Age Is But a Number

Charlotte and Kevin left the restaurant with full bellies and smiles. While eating dinner and enjoying dessert they talked and talked and talked. . . . Kevin surprised himself when he made Charlotte laugh so hard she clutched her stomach and gasped for air; made her smiled at him with a genuine smile that he’s seen her give Caitlyn, one that said she cared him and wanted the best for him; and, most importantly, he noted, not hate him. He was so relieved that she didn’t glare at him – well, seriously anyway. They teased each other – which is just another way of saying they were flirting, though Charlotte would never admit to flirting – and she would glare at him with humor instead of anger, the way she has been glaring at him since they met.

“Ever been to Johnny Carino’s?” he asked her as they passed the restaurant on the freeway. It was very near the baseball diamond he and Charlie played softball against one another, which they were going to pass a little after they exited the freeway.

He must have interrupted her thoughts because she said, “Hm?” She looked at the restaurant he pointed at and she said, “Oh, no. But I see it every time I go to my diamond.” From the corner of his eye he saw her raise an eyebrow as he started driving to the diamond. “Speaking of which.”

“I figured we could . . .” He didn’t know if he should continue, afraid if he suggested they talk about their situation he’d ruin the good mood.

“Pick up where we left off at the restaurant,” she finished. Kevin could tell she, too, was thinking of their interrupted conversation about his feelings for her and their relationship – or lack thereof.

The rest of the way to the baseball diamond was silent, which usually would not alarm Kevin because he knew that Charlotte was not a chatty person except when, say, she was extremely pissed and wanted you to get away from her; he witnessed that when he first met her and she kept on snapping at him and acting completely sassy. It was one of the first things that he found enormously attractive about her.

Kevin reached into the trunk to grab a couple of the jackets his brothers left in there for him and Charlotte to sit on and, after handing Nick’s jacket to her, they walked past the creepy, old, abandoned house that Kevin wondered about since he first saw the diamond. It gave him the chills, and with the events that happened last night between Charlotte and her father, the hair on the nape of his neck rose and he wanted desperately to take a wrecking ball to it.

He looked at Charlotte and, noticing her looking it as well, could tell she wanted the same thing he did: to be as far away from that rotting pile of wood.

Charlotte led him to one of the only patches of green, living grass in the outfield and laid out her jacket. Kevin copied and noticed her watching him as he did so. He had been fairly nervous about her mood at the moment because of what they were going to talk about, however he knew that talking with her was necessary whether she was ready to or not. He, too, was unsure whether he was ready or not to talk about this and ruin the dreamlike and generally good mood the two were in, temporarily free of pressure and tension.

“Ignoring it won’t fix things,” Kevin said, not only finishing his thoughts but telling her as well.

Since they had sat down both had been looking at the ground, the sky, the home plate – everything but each other, though Kevin did sneak a few peeks at Charlotte because he was unable to resist looking at her. He knew most of the time what she could be thinking of: her dad, Caitlyn, and, occasionally, him. He could tell she was thinking of him when she looked confused, then angry, happy, and then angry again in a matter of seconds. Kevin felt bad that he caused her confusion and anger because, knowing her past, emotions and feelings were some of the last things she wanted to deal with. If it were not for her caring, sensitive heart, she would have been crushed by her father years ago and every shred of who she is would have been gone, and her heart, everything she is, is what makes him smile.

.:-:.

“It’s easier,” she admitted, finally looking over at Kevin. She sighed and tried, as she always did, to avoid his hazel eyes – and, as she always did, failed to do so. She knew there was no hope in making an effort to hide her feelings for him. Her feelings have always been her downfall in her old home, the House of Hell.

“But I should know,” she said, adjusting so she sat cross-legged instead of on her knees, “that life is not easy.” She knew Kevin knew she was referring to her past, which she let Kevin learn of so quickly despite her stubbornness to trust so quickly.

“I want to be with you,” Kevin said abruptly. Charlotte was slightly caught off guard but was silent. “I really don’t see why we shouldn’t unless you don’t want to.”

“I can’t lie about that,” Charlotte softly said. “I admitted to it yesterday, on the balcony.” He smiled, but his smile disappeared when she suddenly snapped, “But there are reasons, Kevin. I told you.”

“Enlighten me,” Kevin said, a little too amused. “I bet you I can find more reasons why we should.” His smirk just made Charlotte’s cheeks flush out of annoyance. “Or prove you wrong.”

“You’re too old for me,” she said right away. This was the thing that had put a damper on things the minute she knew she liked Kevin more than she ought. “You’re going to be twenty-two before I even have my sweet sixteen.”

