32. Elijah
Was it completely insane that I was going to see Charlie just a couple hours after she left my house? I had absolutely no reason to go to the café today, but here I was. I’d texted Alice to ask if she wanted to meet up for a coffee so it would seem pre-planned and not something I’d organised, because I was desperate to see Charlie again.
I arrived first.
The café was fairly empty for a Sunday afternoon. Charlie and Jane were chatting at the register when I walked in.
“Well, if it isn’t my favourite police officer,” Jane said, smiling as I approached. “You eating today or just a coffee?”
“Just a coffee, please. Oh, actually two. Alice is meeting me here.”
“Please tell me she’s bringing her adorable little girl.” Jane raised her eyes at me.
“Sadly, not this time, J, but I’ll bring her in with me sometime soon.” I looked over at Charlie and smiled, which she returned.
“I’ll do these, Lottie. Do you mind clearing some of the tables?”
“Of course.” She threw me another smile before walking over to the other side of the room. Jane’s eyes narrowed in on me.
“Did she tell you about her ex?” Jane’s voice was hushed now as she spoke.
“Yeah,” I grunted out. “I read some of the texts he’s been sending her.”
Jane shook her head. “It’s awful. Can you believe he was hanging outside her house today?”
“He was what?” I said a little too loudly. He was outside her house and she didn’t call me. She promised me she would call me. I was angry now and I felt my fists clench as I steadied my breathing.
“When she was leaving for work, she said a car drove past them real fast. She was sure it was him.”
“Why didn’t you tell me he was outside your house?” My voice was raised now as I turned to Charlie on the other side of the room. I was lucky the place was basically empty because I was definitely making a scene.
“I don’t know for sure it was him,” Charlie said, harshly as she walked across the room. “There was no point worrying you.”
“I am already worried, Charlie.” I heard the door chime, but continued, “I am worried something is going to happen to you or Theo. I am going to worry until I know that he can’t hurt you anymore.”
“What’s going on?” The sound of Alice’s voice came from behind me. Charlie and I looked at each other.
“Theo’s dad, Adam. He’s been harassing me over text since I moved here and I think I saw him earlier by our place.”
“Shit, Lottie! Why didn’t you say anything?” Alice came up beside me now. I was grateful she was on my side on this one.
“I only told Elijah last night when I realised Adam knew what town we were in. I didn’t think it would escalate like this.” Alice embraced Charlie and I waited until they parted before speaking.
“Charlie, you promised me you would call me.” She looked guilty at me. I could see the regret in her eyes.
“I’m sorry, I should have called you.” I moved closer to her, not caring that Alice and Jane were watching, as I lightly graced her waist with my hand.
“Promise me again. I need you to mean it this time,” I said softly, using my other hand to lift her chin so she looked up at me.
“I promise, I really mean it.” Her voice matched mine. I moved away, satisfied with her response.
“I need the details of Adam’s car; I’m going to put a watch on it.” She nodded and grabbed her notepad out of pocket, writing down the details. I’d camp outside her place 24/7 if I had to. I wasn’t going to let him hurt her. I wasn’t going to let him take her from me. She was mine to protect now. After she wrote it down, she moved away to finish clearing up the tables. Alice raised her eyebrows at me when I turned to face her. I knew what that look meant; she knew she was missing some of the pieces. We grabbed our coffees and headed to a table at the back.
“You two look…” She paused. “Cosy.” I wasn’t really in the mood to have this conversation. All I could feel was panic about the situation. I didn’t know what to do. At the moment there was nothing I could arrest him on. I could ask people to keep an eye out for the car, but not to pull it over or do anything about it.
I needed to figure out a way to get him behind bars and out of our lives. Maybe if I could find the car, I could plant something in it. Get him sent to jail and away from Charlie and Theo for good. I wouldn’t rest until he was out of their lives.
“I’m just worried about the situation with her ex.” I shrugged.
“You can be worried about her situation with her ex without touching her,” she teased. Alice could be nosy when she wanted to be.
“How was your date?” I asked in an attempt to change the subject. Her eyes widened.
“How did you know about–Lottie!” She shook her head. “It was a waste of time, I’m not ready for the dating pool just yet. He was a bit of an ass.”
“Need me to beat him up?” She laughed.
“As an officer of the law, should you be offering to beat people up?”
“You’re my sister. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you.” She grabbed my hand and smiled.
“You’re a good guy, Eli. You deserve to be happy.” Her eyes wandered over to Charlie and back at me. “If it helps, I’m pretty sure she likes you, too.”
If it helps, I’m pretty sure she likes you, too.
I kind of got the feeling she liked you more than in just a friendly way.
Both of my siblings’ words played around in my head as I looked down at my coffee. The more time I spent with Charlie, the more my feelings grew. But I was still hesitant to take it past that point.
No matter how much I wanted to, I don’t know if I could be in a relationship with her. I didn’t feel like I was good enough for a girl like Charlie.
“We’re just friends. I just want to help her get out of this situation with her ex.”
“They usually say that some of the best relationships are built on friendship first,” she quipped, taking a sip from her coffee.
I didn’t know how to explain my feelings further. I didn’t feel good enough for Charlie, but at the same time, the thought of anyone else having her made my blood boil. I felt protective over her. Possessive, almost. I knew deep in my heart that I wanted her to be mine. Maybe I needed to figure out a way to make myself good enough for her, to be the man she deserved. First, I needed to deal with Adam. I wasn’t going to let him stand in the way of her happiness.