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In the hotel sitting room, the main crew was gathered on the floor huddled around a couple’s card game. They were split into teams of two: Charlie and Vaggie, Husk and Cherri, and Baxter and Niffty. The game was meant for romantic partners, but not everyone had one right now, so they did the best they could. The game involved answering questions about your partner on the card you drew. The more questions you get right, the more points your team gets. If you get one wrong, you both have to take a shot of the alcohol of your choice. By Charlie’s insistence, the drink of the night was the most romantic bottle you could open: red wine. Currently, Baxter and Niffty were surprisingly winning, and Cherri and Husk were bordering on drunk.
It had come around to Cherri’s turn, so she drew a card from the pile and read it aloud. “‘Who is your partner’s celebrity crush?’” she said dramatically in her Australian accent, “‘and if you know, are you jealous?’ Well, it’d be a bit weird for me to be jealous, but I think I know who it is…”
“Oh yeah? Who is it then?” Husk slurred, then took a swig from his emotional support beer bottle.
“Oh, you know…” she began, then looked at him slyly for a dramatic pause, “Angel Dust.”
Husk almost choked and spat out his drink, drawing some giggles from Charlie and Vaggie. “What?!” he exclaimed, pinning his ears back, more in shock than in anger.
“What?” Cherri said innocently, “I’ve seen how you look at him. He’s the only one you’ll let sit on the bartop.”
Husk sighed and set down his bottle, then picked up his phone to check his messages, of which there were none. He inhaled as if he was going to say something, but decided against it and set his phone back down.
“Wait, Husk, is she being serious?” Charlie asked, her cheerful expression shifting to one of concern, “Do you…”
“Don’t worry about it, Princess,” he said, staring at the card Cherri was holding to avoid eye contact.
“The game has rules, Husk,” Vaggie said, “Should you two get a point or a shot?”
Husk kept staring at the discard pile in front of him, then at the scoring sheet, trying to figure out if he even knew the answer. He had grown close with Angel, closer than he thought he could, and he missed him, more than he thought he should. He didn’t think love was still even an option for him, but… something about Angel made him feel differently.
“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to,” Charlie said, “Cherri can redraw.”
“I’m sorry, Husk, I didn’t mean to-” Cherri began.
“It’s okay”, he interrupted, finally looking up, “Just… mark down a point.”
The room fell into a solemn silence, as if everyone was saying a silent prayer for Angel, wherever he was, and for Husk. Charlie and Vaggie looked at each other knowingly, and Cherri reached a hand onto Husk’s shoulder as he stared down at his lap. The silence was only broken by Lucifer walking into the room carrying a tray full of pastries and heart-shaped candied apple slices.
“I hope you’re hungry,” he said, making a show of it, “Apple tarts and apple hearts, coming in hot!”
“Thanks, Dad!” Charlie said as she shot up from her spot in the circle and ran over to him, “These look delicious!”
“I hope they are,” he said, “Took me for-ever. Caramelization is tough, sugar is so picky.”
“Don’t you have magical powers or something?” Cherri asked as Charlie took the tray from him.
“Well… yeah, but where’s the fun in that?” he replied, “Isn’t that what parties are about? Fun?”
“Yeah, I guess so…” Cherri said, still convinced angelic tarts would’ve been a better idea.
“What she means, Dad, is that we appreciate the work you put into this,” Charlie said.
“Anything for you, dear,” he said.
Charlie took the tray over to the circle and set it down in the middle, barely avoiding the flock of hands reaching for pastries. She was the last to grab one, but she soon joined the group’s chorus of praise after taking a bite. Their spirits lifted from Angel’s absence by the sweetness, the game continued on to Charlie’s turn.
Lucifer took a seat on a couch a couple feet away from the circle, close enough to hear most of the conversation, but not close enough to interfere. This was their moment, afterall. Everyone in that circle either had someone to love or to bond over lost love, maybe both. For him, though, the only person he could bond with was the lost love. He had Charlie, but Charlie had more important things to deal with now.
As he watched Charlie and her friends play, he couldn’t help but start thinking, start imagining. Imagining was all he did these days. Imagining a better life, imagining a happier home, imagining what it would be like if… if he didn’t…
Give up. Charlie never gave up, and look where she is now. Watching her enjoy her friends and this holiday was bittersweet. He was proud of her, prouder than pride itself, and he was glad she was happy, but he was also reminded of how he wasn’t, how he could’ve been. How she could’ve been. Not Charlie, but… you know. Her name felt wrong in his mouth now, like he shouldn’t be allowed to say it. And why would he? It’s not like he could speak her into existence. Yet, he tried anyway.
