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“Do you have any questions for me?” Edwin asks, tilting his head up to look at the young woman across the table. He has to give her credit; her posture has remained straight and proper through the whole interview. Though the amount of times he’s seen her wince from the random shouts and squeals around them does dock said credit.
“Uh, no, no,” the girl says quickly, smiling a tad bit strained. She tilts her head down and then looks up at Edwin as she twirls a strand of hair around a finger. “Just…how soon can I start?” She chuckles softly, batting her eyelashes. Edwin raises an eyebrow, entirely unimpressed by the display.
He remains quiet, letting the silence in their conversation carry on what he assumes is an uncomfortable amount of time as the woman squirms in her seat. The constant cacophony of children playing far too loud games makes for an excellent background noise. Edwin waits just a moment longer before he shuffles the papers in front of him and places it on the sticky tabletop.
“If that is all,” he says looking the girl in the eyes. “I’ll pass along my decision with your company. Thank you.” The woman blinks but nods, quickly grabbing her coat and purse and awkwardly sliding out of the booth in her short pencil skirt and stiletto heels. Edwin watches as she leaves, stumbling as she dodges an excited child running past her. The look of disgust is clear on her face even when Edwin can only see half of her face.
He hums as he pulls out his notebook in his breast pocket, crossing off the woman’s name from his list. He knew she wasn’t going to pass from the minute she showed up to the interview, but he was willing to give her a chance. And like most of the ones before her, she was not fit for the job.
Looking at the list again, he notes there is one more interviewee left for the day. Sighing, he takes a sip of his water as he looks around the restaurant, debating if he should get up to take a quick walk about before the next interview. Just as he’s preparing to get up another body slides into the bench opposite.
“Hey handsome, hope I didn’t make you wait too long,” a man says, smiling at Edwin with a crookedly charming smile. He is devastatingly handsome. Sun-kissed skin, gorgeous curls on top of his head with the sides shaved short. His eyes are dark and oh-so warm, like they are mini suns sparkling in his face. Edwin is entirely thrown off by this handsome stranger’s presence that it takes a moment before he registers what he said.
“I beg your pardon?” Edwin says, perhaps a bit harsher then necessary. But the gorgeous stranger just laughs, still smiling at Edwin as if he didn’t just snap at him. So perhaps it wasn’t too bad.
“Sorry, sorry, couldn’t help myself, could I?” the man says, shaking his head lightly, making his curls bounce with the motion. Edwin is momentarily entranced with the movement, watching the colored lights bounce off of the curls as they move. “Sorry I’m late, seems like it was just one thing after another on my way here. Hope it wasn’t a long wait?”
Late? Edwin blinks before his brain connects the dots. Oh, this was his next interview. Well then, that’s…well. That makes more sense than a handsome stranger being at the restaurant and taking enough interest in him to sit down and flirt? While that opening line wasn’t very professional, he has heard worse pickup lines in far more professional settings. So, he’ll let it pass as nerves.
“Ah no,” Edwin says, after clearing his throat hoping the blush he thinks he feels is not actually there. “No, you are actually perfectly on time.” If not a little early, though, that’s not a bad thing so Edwin keeps that thought to himself. “I’m Edwin. Good to meet you.” He reaches a hand across the table.
“Charles,” the man says, taking his hand and shaking it once before leaning forward and placing a quick kiss on the back of his hand. As he places the kiss, Charles looks up at Edwin from under his eyelashes. Edwin’s jaw drops slightly, a definite blush spreading across his cheeks. “Pleasures all mine, mate.”
“Yes, well,” Edwin says, trying to remain as professionally casual as he can. Good lord, that should not have been charming Edwin as much as it does. Especially since this is a potential employee, and he has a strict rule against broaching that power dynamic. “Would you like anything to drink, before we start?”
Best to just keep it moving. Perhaps Charles is just a natural flirt? May not be the best fit then, but Edwin has allowed worse candidates the full hour so why not this charming man. Although…he’s fairly certain the name the company game was Charlotte not Charles. Hopefully it was merely a mistake, or Charles goes by both names, and not the company being horrifically transphobic. He had thought he had vetted against that.
“Definitely,” Charles says with a nod, startling Edwin out of his thoughts. “Do you mind if I grab a soda?” Right Edwin had asked if he wanted a drink. Edwin shakes his head, earning a brighter grin from Charles who starts moving out of the bench. “Aces! Want me to order us some food? I’m pretty hungry, but don’t want to be rude and eat in front of you.”
“Oh,” Edwin says, once again thrown off by this man. While Edwin planned to eat after this interview, he supposes it wouldn’t hurt to order food now. And if Charles is hungry, he wouldn’t want to starve him for just an interview. Especially since they are in a pizzeria. “Ah yes, if you don’t mind.”
“Not at all!” Charles responds. He leanings against the table, looking down at Edwin with such a casual stare. “What’s your poison?”
“A large pepperoni should be fine,” Edwin states, pulling his wallet out to hand Charles his card. But Charles waves his hand, pushing away from the table.
“Nah, don’t worry about it mate. I’ve got this covered,” Charles chirps. He knocks his knuckle on the table and sends Edwin a wink as he says, “Be back in a moment.” Edwin stares at his back as he walks away, completely blown off course by Charles’ easy charm. He’s not sure how to feel, conflicted and torn. Though he can admit he’s rather interested in how the rest of this interview is going to go.
~
As Charles waits for his order, he can’t help but lean against the counter to check out his date. When Niko said she wanted to set him, again, he was pretty skeptical. The few blind dates that Niko has actually organized all ended up kind of failures. It took forever for Jenny to speak with Niko again after her failed date. So Charles was a bit weary, justifiably.
So when Charles ended up running late because of a failed interview, necessary outfit change, and traffic, he thought he had blown it. Sure he sent a text about being late, but there was no guarantee Niko saw it in time to pass along to his mysterious date or if his date would be willing to wait. And then Charles entered the pizzeria and was instantly stunned. Not only was his date still there and not looking angry, but he was also gorgeous.
Porcelain skin that not only looked smooth, but he swears he saw sprinklings of freckles along with a few moles that he was already tempted to kiss. And cheeks that turned a very fetching red when he was flustered it seemed. His eyes were like stormy seas, a grey-green that seemed to change colors and that Charles could easily drown in.
Edwin was drop-dead gorgeous, and didn’t seem off-put by Charles’ tardiness despite seeming like a no-nonsense guy. Charles is very much looking forward to learn more about his blind date. Maybe he’ll be able to give Niko some good news this time.
Once he’s given a drink and the appetizers he ordered-- since the pizza was going to take a few minutes to cook-- he makes his way back to the booth. Of course, on his way there he’s nearly run over by an overly eager kid running from his own booth to the arcade machines.
“Woah, slow down yeah? Don’t wanna be running into folks,” Charles says with a laugh, just narrowly avoiding disaster. The kid screeches to a halt, turning to look at Charles with wide eyes. “No damage done, just gotta be careful, yeah?”
“Right, sorry mister,” the kid says softly, looking chastened. Charles just keeps smiling, trying to comfort the kid with his hands full.
