Chapter Text
Charlotte hesitated inside the door of the Sanditon Hotel grand ballroom.
"Do I really want to do this?" Charlotte whispered to herself. She fiddled with the skirts of her dress, as she surveyed the party.
For once she regretted being frugal. Esther and Clara had convinced her to go and not waste her ticket for a good night out even though she was no longer with Edward. Not that it should have surprised her that he would not be faithful to her. She was not even sure the woman she caught him in bed with fourteen days ago was the first during their relatively short relationship. Now she was here, the only single in an ocean of happy couples celebrating their love.
“It will be subtle, the Valentine's theme.” Those were Esther’s exact words. What a joke. The ballroom screamed Valentine's - hearts everywhere, strings of white lights, couples dancing close, to the smooth tones of John Legend.
Well. At least the music was decent.
Charlotte quickly located Esther, Babington, Clara and Crowe, but they were soon caught up in conversation with someone they knew and Charlotte felt excluded from the anecdotes from their youth in Sanditon. She had only been there once, visiting Esther and Edward’s aunt for her birthday in the beginning when she thought she and Edward had an ounce of happiness and shared a future between them.
She stepped away from the group and further into the room, and began making her way slowly through the crowd. She bumped into someone and turned quickly to see a guy she remembered from a local tavern she and Edward had stopped in during her visit.
"Oh, I beg your pardon." Charlotte glanced away quickly and started to turn away, hoping he wouldn't recognize her. He was blessedly wasted, just like the one time she had seen him. His eyes held no hint of recollection as he slurred an offer of one of the two drinks he held.
Charlotte fought back a grimace. "No, thanks. I'm meeting my friend at the bar," she lied, and drawing on her meager acting skills, waved to no one, and excused herself quickly. Charlotte maneuvered amidst couples till she reached the bar.
"Cosmo." Charlotte ordered her go-to.
The bartender served it up quickly, and Charlotte glanced around as she took a sip. She saw a few people she had met briefly during her time with Edward, but quickly realized she didn't really know anyone. Suddenly feeling very out of place, Charlotte spotted an alcove off from the bar, and slipped away, just wanting to escape for a moment. Stepping into the dim space, she eyed the circular stairs hidden there, and looked up to see where they led.
Sidney stood on the balcony and let his eyes wander over people in love meandering two and two in the nauseating display of hearts in pinks and reds. The decor reminded him of his niece’s room filled to the brim with Hello Kitty. He looked at the drink in his hand, it was almost empty which meant he had to go downstairs to refill. He sighed deeply and downed the last slurp.
The ball was everything he hated. On top of that, it was everything he hated about his brother. Not his grand ideas, they could be managed with the right project management. No, the insistence on making every goddamn project his as well. Sidney, do this. Sidney, do that. Sidney, Sidney, Sidney. Sometimes he felt like Cinderella. He snorted bitterly. At least she met her prince charming at a ball. He, on the other hand, had never felt more alone, lonely and out of place. Happy ever after had never seen more out of his grasp. An unfair notion for sure for a young, successful handsome bloke, but--
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize someone was here. I’ll leave you right away.”
The soft voice made him turn around. A petite brunette, beautifully curvy in a strapless golden tulle dress looked at him with sparkling brown eyes and a sweet smile on her plump lips. His eyes were drawn to an adorable dimple in her chin.
“No, please stay. Unless your jealous boyfriend will show up in a second looking for you. I’m not really in the mood for a fight.” He said it half in jest, half in earnest. It was not a single’s event and someone like her would most definitely have a boyfriend.
She laughed. “Not to worry, I misplaced him with another woman two weeks ago. It was very reckless of me, so I have chosen not to bring one tonight.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to rip up any wounds. I really shouldn’t be allowed in the company of others, my foot always seems to be where my eloquent mouth should be.” He smiled sheepishly.
“And I should be more upset that I’m not with him anymore. Perhaps he did me a great service. We can hardly have been well-matched since he didn’t hurt me more.” Charlotte shrugged her shoulders and took a sip of her drink. “My friends tried to set me up with a blind date. They are all from Sanditon, you see, and a friend of theirs is here and single too. With any luck it’s that man over there!” She pointed at a short chubby man with protruding ears and a massive overbite.
Sidney said nothing, he just examined her.
“Don’t tell me that he is your best friend or brother and I just committed a terrible solecism.” She grinned nervously.
“You're Charlotte?” His lips curled in surprise.
Realization brightened her eyes. “You're Sidney?” she asked in reply.
He held out his hand. “Sidney Parker. The idiot who turned down to be your blind date for tonight.”
She took it. It felt warm and comforting. “Charlotte Heywood. The stubborn opinionated woman who thought she could take on a Valentine’s Ball without a date.”
Thinking fate was something, Sidney asked, “Miss Heywood, would you do me the honor of being my fake Valentine?” He bowed politely.
“Mr. Parker, I thought you would never ask. It will be my honor.” She curtsied. “What do you want to do? Go downstairs and break up couples for fun?” She winked mischievously at him.
“God no! If you don’t mind, I would love to leave this hell of hearts. I have cold beer and cold pizza at my place. It’s close, and I promise that I mean that in the most honorable way!” He laughed.
It sounded tempting and she trusted his honorable intentions for some reason. “Lead on, Mr. Parker."
She squeezed his fingers lightly, and he looked down to see he was still holding onto her hand. He smiled and turned, leading her down the stairs. On the main floor, Sidney used his tall frame to break the waves of people dancing, kissing and toasting. Charlotte caught Esther’s eyes across the room and pointed at Sidney. Esther laughed suggestively and nodded.
Charlotte was following him closely, and ran straight into his back when he stopped short. A man blocked Sidney’s way most insistently. He might have succeeded in pushing him out of the way, had it not been for his idiot brother.
Tom elbowed his way in front of Sidney and grabbed him by the shoulders. “Sidney, brilliant! And you have a date, too. I need you to get the Kiss Cam going.”
Charlotte glanced back and forth between Sidney and the presumptuous man.
“Actually, Tom, we were just…” Sidney knew it was a lost fight before he had started. He and Charlotte were pushed in front of a pink backdrop with hearts on it. They both looked around awkwardly, before Sidney smiled apologetically and Charlotte smiled and shrugged her shoulders.
“Look like you’re in love.” The photographer prompted, looking into his camera.
Sidney looped his arm around Charlotte’s waist and pulled her close. She stretched her arm to make bunny ears over his head. Laughing, they made goofy faces.
“I cannot send these photos to the screens!” the photographer sighed exasperatedly and pointed at the big screens advertising the great Kiss Cam experience. “Kiss her, man. She’s beautiful. You’re good looking. What’s not to like?”
Sidney and Charlotte turned towards each other. The banter was gone. They locked eyes and both recognized the surprise following in the wake of want. He bent down and placed a chaste kiss on her lips. The light touch made sparks fly and the kiss built from there. Lost in the kiss they both ignored Tom clapping enthusiastically when the next kiss was displayed on all five screens, showing Sidney passionately nipping Charlotte’s lower lip. Their tongues were slowly dancing back and forth. Somewhere in the room, Crowe howled like a wolf at his friend’s score.
Breathless they pulled apart and nodded shyly in agreement that it was definitely time to leave the ball. Since the ball was only in its early stage there was no queue in the wardrobe and they quickly collected their coats.