Is this destiny?

~ Los Angeles, Charlie\'s villa ~

Emma is sitting on the sofa in the living room and looking around. After months of not coming here, everything is how she remembers it… and it feels like she was here yesterday.

"Here you go…", Charlie handed Emma a glass of orange juice and took a seat next to her.

She lifted her eyebrows questionably. "Juice?"

"You had enough wine, right?", he asked. "I don\'t want you to get drunk and then blame me for it."

"Thank you." Emma thought how this is different than what she got from Brian who even swapped glasses so that she gets the second one. And Charlie wants her to stay clearheaded. She appreciates that.

Charlie observed Emma and he was not sure what to say to smoothen out this tense atmosphere. Tonight didn\'t turn out how he hoped it will. Instead of a nice evening, it rolled into a disaster and for few excruciating moments he was confident that he will lose Emma.

"Thank you for coming here to talk to me. I was afraid that you will refuse and that you will… leave me."

Emma saw his hand move toward hers and stop midway. She looked at Charlie and felt her heart constricting. She caused all the mess and he is the one thanking her and suffering because of that.

Her hand moved toward his, closing in that other half of the distance between them. She felt his hand under hers and it was warm and comforting… He turned his hand palm up and gently caressed hers with his thumb and Emma was confident that is the place where her hand belongs. In Charlie\'s.

"Charlie, I am sorry that I left without a word. I panicked and I didn\'t know how to face you.", Emma admitted. 

Charlie was happy that Emma held his hand. Her fingers interlacing with his sent a warm and fuzzy feeling through his body.

He kissed the back of her palm and did his best to suppress his anger while thinking about what happened. "Those women will get what they deserve. I will not let it slide. No one gets to harm you. I will make sure of that."

"They didn\'t harm me. They tried to provoke me with some childish remarks, but when that didn\'t work… I was caught off guard. I\'m so sorry about the dress."

"The dress is not important. What matters is that you are OK." He wanted to say that it also matters that she is with him instead of Brian, but he kept that part for himself because Brian is irrelevant, and he will not allow his doubts and jealousy to bubble up and spoil his time with Emma.

"How can you say that the dress is not important? It\'s the most beautiful dress I wore. I was thinking of preserving it somehow for memories, but now it\'s ruined…" Emma paused and looked at Charlie with panic. "Or do I need to return it?"

Charlie smiled. "The dress is yours. It WAS yours. You said it, it\'s ruined. Throw it away. I will get you another one."

"Don\'t throw the money away so easily." She was looking at the stain which starts halfway up her thigh. Emma thought that the dress can be cut into a minidress and it will still be beautiful.

"The money spent on you is not thrown away."

Emma shook her head in disapproval. "I am not comfortable with that. Even if you take it lightly, I can\'t. It\'s your money and I\'m sure you can find more useful ways to spend it."

Charlie looked at Emma and swallowed hard. "What if it\'s… our money?"

"What do you mean?" Emma didn\'t understand the question.

"I mean… What if we get married?"

Emma opened her eyes wide and held her breath while his question echoed in her head. It took her a long time to speak: "Are you proposing to me?"

"What if I am?"

"You barely know me."

Charlie stood up and took Emma\'s hand. He guided her up the stairs and down the hallway, into her old room.

Emma walked in and looked around.

"Everything is exactly how you left it." Charlie said while caressing her hand which rested in his. "I come to this room whenever I have time and I imagine that you are still here. Sometimes I take the pillow and I try to inhale your scent which faded away long time ago. Emma, I\'m in love with you since I woke up after my surgery. I opened my eyes and I was confident that I died because there was an angel in front of me… I know what drinks you like and what food you like… your favorite color is light blue, and you like sparkly things… and when you get carried away by the storyline from the book your nose crinkles a bit on the top… and you cry when animals get hurt in a movie… you see people for who they are and treat them better than how they treat you regardless of where they came from… and you are smart and caring and always willing to help anyone in need. Don\'t tell me that I don\'t know you because I am watching you for a long time… and if there is anyone with whom I want to spend the rest of my life with, that is you."

Emma stared at Charlie without blinking. Did he just throw a huge love confession at her? Did he propose to her?!

"We kissed only once!" Emma was not sure why she said this, but she felt the need to point out that he is rushing things. Really-really rushing things.

Charlie smiled. She didn\'t say \'no\' and he can see that she is not rejecting him. Maybe it is fast, and unexpected, but Charlie felt that he was on the verge of losing Emma because she is not sure how he feels about her and what his intentions are, and now she knows. And he hopes that she will not be insecure ever again because he belongs only to her, and so does everything he owns.

Charlie moved closer to Emma and placed his forehead on hers. "Well, I kissed you two times, you responded once. But we can fix that… how many kisses you need until its enough? Ten? A hundred? A thousand? Give me a number and I will make sure we got that covered before sunrise."

Emma closed her eyes and held onto Charlie because the room was spinning. She was not sure if the wine she drank through the evening caught up with her at this moment, or maybe his proximity is intoxicating.

"Say yes…", his breath kissed her lips.

"You are crazy.", she whispered.

"I am crazy about you.", he whispered back, and his lips landed on hers.

His passion overwhelmed her like violent waves which crashed on her repeatedly with every move he made, making her tremble to the point of whimpering. Her lips parted, allowing him to deepen the kiss and they were both set ablaze by the wildfire which raged uncontrollably. And at that point Emma knew that there is no going back. The man who is holding her in his firm embrace and whose flavors are coursing through her veins is the one without whom she can\'t live happily.

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