The only thing I still can’t touch is rabbit.”
“You didn’t live with him?” Charlotte asked before taking a confident bite of one of the exotic selections.
“My mother didn’t want me to be the perpetual new kid.
She thought stability was better than adventure, so our trips
were limited to holidays. Meanwhile, she’s also the woman who sent me to a boarding school in Switzerland instead of regular high school.”
Charlotte’s bright, blue eyes widened. “Boarding school?
Like for real? Did you live in a castle in The Alps?” It was obviously a joke, but not terribly far from the truth.
Alex chuckled. “Lausanne does have some gorgeous mountain views,” she admitted. Her mind returned to a lifetime ago.
“I mean if we’re bragging, G. Holmes Braddock Senior High had a world class parking lot and when the baseball field flooded,” she gestured with her hands as if remembering an idyllic scene, “it o ered the most spectacular orange lake.”
“Sounds like a magical experience,” Alex replied after finishing her taco and cleaning the corners of her mouth with a paper napkin. “What were you like in high school?”
With her looks, Alex imagined a popular cheerleader type, but the circumstances of her childhood gave her pause.
Charlotte took a long sip of her beer as she sat back in the plastic lawn chair. She seemed to consider Alex’s question while savoring the flavors on her tongue.
“I pretty much blended in with the three thousand other kids,” she decided, the rim of the beer bottle lingering near her bottom lip. The sight reminded her of their kiss, causing her to shift in her seat.
“That’s all you remember about high school? Wasn’t it just a few years ago?” Alex pressed, unable to stop the smirk creeping up her lips.
Charlotte rolled her eyes but didn’t appear genuinely bothered by the comment. “I didn’t play sports. I didn’t join clubs. I had two too many friends to be a loner, but not enough to be known.” She shrugged.
“Boyfriends?” Alex raised an eyebrow. She knew the shots were making her nosier than she would’ve otherwise been, but she couldn’t make herself care. “Girlfriends?”
Charlotte took another drink, her long neck on display as she tipped her head back. “One of each,” she confessed.
“Though not at the same time,” she added as if for good measure.
Alex wished she’d divulge more. She wanted to know everything about her all at once. She wanted to understand her. “Did you go to prom?”
Before Charlotte answered, she scarfed down a taco in three bites. Impressive. “I almost went,” she explained, reaching for one of the plastic cups full of icy water the lady at the counter had dropped at their table.
“What happened? You didn’t get stood up by the boyfriend or girlfriend, did you?”
Charlotte laughed. “I was single at the time, but I agreed to go with a friend who really wanted to put on a tux and dance. He even paid eighty bucks for my ticket.”
“So, what happened?” Alex asked impatiently. Had she only made it as far as the backseat of a limo? The thought unsettled her.
“His ex-girlfriend called. Wanted to get back together, though I’m sure it was just for the free ticket,” she added bitterly, as if the memory still stung. “Sabrina Paez went to prom and I stayed home in my sweatpants.”
Alex licked her lips. “I bet you were more beautiful in your sweats than Sabrina Paez was in her dress.”
“Oh, no doubt,” she replied with a wicked smirk before chuckling.
Her laughter vibrated in Alex’s chest and lightened her stomach. She wanted to reproduce the sound a thousand times.
“What about little Alexandra Leon ?” Charlotte exaggerated her name, making it sound grand. “Is there prom in Switzerland?”
“I’m sure there is,” she guessed, reaching for the other glass of water. “But seeing as there were only nine others in my class, we didn’t have one.”
“Nine?” Charlotte covered her full mouth as she chewed quickly. “For real? That’s a hella small dating pool.”