn to meet them. I made my feelings very clear.
When we finished eating, we decided to walk for a while. So, as we did, Marco made a point of making me stay back with him as the others joked around a couple of yards ahead of us.
"You were phenomenal tonight." He murmurs, trying to make it a big deal.
"Thank you. Did you like the song choice?" I try to push. He shrugged. I abruptly stop, surprising him.
"Marco, decide what you want, because I'm getting sick and tired of waiting around for you to make up your mind-" When his lips suddenly found mine, I stopped my quick talking. He didn't give me any time to react because he pulled away just as suddenly as he kissed me.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to. That was crossing the line." He quickly steps away.
"There are no lines." I step forward, finishing what he started.
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