AN: Addresses and clubs are real places in this, used with some liberties. If you want you can check them for visuals.
Charlie's wine red ditsy wrap dress with a layered hem flew in the wind as the two made their way to Cloudland that evening both giggly and flirty with each other, the anticipation promising an exciting evening.
Cloudland looked indeed promising, definitely a place that didn't hold back on decor or the quality of service, among it's signature features lavish vegetation in the form of vertical gardens and indoor waterfalls and the center of the room topped off with a gigantic grand chandelier. The furniture on the main floor was mostly quite minimalist in comparison, and plenty of room had been left for dancing. As they entered, the main floor, and part of the dance floor was already crowded, some hired dance couples taking the lead in showing off their skills which was amazing to watch. The VIP rooms just off the main area and upstairs showed off more elaborate old-world interiors of various thematics each named more exclusively - Bianco Nero, Black Tulip, Peacock Lounge and so on.
"Well it's decadent alright," Charlie noted over the latin rhythms, having listened to Finn talk a little about the place as they'd walked there from her apartment. Finn was still friendly with the owner, having once given the seed money to open the place, more than a decade ago, which made Charlie for a moment feel very young in comparison. Ten years ago she had still been graduating high school. But this had provided a good reason for her to actually ask what his age was, somehow this fact having until now seemed hardly relevant at all. It was yet another thing that showed how quickly they'd gotten serious, while oblivious about some of the more general facts one might have asked if one dated in the traditional sense. They had the age difference of 7 years, which definitely wasn't nothing - but other than coming up in their stories - how many things one had had time to do in their lifetime, it was a differentiator, for sure.
"It could use some updates, but it's one of the places I'm most happy with," Finn said, leaving the assumption that he had in fact helped several places out over the years, making good use of his trust fund which he'd received at 25. "You want a drink?" he asked.
"Surprise me," Charlie suggested, recalling how he'd talked about their elaborate cocktail menu. They'd already eaten, hence that really wasn't a priority in the already packed establishment. Charlie leaned against the bar a bit further down it's curved edge that was essentially just for decor, while Finn headed for the bartender who he seemed to know well, spending at least a minute chatting to him over the music while a long line of customers waited. She watched the band and the patrons, all dressed up to their nines, noting some gorgeous attire on the ladies and men definitely looking fine as well, which for a split second made her feel like perhaps her summer dress was a little too casual for this place after all. But then she saw a new dance couple take the stage, and the dress the female performer wore wasn't really much different than hers making her breathe a little easier. She checked her phone to see if anything was up, but other than a message from her half-sister asking whether they should account for her for Christmas dinner, there really wasn't much.
Charlie typed a hasty message that she wasn't planning on returning before the New Year, not going into too much detail on her reasons. As she looked up again, she saw Finn, with two cocktails in his hand standing perhaps 4 feet off the bar talking in a rather familiar manner to some hot brunette, whispering close to her ear over the music. The woman was dressed in a sleeveless beige glittery short pantsuit, her brown locks freely falling over her shoulders. Charlie couldn't quite tell whether she was someone he knew or whether this was just casual, but she couldn't help it, making her a little uncomfortable. Thankfully her doubtful gaze soon met his apologetic one, his hunt for drinks having already been a lengthy one, and no more than a couple of seconds later she saw him making his way through the crowd towards her.
"It's going to be a crazy night in here tonight, they're expecting two private parties upstairs, potentially some celebrities even - but I'm not sure if the names mean a whole lot to you," he explained. This was a bit of a test question for he often used. One thing he really didn't appreciate were the type of women who swooned at the possibility of meeting someone famous, unless it was somehow explainable by truly being a fan of someone's work. It generally spoke of the wrong kind of values, not that that had always stopped him, but in this case was only relieved that she paid no attention to it.
"So what's this we're drinking tonight?" Charlie asked instead, smelling her drink, her sentence coming out with a decent Australian accent. Finn liked to make fun of her, in a friendly, slightly teasing way, how she sounded more Australian sometimes when she did, clearly having immersed herself well in her environment.
