Charlie watched from the lighting truss, mesmerized by Mark’s fluid movement and interaction with the crowd. She watched him intently throughout the show, aching inside, and scolding herself for walking away from him at that moment.
Once the crowd had cleared out, she made her way across the truss and down the rope ladder, glancing down to make sure she didn’t run over the other spot operators getting down. Her eyes fell on the control panel, where Steve and Mark sat, chatting. She sighed to herself, hoping he hadn’t seen her. He looked up at her, forcing a small smile, then turned his attention back to Steve. Her spirits fell, and she concentrated on the remaining rungs below her. Once she was safely down, she immediately headed toward Dave and told him she had a headache, hoping he would send her to the hotel for rest. He did, and she thanked him before heading to the van.
Once she got to the hotel, she headed up to her room and changed into her pajamas. She turned on the TV, flipping through the channels until she found a second-rate movie. An hour later, she was so absorbed in the movie that she almost had a heart attack when she heard a knock on her hotel room door. She fumbled with the remote, searching for the power button, and finally turned the television off. She pulled open the door, remembering she had a headache and this might be Dave checking on her.
“Scottie.” She tried unsuccessfully to hide her surprise. “What are you doing here?”
“How’s the headache?”
“I’m feeling a little better, thanks.” She managed a small smile. She let him into the room, then sat on the bed next to him. He picked up the remote, fiddling with it.
“You didn’t really have a headache, did you?” She looked at her fingers in her lap. “You just wanted to get out of there fast, didn’t you?”
“I wanted to get here soon, yes. I’m tired, I had a small headache, and I just needed some time to myself.” He nodded.
“Look, something tells me you feel guilty about Mark, but you have no reason to, okay?” She nodded, still staring at her fingers. He put a hand on her back, slowly rubbing. “What exactly happened?”
“What, you mean Mark didn’t tell you?” She looked at him, her eyes suddenly cold and steely.
“He told me, but I want to know your side of the story.” She broke her gaze, and looked at the wall.
“I panicked.” He watched her, but she didn’t say anything else.
“Was it something he said or did?”
“No,” she insisted, standing and pacing around the room. She turned to him. “Why are you here, anyway? Is Mark afraid of me or something? He just has to send you instead of talking to me himself?”
“Mark doesn’t know I’m here.”
“What do you mean, he doesn’t know you’re here?”
“Look, Charlie, I care about you, and I care about him. You’re both hurting right now, and, sorry if I seem to be nosey, but I want you both to be happy.” She sat down again, stunned. He stood and walked to the door, turning in the doorway.  “If you ever need to talk…” She nodded, managing a slight smile at him. He smiled back and nodded before leaving.  She sighed and turned out the light, crawling between the cold sheets.

***

Charlie awoke and rolled over, groaning as she looked at the clock. Two-thirty. She sighed and sat up in bed, running her fingers through her hair. Groaning, she leaned over and turned on the light, picking up her brush off the bedside table and pulling it through her hair. She stood, grabbing her cigarettes and room key, and headed out the door, pausing to make sure it locked. She headed down the hall, glancing over her shoulder to make sure no one was there, and walked out side, finally settling on a park bench in front of the hotel. She lit a cigarette and exhaled, watching the smoke dissipate into the cool night air, her mind wandering.

***

Mark sighed, glancing over his shoulder at the clock. He shook his head, forcing a yawn to trick himself into being tired. It didn’t work. He stood, stretching, then bent down to pull on his tennis shoes. He pulled a jacked on, then decided against it, tossing it on the bed beside him. Rubbing his eyes, he fumbled to pick up his room key, then headed out the door and down the hall. He walked through the lobby, pausing to wave at the desk worker and flash her a smile, then out the door and to a nearby planter, under a huge willow tree. He sat there, thinking about her, trying to figure out what he had done to upset her so much. He shook his head, unable to come up with anything, and sighed. Slowly, he leaned his head back and stared at the stars.
A movement caught his attention out of the corner of his eye, and he turned his head to investigate. His eyebrows rose involuntarily as he watched her walk across the courtyard and settle on a park bench no more than twenty feet in front of him to light a cigarette. A smile broke on his face, reaching deep into his warm, brown eyes. He stood slowly and crept toward her. She was so consumed in her own thoughts that she didn’t hear him, so he stood behind her silently. She didn’t acknowledge him, so he began toying with her hair. She tilted her head back, looking up at him. A small smile found its way to her face, and he turned his attention back to the stars. She did the same, a contented sigh escaping her lips. He smiled slightly, sitting next to her.
“What are you doing up so late?” she asked, not turning her attention away from the stars.
“Couldn’t sleep.” He paused, looking at her, but she wouldn’t turn to him. “You?”
“Couldn’t stay asleep.” He nodded, still looking at her, frustrated that she wouldn’t look at him. “Why are you staring at me?” He chuckled, the sound deep in his throat. God, that’s sexy, she thought to herself. She closed her eyes, breathing in his scent.
“No reason.” He paused, licking his lips and wording his next sentence carefully in his head. “I just can’t take my attention off you.” She turned, her face registering shock. She forced herself to clamp her mouth shut and turned away, tilting her head forward. Her hair fell forward, hiding her face. Mark reached up with a hand, tucking it behind her ear. She nodded, her hair falling back into place. He smiled and repeated his gesture, and watched her nod again. “What’s that for?” She shook her head.
“Nothing.” She snickered at herself. “I just don’t want you to see me blush.” He smiled, letting the laughter surface. “And now you’re laughing at me.”
“No, no,” he insisted between laughs. “I just think it’s cute.” She turned to him, smiling. He looked at her, her cheeks crimson, her dimples marking her cheeks. He smiled, tucking her hair back behind her ear. This time, she let it stay there. His hand lingered on her cheek, his thumb caressing her soft, flawless skin. He traced her features, watching her eyes close at his touch. He leaned in, quickly capturing her lips in his. She pulled away almost immediately, and he looked at her, once again confused. She shook her head, rubbing her lips slowly with her fingers. “Charlie ---” she cut him off with another shake of her head.
“It’s not you, I promise.” His eyebrow rose. “I promise,” she insisted, a smile working its way to her face. He looked away, focusing his attention on some imaginary object on the ground in front of him.
“What is it then?” She sighed.
“It’s me.”
“Oh, that’s specific. Makes me feel a whole lot better,” he said, his voice suddenly gravely and cold. He stood angrily and stormed toward the hotel.
“Mark ---” She stood, following him a few steps. He stopped, shoving his hands into his pockets and sighing. “I’m just not used to this, okay?” He turned.
“What the hell are you talking about?” She shook her head, smirking as she walked toward him. She fiddled with a button on her pajamas.
“I’m one pathetic, chick, let me tell you.” She laughed, tucking her hair behind her ear. He raised his eyebrow, searching her body language for a clue. “I’m twenty-four years old and I’ve never really had a serious relationship. This is all new to me. I just didn’t know what you were expecting from me.” He lifted her chin with a finger, looking deep into her blue eyes before leaning in for another kiss. She pulled away. “That’s what I mean. I don’t want to end up just some girl in your past, no meaning.” He sighed.
“I can’t promise that,” she nodded, looking down at her fingers, still fiddling with her button, “but I can tell you one thing.” She looked up at him, and he wrapped his arms around her. “You mean a lot to me right now, no matter what the future holds.” She smiled, her eyes twinkling. She bit her lip, leaning in for another kiss. He smiled against her, pulling her full against him as he intensified the kiss.
On to Part 5