“All good kid, now go enjoy some games,” Charles says, winking. The kid smiles brightly up at him, before bounding over to the arcade again. Charles laughs again, shaking his head as he makes his way back to Edwin.
“That was rather kind of you,” Edwin says as Charles slides into the bench. Charles tilts his head curiously, to which Edwin nods toward the path Charles just came from. “With the child that nearly ran into you.”
“Ah, yeah,” Charles says, smiling again. “Little one was so excited about the games he wasn’t pay attention, was he? I get it, I’m rather excited about the games myself.” Charles waggles his eyebrows, earning a small smile from Edwin.
“So, Charles,” Edwin says, straightening his shoulders and placing his hands on the table in front of him, forming a triangle. “Tell me more about yourself.” Charles chuckles at the classic question combined with the adorably professional stance Edwin has. Leaning back into the bench, Charles hums instead, thinking about his answer as he fiddles with the paper from his straw.
“Well, Edwin,” Charles starts, smiling cheekily as he says Edwin’s name. “What exactly would you like to know? I highly doubt you want to know about my favorite movie or ice cream flavor.” Edwin tilts his head to the side, raising a very judgy eyebrow. “Just saying mate, don’t want to bore you with information you don’t actually want to know if you’re looking for specifics.”
“I suppose that is fair, it is a rather vague question all things considered,” Edwin says, humming at the end of his sentence. “Very well then, tell me about your ambitions. The sort of things that motivate you or things you wish to pursue eventually.”
“Wow,” Charles says, eyes wide in surprise. “Really going in for the heavy things right off the bat.” Again Edwin raises an eyebrow at him, though this time it seems less judgy based off of the smile ticking at the edge of Edwin’s lips. “Well, I guess my biggest ambition right now is just to get a job that’s not soul sucking office work. I don’t do well being forced to sit all day at a desk and do paperwork. Hated it in school and I refuse to spend my adulthood doing the same thing.”
“Not one to be still for long?” Edwin teases, making Charles laugh as he shakes his head. “If that’s the case, what would be the dream job for you? I imagine babysitting would keep you on your toes and wouldn’t involve tedious paperwork.” Huh, did Niko tell his date about his coaching and volunteer work?
“Yeah, watching over kids and keeping them entertained while also alive sure puts all my sports training to good use,” Charles says, flexing his arm jokingly. “But as much as I love working with kids, giving them a safe space it’s not my end all be all dream job either.”
“So if it’s not child minding, what is your dream job?” Edwin asks. Logically, Charles knew that was probably the next question but he still internally winced at the thought of sharing. He didn’t want to lie, but he also knew sharing his dream job may bring disaster. He’s heard plenty of people disparage his career choices not to be a little cautious. Especially with how put together Edwin appears.
“Well, it’s a bit silly,” Charles says with a chuckle as he runs a hand through his hair. He hopes he’s coming off nonchalant and not nervous. Edwin simply tilts his head curiously, a soft smile on his face that Charles can’t help but trust. “But I hope to be back on stage eventually.”
“On stage?” Edwin asks, his eyebrows shooting up in surprise. Which is the typical response. But Charles doesn’t hear the judgement he normally does so maybe it’s okay. “Are you an actor then? Or musician?”
“Actor,” Charles clarifies. He looks down at the table where he starts fiddling with the straw in his drink. “Though I’m a pretty decent singer and can play at least two songs on guitar. But I don’t know if that counts as a musician.” He chuckles as he looks back up at Edwin. Instead of the look of condescension, Edwin still looks curious and open with this little sparkle in his eyes.
“While it may not count you as a professional, I think that still counts as a musician,” Edwin says softly, earning another laugh from Charles. He feels himself melting with relief at the lack of judgement. “What kind of acting do you prefer? Do you have a dream role or production you hope to be in?”
“Kind of? I mean I’d take any role at this point I’m not going to lie,” Charles half-jokes. “There’s roles every actor dreams of, or people to work with, but at this point just being able to be back on stage is my dream.”
“I can imagine that is not an easy career to pursue,” Edwin says matter of factly. “I assume there are many months of ‘down time’ so to speak between productions. And not a lot of security at times either.”
“Yeah, yeah not much security even when you’re a big name,” Charles admits with a smile. “But I try not to let myself dwell on that. Using those months in between to work on getting better and learning new skills. Plus working part time wherever I can find it.”
“Ah, that makes sense,” Edwin nods his head, tapping a finger on top of the notebook in front of him. Charles’ smile widens, watching as Edwin seemingly resists taking notes. It’s bloody adorable. “And what’s your preferred schedule then? When you aren’t on stage?”
“Oh? Don’t really have a preferred schedule if I’m honest,” Charles says with a shrug. “As long as I get to sleep and eat at some point, I’m pretty flexible.” Charles tilts his head as he looks up in thought. “Well depending on if it’s sports season or not, then I need a little more structure since I help coach.”
“What kind of team do you help with?” Edwin asks, his hands folding on top of the notebook.
“Depends on the season, but mostly cricket,” Charles says, grabbing one of the breadsticks he had ordered earlier. “Youth teams, you know? Helping kids learn the game and have fun. I’ve helped with rugby, football, even some ballet. I just help where I can, usually through a youth center.” It’s usually the highlight of his year, helping kids learn and play the sports they want to try with no pressure.
“Ballet? I admit I was not expecting that,” Edwin confesses, though he’s still smiling softly like he’s impressed with Charles. Once again, there’s no judgement in Edwin’s tone-- simply curiosity-- which makes the warmth spread through Charles’ chest. For a guy who seems like he has no qualms on judging folks, he’s been super accepting.
“You can blame my sister for that one mate,” Charles laughs. “She was big into ballet when she was young so I helped her out as best as I could. Even sat in on some classes to help. Still do sometimes.”
“Ah, that makes sense,” Edwin nods slowly. “And is also rather sweet of you. I’m sure she appreciates you caring so much.” Charles can feel this face heat up at the praise. “Is she your only sibling then?”
“Yep! Just the two of us.” He can’t help but smile at the thought of his baby sister. “She’s about eleven years younger than me, and you’d think that means we’d clash. But nah we’re as thick as thieves. Even now, we’ve got standing lunch dates at least every other week.”
“Sounds like you have a very close bond, despite the many years between you,” Edwin states all stiffly, like he’s not sure the right words he’s supposed to say. Charles finds it endearingly charming, that he’s trying so hard.
“Yeah, she’s my favorite person,” Charles admits with a chuckle. “Though she is going through her trouble teenage years right now which means there’s a new world ending drama every week.” Edwin chuckles, pride shooting through Charles at making Edwin break his semi-neutral mask. “What about you then? Got any siblings?”
“No, no,” Edwin says quickly, shaking his head. “Just me.”
“Ah an only child, I remember that life,” Charles jokes, earning another low chuckle from Edwin. “Having the bathroom to yourself, not being forced to watch Barbie twenty times in a row, never being told ‘you’re embarrassing me Charles’.”
“Yes, I don’t think I was ever subjected to any of those as a child,” Edwin says, his smile a bit bigger and showing off a hint of teeth. Before Charles can celebrate this new breakthrough, Edwin clears his throat and presses his hands together on top of the table. “Now then—”
“Just a tick mate,” Charles quickly says, holding up a hand. Charles keeps his smile soft, trying to show there was nothing wrong despite cutting Edwin off. “So far you’re the only one asking questions, figured I could too?”
