Aaron looked from Bass to Charlie, trying to form a coherent thought other than the sputtering that was currently coming out of his mouth. Bass was still holding Charlie's gaze. Charlie was turning faintly pink and grinning almost embarrassedly.
"There you are, our dinner is ready to go," Priscilla handed over a bag to Aaron as she approached the table. She then turned to Bass and Charlie, "Hi, I'm not sure we've officially met."
They both looked at her then, trying to make sense of what she was saying. They'd spent weeks with Priscilla before leaving to deal with the Patriot mess. They looked to Aaron who shrugged resignedly, "Don't ask." Then motioned toward them, "This is Monroe and Charlie."
"Hi," Priscilla smiled. "Aaron's told me all about you, of course, but it's nice to finally meet. You didn't tell me they were together, Aaron. Like Matheson and Monroe, 2.0, huh?"
Aaron's wits seemed to briefly return at that. "Honey, they are NOT together," he shook his head. "Charlie would never…Miles would…Rachel…," he gave up at that and returned to looking at them in disbelief.
"Uh huh, sure," Priscilla rolled her eyes at Aaron as she took his elbow. "Nice to meet you again, excuse us please." Aaron continued to look back over his shoulder as she guided him out of the bar.
With their brief connection broken, both Bass and Charlie now seemed very unsure of one another. They glanced at one another furtively, trying to judge the mood of the other. Charlie finally broke the silence.
"Did you mean it? I mean, are you sure you really want me to come with you?"
Bass shifted in his seat. When her fingers had slipped between his, it felt so natural, so necessary, he would have done anything to keep them there. Now, he was uncertain if any of it had actually happened. What had she intended when she held onto him? Had she felt the heat that had pulsed through him at her very touch? "I do need someone to watch my back," he attempted a weak chuckle. "You've gotten pretty good at that lately."
A light that had been in her eyes just moments ago seemed to dim. She looked down at her hand still on the table between them and returned it to her lap. "Yeah, I guess. I need an excuse to get out of here for a while, anyway."
Bass felt like a fool. He hated how disappointed she suddenly looked, but honestly had no idea what she wanted. Honestly, he had no idea what he wanted. All he did know was that he needed to find his son, and at the moment their hands had met, he knew he absolutely could not leave Charlie behind.
Charlie pushed her chair back as if to go, and Bass instinctively reached out to her, putting his hand on her arm. The thought of her leaving now, like this, unhappy, made it hard for him to breathe. "Wait," he started speaking before he really knew what to say. "I, uh, supplies, for the trip." He realized he was babbling and took a breath to pull himself together. "I haven't rounded up any supplies for the trip yet. Will you come with me? Help me make sure we've got everything? We could do it in the morning."
Charlie had been feeling so deflated, being asked to come along only as back up. She'd not taken a moment to think about grabbing his hand before she'd done it. She'd just panicked at the thought of him leaving. Then his pronouncement, that she was coming, had opened a spring of hope inside her. She didn't even really know what it might be hope for, but it felt like a lifeline and she was clinging to it. Then Aaron and his interruption made her lose her grip on it. Now, however, Bass was clearly grasping at straws to keep her with him. They both knew good and well he could prepare for the trip better than she could. She couldn't help but smile just a little as she settled back into her chair. Clearly he may not know yet exactly why he wanted her with him, but he did want her. "Sure Bass. I'll come get you in the morning, but…do we have time for one more drink?"
Bass smiled, relieved. He motioned to the bartender for another round. "Absolutely, it'll help me figure out how we're going to tell Miles we're both going."
Charlie laughed out loud. "Better you than me."