Hello! Thank you for all your reviews! I'll try to respond to them. YES! HE WILL TAKE HER BACK (I HOPE)! Joe and Chloé will be there for a few more chapters and then I will kill them! (No, I'm not that awful.) And Jaxa, I swear that you will know why they divorced… but in time. But I'll give you a clue if you want: it's a chain of events… (Not helpful…)

I swear that I am updating as fast as I can, and I know that my beta is doing her best. And I'm French, so don't forget that we work rather… Slowly !

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"Charles, what are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you but…"

Charles finally looked up to Elsie and could not finish his sentence. She blushed because of his intense stare. It had been a long time since anyone had look at her like that. In fact, if she was honest with herself, nobody but Charles had ever looked at her like that: like she was the only thing in the room, the only woman on earth.

Charles shook his head.

"… But you said it was open, so I…"

"I know."

Elsie smiled gently before asking in a more neutral tone, "Is there anything you wanted?"

Charles answered in the same tone as Elsie. "Yes, I wanted to invite the girls to dinner tonight."

"Oh, well, they went out. I wanted to invite them, too, actually. But it seems that a party is more appealing than a dinner with their old parents."

They laughed together.

"Alright, well, I will leave you then. You're obviously going out, too."

"Absolutely not… I was just doing the washing up," Elsie said as she smiled up at him.

"Yeah, you've always done it in that kind of attire." Charles smiled back. Their eyes locked.

Charles yawned before turning on his side. Elsie was not in bed, but he could hear noises in their kitchen. He put his hand where her body had been during the night. It was still warm and, of course, smelled like her. He smiled and buried his face in her pillow and took a long breath. There. Now he could start his day. He bent down to pick up his undershorts and put them on.

Elsie had her back to him and her hands in the sink, where she was washing a plate. There was a little steam around her. Her hair was in a low bun, and she wore Charles's shirt. She was humming a song, and she obviously didn't hear him coming. He walked quietly behind her and put both hands on her bottom. She jumped and gasped at the touch but Charles didn't take his hands back.

"Yes? Are you looking for something, Charles?"

"No, just checking."

"Checking what?" Elsie smiled.

"That you're really here," Charles said with his face half in her hair and half in her neck. Elsie dried her hands on a towel before turning in his arms. His arms went to her waist and hers around his neck.

"I'm really here. First morning in our flat."

He pushed her gently against the sink.

"I'm so glad we're here Els…"

She kissed him tenderly. He put her on the counter. She kissed him and stopped.

"Show me how glad you are Charlie."

And he did just that.

Charles was the first to look down at the floor. At the memory, his heartbeat had accelerated. Elsie had obviously thought about the same thing because she was blushing.

"Well, I'll go now. I'm sorry to have disturbed you, Elsie."

"That's no trouble, I promise. I'll tell the girls that you came. They will be happy."

"Okay, thank you."

Charles didn't move. He could tell that Elsie had something to say.

"I… I'm…"

Charles took a step toward her.

"Yes, Elsie?"

She was biting her lip. Charles looked down at him and she caught his look. She took a quick breath; she was feeling a heat within her.

"I… I'm glad that I've seen you. I'm glad to see you. And I know I was not there to meet you when you left the girls here, but I was here. I was working, so I didn't hear your, car and you didn't knock so… But that doesn't mean I didn't want you here, so what I'm trying to say is…"

Charles had taken a step even closer and put his hands on her shoulders. They looked at each other.

"I know Elsie, I know. And I'm glad to see you too."

"Are you?" That was out before she even had the time to think about it.

Charles closed his eyes, took a breath, and reopened his eyes. He found the same look he had always known, the eyes he liked – loved - so much. And he smiled.

"Elsie, you will never know how glad I am to see you. Even for five minutes…"

At this moment, they both realized that they were close to each other. One of Charles's hands traveled from Elsie's shoulder to her cheek. Elsie's breathing quickened. Charles watched her closed her eyes and felt her let her cheek rest more firmly against his palm. He bent down and put his lips against her cheek very slowly. He lingered there longer than was necessary. He could smell her perfume and felt her skin under his lips. And it seemed so fine. When Charles took a step back, Elsie could still feel where his lips had been; it was on fire.

When Charles spoke, his voice was so low that Elsie could actually feel it.

"I really hope he deserves you, Elsie, because tonight you're… you're breathtaking."

Elsie blushed but kept her eyes on him. When Elsie thought about their married life, she realized that Charles had always been good with compliments. They were always unexpected, so she was often taken aback. He really could say the sweetest thing at really innappropriate moments. Actually, that's why she had fallen in love with him, because he was unpredictable. When they first met, Elsie had found him so annoying, and he had found her so confident that it became a hate-love relationship.

"I hope she deserves you, Charles. I want you to be happy. I want us to be happy."

"Elsie, I…"

"Elsie, there is someone parked in front of… Oh, good evening."

Joe had opened the door and closed it so fast that neither Charles nor Elsie had heard it. On top of that, Joe was not used to the "knocking" thing.

"I'm Joe Burns, the boyfriend."

Charles wanted to roll his eyes, but contained himself. "What kind of man at his age presents himself as someone's 'boyfriend'?" Charles shook Joe's hand anyway. "I'm Charles Carson, the ex-husband."

Elsie bit very hard on her lip, both because of worry and to contain her smile. Joe let go of Charles's hand and turned finally to Elsie. He looked her up and down.

"Ouah! Very nice, Beth!" He kissed her soundly on the lips. Charles looked down quickly at his shoes.

"I'm so thirsty! Going to take a drink. Do you want one, Beth?" Elsie shook her head. "You, Charles?"

"No, thank you."

Joe passed behind Elsie to go to the kitchen. He patted her bottom as he went and Elsie blushed furiously. Charles was so taken aback that he forgot to blink for several seconds. Just when he was about to go, Joe returned with a large glass of whisky in his hand.

"Nice car you have, mate."

"Oh, yes, I like it."

"And may I know why you're here?"

"Joe! Charles wanted to invite the girls to dinner, so he came to fetch them, but they are at a party, and anyway he…"

Joe smiled and put an arm around Elsie's waist. He kissed her temple.

"I know, babe, just kidding. So you, too, are taking your girlfriend out."

"I… Yes, Chloé and I are going to restaurant."

"That's nice." Joe smiled before turning to Elsie, who was looking at the floor. "By the way, you should finish with your hair and everything. The place where I'm taking you does not tolerate tardiness."

"Alright, I'll be on my way, then. Joe, nice to have met you." The two men shook hands.

"Yeah, me too." Joe headed to in the kitchen, and Charles didn't really know if it was to wash his glass or to take another one. Charles turned to Elsie who had been quite quiet during the meeting.

"Have a good evening." He did want to say something nicer or to add "Elsie" at the end. But now that he had heard Joe called her "Beth," he realized that perhaps "Elizabeth" preferred it. He bent down to kiss her cheek quickly, but this kiss was nothing compared to the one they had shared earlier.

Elsie didn't have the time to respond, Charles was already outside.

"I do hate this guy," Charles thought.

He took a breath and walked to the car where Chloé was waiting for him, smoking a cigarette, leaning against his car. When she heard him coming, she turned and smiled. She threw her cigarette on the ground and climbed in the car. Charles did the same. While he was putting on his belt, he felt Chloé's hand on his lap.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

He looked at her for a second. She looked worried, and Charles didn't really know if he liked it or not.

"I am. Let's get some dinner." He smiled and came closer to give her a kiss. Chloé put her free hand on his cheek and smiled against his lips.