“Oh,” Edwin blinks, staring at Charles in surprise for a moment before he nods. “Of course, apologies. Please feel free to ask any questions you wish.”
“Now that’s dangerous permission,” Charles teases, smirking. Edwin raises a very judgy eyebrow, which doesn’t bother Charles. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep it appropriate.” Charles throws in a wink. Edwin dips his head slightly, his lips are pressed together like he’s trying not to smile. Which is practically a smile in Charles’ book.
“Very well, what questions do you have?” Edwin prompts, his hand motioning in the air for Charles to speak. Charles narrows his eyes, thinking over the thousands of questions he has in his head for his date.
“If you were a muffin, what kind would you be?” Charles asks, focusing back on Edwin. He watches in delight as Edwin’s mouth opens and closes a few times, obviously thrown off by Charles’ question.
“I…what?”
“If you were a muffin, what kind would you be?” Charles repeats, a little slower this time. “Seems pretty straight forward to me mate.” He crosses his arms as he leans back into the seat, eyeing Edwin curiously. It takes another moment before Edwin is able to compose himself.
“Out of all the questions you could ask, that’s what you want to ask?” Edwin says, sounding so utterly defeated but also amused.
“I mean I have other questions,” Charles says with a shrug. He lifts his hand, counting out the questions on his fingers as he says them. “What you do for work, your favorite kind of music, what’s the one item you’d bring with you on a deserted island. Loads of questions. But this one’s far more important.”
“Well then,” Edwin huffs, though there’s that little tick of a smile at the edge of his lip. “I’ll do my best to answer it properly.” Charles mentally cheers, leaning forward and giving Edwin his undivided attention-- as if he didn’t have it already. “I suppose, if I was a muffin I would be a bit more classical. Like an Apple Cinnamon or perhaps a Raspberry Lemon.”
“Oh interesting flavors, why those ones though?”
“To some I’m sure I’m rather boring, more a bran muffin, but I believe I’m simply an old soul who enjoys some simpler things,” Edwin says, tilting his head slightly. Charles snorts softly. Edwin raises an eyebrow, prompting Charles to shake his head.
“No, no, didn’t mean anything by that, did I?” Charles quickly says, putting his hands up. “You just don’t strike me as the simple kind. I feel like you’ve got more to you than you let on.” Charles looks over Edwin, taking in the pressed dress shirt with collar pins in the shape of magnifying glasses and the loose blue bow around his neck. Definitely layered. “And anyone who calls you boring isn’t looking properly?”
“Is that so,” Edwin says, looking Charles straight on. He swears that almost sounds like a challenge. But before Charles can fully process that, there’s a loud buzzing from Edwin’s side. Edwin blinks, looking over to what Charles assumes is his phone. “Ah, apologies, do you mind if I check that?”
“Go ahead, no problem on my end,” Charles says. Edwin nods with a thank you, picking up his phone. While he does that Charles decides to check his own phone, and maybe send Niko a quick update. As he opens his messages, he sees two new messages from Niko.
Niko<3: I’m so sorry Charles but your date said they couldn’t make it. Something about a last-minute concert they wanted to go to. I was going to text you but got sucked into work.
Niko<3: I promise to make it up to you! There’s plenty of fish in the sea! Far better than the flaky glitter gay from today! (That was Crystal’s name for him)
Charles re-reads that first message again. What does Niko mean his date couldn’t make it? Edwin is literally across from him. Nothing he’s reading makes sense, so he texts Niko back asking about his “date”.
Dread and embarrassment rush through Charles’ chest, as he re-reads everything again. He slowly looks up at Edwin, hoping maybe he could play everything off smoothly. Except Edwin looks up at him at the same time, a similar look of confusion on his face. The two assess each other, neither wanting to break the tense atmosphere. But Charles takes in a shaky breath, offering his best smile.
“I’m going to guess you’re not my date,” Charles says with a nervous chuckle. Edwin blinks at Charles, mouth dropping in surprise.
“No, no I’m not,” Edwin says with a slight shake of his head. Charles mentally curses, biting his lip. “I’m taking it you are not my interviewee.”
“Nah, not me,” Charles responds, offering a hopefully not too awkward smile. Edwin nods slowly, still looking at Charles. Leave it to Charles to muck up a date that’s not actually a date. “I’m so sorry mate, I just kind of assumed. I should have checked before I just… jumped in huh?”
“Ah, no it’s alright,” Edwin says quickly, putting his phone to the side. “I also could have verified and not assumed. You have no need to apologize.” Edwin offers Charles a soft smile, his face melting into it and melting Charles’ heart a little. “I am sorry I kept you from your date.”
“Oh, no it’s all good,” Charles said, holding his hands up. He smiles back at Edwin, the tightness in his chest loosening a little. “They cancelled anyway, so I’m not missing much. Though, sorry for crashing your interview.”
“It’s alright, they also cancelled,” Edwin says, waving his hand in delicate circles. “Seems they have found another job.”
“Their loss then huh?” Charles says teasingly. He leans forward, keeping eye contact with Edwin. “Who wouldn’t want to see you every day?”
“And here I was thinking your forwardness was simply due to your assumption this was a date,” Edwin says, eyeing Charles curiously. Before Charles can respond, Edwin tilts his head, smiling at Charles. “Though I can say the same about your date. I can’t fathom who would cancel on you.”
Well that was…not expected. Charles stares at Edwin, feeling a bit blown over by Edwin’s flirting. He’d been so neutral and polite so far, Charles was not prepared for this new Edwin. Though he supposes that makes sense if Edwin thought Charles was there for an interview.
“Guess we both got lucky, then, finding each other instead,” Charles offers. He knows he should probably get up and leave, let Edwin get to whatever else he had planned for the night. But he was enjoying his time with Edwin.
“Yes, seems we did,” Edwin agrees. The two smile at each other for a moment, before a staff member sets down the pizza Charles had ordered. The smell and sight of the pizza hits Charles, making his empty stomach rumble. At Edwin’s chuckle, Charles looks back to his not-date partner and smiles sheepishly.
“Sorry bout that,” Charles says. Edwin waves him off, before motioning toward the pizza.
“No apology necessary,” Edwin says. “You had mentioned being hungry earlier, so please eat.” Charles smiles, reaching out to grab a slice and quickly devours it. Once he finishes the first slice, he realizes that Edwin is just watching him, no pizza anywhere near him.
“You know you can have a slice too right?” Charles says, reaching for another slice. “I bought it for both of us.” He pauses, wondering if maybe Edwin didn’t want to stick around since his interview was a no-show. “But if you have other plans you have to get to, I understand.”
“Hm? Oh no, no I have nothing I need to get to,” Edwin says quickly. He looks away for a moment before looking back at Charles with an adorably sweet smile. “I had planned to be here for quite a while. If you wouldn’t mind the company we could keep talking?”
“Wouldn’t mind the…mate did you miss the part where I flirted with you?” And here Charles was worried he maybe laid it on too thick. But if Edwin’s questioning if Charles would want to be in his company or not, then Charles wasn’t doing it right.