“But think, as we get older, that age difference won’t be as bad as you think,” Kevin said, staring up at a white cloud. “You’ll be legally able to drink before I even turn thirty. If you’re worried what people will think, you shouldn’t. There are ways to hide a relationship until you’re comfortable letting everyone know.” He sideways glanced at her, that smirk still on his face. It turned into a grin when he saw that he had stumped her and she only became angrier. “I can’t make a promise that I won’t be so extremely and super happy that I want to shout to the whole world how happy I am. I don’t care what other people think because I’m with you.”

Charlotte opened her mouth, closed it, and repeated the same action trying to think of a way to counterattack but found nothing. She probably looked like a guppy gasping for air.

“Fine,” she said. “One for you, zero for me.” Kevin chuckled once and she angrily said, “What will your mom say? What if Kimiko won’t allow me to go on dates with you?”

“My mom knows how much I like you,” he said. “She won’t mind too much.” Charlotte opened her mouth to say something but Kevin, knowing what she was going to say, said, “She won’t mind enough to forbid me from taking you out. As for Kimiko she’s letting her daughter date Nick.”

“They’re the same age,” Charlotte said, hoping she would at least win one argument.

“I know Kimiko is really worried about your safety so I think she would let you go out on double dates with Caitlyn and my brother.”

“I have no such thing as ‘safety’ or ‘safe’ or ‘not dangerous’ in my life,” Charlotte said.

“Wait, we gotta keep score,” Kevin said, feeling happy and in a joking mood because he knew as well as Charlotte that she was not going to win this argument. Charlotte groaned in irritation. “Two for Kevin, zero for” – he tapped her chin with his forefinger – “you, my love.”

Charlotte ignored the beating of her messed up heart at his last words and continued, her words streaming out of her mouth like violent rapids. “As long as my dad is alive, no matter if he ever gets in jail or not, you’re in danger being associated with me. Caitlyn’s now in danger because he saw her with me!” Charlotte began to panic. “All of you. Especially you. That’s why I never mentioned I had friends. My dad did not hesitate to kill you when he saw you. I know he suspects you and I, that we . . .”

“Are together,” Kevin said, a wave of bliss flowing through him at saying those words. “I wish.”

“Keep wishing,” Charlotte snapped like a viper, “because next time he comes he’ll not only kill me, he’ll kill you.”

“Charlotte,” Kevin whispered, reaching his hand out to her to cup her face. She flinched at first but relaxed, looking into his eyes and letting him read what was going on in her mind; she wanted him to know her fears, fears of losing him to her father, of losing Caitlyn, Nick, Joe, Frankie, Kimiko, Mr. and Mrs. Jonas – everyone she loves to Harold.

“You can always borrow Big Rob,” Kevin said, sort of joking and sort of not. “If you’re really that scared -”

“Oh, I am,” Charlotte said.

“- then we can set you up with body guards without a second thought. I can set up anything you need to keep you safe and make you feel completely and utterly out of harm’s way.”

“Kevin, I don’t know,” Charlotte whispered, on the verge of tears, “if I can.”

He pulled his hand away. “Try, please,” he begged. “I want to be there for you to help you through everything.”

Charlotte looked down at her folded hands for a moment, realizing that she was already making up her mind. “Three for you,” she giggled smoothly. “Still zero for me. I’m not as right as I thought I was, huh?” Kevin just shook his head and smiled. “Is there any use in me arguing anymore?”

“You’ll still try because I know you. You’re stubborn.”

“Yes,” Charlotte agreed, now just stalling from admitting anything. “You’re famous and I’m the kid of druggie parents.”

“Now you’re stalling.”

“Shut up,” she spat. Why was she surprised that he knew that she was trying to do?

“If you don’t want to be with me,” he said, “just tell me.”

Charlotte knew she couldn’t lie to him; she admitted that earlier when they sat down. She averted her eyes from his because she was all too familiar with his uncanny ability to know everything she was thinking just by looking at her. Maybe, she thought, he would not tell so easily if she were to look away from his caring, loving eyes.

She could imagine all too well being with him romantically. Going out to Red Lobster was evidence of that: they talked seriously and lightheartedly; talked of life and of dreams; and teased and had heartfelt moments. During the vacation they were returning home from the two of them saw each other almost every minute and, though Charlotte was not ready to admit it to him, she loved it. He was someone she felt safe with and trusted more than she planned to. She found herself, in this moment, like many others with him, unable to speak one word, say one coherent sentence.

So she just looked at him and smiled.

“I cannot,” she said, sounding mature as she often did. Growing up in the home that she was in had that affect on her and she was sort of thankful for it. She was able to make decisions with a clearer mind.

“I can’t lie to you,” she said. “And I can’t believe that I’m saying this.”

“Oh my gosh,” Kevin said with honest astonishment.

“But I want -”

“Really?”

