apologize

At 5 PM, Angelica sat relaxed on the side terrace, specifically on a sofa facing a fireplace but the fire wasn't lit because it wasn't winter. The girl fell silent, gazing at the sky, but her thoughts were filled with her mother and the beach atmosphere she longed for.

"If only Dad hadn't left us and had kept his promise to marry you, maybe we would never have been separated, maybe our lives wouldn't be this hard," she said softly, then took a deep breath. "I hope you're okay there... I'll contact one of the neighbors to ask about your condition because I'm sure you won't answer honestly... You never want me to worry about you."

"Angel..."

Angelica immediately turned when she heard someone calling her from behind, and her eyes found Charlie approaching, looking fresher in long pants and a yellowish-white shirt, white shoes, and neatly combed hair. His appearance was in stark contrast to his tumultuous state this morning.

"You've been cooped up in your room," she said.

"It's better than hurting you again," Charlie said, then sat next to Angelica and took her right hand, looking at her palm wrapped in a bandage. "Forgive me," he continued, then kissed it.

"No need to apologize, I know you didn't mean to hurt me," Angelica said, a bit odd because Charlie kissed her palm. 'Ah, but he probably wouldn't hesitate to kiss my palm since he's already kissed my lips three times,' she thought.

"I was wrong, I couldn't control myself..."

"I was the one who was wrong," Angelica said with a pitying look at Charlie, recalling Renee's explanation. "I shouldn't have approached someone who was venting their emotions... I'm so stupid!" She continued with a thin smile.

"No..." Charlie shook his head. "What you did was right... But never do it again... I don't want to hurt you. It goes against my promise to your mother... I promised to make you comfortable here, but it's only been one day ... I've already hurt you..."

"It's just a small wound..." Angelica smiled, waiting for her face, feeling nervous under Charlie's gaze.

"Sometimes, small wounds that draw blood can feel insignificant when we have bigger, unseen wounds that can be felt."

Angelica refocused on Charlie, who started to open up. "What happened? Is your heart wounded?"

"I don't know..."

"How can you not know? You were furious, you said you hated your life... You can be honest with me, who knows, it might lighten your burden..." Angelica held Charlie's shoulder. "Don't hesitate to share with me... didn't you say we're friends?"

Charlie smiled thinly, glancing at Angelica, who looked so cute in her yellowish-white outfit with an exposed waist, and her hair left to flow freely. Even her blue eyes seemed to enhance her beauty.

"Tell me," Angelica whispered.

"I don't want to," Charlie replied, then cupped Angelica's cheek with his left hand, then leaned in until they were gazing at each other closely.

Angelica swallowed, Charlie's gaze seemed to freeze her, and not wanting to do anything but return his gaze, got closer, and a kiss was inevitable.

Charlie kissed Angelica's lips gently, his right hand shifting to hold her neck, occasionally tilting his head to make the kiss easier.

"Oh, God... I love these lips," he whispered, then kissed her again.

Angelica could only surrender, reciprocating the kiss with closed eyes and her heart pounding, feeling pleasure mixed with confusion. What did this kiss mean?

"Come with me," Charlie said softly after ending the kiss, immediately inviting Angelica to stand.

"But where to?" Angelica was puzzled.

Charlie just remained silent and led Angelica through the side garden, passing by the outdoor gym not far from the swimming pool, where there was also a special tub for ice baths. He kept leading the girl until they reached the yard where his blue sports car was parked.

"Charlie, I need to get ready if we're going," Angelica said with an uneasy look.

Charlie, instead, held the door open for Angelica and looked at her warmly. "You don't need to get ready. I like you natural like this," he said, then pushed her gently to get in.

Angelica complied, even though she wanted to go back to her room just to fix her appearance.

'But he said I don't need to get ready because he likes me natural... What does "like" mean? Is he going to ask me out on a date someday?' she wondered in her heart until her attention was drawn back to Charlie, who sat beside her. She looked at him, remembering what had happened as they got to know each other. 'In such a short time, I feel like I've become a part of you, but I'm also curious... You seem to be keeping a lot of secrets that I have no right to know because I'm nothing to you.'

Charlie finished fastening his seatbelt, turning to Angelica who was lost in thought, gazing at him.

"Hey..."

"Um..." Angelica snapped out of her reverie. "Okay, let's go!" she said, speaking randomly.

Charlie smiled thinly, quickly fastening his seatbelt while almost embracing her, then sat back properly.

"Ready?"

"Yeah, but don't speed," Angelica said, nodding.

Charlie laughed with a low chuckle. "Then why did I buy a high-speed car if I'm not going to speed?" he asked.

"And why speed when we can reach our destination just fine at a normal pace? Speeding could lead to an accident, and we might never arrive at our destination... or we might even die. Isn't that bad?" Angelica countered, raising her eyebrows.

"Okay, we'll go slow..." Charlie smiled fondly, immediately starting his car's engine and driving towards the opened gate, which was operated by the security guard.

During the journey, Angelica remained silent, observing the evening scenery through the clear glass, and sometimes feeling very small when next to the large car, so She asked Charlie to stay further away because she was scared.

"I don't know why men like fancy cars like this," she said, looking at the numerous buttons in front of her, which appeared luxurious in their bluish-white glow.

"It's cool, that's why many people like it," Charlie replied, focusing on driving.

"Hmm... I don't even know how to turn on the music," mumbled Angelica while looking at the buttons in front of her. "It's very different from my uncle's car."

Charlie chuckled, amused by Angelica's confusion over just trying to play some music. He quickly pressed a button, and music began to play with a song by Coldplay titled "The Scientist," but he promptly changed it by hitting the "next" button, stopping at a song by Imagine Dragons called "Wrecked."

"Your taste in music is almost the same as mine," Angelica said with a thin smile.

"That's good... it means we'll easily find the right songs when we're together without making each other uncomfortable because we have similar tastes," Charlie replied.

"Are we going to be together often?"

"What do you think?"

Angelica was silent, not understanding the meaning of the words often together.

"I'm yours, so it's very natural for us to be together often," said Charlie.

and again Angelica is confused about what is meant by having Charlie. She remembered the sudden affection that had developed between them, the kiss on the lips, then getting so much help and a look that seemed full of love. It made her wonder if Charlie wanted a relationship between them. But isn't that contrary to what he said about not wanting to have a relationship with anyone or even get married?

'This is confusing...'

.