“I noticed,” Edwin responds immediately, a light blush on his cheeks that Charles finds adorable. “I had just assumed that perhaps you were a natural flirt. Or that it was only due to you thinking I was your date.”
“Well, you know what they say about assuming mate,” Charles teases, waggling his eyebrows. This earns him a chuckle and eyeroll from Edwin. “And just so we’re clear, I was flirting cause I thought you were cute. Still do.” Charles resists winking at Edwin, wanting to prove he’s being sincere with his compliments. So, he just smiles as sweetly as he can.
“Oh, uh, thank you,” Edwin says, eyes a little wide while his blush darkens. “I think you’re rather cute too.” Charles’ smile widens, nearly splitting his face. Before Charles can respond, either to tease Edwin or give him a break, Edwin continues. “So, I suppose we’d both enjoy each other’s company.”
“Yeah, think we would,” Charles chuckles softly. He motions to the pizza, looking at Edwin. “Take a piece and let's continue our not-date date.” Edwin snorts but reaches out for his own slice of pizza. He stares into Charles’ eyes as he takes a pointed bite.
“Better?” Edwin asks, licking his lips clear of pizza sauce. Charles feels his own face heat up as he tracks Edwin’s tongue. It’s only when Edwin’s lip ticks up in a smile that Charles clears his throat and looks down at the pizza, taking his own bite to try and cover up his staring. Based off the low chuckles from Edwin, he may not have been as slick as he was hoping. ‘Time to change conversation.’
“So, you said you were interviewing folks,” Charles says as he swallows his bite. Edwin hums as he continues to eat. “So what were you interviewing for? In an arcade pizzeria no less? You don’t seem like the pizzeria manager type.”
“No, no,” Edwin says with a shake of his head. “The choice of location was a…strategic choice if you will.” Edwin laughs, obviously pleased with himself. Charles raises a skeptical eyebrow. “Consider it a secondary challenge.”
“Oh? Well now I’m even more curious,” Charles says. What kind of job has a boss like Edwin who requires a “secondary challenge” to test interviewees on. And what kind of job was it that made Edwin think Charles was in any way qualified to interview for. “What exactly are you hiring for?”
“A babysitter,” Edwin says. “Or, well, I believe child-minder is the preferred phrase according to the agency I’m in contact with.” Charles feels his brain shut-down as his heart drops. Babysitter…Edwin was hiring a babysitter. Which would imply that Edwin had a kid.
Could be a younger sibling? With a large age-gap like him and Clem. But didn’t Edwin mention being an only child? So that can’t be it.
Or maybe Edwin’s interview sitters for a friend? But that doesn’t make sense either cause shouldn’t the parents be interviewing their potential sitters?
Then…was Edwin married? Not that you had to be married to have kids but Edwin didn’t seem like the one-night stand kind of bloke. Then again he didn’t seem the kind to have a kid to begin with. So maybe not married but most likely has a partner of some kind? Then again Edwin was pretty open to the flirting, even called Charles cute. And he doesn’t seem like a cheater.
But then again…maybe Charles was just blinded by the fact he thought Edwin was hot. He didn’t actually know the guy. And it wouldn’t be the first time Charles’ heart blinded to the bad sort.
“A sitter huh?” Charles hears himself ask, a little scratchy but hopefully not noticeable to Edwin. “For your…kid, I assume?”
“Kids, but yes,” Edwin immediately answers with a quick nod. He’s not shrinking in or bowing his head in shame, like he shared something he shouldn’t have. So he’s not hiding his kids at least. “Twins, to be precise.”
“Sounds like a handful,” Charles jokes. “I could barely deal with one sister. Though I’m sure your partner helps, yeah?” He laughs a little, keeping his smile up despite the disappointment running through him. “Hopefully they aren’t too upset with my flirting earlier. Though I’m sure that happens a lot what with you being…yeah.” Charles internally winces because could he be any more obvious.
“Oh, oh no, I don’t…there’s not,” Edwin starts, looking more flustered than Charles has seen him. He clears his throat and straightens his shoulder before saying, “I don’t have a partner. It’s just me and my children. Hence the need for a sitter.”
“That so?” Charles says slowly, trying and willing to keep the hope down.
“Yes,” Edwin says with a nod. Hope burns in Charles’ chest, as he bites at his lip to keep his smile normal. He needs to be double, triple sure that Edwin’s saying what he thinks Edwin is saying.
“So, the flirting was okay? I wasn’t crossing any lines or stepping on any toes?” Charles asks. “Cause I’ll stop if you’ve got someone else but if you’re single and don’t mind…” Edwin smiles, already shaking his head. But before he can say anything a young voice speaks up from behind Charles.
“He’s very single.”
“Yeah, papa hasn’t been on a date in like ever.” Charles turns around, coming face to face with two small, identical faces staring at him from over the back of the seat.
“And don’t worry about the flirting,” one of the kids says. “He liked it.” The other kid nods knowingly as their father seemingly chokes on something.
“You can tell because he got all red,” the second kid says. “He only does that when he’s either angry and holding back a lecture, or when he’s fl-flustered.”
“And he wasn’t angry cause his eyebrows didn’t go down.” The kids then do an adorable re-enactment of what Charles assumes is Edwin’s angry face, their brows exaggeratedly furrowed. Charles snorts, endeared and still a bit unsure how to react. He hears a sigh from Edwin’s direction.
“Yes, thank you for sharing,” Edwin says, sounding very much like a tired parent. The two kids smile brightly, giggling together. “Charles, these are my children. Who I promise I have taught manners too. Like introducing themselves properly.” Charles chuckles along with the children. There’s shuffling noise as the two children move from their booth to stand next to Edwin and Charles’ table.
“Hello, I’m Michaela Nikolai Payne.”
“And I’m Asher Christopher Payne.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” the two say together. They both tilt their heads down in a solemn nod that is so utterly adorable and impressive.
“I’m Charles Paul Rowland. Nice to meet you two too,” Charles says. The two lift their heads smiling brightly at him. Damn, if Charles didn’t believe before, those smiles just prove these are Edwin’s kids. Their smiles are wider and less controlled than Edwin’s, but the same tilt and dimples are there. Plus the way their matching stormy green eyes shine like their father’s. Charles was already a sucker for Edwin’s smile but seeing the matching mini versions-- the less restrained versions-- on his kids really sealed it.
“Well now that introductions have been made,” Edwin says slowly, earning the attention of Charles and the kids. “Would the two of you like to join us?”
“Oh yeah, we need some help finishing this pizza,” Charles chimes in, smiling at the kids. “Want to grab a slice or two? If that’s okay with your dad of course.” Charles looks over to Edwin with a sheepish grin, beating himself up internally for not asking first.
“I’m fine with it if you are,” Edwin says sincerely. “You bought the pizza, before you knew about my kids no less. I wouldn’t want to assume for you to share it. I can buy them their own instead.” Charles was already shaking his head before Edwin got half his words out.
“Nah, I bought the pizza to share,” Charles says. “And no way I’d deny kids pizza! Not like I need it all myself.” The smile Edwin gives him is so soft and sweet that Charles’ heart skips a beat just seeing it.
