Page 1 of Love and Chaos

CHRISTMAS CLOSURE: A CHARLIE & WILL SHORT STORY

“At what point do I get to learn where you’ve kidnapped me to?” Will smirked at Charlie, who lounged in the plush chair across from him.

They’d been on the plane for hours, which meant they could be pretty much anywhere in the world. Charlie had “stolen” him away from his work at the research hospital in Gaoxing with the very excellent excuse that they needed to take a holiday break and spend some time together that didn’t include any of the other members of the Shadow Elite mercenary team.

Or rather, what had been a mercenary team.

The guys were all “retired” now in the name of wanting to spend the rest of their years building lives with their new boyfriends. Will approved of their new life very much. If it meant Charlie wasn’t getting shot at or blown up, Will was a fan. Charlie now worked as a security consultant for the royal family of Gaoxing while Will spent his days at the hospital, working on research projects and helping the sick. It was a good life.

But even a good life demanded breaks every once in a while.

“Kidnapped?” Charlie scoffed and shook his head. “That’s such an ugly word. Besides, the only one among us who’s into kidnapping is Izzie.”

Will snorted. “Like you and your old team haven’t resorted to kidnapping in the past.”

“Baby, if I kidnapped anyone for my old job, you would have been at the top of my list.”

Will held out his hands to his sides. “And here we are.”

Charlie chuckled and unbuckled his seat belt when the light turned off. They’d just touched down and had come to a stop somewhere on the tarmac. “This isn’t a kidnapping. It’s a surprise. You need to learn the difference.”

“I can’t believe you borrowed Izzie’s private jet for this,” Will murmured as he unbuckled his own seat belt. He reached for the window shade and lifted it, peering out at the airport. He frowned. Did it seem familiar? How could it? Airports of any kind of size appeared the same in terms of the terminals and gates. Naturally, being on a private plane, they’d been directed to another part of the airport, away from the enormous commercial jets.

“Don’t worry. You’ll figure it out soon enough.”

Will glanced over at Charlie to find him lacking the enthusiastic smile he should have seen on his handsome face. In fact, Charlie looked worried. Almost scared. What place could Charlie have picked that he wouldn’t be one hundred percent sure Will would love it?

No!

He wouldn’t have!

Charlie wasn’t that crazy. Right?

The thought had just formed when the plane door opened, and the stairs settled. Someone from the ground crew poked a head into the plane and spoke to the one flight attendant. In French.

“No!” Will gasped, his wide eyes whipping around to Charlie. “You didn’t dare bring me to Paris.”

“You love Paris,” Charlie stated with infinite patience.

“Loved. D. Past tense. I loved Paris, but I hated the city after what happened between us,” Will declared through clenched teeth. “I told you months ago that I never wanted to step foot in this city again. Hell, I never wanted to return to France.” Will shook his head and tightly gripped the arms of his chair. “No. I’m not getting off the plane.”

“You have to get off.”

“No.”

“You’ve arrived in a new country. You need to go through customs. They need to refuel the plane and clean it. Even the flight attendant and pilots deserve at least one full day to rest after that long-ass flight from Gaoxing.” Each new thing he listed sounded so logical and reasonable. It was impossible to argue with him. Especially the part about the flight attendant and pilots. They at least deserved a break.

“Fine,” Will growled. “Twenty-four hours. Afterward, we’re getting back on the plane and going anywhere but here.”

His teeth clenched, Will gathered up his things and followed Charlie out of the plane. Customs was done in a flash, and they soon found themselves in a hired black town car as it whisked them along the highway to Paris.

Charlie was smart enough to not attempt to speak to Will during the long drive, and he left him to stew in his own anger. The suburbs gave way to crowded concrete and buildings and then finally the winding, tree-lined streets with the iconic architecture they both remembered.

As much as Will hated to admit it, his heart gave a happy skip as familiar buildings passed by his window: The café he would hit in the morning when he had a rare day off. The classic signs for the Metro. Even the ancient little water fountains. So much of it he’d discovered on long walks through the city.

And so many of those walks, Charlie had been at his side.

“What hotel did you book for us?” Will inquired, breaking the lengthy silence.