🤍🖤

Opening the door to the diner, Luca Clark smiles with relief, glad to be out of the cold. The melody of Sweet Caroline drifts through the air from the jukebox, and Luca sighs, inhaling the scent of coffee. The diner was blessedly quiet, with only a few customers inside. A man sits at the counter, drinking coffee and scrolling through his phone, ignoring the man beside him berating the waitress, a woman tries to feed her unhappy toddler some fruit… And at the table right in the corner… Luca sees something, or rather someone, that makes his eyes widen and his heart stop. The one person he never expected to see here. However, the universe, as usual, conspired to bring them back together.

Her red curls are as messy as ever, and she pushes them back from her face as she stuffs her face with french fries, humming along to the music and licking salt off of her fingers. “Holy shit.” He murmurs, slowly stepping closer. “Charlie?”

The instant Charlie hears her name, she bolts upright, every muscle tensing as her eyes lock onto Luca’s. “Shit.” She murmurs, tossing some crumpled bills on the table and bolting for the door.

“Fuck.”

And once again, Luca Clark finds himself chasing Charlie Cale.

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He catches up with her outside, her trying desperately to hide beside the bins. “Charlie, listen-”

“No. You stay the fuck away from me!” she orders, hurriedly getting to her feet.

“Jesus, Charlie! Stop!” Luca insists, reaching out to grab her arm. “Okay, I know I said the next time I saw you, I’d arrest you, but I’m not going to arrest you!” Charlie jerks back, contorting her body away from him.

“No! You shouldn’t be here. You need to go.” It’s hard to deny the stinging feeling that appears at her words. Even though he said he would arrest her, deep down, Luca had no intention of doing it.

Honestly, he’s never stopped looking for her. He’s spent months thinking of this moment, of countless late nights staring at the ceiling, thinking of Charlie and whether she’s safe, scouring news articles for any mention of her, hoping and praying he wouldn’t find her obituary instead, wondering if she’s missing him too and trying to ignore the growing feelings he has for her. And despite all that, Charlie doesn’t want to see him anymore, because she thinks he hates her. And he has only himself to blame for it.

“You’re safe! I’m not taking you in!”

“God, Luca! It’s not that, dammit!”

“Then what is it? Why do you keep running?”

“I distinctly remember you telling me to run the last time you saw me. You gave me a head start, actually.” She bites back. Luca rolls his eyes. At least she definitely hasn’t lost her sarcasm or her stubborn nature.

“What is it, then? Why won’t you at least talk to me?”

“Because I’m fucking scared, Luca.” Charlie admits, her voice cracking. She bows her head, her red curls covering her face. The sight of the brave, stubborn Charlie breaking like this stuns Luca into silence. He’s never seen this before. He doesn’t even know what to say, how to fix this, or even if he can. She’s always been so strong, so confident, even when facing up to the mobster who put out a hit on her. 

But now, she’s so vulnerable, shivering and sniffling, wrapping her arms around herself for protection. In an instant, he’s back on the cliff face where he last saw her. When he ignored all his training and protocol for the most stubborn woman he knows, the one who keeps getting back up, the one who keeps fighting to protect others, even above her own life.

Back then, Luca had no idea what to do, how the hell they were going to get out of this shitty situation. To be honest, he still doesn’t. But he knew what he had to do right then, at that moment. He had to protect Charlie Cale. And now, he has to do it again. He steps closer, hesitantly reaching out for her again. This time…it doesn’t take her so long to jerk back.

“Look, even if I did bring you in, if you’re cooperative, I could tell them-“

“I thought I saw her last night.” Charlie interrupts him, her voice low. Luca knows exactly who she means, and his stomach drops. 

“What?”

“She was gone when I looked again, but I SAW HER, a-and the night before that, and two days before-“ Charlie rambles. It’s different from her usual Charlie rambles. She looks around wildly, hair tumbling over both shoulders. She’s terrified. And it feels like a punch to his gut. “It might be the lack of sleep, mind you, but she probably is hunting me down, and-“ she reaches for a cigarette, her hands shaking as she fumbles with the lighter. “And you probably think I’m stupid.”