“Thank you,” Edwin says softly. Then he turns to look at his kids, who Charles had almost forgot were there. And boy does he feel guilty about that. But neither kid seems offended, the two of them watching Edwin and Charles curiously. “What do you two say?”
“Thank you Charles!” the twins say together again. Edwin nods as he moves out of the booth to let his kids scoot in. Once both are situated, Edwin slides in next to them, sitting at the edge of the bench. Charles has to bite his tongue to keep himself from offering his side of the table for Edwin to sit at.
“No problem little mates,” Charles responds, smiling at them. He nods to the pizza. “Well grab a piece!” And neither kid needs any more prompting as they both quickly grab a piece and start munching. “Hungry huh? Must have worked up an appetite playing all those games.”
“I’m afraid this is just their normal appetite whenever we come here,” Edwin sighs fondly. He reaches over and runs a hand through each of his kids’ hair, gently ruffling their curls with practiced ease. Seeing the three side-by-side, Charles is fascinated by the similarities and differences between father and kids.
For one the twins look near identical. Light bronze skin, similar to Charles’ own tone, with curly dark brown hair that looks nearly black. Comparing that to their porcelain skinned father whose hair is perfectly styled and a bit lighter, it’s a strange sight. Though the twins definitely have their father’s eyes, and smile. And he’s no doubt they probably have a lot of his mannerisms too.
“No judgement here, I’ve got the same appetite,” Charles jokes, laughing lightly. “At least they have the excuse of being growing kids! I think I’m done with my growth spurt.” Edwin snorts, biting his lip but a smile is easily seen underneath.
“Charles,” Michaela begins, catching his attention. “Do you like games?”
“Yeah, I like games,” Charles answers. “Pretty big fan of all sorts of games. Board games, video games, arcade games, sport games. Practically an expert in all of them.” He watches as she narrows her eyes at him, like she’s assessing him and his answer.
“What’s your favorite board game?” Asher asks, tilting his head curiously. Charles hums, leaning back as he thinks over the question.
“You know I’m pretty partial to Clue,” Charles answers, memories flashing through his head. “I used to play it all the time with my sister when we were younger. Thought myself a real Sherlock Holmes back then.” Asher and Michaela exchange a look, which Charles is pretty sure means they’re communicating with each other though no words are exchanged. Hopefully that wasn’t a taboo game in their household. “What about you two? Do you like games?”
“Yes,” the twins say together, and then they begin eating again. Charles chuckles while Edwin sighs, more fond than exasperation.
“Do you like any of the arcade games here?” Charles asks instead, tilting his head toward the rows of arcade games. This causes the twins to perk up again, the two of them nodding.
“We’re saving up tickets to get a lava lamp at the prize counter,” Asher explains excitedly. “We’re almost there too! Just need to win a few more games.” Michaela nods along with her brother, finishing her pizza as he talks.
“Papa’s going to play with us after dinner,” she explains. “Do you want to join us? We can help you with the difficult games. We have stra-ategies for most games. And the ones we don’t know, Papa’s very good at.”
“He’s very smart,” Asher adds, nodding his head. Charles looks over at Edwin, who is sporting a very fetching blush from the compliments.
“Well, if you don’t mind me tagging along I’d love to see these strategies,” Charles says, catching Edwin’s eyes and shooting him a wink. Edwin rolls his eyes, but the smile on his face contradicts his upset. Charles chuckles, pleased with himself.
“Charles,” Asher says slowly. Charles breaks eye contact with Edwin and turns back to the kids. Both of them are watching him, serious faces in place. Once again Charles can see Edwin in the two of them, it’s the same look he saw on Edwin’s face while he was interviewing Charles.
“Yeah mate?” Charles says, smiling despite the sudden nerves he’s feeling. He really wants to make a good impression on Michaela and Asher, and so far they’ve witnessed him flirting with their father and staring at him with doe-eyes. Which probably isn’t the best impression.
“What kind of muffin are you?” Asher asks, face still serious. Charles blinks, not sure he heard correctly. But judging by Edwin’s reaction, which consists of sighing and rubbing the bridge of his nose, he thinks he heard right.
“Muffin, huh? Where’d you hear that from?” Charles asks, oh-so curious.
“You,” Michaela says this time, nodding her head slowly. “You asked Papa but never answered yourself. So what muffin would you be?” Well then…
“I think I’d be a chocolate chip muffin,” Charles answers, with a shrug. He pauses, waiting to see if the twins were interested. They both have furrowed eyebrows, like they’re trying to figure out why Charles picked that muffin. Even Edwin looked curious.
“Why?” Asher asks, after trying to puzzle out Charles’ answer.
“It’s reliable, a classic. Always brings a smile to people’s face when they get one,” Charles lists off. “And…” he stops again, this time looking around sneakily before leaning forward. Michaela and Asher lean forward too, eyes wide and bright. “I really like chocolate chip muffins.”
The two kids begin giggling, making Charles smile with pride. Success. From the corner of his eyes he also catches a smile on Edwin’s face before he covers it with his hand. Double success.
“What about you two?” Charles asks, nodding toward the twins. “What muffins would you be then?” The two quickly fall into a thinking mode, their faces neutral but open as they think over his question.
“I’d be an apple-cinnamon muffin,” Asher answers first. “Cause they’re sweet and spice-y and Nana says my cheeks look like apples!” Charles chuckles, but nods along at the logic Asher shares. He then looks to Michaela, who’s still thinking. She looks like she wants to say something but then stops herself.
“Hey, no wrong answers okay?” Charles says softly, catching her eye. She looks up at him, biting her lip but still looking hesitant. “It’s all whatever you feel. You don’t even need a reason. Just whatever feels right.”
Michaela looks first to her brother, who’s nodding his head enthusiastically, and then to her father who's smiling at her in what Charles can only call sweetly encouraging. It makes his heart skip a beat at the sight of such a soft look. He’s ashamed to admit it also causes a pain in his chest, as it always does seeing a father care about his kids.
“I think…I think I’d be a pumpkin muffin?” she questions more than states. “Cause I like the fall and pumpkins are harvested in the fall.” Edwin reaches over and runs his hand through her hair again, smiling.
“Top-whole choices, both of you,” Edwin states, leaning over to ruffle Asher’s hair in praise as well. The two giggle again, smiling up at their father with pride.
“Agreed, good muffining,” Charles says, winking at the twins when they look over at him with smiles. “Though now I’m curious just how much you two heard.” Charles raises an eyebrow, looking from Michaela to Asher. He’s hoping they didn’t hear too much of his flirting, bit embarrassing that.
“All of it,” the twins say as easy as can be. Right, of course.
“Papa wanted our opinion on all of the babysitters,” Asher explains. “So when he was talking with them, we’d listen.”
“Then we’d tell him if we liked them or not, so he doesn’t hire a bad babysitter,” Michaela adds with a nod. He has to admit, that’s pretty sweet and kind of smart. Charles sneaks a look at Edwin, who seems normal but is sporting yet another blush.
“So,” Charles says slowly, looking back at the kids. “How was I doing?” The two turn toward each other, once again having a silent conversation. He wonders if they have actual telepathy, thinking over all the stories he’s read and heard about twins.