"This one is called Wait a Prosecco - Mint, peach, elderflower… and well prosecco, and this one," he said gesturing at the drink he was holding, "...a Summer Julep. Passionfruit, peach, mint, bitters… something like that. We can swap if you don't like it," Finn suggested, as he moved the stirrer around in his drink.
"Umm… it's good," Charlie commented, after taking a sip of the refreshing drink. She'd worn her hair half up in a braid this time, which beautifully exposed her neck, while showing off the pearl drop earrings Finn had insisted on getting her in passing after they'd finished shopping for clothes, despite her arguing it was too much. In that sense she was feeling spoiled rotten.
"I just met an old friend there," Finn felt a need to explain why he'd been held up, hoping that despite Charlie having gotten a fairly good idea of his former reputation, she wouldn't worry about stuff like that. She definitely didn't need to worry while he was there with her, but the problem was that there were a lot of people that knew him by his reputation and it had literally been years since Finn had been exclusive with anyone, hence he was unsure if he knew how to not flirt if it came to it, it having been such a normal part of him, just like being friendly was to some, especially if he happened to be somewhere by himself. He wanted to be able to do it, but it came down to his own lack of confidence in himself in that department. He could only hope that good intentions would be enough.
"Yeah?" Charlie inquired casually, feeling a little curious about the story there.
"Her name is Agatha Ryan. She's the one that does something similar to what I do in New York, for the family company. She just does it for the whole of Australia," Finn explained.
"I like her outfit," Charlie replied, speaking over the music, essentially commenting on the fact that she'd looked hot. While she'd definitely felt jealousy, she wasn't sure they were comfortable with each other yet to actually admit to it.
They spent the first hour drinking, Charlie tasting Finn's drink as well, and enjoying the scene while Finn offered commentary on the people he knew by reputation. It certainly was the place to be that night, one small-scale celebrity after another walking in, out of whom Charlie knew perhaps one or two that she'd seen in a Australian TV shows, telling Finn how at the plantation her co-workers sometimes watched them and she, being physically too tired to object, just did what they did.
When the evening program began, offering the crowd some Soul'Sa dance lessons, essentially a mixture of various latin steps - some salsa with the basic two quicks and two slows, mixing in with some Bachata site-together-side-tap, which Finn clearly already mastered. Charlie was a quick study, having the pace part down almost as well as the performers who were teaching, and Finn really could only admire the way her hips swung to these latin rhythms. After the quick lesson the two were already swirling around the dancefloor, his moves firmly guiding her, definitely not withholding any contact. They were both laughing, Charlie enjoying the way Finn managed to sweep her away, and then half unexpectedly spin her out, only to catch her again. The chemistry was undeniable just as it was in bed, and there was just something about Finn - the way he held her, that made her feel utterly feminine. No wonder, women swooned at his feet.
After a while Charlie made her way to the ladies room in the back to freshen up, but was caught in the queue. She did what most people did - browsed her phone, but was suddenly surprised by a very tipsy blonde who was returning from the toilets, who grabbed a hold of her forearm.
"Hey! You're that girl! I thought I was seeing things…" the woman, dressed in black silk, began, recalling seeing them on the dance floor earlier. "Finn is a great guy," she emphasized, and glanced over Charlie with a look that was definitely sizing her up. "Just try to not get your heart involved, alright?" the girl added, before getting trailed off by seeing someone else she knew. She wasn't really surprised that someone knew Finn, but she hadn't quite expected that. What Charlie didn't know was that this was Robyn, Archie's sister whom Finn had dated ages ago but who was still kind of keeping tabs on him. The suggestion was probably in some ways well-meaning - just going by his reputation, but definitely involved a gram of self-interest. Still, it wasn't exactly the commentary Charlie had wanted or expected to hear tonight.
After freshening up herself, Charlie made her way back through the crowd to Finn, who'd just finished chatting to a couple he knew and was saying his goodbye's. Charlie was almost about to tell him about running into the girl, but her thoughts were cut short.
"Finn, I thought that was you!" Archie said as approached the two at the bar, sometime later in the evening.
