(Complete) Charlie's life is slowly spiraling out of control. Her mother is useless, her relationship with her boyfriend Gavin is a train wreck and the bruises she has to cover up are all becoming too much for her to bear.
Tanner has it all. He has...
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The early morning sun streams through the windows and for a moment I forget the events of the night before and when I see Charlie lying next to me I'm stunned for a moment. She looks so peaceful, her dark hair fanning around her, my t-shirt swimming on her small frame. A grin kicks up at the corner of my lips as I trail a finger lightly across the skin of her arm, watching her body's reaction to me as goosebumps litter her skin.
It's nice being able to see her in such a calm state after what happened last night. It's not that I thought she wouldn't be... damaged from what she endured; not that she's even damaged, traumatized is more like it. She's a lot stronger than I ever could be.
One moment everything was okay, from my point of view we were both enjoying ourselves. Then it's like something within her switched and she was no longer wrapped in my arms. She told me that it was like she was torn from my bedroom and transported right back to that night. I may not understand how that must feel, but witnessing it the only thing I knew I had to do was hold her. At first I wasn't sure how accepting she would be of that, but once I got her permission, I held her until her tears dried up.
Sitting there with her in my lap, being able to comfort her in whatever way she needed in that minute made me realize how fast I'm falling for her. It scares me more than I can ever express. I haven't known her very long and the feelings that I'm experiencing because of her are so foreign but she's worth it. She's worth every fear and anxiety that swims through my head. She's who I've been looking for and I've never been more sure if it.
"I love her." The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. I didn't scream it but I didn't necessarily whisper it either. My heart starts to race as I look over at her, her right arm is now above her head and she's facing away from me but other than that she's still passed out. My heart starts to beat at its normal speed as I let out a breath that I didn't realize I was holding.
I lay a light kiss on her cheek as I slip out of bed, pulling the blankets tighter around her. I don't want to wake her, it's only six thirty and she still has plenty of time to sleep before our nine a.m class.
I reach down, picking up a t-shirt. I hold it to my nose, giving it the good 'ol sniff test before pulling it on. I silently slip out of my bedroom, closing the door gently behind me and try tiptoeing down the stairs as quietly as I could. Jace and Collin sleep like the dead but I still don't want to risk waking them up and having to deal with their interrogation just yet.
I make my way to the kitchen and head straight to the coffee maker. I make sure the basket is empty before adding a fresh filter and taking the pot over to the sink, filling it with water. Once the coffee maker is all set up I set it to brew the normal in this house, twelve cups.
It doesn't take long before the smell of a fresh brew wafts through the air and instantly makes my mouth water. I pull out two clean mugs from the cupboard and put only a spoonful or so of sugar into mine, and almost half a cup of sugar in Charlie's. Over the past few weeks of knowing her, I've come to learn that she likes her coffee light and very, very sweet, with hazelnut creamer.
