Chapter 4.05

The night of Ryan’s photography gallery opening had finally arrived. All of the Ashfield family attended apart from Julie who was ready to go into labor at any moment.

There was a weird chemistry in the air whenever Ryan and Charlotte were in the same room, coincidently they managed to always be in the same room. Standing beside charlotte, Ryan couldn’t help but steal looks whenever he could and he could have sworn that she was looking at him as well. Ryan was about to move on to another room when he couldn’t help himself. He had to have one last look at the woman he had fallen in love with. It was at that glance that he had caught Charlotte’s beautiful sea green eyes. She was staring straight at him and a cheeky smirk erupted across her face. Ryan’s heart began to beat faster and faster and then she was gone.

Charlotte turned around and walked out the door. Ryan took one last glance at his photograph from Egypt, to not cause suspicion, and then he followed Charlotte.

She was walking up the stairs to the second level of the gallery. Ryan knew he had to confront her, he had waited his whole life to be in love and he wasn’t prepared to let her slip away. Boyfriend or no boyfriend Ryan knew Charlotte felt something for him and she needed to know that he was smitten by her.  Ryan waited for her to reach the top before casually following in her footsteps. This was it, Ryan was about to confess his feeling to a woman for the first time. Butterflies were swimming around in his stomach and his palms began to feel clammy and sweaty. These feeling were strange and new to Ryan, at 33 he was the youngest person to conquer the photography world yet he had never had a girlfriend.

When he reached the top of the stairs Ryan could see Charlotte in the room straight ahead, as he walked through the doors, Ryan choked and walked straight passed her. This was his chance and he couldn’t do it. While Ryan was beating himself up in his head, Charlotte had walked over to him.

“Your pictures are beautiful.”

Ryan turned around, stunned yet again by the beauty that stood before him. “Thank you,” he replied while looking down at his feet.

“Ryan, are you ok? I’ve never seen you like this before.”

This was his chance it was now or never, “Honestly, I..I..” Why couldn’t he just say it?

“I think I know,” Charlotte interjected. “I think you feel what I feel. Ryan, do you like me? And before you answer, I’m asking if you like me more than just friends.”

“Oh Charlotte, I do like you like that,” Ryan blurted out, he felt so relieved like a weight had been lifted.

As Ryan gazed into Charlotte’s eyes, they began to draw closer to each other. The mood in the room was intense. Their lips were just about to touch when he saw him.

Out of the corner of his eye, Ryan could see Charlotte’s mystery man approaching them.

“I thought I might find you up here,” the man said while walking straight over to Charlotte and scooping her up in his arms.

Ryan was just about to walk away and give them some privacy when Charlotte grabbed his arm. “Ryan I would like you to meet my father, Mr Adelle. Dad, this is the talented Mr Ryan Ashfield.”

Her dad! Ryan was stunned.

“Mr Ashfield it is a pleasure to finally meet you,” Mr Adelle said while holding out his hand.

“Likewise Mr Adelle,” Ryan replied meeting his hand and shaking it. “But please call me Ryan.”

“Dad I thought you were leaving tonight?”

“I am but I couldn’t leave without attending the opening. I know how hard you have both worked for tonight.”

Relived with the thought that the mystery man was Charlottes’ father, Ryan excused himself so the two could catch up.

He didn’t see her for the rest of the night. He was bombarded by members of his family congratulating him before he took off home for the night.

At home Ryan had finished sipping hot cocoa with his mum and was just about to slip out of his suit and go to bed when he heard a knock at the door. It was Charlotte.

“I know its late but I couldn’t just leave things the way we did.”

“Yeah I know what you mean.”

“Ryan, I have never felt this way about anyone before.”

“I haven’t either,” Ryan replied while running his hands nervously through his hair. At that moment the paparazzi pulled up outside the house. Ryan took Charlotte around to the backyard for some privacy.

They both stood still, looking at each other.

“Would you like to dance?”  Ryan asked breaking the silence.

“But there is no music.”

“We don’t need music to dance. I only need you.”

With a shy smile on her face, Charlotte walked toward Ryan and he held her close to him.

“I feel like I’m in a dream.”

“You dream about me?”

Charlotte began to blush, “Yeah, I have been crushing on you long before I came to work for you.”

“Really? I didn’t think that you liked me that way; I even thought that your dad was your boyfriend. You liked me before you knew me?”

“Oh gosh yes, I fell in love with your photographs when I was in college and when I saw a picture of you… well I thought you were hot,” Charlotte looked down at her feet blushing.

Ryan held her chin and pulled her face back up to meet his. “Miss Charlotte Adelle, I do believe that I am in love with you,” he leaned into her face and gave her a soft, brief kiss on her lips.

“Mr Ryan Ashfield, I am certain that I am in love with you,” Charlotte said as she grabbed Ryan in for a passionate embrace, lasting for what felt like five minutes.

Over the next few months Ryan and Charlotte were inseparable. Even when they were apart they were always on the phone to each other talking until they fell asleep.

When Charlotte was at work, Ryan would go around to Julie’s house but he would never catch her.

It seems since having little Antonio, Julie has been staying late at work. Ryan did love having the chance to spend some time with his nephew but he was worried about his sister.

Ryan decided to drive down to the fire station and find out what was wrong with his little sister. Her family was suffering and Antonio shouldn’t have to grow up with a mother who was never there. When Ryan walked in Julie was heading out.

After some idle chit-chat Julie came out with the truth. She was afraid of falling behind in her career because she had a child. She also felt like Doyle didn’t love her, she fell pregnant so soon and Julie thought that he only married her because they were expecting a baby. Ryan convinced her to talk to her husband about how she was feeling because Doyle loved her and so did little Antonio. Julie agreed to visit more often before she went home to spend some time with her family.

That weekend When Charlotte came over Ryan barely got to see her. His parents absolutely adored her. Alex would spend half the day outside with Charlotte painting and chatting.

And Kate couldn’t stop bragging about her grandchildren, Antonio, Horace (Mile’s and Jasmin’s son) and Shanta (Lina and Kendrick’s daughter). Logan and Samantha were also expecting their first baby and Kate and Alex couldn’t wait for another little grandchild.

When Ryan finally got Charlotte all to himself, he locked them both in his room. After passionately making out on his bed for an hour, Ryan couldn’t help himself he began to slide his hand up her skirt. He knew Charlotte was a virgin and she knew that he was too but he had urges.

“Ryan, stop.”

“I’m sorry, Char. It’s just we have been waiting for a six months and it’s very hard to lie here and kiss you without… you know… wanting to go further.”

“I understand and trust me I feel the same, I also have those needs. I haven’t told you this but I have been saving myself for marriage. I promised my father that I would wait.”

“That’s why I love you. You are the most sweetest, caring and innocent woman I have ever met.”

“So that’s why, because I am a virgin like you.”

“No I would love you even if you weren’t, it’s because you are so caring and romantic.”

It was at that moment that Ryan knew Charlotte was “the one.”