Bang!
Charlotte heard a few people gasp as they caught her head-butting the blank wall of a narrow hallway next to a 7-Eleven, but all she cared about at that point was the fact that her scalp was currently throbbing.
It hurt, which should mean all that happened before this was real.
But because she wanted to be truly sure she wasn't imagining things—-
Charlotte took a deep breath.
One more time then.
She closed her eyes, but all she was able to do this time was drive her head straight into someone else's palm.
Sano!
Her eyes flew open, and the first thing she saw was Sano's exasperated gaze while his hand cradled her forehead.
"Still the same old Charles, I see."
Oh God.
Land used to say those very words as well, and in that exact same tone, too.
There were those times she'd refuse to say 'I love you, too' even when they were already married, and Land would only grin and say 'same old Charles'...just before asking her to give him a blowjob instead. And she would do so, of course, since there were few things she found sexier than the look on her husband's gorgeous face, every time she made him cum in her—-oh my God, why am I thinking about sex now of all times?
Charlotte gave herself a mental shake.
Get a grip, Charlotte Carmichaels—-
"People would usually be content to pinch their cheeks to see if they were dreaming or not, but as always, my Charles just has to—-"
"Go the extra mile." Charlotte whispered the same words at the same time Sano did, and she only did so because that phrase was also something Land often used, and so for this man to say and do all the things her husband used to say and do—-
Can I really let myself believe it's Land, God?
She lifted her gaze to his, but there was no answer forthcoming in the depths of Sano's blue eyes.
Please give me a sign, God.
Please help me.
"Do you believe me now?"
I don't care if people will end up thinking I've lost my mind. If You say this is real, then it's real, so please God—-
Sano touched her face. "Charles?"
It was not her first time to hear Sano call her that.
Wasn't her first time to feel Sano's hand on her cheek.
And yet somehow...something had changed.
While the sound of his voice and the touch of his hand used to do nothing for her at first, something had suddenly changed, with the way her heart was now racing so, so fast, racing just like it used to do whenever Land touched her or spoke to her—-
And it was this change, she knew...
This change—-
Oh God.
Charlotte's knees buckled wildly under her woolen skirt.
She had asked for a sign from God, and this was it.
Chapter Three
Charlotte struggled to keep her face impassive as she saw Sano head back to their table with their drinks. When he had first introduced himself, she hadn't really cared to pay much attention to his looks. As far as she was concerned, no one would compare to her husband.
But because this time was different...
Hmm.
He didn't look like Land at all. Her husband was tall, dark, and ruggedly handsome while Sano, albeit also tall and deeply tanned, had features that were somewhat more...patrician. And right now, said features were currently attracting a lot of attention from the opposite sex.
Hmph!
Sano caught her staring, and his lips curved into a grin that had her scowling in return. He kept his gaze on her as he walked, but Charlotte wasn't letting him fool her just like that. He was acting like having all of the girls in the cafe ogling him meant nothing, but what if it was just an act?
She might have accepted that this was a sign from God, but what that sign exactly meant, she still needed to figure out—-what in the world?
Charlotte sputtered in shock as Sano squeezed himself next to her on the couch instead of taking the seat across. She was about to elbow him away, and as hard as she could, too, when his arm suddenly went around her, and he whispered into her ear, "Remember what we did in Paris?"
Oh my God, not that again.
But it was an effective threat nonetheless, and Charlotte could only tense up as Sano pulled her even closer. He was about the same height as Land, and the same build, and so it felt painfully familiar as Sano's arms wrapped around her waist.
This was how her husband liked to tease her, too. He had never been the affectionate type, not even with his own sister, whom everyone knew he secretly enjoyed spoiling. But ever since he and Charlotte started dating, he had turned himself into the world's clingiest husband, and purely for the sake of annoying her to death.
Such memories used to be bittersweet for her to recall, but now...