“Papa didn’t get to ask all of his questions, buuuuuut,” Asher says, stretching out the “but” for an impressively long time. “We’d give you at least an eight.”
“We had to dock you for flirting with Papa,” Michaela explains solemnly. “Every babysitter gets docked for that though so it wasn’t all that much.” Huh, Charles shouldn’t be surprised considering how attractive Edwin is, but at the same time if he had actually been here for an interview he wouldn’t have dreamed of flirting. At least not until after he knew he didn’t get the job.
“We also gave you points because you made Papa smile,” Ashe continues, just as solemnly as his sister. “And because he liked your flirting. He didn’t like any of the others’ flirting.” Well…that’s...ego boosting.
“We also had to leave room, depending on your gaming skills,” Michaela says. “Those are very important.” Charles nods slowly, a matching solemn expression on his face.
“Then I suppose I just need to prove myself?” Charles offers, a toothy smile making its way on his face. “Shall we go play some games?” While he’s sure an eight for these two is quite the compliment, if showing off his gaming skills boosted him up to a nine? Well why not aim for the stars right.
~
Edwin was entirely out of his depth. Normally this would not be a good thing, but Edwin had to admit he was having a wonderful time. After the initial surprise that Charles was not, in fact, his next interview he was then surprised that Charles actually seemed to enjoy his company. Not only that but he continued to flirt with Edwin which…well…definitely made Edwin feel warm.
But to top it all off, Charles barely batted an eyelash at Michaela and Asher. Instead of leaving or making snide comments as Edwin feared, Charles whole-heartedly accepted the twins. He even engaged with them in a way that people rarely did. It warmed Edwin’s heart far more than the flirting had.
And now, Charles was showing off his skills at the various arcade games. True to form, both of his children were utterly fascinated by the games and were standing beside Charles with wide, awe-filled eyes. The temptation to sneak a picture of the sight in front of him is strong, but he resists. There’s no guarantee he’ll ever see Charles again, so it would be rather silly to hold on to a picture of him with Edwin’s children. Right?
Cheers shake Edwin from his ruminating. Looking up, he sees his children staring down at the trail of tickets pouring out of the machine that Charles was playing. Michaela was trying to count them as they came out, while Asher was bouncing on his feet.
“They’re proper excited aren’t they?” Charles chuckles as he sidles up to Edwin’s side.
“Well, not only did you show remarkable skills in the game but you won quite a load of tickets,” Edwin says, hoping he sounds natural instead of the shaky he feels.
“Think my skills are remarkable huh?” Charles teases, smiling brightly at Edwin. Edwin can feel his face heating up already. He curses his genetics for how easily his face flushes. Clearing his throat, he tugs at his shirt to try and straighten it, in hopes to calm himself.
“Of course, you were rather impressive,” Edwin says, tilting his head. “Or did the excited cheers of my children not clue you in?” Charles laughs again, his whole body moving with the sound. Edwin feels pride at having coaxed out such a sound, feeling like a love-sick maiden wanting to wax poetry about said laugh.
“Nah, they were pretty noticeable. But no offense mate, you seem a lot harder to impress,” Charles says, throwing him a crooked and toothy smile. “So hearing you think I’m impressive is pretty ego-boosting.” Edwin clears his throat, pressing his lips together. Really, he needs to get a grip. Being affected by a man he’s barely known a few hours.
“Papa! Charles won a hundred tickets!” Michaela shouts, running up to them with Asher trailing behind carrying the tickets. “That means we just need fifty more to get the lava lamp!”
“Michaela, those are not your tickets,” Edwin says sternly. He kneels down, keeping eye contact as he adds, “And we shouldn’t assume that Charles wishes to share. Perhaps he wants to get his own prize?”
“Right…sorry Papa,” Michaela says softly, bowing her head in disappointment. Edwin smiles softly, reaching out to lift her chin.
“It’s alright, but perhaps you should ask Charles what he wishes to do with his tickets before assuming, hm?” Edwin offers. She nods slowly, her hands fidgeting together in front of her much like he used to fidget. “Good girl.” He leans forward and places a kiss on her forehead, earning a giggle.
“Uh, Mr. Charles,” Asher says from behind Michaela. Much like usual, when one twin falls the other is there to catch them. “What are you going to do with your tickets?” Charles chuckles, kneeling down next to Edwin to look Asher face-to-face.
“Well, I’m a pretty big fan of lava lamps myself,” Charles says, winking at Asher and then Michaela. “So I was hoping I could add it to your total to help you get one. If that’s okay with you both?”
“Really?” Michaela asks, eyes shining with excitement. Charles nods, earning more cheers from the twins. “Thank you Charles!” With that she turns to Asher and the two begin talking quickly, before running toward one of their favorite games.
“You didn’t have to do that,” Edwin says, looking over to Charles as the two of them stand up to follow the kids. “But thank you. That's rather kind of you.” Charles shrugs, putting his hands in his pocket as he smiles at Edwin.
“Eh, I don’t need the tickets and your kids look super excited,” Charles says, nodding toward where the twins are playing a game now. “So why not help them get their dream prize?” Good lord this man was too sweet.
“Yes, they’ve been aiming for that lava lamp for months,” Edwin says with a fond sigh. “It’s part of the reason I decided to host interviews here. Give them a few more chances to get the tickets they want.”
“And the other reasons?” Charles asks, tilting his head curiously at Edwin. “You mentioned something about a challenge or something, yeah?”
“Indeed,” Edwin nods, smiling a little to himself. He admits he is quite proud of himself for his little test. Despite what other parties (Crystal) may say. “I figured if someone is going to be helping take care of my children, I wanted to see how they interacted with children.”
“So you make them interview in the middle of child paradise and you track their reactions,” Charles deduces, his eyes sparking in delight. “That’s absolutely brilliant! Don’t want to be hiring folks who cringe at the sight of a kid.”
“Exactly,” Edwin says, maybe a little too excited. “Credentials are all well and good, but I do believe actions speak louder than words. And I don’t wish to leave my children alone with someone who would rather speak on the phone than help them.”
“Speaking from experience?”
“Thankfully no,” Edwin shakes his head. “This is actually my first attempt at finding a minder for them.” The only reason he’s even looking now is that the Sprites are old enough that they need some independence from him, and it’s been eight years of being a stay at home father. As much as he hates to admit it, it’s probably time for all of them to grow a little more alone.
“Yeah? Why now?” Charles asks, seeming sincere in his question. Edwin hesitates, not sure if he’d be able to fully explain his decision or if Charles would understand. But Charles has proven to be quite understanding and rather smart. So perhaps…
“Papa! Papa! We did it!” Asher shouts, waving around the tickets in his hands as him and Michaela run toward the two adults. He stumbles, running straight into Edwin’s legs. “We got all the tickets!”
“Asher got the last ten!” Michaela says, smiling proudly at her brother. She crashes into Edwin’s legs as well, joining her brother in his impromptu hug.
“Well done you two,” Edwin says, running his fingers through their hair gently. “I’m very proud of you for sticking it out.” His kids tilt their heads up simultaneously, wide grins on their faces. His heart nearly gives out from the adorableness. “Would you like to collect your prize now? Or do you wish to continue playing?”