He looked down at his wedding ring and began twisting it between his fingers. Although it was worn, he could still feel every detail, every engraving, every word, even if they were phantom sensations. He thought back to when he first created them, remembering every emotion and train of thought during the process. It was a sacred thing to remember, and he only saved it for what mattered the most.
“I’m sorry, Lilith,” he whispered, partially to himself, and partially to wherever she was in the universe, hoping she might hear it one day. He looked back over to the group on the floor, trying to absorb the happiness that radiated from them. When he focused on Charlie, she looked up at him as well with an expression he couldn’t immediately read. She had the remnants of a smile from a joke Cherri made, but her head was cocked and her eyes were curious and slightly furrowed, as if she was asking, “Are you okay?” He replied with the best smile he could muster, then looked back down at his ring. He figured his eyes must have given it away because her smile faded and she told Vaggie to skip their turn, then got up to join him on the couch.
“Dad?” she said as she sat down, taking his attention away from his ring.
“What is it, sweetie?” he said, only partially forcing a smile.
She paused, then spoke slowly, thinking carefully about her words. “I know days like this can be hard for you,” she said, “and I just want you to know you don’t have to do it alone.”
I deserve to be alone, he thought, It’s my fault she left. But he couldn’t say that out loud, he didn’t want to sound like a sob story. “Charlie…” he began, then took a deep breath to clear the emotions from his throat, “You are the greatest thing that’s happened to me. You've already achieved so much, and you have so much farther to go. You need to focus.”
“Thanks, Dad, but affirmation isn’t really why I came over here,” she said, then placed a hand on his shoulder, “You know you can tell me if you need help, right?”
“You don’t have to worry about me, sweetie,” he said, “You have more important things to deal with.”
“But you are important to me, Dad,” she said, moving her hand from his shoulder and taking one of his, “I don’t like seeing you like this. I want to help you. Even if we weren’t always close, you’re still my father.”
Her words caused his emotions to rise up even further, wrapping tendrils around his throat, desperate to escape. He took in another shaky breath to keep tears from welling in his eyes. “Gosh, Charlie, you don’t deserve me,” he said, taking her other hand, “Keep being your wonderful self.”
“Thanks, Dad,” she said, “You know I love you, right?”
“I love you, too, dear.”
“And you know I’m always here to help? That’s what this whole hotel is about.”
He took another deep breath, the emotions almost winning. “I know.”
Charlie took him into an embrace, still not convinced he really believed it. He hugged her back, and the touch finally pushed his emotions over the edge, a single tear falling down his face. They held there for what felt like an hour, him holding on to her being the only thing keeping himself together. He was able to wipe his tears before they pulled away, but Charlie knew when someone was barely holding on.
“Well, I think I’m gonna tuck in for the night,” he said, an emotional barrier threatening to burst.
“Okay, Dad,” she said, “Are you sure you’re gonna be okay?”
“Charlie, you just have a fun rest of your night,” he said, getting up from the couch.
“That’s not what I asked,” she said, getting up with him, “Are you gonna be okay?”
“I’ll be good enough,” he said, not sure if he was lying, then let go of her hands, “Good night, Charlie.”
“Good night, Dad,” she said, then watched him teleport away, still worried about him. She then went back over to the group and sat down in her empty space.
“So, what was that about?” Vaggie asked after Niffty ended her turn.
“It’s just… My dad still misses my mom, like, a lot, and it’s obvious to me that he’s not okay, but he won’t ask for help. He doesn’t want me to worry about him, but I worry anyway, and it just makes me really sad seeing him suffer alone.”
“I’m sure this hotel will get to him eventually,” Vaggie said, “Maybe it’s just tonight.”
“Maybe,” Charlie said, then watched the game continue, her mind slowly drifting away from her father. The group enjoyed the rest of the treats, then slowly wound down the game, Baxter and Niffty finishing in the lead. After everyone went back to their rooms, Charlie started a voicemail to her mom explaining how they stopped the war with Heaven, the new success of the hotel, and how much she wished her mom could see it. After ending it, she set her phone down and walked away, but was quickly drawn back by an incoming call from someone unexpected.
“Mom?”