g’morning, sunshine!
mcntgomerysm:
anyone that saw charlotte montgomery in those moments would’ve been fooled to think she was actually smitten, her arm snaking over his abdomen, fingers gently curling along the shape of his waist as she leaned her cheek on his shoulder, eyes partly closed in a rather lazy manner. she had, after all, just gotten up from a heavy night (if anyone ever thought mansion walls wouldn’t allow cursing to come through, was wrong). matter of fact, it wasn’t that hard to understand that she was just playing the part that nick had set up for her. hell, if he wanted to tread in the dangerous waters that were her own home, she’d very well play.
compliant, the young woman nodded along with his words until her mother was out of sight. without unwrapping herself from him, she shifted and looked up, eyes sharper than they had been before, as if studying not just what was on plain sight but whatever she could get her dirty, scheming fingers on, too, any trace of diversion would do.
‘ yes, she is. as i am. will you comment on knowing where i got my good looks from, now? ‘
although her expression was stuck in sleepy-nice, her voice was something entirely different, laced with a cutting sarcasm, a soicism that had given her the reputation she’d upheld with such grace during her constance years. still, it was clear that she was tired, perhaps even a little hungover from the way her eyebrows remained knitted together delicately, as if trying to shield herself from the sunlight pouring into the livingroom without making it evident.
dark hues wandered off to the seat her mother had exited, wondering who she was talking to in those moments. for all the business woman that she was, she was also awfully well-mannered, strict and severe when someone failed to live up to those educational standards. from her, charlotte had learnt how to be cunning while keeping her manners, be a snake while keeping her charms intact. matter of fact, catherine montgomery didn’t tend to leave a gathering (’charlotte, dear, if there are visitors, it’s already a gathering’) for a phone call unless it was a pressing matter. for a moment, she forgot the part she was playing, naturally allowing herself to relax against his side even though it should’ve felt completely foreign. his voice brought her back from her thoughts, pulling her mind out of the mess that her private life -specifically her family- was proving to be.
‘ i don’t eat until i’ve had my coffee. and neither, it’s more of a “logan’s stolen shirt from ‘09″ matter. is that what you wanted to kn– ‘
right in that moment, catherine came back with an apologetic but equally as charming as always, gracefully plopping back down on the couch and proceeding to explain -mostly to charlotte but with an ease about their private lives that the daughter had not yet mastered, ever the secretive- the reason of her oh-so-abrupt departure. what followed was possibly the most mother-daughter interaction those two had had in months, with charlotte unwrapping herself from nick finally and sitting upright.
‘ your father’s lawyer called, he’s coming back tonight for a meeting with some business people, we’re all to have dinner wi— ‘
‘ what?! he was coming back in two weeks… was going to drive me t- ‘
‘ yes, well, you know your father. he probably had to re-schedule as per usual. dinner! black tie, my dear, don’t be late. ‘
‘ i ——- actually, nick and i have plans, remember? i’ll talk to daddy later and let him kno- ‘
‘ oh! that’s fine, it was going to be a bore for you anyway. you have his new number, no? ‘
‘ yup——-!! ‘ a pause as she stood up with a halt, her fingers brushing nick’s collar distractedly, ‘ so, i’m gonna go change so we can get going. nich–k, up! up! up! ‘
why did charlotte have the unsettling sensation that she was going to soon regret having spoken so much with her mother in front of nicholas? she’d done well with concealing the drama that was going on behind closed doors at the montgomery’s: a nasty divorce in the works that they were all masking as the usual shenanigans (wasn’t her father practically living in berlin a normal thing at that point? didn’t the husband’s lawyer call the wife in every UES elite family too?). truth was, that was not a good awakening and she was just aching to get into the shower and forget for at least ten minutes that all that had happened, mask it with the smell of her shampoo and the mascara.
she quickly started to make her way back into her room, coffee in hand, without even waiting for an answer from her mother or checking if nicholas was, in fact, following.
Nick truly was endlessly amused by her. Sharp enough to see most of his moves coming and quick enough to mock him mercilessly for them; he'd yet to have an unpleasant time with her. Besides, he had rolled the dice here. This was a dangerous move, coming to her home, upping the stakes of their little bet that by now had become a rumour around the Upper East Side's inner circles. The news had even reached his family back in California. What a time indeed! He wondered if Charlotte would comment to his mother about where he got his good looks from should the occasion arise.
While a smirk had initially tugged at his lips as she so easily nestled herself into his side and snaked a seemingly affectionate arm around him, he'd almost forgotten she was there by the time Catherine re-entered the room. It almost could have been natural. Affectionate. She was good, wasn't she? This was perhaps the fourth official date? They would have had to bicker about what did and did not count as 'official' later on but for now, he was playing his card. Punching it out. Hence, why he had to make such a splash.
Quite suddenly however Nick realised he had intruded on something deeply personal. Private, even. He chose to ignore her comment about the shirt being Logan Hunter's (although, he may have been just a little happy to have heard that) as he kept up with the Montgomerys back and forth. To the outside world, they were one of the most prestigious and invited families this side of New York. Mr and Mrs Montgomery had been married for years, quite the pair, certainly still together; oh why, what have you heard? Catherine was clearly a pro however and Nicholas was polite enough to pretend as if he never heard a thing that may have meant more than the obvious. This was hardly his place.
For a brief, flickering moment, he almost felt...ashamed for having intruded. He let that notion go immediately.
Nick had also ignored the shift in pressure, in warmth, in the way her brows had knitted together in the first signs of a hangover, when Charlotte had sat back up.
Then, all of a sudden he was being shooed to his feet and his 'date card' involving a prying family breakfast with embarrassing stories and winning a mother's heart, exited stage right. He complied however, smiling politely and backing her up in their mystery plans. Of course Catherine was perfectly happy for them to go together. Their minds always went immediately to 'marriage', didn't they? These people, these parents. They saw the correct last name and they were already forcing you down the aisle. Not that he was complaining now; there were plenty of fun things they could be doing together instead.
Nick had already decided he wouldn't say a word on what he had just witnessed. If she had wanted to talk about it... Well, he doubted his would be the ear she chose but honestly, he was beginning to wonder whether or not he'd mind being that ear. He had always felt free to talk about his family. To date, they hadn't endured a scandal big enough to bring them down and much like his mother, he enjoyed a good gossip. In any case, he made his leave after Charlotte, that same old smirk returning as he realised she was headed to her bedroom. Perhaps this bet was going his way after all.
Although, most likely not.
Once he'd caught up to her, he cleared his throat, hand reaching into the inside pocket of his leather jacket as he held a small bottle out to her.
' Tylenol? For the headache. Plus, it goes wonderfully with coffee. '