The twins pull back slightly, exchanging a look with each other. Edwin closes his eyes for a moment, prepping for the inevitable attack. He’s not sure what his children are planning but he recognizes their plotting faces.
“Could we get ice cream? After we get the lava lamp?” Asher asks, turning to look back at Edwin. Two pairs of puppy-dog eyes stare up at him, wide and pleading. Despite knowing it’s nothing but a ploy, Edwin’s heart can’t help but skip.
“I suppose, we could take a quick walk to the ice cream parlor before going home,” Edwin says slowly. He’s barely got two words out before the twin’s pouts morph into excitement as they bounce on their feet. He hears chuckling from Charles. Apparently his kids do too as they snap their heads toward Charles in perfect synchronization.
“You’re coming too right Charles?” Michaela asks, turning her puppy-eyes on him now. Edwin watches as Charles jumps, blinking quickly in surprise at the question.
“Oh, I don’t uh…” Charles hesitates, biting his lips as he looks at Michaela and Asher. His eyes flick over to Edwin for a moment, like he’s checking something. Edwin just raises an eyebrow, a smile playing on the edges of his lips.
“Do you not like ice cream?” Asher asks, entirely and endearingly sincere. Edwin has to bite his own lips to stop from chuckling at the sweetness. “They serve more than that, if you want!”
“Nah, I like ice cream just fine,” Charles answers, his hand moving up as if to pat Asher on the head. Charles stops himself before he does, quickly crossing his arms and smiling sheepishly. “Just sounds like more of a family outing, and I don’t wanna intrude do I?”
“You’re not intruding if we invite you silly!” Michaela says, giggling along with Asher. Charles chuckles along, a soft smile on his face.
“Well, as long as I’m not intruding,” Charles says slowly, looking back over at Edwin with a questioning look. Edwin nods, smiling back his agreement. He’s not sure what his kids are plotting but he does not mind spending more time with Charles. Nodding slightly, a more sure smile on his face, Charles looks back to the twins. “Then I’d love to grab ice cream with you guys.”
The twins cheer, bouncing on the balls of their feet excitedly. They begin to rapid fire questions at Charles about his ice cream preferences. They’re talking so fast that Charles is completely unable to get a word in. They’re also beginning to escalate in volume.
“If,” Edwin calls out, cutting through the twins' rapid questions. “We wish to procure ice cream, we should start getting ready to go. Meaning we need to stop at the prize counter for your lamp.” That gets them excited all over again but for the prize counter.
“Can we go get it now? Then we can leave?” Asher asks, clutching at his pockets where Edwin knew tickets were being stored. Michaela copies him, patting at her own pockets excitedly.
“Yes, yes, we can get your lava lamp and then head out for ice cream,” Edwin laughs softly. There’s another cheer as the two of them turn around and begin looking for the prize counter. “Honestly, I don’t know what you’re more excited for.”
“Both!” the twins say together before marching forward toward the now spotted prize counter. There’s a bark of a laugh from next to him as Charles sidles up closer.
“They certainly aren’t afraid to say what they want, are they?” he asks. There’s no judgement in his voice that Edwin can hear, just amusement.
“No, they are not,” Edwin responds before following after his children. Charles skips after him. “Though, please do not let them make you feel like you have to join us. If you wish to leave, you can.”
“I’m totally up for ice cream!” Charles says, tone as bouncy as his walk. “I just didn’t want to assume I was allowed.” Edwin looks over, raising an eyebrow at Charles’ wording. The other man just smiles and shrugs. “Maybe you were sick of me?”
“I find it hard to believe anyone could ever get ‘sick of you’ let alone only after a few hours together,” Edwin states, finding the notion utterly ridiculous. Charles has been nothing but wonderful, and he’s already wondering if it’s possible to meet up with him again.
“Well cheers mate,” Charles says, a small smile on his face. Charles bumps shoulders with him as he adds, “You’re pretty brills to spend time with too.” Edwin smiles back, suddenly feeling a weird combination of shyness and pride at the compliment. Thankfully he was saved from having to respond as his children run up to them with a lava lamp box in hand.
“Lava lamp acquired I see,” Edwin says with a smile. Asher holds the box up higher, showing off the multi-colored sides of the box. “Excellent. Shall we go to the ice cream parlor now?” The twins cheer once more, and with that the small group heads out.
It’s a rather quick walk to the ice cream parlor, one dominated by Asher and Michaela picking Charles’ brain with random questions about his favorite things. It wasn’t until they were all sitting down with their ice cream, Edwin had insisted on paying for Charles, that Edwin and Charles had a chance to talk again.
“Thank you,” Edwin says, once the two adults were seated side by side at one of the small tables in the parlor. Charles cocks his head curiously as he licks his ice cream. Mint-chocolate chip, his current favorite apparently. “For indulging my children and their slew of questions. I fear they take after me there.”
“You’re all curious critters huh?” Charles asks.
“Quite,” Edwin confesses. “And while I try to encourage curiosity and questions within the Sprites, I am also aware not everyone enjoys being questioned so voraciously.” Edwin was a lot like his children at their age. Always had a question in mind. But unlike his parents, who ignored or silenced him, he wanted to nurture his children's curiosity instead.
“Got a couple of future detectives huh?” Charles teases, while Edwin laughs. “Is that what you do then? Detective work?”
“Oh no, nothing quite so exciting," Edwin says with a shake of his head. “While I adore my fair share of mystery books and games, I’m no detective.” He takes a bite of his ice cream as he looks over to where Michaela and Asher are sitting, the lava lamp box in between them. “Though I admit their curiosity can be a bit of a trouble when it comes to gifts.”
“Always peeking at the Christmas gifts are they?” Charles asks, laughter in his voice. Edwin sighs, nodding his head in faux disappointment. It’s true that keeping the Sprites from finding their gifts can be tricky, it’s become something of a game between the three of them. And Edwin wouldn’t have it any other way. “Gotta admit, I did the same when I was young. Too curious for my own good is what my old man said.”
“I admit to peeking myself when I was young,” Edwin adds, laughing with Charles. “And I think your father was quite wrong.” Charles freezes, staring at Edwin with his wide eyes and his ice cream halfway to mouth. “Your curiosity is quite perfect in my opinion.”
“Heh, cheer mate,” Charles says, lifting his ice cream cone in a faux cheer before taking a bite. “Though, speaking of curiosity. I am curious about something.”
“Oh dear, should I be worried?” Edwin teases, smiling softly at Charles. Charles shakes his head quickly. “Well then, what curiosity have you been holding on to?
“Well…your kids gave their opinions on how I did as an interviewee but you never gave your ranking,” Charles says slowly, turning in his seat to fully face Edwin. “So, how’d I do? Think I’d get the job?” Charles raises an eyebrow curiously, a tilted smile on his face.
“Hm, let me think,” Edwin says, tapping a finger against the table in thought. “The flirting isn’t really professional, so I would have to dock on you that.” Charles nods, but keeps quiet, just watching Edwin. “But besides that, you were a rather good candidate all things considered.”
“Yeah?” Charles asks, perking up immediately. Edwin smiles, nodding once.
