T W E N T Y - O N E
“I don’t want to leave,” I confess as I grab the handle of the door.
Charlie glances back at the snow globe.
“We’ll come back.” He grins as he turns back to me. “I bet it’s just as mesmerizing in the summer months.”
“For my birthday?” I bit my lip as I playfully scrunched my nose at him.
“It’s only fair,” he utters, pressing a kiss to my forehead. “Come on.” He then replaces my hand on the handle. “We’ve got to get you back to the city.”
I groan.
The bubble is breaking.
It’s time to return to reality.
“This might be one of my favorite memories ever,” I utter as Charlie starts the truck and heat slowly slews from the vents.
“What’s fighting for the number one spot?” He lifts a suggestive brow as he backs out of the drive.
I simply smile.
Contentment buries its way into my skin as we head for the city. This could be my life. Falling more and more in love with Charlie, with how he makes me feel. I don’t feel anxious and when I do, it’s in the most blissful kinds of ways. My chest flutters every time he looks at me lust drunk and every time he tells me he loves me I believe it more and more .
I have that giddy feeling in my stomach as the city comes into view. I want to walk into my parents’ house and stake my claim on Charlie. I want to condemn myself for ever thinking it was a good idea to hide our relationship. No matter how I feel about myself, Charlie doesn’t deserve to be anyone’s secret. He deserves to be loved out in the open under the sun and the stars.
“How about you meet me at my place tomorrow for breakfast?” I ask him. “I’ll stop on my way from the hospital.”
“I’ve got to be at the warehouse by six,” he says. “How about dinner?”
“You’ll wake me?”
He nods. “I’ll whip something up.”
I hum. “Does girlfriend privileges come with personal chef privileges?”
“For you, they do,” he smirks.
“Alright then, boyfriend.”
“Alright then, girlfriend.”
I giggle to myself as his palm on my thigh gives a squeeze.
I had about two hours before I needed to head to the hospital, but Charlie insisted on letting me shower and get ready for my shift.
“One hour, tops.” I tug on his jacket, trying to pull him inside with me.
“Ouch,” he snickers. “Why do you wound me like that?”
I press my chest into his. “We’re in the honeymoon phase. I want to honeymoon,” I drawl .
He softly chuckles, dipping his lips to my ear. “If I didn’t know better I’d say you have a higher sex drive than I do.”
“I was starved for a long while,” I remind him. “You’ve had years.”
He kisses my jaw and pushes my hair from my neck. “I want nothing more than to take you against this door right now, but I have an errand I need to take care of,” he says.
I pout. “Fine.”
He lingers, his lips now hovering above mine. “Don’t get yourself off,” he demands, his light eyes heavy as they sink into mine. “I want you to wait for it, let that desire in your stomach build and build till I see you tomorrow night.”
“Charlie,” I quip.
He can’t be serious.
“I mean it,” he husks. “Do not touch yourself.”
I purse my lips. It’s not as if he’d know either way.
“Banks.” His tone getting edgier. “Play along and I’ll make it worth your while, disobey me and I’ll make you regret it.”
My entire body wants to quiver at his voice.
Holy shit dominant Charlie is hot.
I huff, attempting to hide my need. “You’re serious?”
His face doesn’t change, telling me he one hundred percent is. The only question being is do I want to obey and be rewarded or disobey and be punished? Somehow one is just as tempting as the other.
I swallow, wetting my suddenly dry lips.
“What will it be?”
I suck in a lungful. “I guess we’ll have to wait and see, won’t we? ”
His eyes narrow for a moment before his lips eventually curl, attempting to conceal a smirk.
“Tomorrow. Dinner. My place.”
“Roger that,” I nod.
“Smartass,” he rumbles, giving me a soft kiss before leaving me.
My back hit the door as I shut it. My molars grind against one another as I try to ignore the pink in my cheeks. I want to fuss about with happiness for a moment. I dig about in my purse for my cell, grab my charger, and walk over to my outlet beside my bed.
I didn’t think too much about it as I hit send on the call.
“Tell me something good,” she answers.
“I told him I love him.”
Silence fills the other end.
“P?” I murmur after counting to thirty.
“Sorry,” she exhales. “I thought I was hallucinating. You, Banks Matusmara said it first?”
“He’s all but said it before but yeah,” I confess. “I said it first.”
I flatten against my bed.
“Holy shit,” Perry mutters. “It’s happening. This is really happening for you. Finally.”