"Hey mate, how are you? Already moved and acclimated, I see?" Finn greeted him, having not really expected to see him.
"I moved in yesterday, actually. Just down the street actually - 1000 Ann St, easiest address to remember," Archie chuckled.
"Hey, that's where I live," Charlie commented, innocently.
Finn really would've preferred if she hadn't mentioned it. Archie was an old friend, sure, but he also had a tendency to treat women even more poorly than he did. The last thing he wanted was him chatting up Charlie like she was a convenient booty-call next door.
"Oh really, glad to meet the first neighbour!" Archie turned to her. "Archie, apartment 225, " he introduced himself, offering his hand in greeting, that alone sounding like a bit of an invitation. "And what might your name be?" he asked.
"This is Charlie," Finn said, wrapping his arm around her waist as if marking his territory. Somehow he hadn't been able to say the word 'girlfriend'. It wasn't about not wanting to label them, he gladly would've. But it was about saying the word to Archie, knowing that in his state, several drinks further gone than either he or Charlie were, he simply wouldn't hear the end of it.
Charlie noticed Finn's behavior shift, and was beginning to wonder that perhaps she'd revealed her, however temporary, address a little prematurely.
"You guys should join us upstairs, me, Robyn and some of my buddies have the Rhombus room tonight. We have plenty and food and a couple of Grey Gooses going," Archie suggested, gesturing towards the upstairs VIP lounge on the balcony that overlooked the dancefloor.
"Sure, we'll stop by later," Finn replied quickly, frankly just wanting to get rid of the guy right now. It felt like mixing for the worlds and frankly he was truly worried about what Archie might say about him, not knowing his sister had already said it.
"Well, alright then, I think it's time I get myself another one of these," Archie said, with a weak hiccup, gesturing at his near empty cocktail glass.
As the balding man headed off towards the bar, clearly making some borderline inappropriate jokes along the way by the look on the faces of the women in question, Charlie observed Finn's impression.
She didn't even really ask the question, simply raised her eyebrows, and he got it - she needed some clarification of his hesitance. But as the music was only picking up the DJ having taken over by now, and the crowd, now a decent amount more drunk, their voices raised along with it, instead of explaining his reaction to her right there in shouts, he took her hand and led her out to the courtyard that a lot of people used for smoking. The quiet felt almost almost unnatural and unsettling right there.
"He's just an old high school buddy, the kind I used to party with. And I just want to tell you, in case he brings it up... that recently, just before I met you, we had a bit of a 'guy's weekend' in Noosa which was perhaps not entirely admirable," Finn explained, hesitantly. "And he's not exactly the kind of guy to be tactful about things like that," he added.
Charlie didn't reply, instead recalling Finn telling her how he was coming from Noosa just when he'd found her at the side of the road as they'd made casual small talk, before their ride to Brisbane had actually gotten scary. She would've liked to say that she wasn't bothered by any of this. It wasn't that she didn't know he was a player - he hadn't hidden it, but he himself had been quite cautious with the details which she was grateful for. But this just felt a little close to comfort when combining this piece of information and what the girl in the queue had just said.
"Uh-uh," Charlie replied, not really knowing what to say. She knew that she couldn't blame him for something that had taken place before they'd even met, before they'd even become something.
"I'm sorry," Finn said, trying to maintain physical contact, but seeing her clearly feel a little uncomfortable with this information.
"It's fine…," she managed, but clearly that was just something she felt she was supposed to say.
"We don't have to go up there," he suggested, adding, "he probably won't even remember seeing me by the morning," trying to keep the mood light to the best of his abilities.
"I don't know… I kind of fell like going home," she replied, sensing a light sniffle coming. She almost considered lying, saying her feet ached, but that really wasn't it.
"Okay," Finn sighed, took her hand again and led her out the front door.
They walked towards Charlie's place silently at first - it really wasn't a very long walk, just 10 minutes or so, which took a little longer as Charlie was wearing her heels.
"I can't hide what I've been like, but I get it... There's nothing admirable about it… but I can't undo it," Finn felt the need to explain as they approached her building.