“Would you let me finish?” she laughed, surprising herself with the happiness she felt.

“Sorry,” he mouthed, eyes aglow with joy.

She sighed. “I want to be with you, Kevin,” Charlotte said. “I’m willing to give us a try, despite everything. Gosh, I can’t believe I just said that.”

Kevin hugged her tightly and suddenly that Charlotte had to put her hand behind her to catch herself before she and Kevin fell backwards. She laughed more, completely surprised at the way her life was going now: new home, new friends and now a new relationship forming between her and Kevin. Never before would she think that she would let someone in like she had let Kevin – not only him, but Joe and Nick too. A couple months ago she wanted nothing to do with anything Jonas because she had these preconceived notions of who they were and how they acted. Now, getting to know them, she loved them.

And she loved Kevin more than she thought.

Not that she would tell him.
-~-
Finally, after their small, fun, and frightful vacation, Charlotte was heading to the house she has always called home, where her real family lived. Kevin walked her to the door and tried to hold her hand but Charlotte was still new to all this and pulled her hand away. She confused herself and Kevin because she had no problem holding his hand before she agreed to date him.

“So, tomorrow,” he began, stopping her before she opened the door. “Do you wanna go on a date with me?”

“Where?” she asked.

“Johnny Carino’s,” he replied, “since you’ve never been there.”

“I haven’t been to a lot of restaurants,” she replied.

“I guess our dates are going to have to take place at the restaurants you’ve never been to,” Kevin replied before pulling her into a hug. “See you tomorrow at around . . . six thirty-ish?”

“All right,” she said before pulling away and opening the door. “Bye. Thanks for bringing me home.”

“No problem.” He reached down to kiss her on the cheek and her eyes widened before she closed the door in his face. She heard a chuckle and a soft sorry from the other side of the door before she turned around to find an amused Caitlyn and a slightly confused Kimiko.

“Caitlyn’s better at this than I am,” Kimiko announced and Charlotte blushed. “Sorry Charlie.”

“That’s where she gets it from,” Charlotte muttered before watching warily as Caitlyn got up from her seat on the couch.

Caitlyn waited till her mom went down the hall and to her room before shouting, “Tell me what happened!” and running towards her best friend.

Charlotte yelped and ran as fast as she could towards her new bedroom, the guest bedroom of her friend’s house. She closed the door before Caitlyn could reach her and thanked the person who built this house for putting a lock on the knob.

“Charlotte Anne Reynolds,” Caitlyn scolded. “Open this door right now.”

“Um,” Charlotte said. “No.”

“Charlotte,” Caitlyn whined. Then Charlotte heard soft, soft sobs coming from the other side of the door. “Charlotte please,” Caitlyn cried. “I’m your best friend. Just tell me. Do you not trust me?”

“You’re not really crying, Caitlyn. I wasn’t born yesterday.”

“You suck,” Caitlyn said with venom. “Just tell me!”

Charlotte knew that Caitlyn would stay there for as long as she had to until Charlotte spilled the beans so, with an irritated sigh, she opened the door. Caitlyn came running in and jumped onto Charlotte’s bed with a giant smile on her face. She enthusiastically patted the spot adjacent to her until Charlotte reluctantly sat.

“Now,” Caitlyn said, patting Charlotte on the head, “that wasn’t so hard was it?”

Charlotte grumbled something along the lines of, “You suck too.”

“What happened between you and Kevin?”

Charlotte unwillingly told Caitlyn everything, even about Helga-Holgo. Caitlyn clapped happily when Charlotte spoke of her and Kevin laughing with each other and sharing different things about their lives and personalities. Then, when she got to the baseball diamond, she hesitated. That was the really heavy stuff, the part she was very anxious and antsy about. Caitlyn was of course her best friend and her “unbiological sister” and Charlotte usually had no problem telling her everything. However this was something foreign; Charlotte never had a romantic life to speak of like Caitlyn did because Charlotte never really noticed boys. Her father always stood in the way of that. Then Kevin popped into her life and changed her whole outlook and herself.

“And now tomorrow we have a date at around six thirty-ish,” Charlotte said and flinching, waiting for the moment Caitlyn would tackle her with a hug.

And she did.

“I’m going to help you get ready tomorrow before I go on my date with Nick -” She suddenly gasped. “We can go on double dates and hang out as two cute little couples and spending time together and you know we should get a date for Joe because, poor guy, he’s left out and the awkward turtle of the group and that would be great if he could join us on our little dates and stuff because we have fun together just the five of us!”

After everything Caitlyn spewed out of her mouth all Charlotte had to say was, “Yeah.”

Caitlyn laughed and hugged her friend tightly, giving her a light kiss on the cheek to show her friend how happy she was for her and how much she loved her.