“Gee thanks, P,” I giggle.
“You know what I mean,” she says. “Where are you on the scale from one to give me your babies?”
I almost smack my hand over my mouth as it slips out. “Give me your babies.”
Perry screams on the other end as I pull my phone from my ear.
“I would like to keep my hearing intact,” I snicker .
“BANKS! Oh my God! I’m so freaking happy for you!”
We moved past shock and denial and slid completely into acceptance.
“It feels right,” I breathe with a grin. “He’s right.”
“You sound different.” She returns to a normal octave. “Happier.”
“I am,” I admit. “It sort of snuck up on me.”
“It didn’t,” she replies. “You were just too stubborn to see it for the longest time.”
I shrug, though I know she can’t see me.
“How about you, P?” I murmur. “Anything sneak up on you?”
“Oh, besides my mental breakdown and decision to leave?” she singsongs. “That did sneak up on me,” she concedes. “Like a ton of bricks.”
“You want to talk about it?”
“Not really,” she sighs. “I know what I need to do. It’s just getting myself to get things in order. I don’t want to bring down your high. You’ve waited long enough for it.”
“You won’t bring down my high,” I counter. “You’re important, P. How many times have I been in the dumpster while you’re on cloud nine?”
“We don’t need to get mathematical about this.”
“Perry…”
“I…” I can hear her grind her teeth. “I’m jealous.”
“Of what?”
“You, silly,” she says. “I want to feel like you feel right now. I’m tired of forcing toxic boys to love me how I want to be loved. ”
“He’s out there. Your Charlie is out there somewhere,” I promise her, never believing it more than I do right now. “Decide on your next adventure and find him.”
“Am I a shit person because I am literally tossing Dan out with tomorrow's trash?”
“I would say the curb is better than six feet under.”
Perry laughs. “I am crazy,” she hammers. “How did I go from crying over him not taking me to meet his family to being disgusted when he tries to kiss me?”
“The relationship ran its course?”
“Arizona has run its course,” she huffs. “Can I come stay with you till I figure everything out?”
“Of course.”
“I don’t want to move back in with my parents. My mom will just hound me with questions all the time.”
“I was promised personal chef privileges along with girlfriend privileges, I think I can ask for sleepovers as well.”
“Perfect,” she hums. “Not that I don’t love you and I’m so freaking thankful but a studio…”
“I’m already trying to figure out where all your clothes will go.”
Butterflies filled my veins as I thought of Perry coming home.
I missed her.
Maybe more than I wanted to admit.
I was assigned the emergency room when I got on shift tonight, which kept me pretty busy with people in and out. I had run to get my third cup of coffee for the day when I ran into Avery and Stacey .
Avery is babbling on while Stacey appears to be uninterested but is content enough to let her continue to babble.
“Banks.” Avery’s eyes widen as she spots me.
Internally I cringe a little as I turn.
“Hi, Avery,” I mutter. “Stacey.”
“I was just telling her about your brother.” Avery smiles while Stacey lifts an aloof brow.
“Still seeing him?” I question as I bring my cup to my lips.
Avery seems confused for a moment but brushes it off. “And that you are with the cupcake guy.” Her eyes beam like she’s proud of herself.
“Thank you,” I hum. “For keeping everyone up to date on my life.”
Stacey’s lips curl as she smirks.
“Anyway.” Avery ignores my comment. “I was thinking we could have lunch. I want to be sure we get off on the right foot.”
It’s a bit late for that.
I purse my lips.
Should I be the one to break it to her that Kai will likely move on next week?
“You might want to start with an apology,” Stacey utters and Avery looks like she slapped her. “We all heard about your locker room gossip, Avery. It’s fine to be jealous but own that shit,” Stacey shrugs, giving me a nod before walking out of the break room.
Avery’s cheeks are a nice shade of pink.
“We don’t have to be buddy-buddy, Avery.” I blame my good mood. “Kai’s a big boy and if you two want to see each other, that has nothing to do with me. ”
She fidgets, chewing on her cheek. I can see her pride won't allow her to apologize and truthfully, I don’t need it. I know my brother. She’ll be another name on the list I never bothered to remember.
“But between you and I,” I lower my voice. “I’d rather be the size of a double wide than use my own insecurities as a reason to pick apart another woman’s body.”
Her jaw drops and I take my exit.
And smile a little bit brighter as I grab my next case, off to clean another bloodied wound.