The Other Woman |Charlie Barber x Reader|

~Griffith Park~

Sunlight streams through the windows of the kitchen, creating an ambience of warmth. The scent of coffee floats through the silence, accompanied by the low rumble of the machine. It was always pleasant when the kids weren't crying. You clutch a warm mug of coffee in your hands, quietly watching the steam drifting into the air.

The house is quiet. Cars rarely pass through the neighborhood, filling the silence with the occasional rumble of an engine and the scratching of tires on pavement. From outside, the birds chirp in their nests, flitting about the garden on ruffled wings. A helicopter passes by overhead in the distance, metal blades chopping through the air with a steady hum.

Inside, it smells like coffee beans and candles. Your cousin had a thing for candles; they were everywhere. One burns on the kitchen table between the two of you. Three red-orange flames burn on the wicks, sending a thin stream of smoke into the air that barely rivals the heat of your mug. The wax melts slowly; it pools at the bottom of the wick in tinted puddles. Vanilla and cream.

The tile is cool beneath your covered feet, but not uncomfortably so. After finding that you had left decent comfortable socks back in New York, your cousin had lent you a good fuzzy pair. Bits of the white pieces of fluff cling to the hem of your pajama pants, slowly creeping up to invade the rest of the fabric.

Across from you, your cousin stands with her face buried in her hands, elbows propped up onto the counter. Her dark hair is wild and messy from a long night of midnight feedings. The dark bags beneath her eyes were only further proof of the physicality of having a baby.

"I'm gonna have Jason take the rest of the nights," she mumbles, finally lifting her head. "Of course, I had to marry a heavy sleeper."

You chuckle, lifting the mug of caffeine to your lips. It's bitter on your tongue, but manages to send a welcoming jolt of energy to your system. "What are you up to today?"

Angeline fiddles with her wedding ring. "I have to drive to the cleaners to get a dress steamed. You can come with me, if you want. I don't know if you have anything planned."

Her sigh of relief interrupts you when the soft beeping of the coffee machine disturbs the silence. She eagerly pours herself some into a baby blue, porcelain mug. It warms her fingers and palms, clinking softly when it hits the marble countertops. As happy as you were for her, the kids had definitely taken a toll on her. Especially on her sleeping schedule.

"I was thinking of going to Hollywood Boulevard. Fall into the tourist trap," you joke softly, weary of the morning hours. "I changed my mind last night. Maybe I'll just drive around until I see something interesting."

"I'll write you a list of suggestions." She nods. "Maybe the beach or the boardwalk?"

You make a face.

She chuckles and shakes her head. "Not either of those things then."

"I have a little over a week," you sigh, rotating the mug in your hands. "I'll find something to do."

"There's some good bars downtown." Angeline's eyebrows shoot up. You could see the mischief glittering in her brown eyes. "You never know who you'll meet."

Conscious of the sleeping kids upstairs, you keep your laugh at a lower volume. "Why are you trying to set me up?"

"I met Jason at a bar," she argues.

And I met Charlie at a bar, you think to yourself with a small smile. "I'm not in the mood for a long distance relationship with some surfer from LA."