"Yeah, and I get it. You haven't hidden it and I respect that, I really do - but it's still tough to hear," Charlie admitted.
"I know we haven't fully talked about it - but this - you and me - I am fully exclusive here. I don't want that life back..." Finn explained, feeling like maybe he'd ruined something between them already. Thinking back he felt shame, those evenings out partying with other girls hadn't made him feel good in the end, not recently, just leaving him feeling hollow.
She did appreciate him saying it. But right now, she just needed some space. She truly felt for him, seeing him worry like that - and in a way it was sweet even, seeing him care about what she thought of him. But then again - maybe she was just swept up by his charm just like the rest of them?
"Will I see you tomorrow, after work?" he asked. In some ways he was being the clingy one here.
"I'll call, okay? I'm just a little tired," Charlie replied.
"I'm sorry," Finn apologized as she hugged him goodbye, giving him just a small peck on the lips.
Finn felt a sense of panic, watching her walk up to her apartment building - maybe showing her his true colors was all it really took to ruin things? Maybe he was the damaged cargo no-one wanted?
Jess had just passed Hartford with Celeste sitting by his side in his old BMW. Celeste had about an hour ago called Rory and given her a recap of what had happened at brunch with her mother. And Jess could definitely see the relief in her face. But Jess had trouble trusting the woman as much as Celeste seemed to. He'd heard all the stories, he'd written about it and he just didn't trust any of her family based on those stories - he had little to base that trust on, knowing just one side of them.
"You're sure, you're okay?" Jess asked, seeing her go quiet after discussing Christmas presents for Luke and Lorelai and Jess' parents like nothing was out of the ordinary for a good half an hour.
"I don't know," was an honest answer. "It's like I want to be. All I want is to just sigh from relief and say that things are solved - good," Celeste explained.
Sabine's English had been really poor, hence besides the two questions she'd asked from Jess, about his work and the size of his family, he hadn't really gotten to know the woman, the language being a major barrier. He'd never even really expected to be in this position, to be honest, and consider it perhaps to be a good thing he wouldn't have to explain to her high society mother about her mother's substance abuse, numerous boyfriends or his flaky father who'd ran off.
"But do you trust her?" Jess asked.
"I mean… I have all the reasons to distrust Henri or my puppet-master of a father, if he were among the living, but she'd always been the one to just let things happen. All that she seems to have done is 'nothing'. So I guess… she'll get that once she's back home and reads my letter if she doesn't already," Celeste explained.
"So you didn't tell her about the letter?" Jess inquired.
"I said I sent something recently - that it was therapeutic," Celeste added.
"But do you think we have anything to worry about legally? Maybe you should contact Natalie just in case. Because if those documents are invaid, does that also make the NDA invalid?" Jess continued, thinking a lot more practically.
"I have a feeling that if that is the case, then I might just have a trip that I'll need to make. Though I'm not sure if I can actually convince her to sign the similar documents I had with Henri. She's very much about ignoring legal aspects until she can, at least she used to be," Celeste discussed.
"So essentially when she passes you'd be hit with a truckload of inheritage," Jess stated matter-of-factly.
"I don't know - she sort of said she wouldn't force the family fortune on me, though I perhaps should've asked more concretely what she meant with that," Celeste realized. She'd been frankly preoccupied with simply holding it together and let her guard down a little. It had been good to see her mother, despite everything, in flesh and blood. Even if not a good one, she was still a mother and there was something about this whole reunion that she'd enjoyed - telling her about how good her life was, about her husband and daughter, hoping to see some pride in her. It had even been such a relief to talk French with someone, really talk, not just take reservations over the phone at the Inn.
"I think it's not the kind of stress you need, so I think it would be good to get Natalie to check things out," Jess suggested.
"But she charges like 800 Euros for an hour," Celeste argued.
"For peace of mind," Jess said.
Celeste knew he was right of course, and the money from the dresses did provide some buffer for time being. But all she really wanted right now was to see Evie, hence putting the thought aside. It was not like she could do a whole lot about any of this until Monday anyways.