Chapter 19 #2
His touch was surprisingly soft. Gentle even—as if he feared that she were made of glass, prepared to shatter at a moment’s notice.
He turned her arm to look over the extent of the bruising. It was an ugly shade of purple and yellow, even more so than the last time she’d looked at it. The outline of fingers could be easily made out, like an imprint forcefully etched into her skin.
Charlie rubbed his thumb over one of the darker spots gently. She flinched, even the feather-like touch of his finger causing her to wince. His eyes met hers for a fraction of a second—a mixture of worry, panic, and rage swimming in those ocean depths—before he eyed the bandage on her other arm.
He didn’t say a word as he took it and unwrapped it, letting out a curse as he saw that it matched the other.
It felt oddly intimate, despite the energy radiating off of Charlie in droves. He touched her arm as if it were something precious, as if she were something precious. It was so heartbreakingly tender that it caused tears to well in her eyes.
“I’ll kill him,” Charlie finally growled, more to himself than her, the fierceness of his words in total opposition to his gentle touches.
“You don’t mean that.”
His eyes pierced hers. “He put his hands on you. You have no idea how much I fucking mean that.”
She tried to swallow the lump forming in her throat. “Look, I’m sorry that you got dragged into all of this, and I’m really sorry I didn’t tell you about this sooner. Please don’t be mad at me.”
Charlie recoiled as if she’d struck him. “I’m not—Sam, I’m not mad at you.”
“Not even a little?”
Finally, he gave her a small smile. “Okay, maybe a little, but more because something could’ve happened to you, and I wouldn’t have...”
His voice trailed off, but she immediately realized where his thoughts went.
Erica.
She clenched her eyes shut for a moment as the guilt kicked into overdrive.
Of course his mind would go there. He’d already lost someone that he thought he should’ve been able to protect. By her not telling him what was going on, she’d run the very real threat of doing that to him all over again.
“Charlie, I’m sorry. I didn’t even think…”
He shook his head and shushed her softly, wiping a rogue tear from her cheek with his thumb. “Don’t. It’s okay. The important thing right now is that you are safe. That’s all I really care about.”
She tried to laugh, the sound that came out sounding muffled and wet.
“I’m sorry for not telling you sooner, really.
There’s just been so much going on lately, and I thought I could take care of myself, and I …
I promise that I won’t take up too much space here, and I’ll go back to my apartment the second I’m able to.
I know this is going to put you out, having me stay here, but I promise I’ll chip in with the bills and groceries.
I’ve just… I’ve always been able to take care of myself, so I didn’t think this was any different.
But I was wrong. And I was scared, and I… ”
Before she could finish, Charlie closed the gap between them and pulled her into his arms.
The suddenness of it startled her for a moment, her body freezing instinctively. But the second Charlie’s heat, his warmth, registered in her senses, she melted into him.
It was exactly what she didn’t know that she needed… until now.
Charlie buried his face into the crook of her neck as he hauled her off her stool and up against his body, her feet dangling in the air behind her.
“You can stay here as long as you want, Sam. You are not an inconvenience to me, and this situation is not your fault,” he said, his words muffled in her neck. “I’m just sorry you went through all of this alone until now.”
Any embarrassment or shame started to melt away under his touch.
When had Charlie’s embrace turned into the thing she needed most in the world?
She squeezed tighter, unable to voice the words longing to break free.
It was a long while before he finally set her back down, but he didn’t let her leave his embrace. Instead, he placed her on the counter, so he could continue holding her, moving to rest his forehead against her stomach.
“We’ll figure this out. I promise,” he said.
She smiled, giving another wet-sounding laugh. “Thanks, Charlie.”
He remained there for another moment before pulling back. “You want to stay up and watch a movie? I don’t think I’ll be able to go to sleep for a while either.”
The thought of doing something normal to take her mind off things was too tempting to turn down, so she nodded vigorously.
He chuckled and released her. “Good. You pick out a movie or something you want to watch on the TV. I’ll go make up the bed for when you do get tired later, so you can get some sleep. I’ll be right back.”
She watched him go, the ache in her chest curling around her for an entirely different reason now. A new realization slamming into her senses and rendering her mute.
Sam didn’t just have a silly little long-standing crush on Charlie.
She was in love with him.