Page 63 of The Charm Offensive
Mark:Be honest, Charlie. You were skeptical of the process when we started.
[Wide shot of both men laughing in their leather chairs.]
Charlie:Maybe a bit. It was hard for me to imagine being able to get to a place of emotional intimacy that quickly with another person. I think you can’t really understand this process if you haven’t experienced it yourself—you’re together all the time. You’re going through stressful situations together, and it bonds you in this unique and intense way. Add to that meeting someone who understands you, whoseesyou.
Mark:Do you have a specificsomeonein mind?
Charlie:Maybe.
Mark:Can you see yourself falling in love by the end of this?
Charlie:Absolutely.
WEEK SIX
Cape Town, South Africa—Sunday, July 11, 2021
6 Contestants and 28 Days Remaining
Charlie
“Did you know that South Africa has eleven official languages?”
“I did know that,” Jules groans as she jostles forward in the horrendous customs line at the Cape Town airport, “because you already told me. On the plane.Twice.”
“And fun fact—”
“Ten bucks says the fact will not actually be fun,” Parisa interjects, because she clearly chose to extend her trip with the ulterior motive of mocking him on a new continent.
“Fun fact,” Charlie says louder. “South Africa has three capital cities, and Cape Town is one of them.”
“Told you. Where’s my ten bucks?”
“No one bet against you,” Jules snaps. “No onethought the fact would be fun.”
There’s nothing quite like a twelve-hour flight to turn the entireEver Aftercrew into a bunch of grumpy zombies, sniping at each other over travel arrangements and bickering about permits and paperwork. Charlie only really cares aboutonegrumpy zombie, though, and he’s standing quietly next to him in line,his shoulders stooped forward like he’s carrying an impossible weight.
He’s not. Charlie’s been carrying Dev’s duffle since they got off the plane. He wishes he could carry Dev, too, wishes he could scoop him into his arms. But Skylar is right in front of them, and Ryan is right behind them, and everywhere Charlie looks, there are reminders of all the reasons he can’t hold Dev through the rough parts. So, he says, “Another fun fact: did you know locals call the cloud coverage over Table Mountain thetablecloth?”
Dev looks up and rolls his eyes. Charlie will take it. It’s a reaction, at least.
For all Dev’s talk about “bouncing back,” and his insistence that he’s fine, the last few days in Munich were difficult. Dev’s recovery was more recursive than linear—more two steps forward, followed by a catatonic collapse back. Long stretches of silence, bursts of irritability, little crying spurts. But when Charlie asked what he needed, Dev would tell him, mostly, even if all he needed was space.
Charlie knows there is no magical cure-all for depression, just like there is no magical cure-all for anxiety, but he can’t help but want to make Dev feel better. To show him what he deserves. So he maybe did somethingslightlyirrational in the service of cheering Dev up. Something Parisa had to fly to Cape Town to help him coordinate for the end of the week. Because fun facts alone obviously aren’t going to do the trick.
The show has booked a top-floor suite at a hotel in Green Point with three bedrooms for Charlie, Dev, and Jules. Since Parisawas supposed to go home after Munich, she has to convince a production manager to let her sleep on the couch in their suite, promising to keep everything pristine for filming Charlie’s confessionals the next morning.
“I’m not sleeping on the couch,” Parisa says as soon as it’s just the four of them. She drops her luggage in the first bedroom, and Jules claims the second, prompting a very awkward shuffle where Charlie and Dev pretend to be uncomfortable at the prospect of sharing the master. At least, Charlie’s pretending.
Jules puts her hands on her hips. “It’s a king-size bed. You’ll be fine. If you’re worried about cooties, build a pillow barrier down the middle of the bed,” she suggests, and then she slams her bedroom door in their faces.
Dev responds to the revelation that they’ll be sharing a bed for the next week by simply dropping his duffle on the floor and flopping backward onto the bed.
“Shoes,” Charlie scolds.
Dev sighs and kicks off his filthy shoes in a pile on the floor. Charlie props his suitcase up on the stand. He hangs his shirts, then his slacks, then—
“Can unpacking wait until morning?” Dev asks with his head in a pile of pillows.