“Of course I don’t.” He says, gently taking her wrist into his hand and pulling her closer without even thinking about it. “Charlie, you look like you’ve seen a ghost. Whatever you’ve seen, Alex or not, you’re clearly spooked.” Charlie glances down, her eyes widening a little at the sight of Luca holding her wrist. Yet, she visibly relaxes at his touch, taking a breath. Luca could’ve sworn he even saw a whisper of a smile at the edge of her lips, causing his own to twitch.

But just as soon as he notices it, it’s gone.

“A-And this whole being hunted by a serial killing hit woman thing…it really made me think. Especially about what you did.” Charlie continues, pausing only to attempt to light another cigarette, giving up when she still can’t get her lighter to flicker to life. “Why the fuck did you do that, Luca?!” she demands, crossing her arms. The accusatory tone in her voice makes Luca pull back, frowning.

“Do what? Not let you go when you were hanging off a fucking cliff?! Are you insane?” He retorts. “Why shouldn’t I have?”

“Because now she knows you care about me. And if she sees me with you, she’ll know we’re close and she’ll probably use you as bait to draw me out, you know, the smart thing to do-“

“Gee, thanks.”

“Stop being a smartass and admit I’m right.” Charlie snaps. But she is right. Luca’s been doing this a long time; he knows this is a classic villain move. And he’s been in danger before. Countless times… but this time is different. It terrifies him. Not the thought of being hurt because of his proximity to Charlie Cale, but seeing her so terrified and knowing she’s been struggling with this for so long, and knowing that despite all his worrying about her, he hasn’t even bothered to reach out, to check she’s doing okay.

“So what? What are we gonna do now?” He asks.

“You’re gonna let me go, and you’re gonna forget me. The woman who gets everyone close to her killed.” Charlie sniffs, wiping her eyes. “It’s what she does.” 

“No, absolutely not.” Luca says firmly, shaking his head. “You think I’m not gonna protect you from her?”

“I run, Luca. That’s what I do. It’s what I’ve always done. You can’t chase me anymore. I won’t let you.” She insists, pulling away from him. Immediately, Luca closes the gap again.

“I will, and you know I will. Don’t you dare tell me that’s bullshit, Charlie Cale.” 

And Charlie knows it’s not. She doesn’t know what’s scarier: being hunted down by Alex, or the thought of being loved by Luca... and realising she might love him back just as much. 

“It’s me she wants. You’re just collateral. I can’t let her take you.” She shakes her head. “The thought of losing someone else, of losing you, of it being my fault…scares me to death.” she admits, finally meeting his gaze. The tears in her eyes break his heart. More than it already is, anyway.

“You don’t think the thought of losing you fucking terrifies me, too?” he asks, taking her hand. He hasn’t even realised he’s crying until he feels a tear slipping down his cheek. “Charlie, when I gave you that head start and watched you go, I realised… you matter to me. The thought of you being in danger, of going through this alone-”

“I’ve been alone for months, Luca.”

“Well, you don’t have to be alone anymore.” Without another word, he pulls her into a hug. The action stuns Charlie, but she soon wraps her arms around him, pulling him even closer and burying her face in his shirt.

In another universe, one of those sappy romcoms that Luca likes way more than he’ll ever admit to, this is where they would kiss, the music would swell, and they would live happily ever after. But the real world is a lot harsher, more dangerous… and despite how much the universe brings them together, Charlie Cale and Luca Clark don’t get happy endings. She’s right, Luca knows she is. If they’re seen together, it’ll just put them in more danger. It’s better this way, them leaving separately, pretending they don’t know each other. 

Pretending they’re not falling in love with each other.

Pretending that Luca wouldn’t spend the rest of his life chasing her to make sure she’s safe.

 And pretending that Charlie doesn’t want him to.

Charlie pulls away first, stepping back from him. “I’m gonna go.” Reluctantly, Luca doesn’t follow. “You lettin’ me go then?” She asks, raising a brow.

“Nah.” Luca chuckles, wiping his eyes. “It’s like I told you. This is just a head start.”

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