“You were confident and well-spoken and above all else you were the only candidate who weren’t thrown off by the children running around at the pizzeria,” Edwin explains. “Considering also how you treated my children when you knew about them, I’d say you rank quite highly.” Edwin tilts his head in thought. “To go off my children’s scale, I’d say a 9?”
“Wow, I was that good huh?” Charles says, a wide smile on his face. “So would I get the job then? If I was an actual candidate?”
“You’d be in the running,” Edwin answers honestly. Charles' face falls into a pout, looking quite similar to the twin’s puppy-dog eyes. “I would still need to run a background check and speak with references. To make sure you aren’t just very good at pretending.”
“Yeah, guess that makes sense,” Charles nods, leaning back into chair. “Though I’m pretty chuffed you think so highly of me. Guess if you need a last minute child-minder, I’m you guy huh?” Charles winks, laughing.
“To be considered for sure,” Edwin says primly, though still smiling. He pauses, debating if he wants to test the waters. But something in the air makes him feel brave so he adds, “And what about me?”
“Hmm?” Charles hums curiously, looking over at Edwin.
“Well, you wished to know how you ranked as an interviewee, but you thought I was your date for the night,” Edwin explains, waving his hand in the air. “So, how did I do as a date?” He bats his eyes in what he hopes is a coy look. Charles stares at him for a moment before a small smile blooms on his face.
“Pretty aces, actually,” Charles answers, sounding frightfully sincere. “One of the best dates I’ve had in a long time, if I’m honest.” He pauses, tilting his head in thought. “While the kids were a surprise, it was still fun to play games and just vibe. So, I’d give you a 9 in the date department.”
“Truly?” Edwin asks, shocked beyond belief. He expected perhaps a 5 or a very generous 7, but 9? Seems too good to be true. But Charles keeps smiling and nodding. He lifts his hand and begins to raise a finger as he lists things out.
“You were interested in what I had to say, you didn’t judge me, you’re interesting to talk to, making me want to know more about you, and your proper fit,” Charles lists out. “All add up to a pretty stellar date in my book.”
“Well, that’s…thank you,” Edwin says for lack of words. Edwin looks down at his hands, feeling pretty bashful. He only looks up at Charles’ chuckle. But instead of looking at him, Charles is looking over toward the nearby table the twins were at.
“Think it may be bedtime,” Charles jokes, nodding toward where Michaela and Asher sit. Edwin looks over and has to stifle his own chuckles at the sight. Asher has his head laying on top of the table, cushioned by one arm. Michaela is still sitting up but her head keeps dipping down as she slowly blinks. In-between them are their connected hands, holding on to each other tightly.
“Yes, I believe that is a sign it’s time to go home,” Edwin says. Slowly, he stands up, tossing his trash before moving over to his children. Looking over them, he tries to figure out how they’re going to leave. He definitely doesn’t think either of them are capable of walking on their own.
“Want some help?” Charles whispers from behind him. “If need be I can carry one of them if you’d like?” Edwin hums, thinking over the best way to go about this. While Charles hasn’t given him any reason to distrust him, he’s not entirely comfortable with the other man carrying his children.
“If you wouldn’t mind, could you toss their trash and then carry their lava lamp please?” Edwin asks, looking back at Charles. He hopes Charles isn’t offended by his request or the implication of Edwin not trusting him. But Charles just gives him a little salute, moving forward to grab the trash from the table.
As he does that, Edwin kneels in-between Asher and Michaela. He wraps their linked hands over his shoulder, not even considering to untether them. He wraps an arm around Asher first, pulling him up and onto Edwin’s hip. Then mimics that movement with Michaela. He double checks that not only does he have a solid grip on them, but that their other hands are wrapped around his neck as well. Then he stands up.
“Woah.” Edwin turns, seeing Charles standing behind him with wide eyes. Edwin raises an eyebrow, confused by his reaction. “Oh, sorry,” Charles says quickly, smiling sheepishly. He steps up, reaching around and picking up the lava lamp box. “Shall we?”
“Thank you,” Edwin says with a nod. The two head out, silently walking back to Edwin’s car near the pizzeria. Once at the car, Charles is thankfully able to grab Edwin’s keys from his pocket as he had forgotten to do so. He unlocks and opens the door for Edwin, hovering on the sidewalk until the twins are placed properly in the car.
“Here,” Charles says, passing back his keys once Edwin is done with the Sprites.
“Thank you,” he says softly, accepting his keys with a brush of fingers from Charles. The two stand there on the sidewalk for a long moment, silently looking at and then looking away from each other. Edwin doesn’t know what to say now. And apparently neither does Charles. Eventually, he takes a deep breath to gather his courage.
“Would you—”
“Could I—”
Both Charles and Edwin freeze, cutting themselves off from finishing either sentence. The two smile sheepishly at each other. After a beat, Charles nods toward Edwin, waiting for him to say his piece.
“I was,” Edwin starts, clearing his throat. “I was simply wondering if you might like to exchange numbers. In case you wanted to meet up again.” Charles stares at him, eyes wide. So before Charles can say anything Edwin quickly adds, “Not necessarily as a date, but I’ve enjoyed our impromptu meet up. So if you did as well I thought--”
“Yeah, yeah of course,” Charles says quickly, thankfully cutting Edwin off from rambling god knows what. “I was going to ask if I could get your number!” The two share a chuckle, their sheepish smiles a little brighter.
“Seems we were on the same page then,” Edwin says, feeling relief and giddiness flooding through his chest. The two quickly exchange phones, Edwin adding his name and number into Charles’ phone as Charles does the same for him.
“Here you go mate,” Charles says, passing the phone back to Edwin with a final tap.
“Thank you,” Edwin says with a nod, handing Charles his own phone back. “I suppose this is goodnight then.”
“Seems like it,” Charles agrees with a nod, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “You get home safely, yeah?”
“You as well.” Edwin hesitates, taking a half step back to his car but not looking away from Charles. “You do have a safe way home, yes?”
“Course! No worries mate, I’ve got a safe route home,” Charles responds, smiling brightly. “Know the route like the back of my head, don’t I?” Edwin smiles softly back, nodding slightly.
“Well then, goodnight Charles,” Edwin says again, taking the final few steps to his car.
“Night Edwin,” Charles calls back from the sidewalk. He hasn’t moved from his spot, just watching Edwin. Edwin gives him a little wave, which Charles returns, before he drives away.
As he drives home, Edwin can’t help but run through the past few hours. The interviews, the lack of proper candidates, Charles; it all runs through his mind. Typically his drives clear his head, no thoughts just driving. But tonight the thoughts get turned around and around in his head as if they were precious art pieces.
“Papa?” Michaela softly murmurs from the back seat. “Are we gonna see Charles again?”
“Perhaps, we shall have to see,” Edwin says softly. He looks into the rearview mirror, catching Michaela’s sleep clouded eyes. “But we can ask him if he’d like to meet up again.”
“Okay,” she says, sounding more like a sigh than a word. She slowly closes her eyes. “I really liked him.” Edwin’s surprised, though perhaps he shouldn’t be considering his own feelings for Charles. While they aren’t nearly as people-repulsed as he is, his children do not take to new people easily. The admission of liking Charles from Michaela is rather shocking.
“Me too dearheart,” Edwin confesses softly. “Me too.”