Chapter One – First Meeting
Charlie moved to New York almost four years ago. At nearly thirty and single, this was not where she had imagined her life to be right now, the plan was well and truly nowhere out the window. This time last year Charlie had been in a long-term relationship that she thought could've been the one, but that ended the moment she found out he had been screwing one of his colleagues, Sarah with the blonde hair and blue eyes…she inwardly sighed at the cliché.
Having moved from the U.K Charlie had considered moving back home but she didn't want to explain to her parents why the relationship ended when they warned her about moving to New York with him in the first place, they obviously knew she wasn't with 'Garrett' anymore but it was easier to get out of the conversation when they weren't in the same room…or country.
Although she hadn't dated much since she moved to New York, she had managed to find herself a local bar. When she wasn't at home in her one bedroom apartment or at work this is where she was either sitting at the bar chatting with the owner and his wife or helping out behind the bar – today was a sitting at the bar kind of day.
"Charlie! How you been?"
Smiling Charlie approached the bar; perching on the stool she leaned over the counter and helped herself to the fresh bowl of peanuts.
"Today's been shitty Sean, not gonna lie."
Sean laughed.
"Ah, you did have that look."
As Sean spoke, he pulled out a bottle of beer and placed it in front of Charlie.
"Keep'em coming!"
With that Charlie took a sip of the frosty beer.
A little time passed by and Charlie had been enjoying a catch up with Sean's wife Maggie who was taking great delight in showing Charlie the photos from the recent vacation they'd taken. A few stools away somebody sat down and starting chatting familiarly with Sean. She didn't look up; instead she remained focussed on the photographs being passed under her nose.
"Now this place Charlie, this place was magnificent, magical."
Charlie looked down at the photo and tried to contain her laughter, the place that Maggie was talking about was in fact the biggest toilet in the world.
"Mag's you do realise that it's just a big toilet?"
Charlie looked up; the person who had sat down a few stools away from her had been the one to speak. He was native New Yorker through and through like Sean and Maggie, the twang was undeniable.
"Don Flack! It might've been a giant toilet but it was special to me."
Maggie scowled at the man she called Don and looked back to Charlie.
"Don't you worry Hun, me and Sean we'll make you take a break out of your busy life one day and take you there…it's bigger than you think."
Trying to stifle the laughter, Charlie nodded.
"Thank you Maggie, that's really thoughtful…I'd love to."
With that Maggie smiled and walked to the other side of the bar, as she did so she walked past the man who spoke and slapped him playfully on the side of the head before continuing on her way. Smiling, Charlie turned her attention back to the photos in front of her, as she flipped through them she saw one of Maggie and Sean standing together in front of some massive monument. They looked so happy together, one of the first proper conversations she had with Maggie had been about how she met Sean, they had been childhood sweethearts since sixteen, and that was forty years ago. Sighing, Charlie gathered the photos together and put them back into their sleeve; leaning over the bar she tucked them away safely. Sitting back down she took another sip of her beer. She could the man along the bar looking her way.
"You seem to know Sean and Maggie nearly as well as I do."
Charlie turned to face him, as she did so she was able to fully take him in. He was clearly tall with black hair that was starting to grey at the edges, but the one thing that caught her straight away was his eyes, they were blue like she had never seen before. She shifted in her seat.
"I guess, I've known them about a year I stopped by one day after work and I've been coming here ever since. It's like my home from home…from home."
He laughed; it only made him more attractive.
"So you have three homes?"
Charlie smiled shyly.
"Well no, but as you can probably tell I'm not from around here, so the U.K is my home, my apartment is my home from home and this place…is my home from home from home…god, that made sense in my head!"
Laughing again, he took a sip from his bottle of beer as he stood up and made his way towards her. He gestured to the empty stool next to her, smiling Charlie nodded and he settled down beside her.
"It made sense, I'm only messing."
Charlie rolled her eyes and shook her head.
"Really, I couldn't tell."
He laughed again, as he did so Charlie noticed a police badge looped onto his belt. She couldn't help but smile to herself while she took another drink. It didn't go unnoticed.
"What? What's so funny?"
Shrugging, she gestured to his belt.
"Nothing, just do you have your badge on show when you're off duty so that it impresses the girls?"
He laughed again whilst shaking his head.
"Wow, ballsy…okay…can't say I need the help, my good looks and charms get me through…but is it working?"
Charlie burst into laughter, almost spitting her drink over the counter. This guy had a sense of humour.
"Glad I got you to laugh. You seemed a little down earlier."
As she composed herself, she took another drink of her beer, the man beside her did the same.
"Well, when you look at how happy and in love Maggie and Sean are it can make you long for something you had, lost or want…annoyingly it made me think about the night I found this place."
The man beside Charlie was watching her, waiting for her to expand on what she was saying. What the hell she thought.
"Me and my ex broke up about this time last year, caught him in bed with another woman…bastard was the whole reason I moved to New York four years ago…got me thinking maybe it was a mistake."
"I'm sorry to hear that, but not all of us are like that."
Charlie didn't face him.
"I know, but he was…promised the world and then boom. Everything you know changes."
The guy took a sip of his beer.
"Was he from New York?"
Charlie shook her head.
"No, he was from London. He got a transfer to New York and asked me to come with him, I didn't even hesitate."
He breathed a sigh of relief.
"At least I don't have to defend myself to you."
Charlie turned towards him and raised her eyebrows.
"Who said you didn't have to try and defend yourself to me?"
He looked a little worried, but when he saw Charlie smile he realised that she was teasing him.
"Ha, that was good…real funny."
Smiling smugly she continued to sip on her beer, he gestured to the almost empty bottle.
"Get you another?"
She nodded, smiling.
"I'd love one."
Before he could call Sean over, he was already there opening up another two bottles, he didn't say anything…for some reason Charlie was embarrassed, it wasn't the first time some random guy had tried hitting on her at the bar but for some reason this felt different. That was when she suddenly realised she hadn't introduced herself.
"Oh my god, Charlie…no wait, I mean my names Charlie."
She held out her hand out towards him. He let out a small laugh which was followed by a smile she was sure he had flashed many times in his life as he accepted her hand.
"Don, Don Flack, but everyone calls me Flack."
She smiled, but was a little confused. Flack laughed.
"My dad was a cop, Don Flack Snr so…Flack."
Smiling she nodded her head.
"My full name is actually Charlotte, but nobody calls me that…except my parents."
The two of them sat at the bar for the rest of the night, only stopping to order more beers which were always ready before they even asked as Sean and Maggie were observing the two of them with interest.
"I see Don has taken a fancy towards Charlie, I can't believe they've not bumped into each other before."
Maggie nodded.
"Me neither, I was sure they'd met…oh Sean I just hope he doesn't hurt her."
Sean shook his head as he wrapped a reassuring arm around Maggie.
"Come on now Mag's it'll be okay, he's a good lad and she's a tough girl."