𝓒𝓪𝓷 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓱𝓮𝓪𝓻 𝓶𝓮?...𝓦𝓲𝓵𝓵𝓲𝓪𝓶 𝓐𝓯𝓽𝓸𝓷 𝓧 𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓭𝓮𝓻

𝒞𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝒻𝒾𝓋𝑒

          I twisted the handle and pushed the door forward, careful not to make too much noise. I stepped inside and shut the door quickly not to let any hot air out as I latched the locks with habit. I walked in and headed to the left, walking swiftly into my room and shutting the door gently behind me. I rested my forehead on the wooden frame, breathing in the familiar aroma of the black cherry candles I had all around the room. I let his heavy jacket slide off of me slowly as I caught it with my left hand and I rubbed my thumb over it's thick material.
          He placed his jacket on my shoulders with a warm smile. I looked up at him with a slight embarrassed expression, not expecting him to be this gentlemanly on a friendly dinner meet, but this was apart of William's character after all.
          "We don't want you catching a cold hmm? And this just means we don't have to prolong the inevitable of seeing each other again."  My cheeks began to fill with warmth as we watched Charles pull the car in front of us. William opened the door and gestured me in kindly.
I made my way to the closet that I had forgotten to close or even bothered to clean up the shoe mess I had made on my way out. I sighed and reached for a hanger that I then put his jacket on and I hung it up on my door hook. I then undressed and laid the dress on my vanity's chair, as I made my way to my wardrobe. I went through a couple drawers and ended up picking a dark grey tank top and some black sweat pants that I'd end up kicking off in the middle of the night. Once I was clothed I ran my hands through my long black hair and I sighed. Wasn't this what I was expecting? A dinner meet, not a date. But why did it feel like a date? Why is this even bothering me? I reached for my brush as I started to comb out my hip length hair. I then stood in front of the mirror and placed the brush on my nightstand. My fingers then danced along my forearm as I watched them.
William shut my door then jogged to the other side and slid in the left side.
          "Hello Charles, right on time as always." He said with a big smile and a joyful tone behind his words. Charles gave a smile back and chuckled a bit.
          "I'm a little early, give me some credit old man." He said with a wink, knowing he's the oldest in the car. William gave a short laugh and nodded.
          "I wouldn't expect anything less from you old friend." He said as he sat back in his seat with ease. He was a tall man, and I admired how he filled the back seat nicely as I was small and looked almost child like if it wasn't for the womanly meat on my bones. His hand was placed gently beside him as he watched the outside world wiz by as Charles made his way back to my home. William's hair was starting to fall, whatever product he had used was starting to give out, letting pieces sit messily around his face. He then turned to me, wanting to observe what I was doing before making awkward eye contact that he was not expecting. He rose his arm, causing his fingers to brush my arm sending a shiver down my spine. He noticed my slightly uncomfortable reaction and apologized quickly, making sure I understood it was an accident.
          "Is your arm okai?" He asked giving me an almost worried look. I sat in confusion for a second as all he did was brush my skin, but I then remembered the incident at the restaurant.
          "Oh, yes, it's fine. All the ice has melted but I don't feel any bad stinging anymore." I said giving him a smile. He smiled back and nodded.
          I unwrapped my arm, seeing the glow of pink across my skin. I poked it then retreated immediately, giving a soft 'ow' in return. It wasn't too bad but it was going to be there awhile. I walked into my bathroom and stuck my arm under the cool water. After I was satisfied I shut off the water and made my way back into the room and my eyes watched the mirror as I could see his coat in it's reflection. It's like his presence was in my room, my space. It was a weird feeling, almost nervousness? Being uneasy? Uncomfortable was too strong of a word but maybe it wasn't? The thought of him stepping apart of himself into my safe haven where I sleep, spend my time, undress myself, take care of myself seemed a bit odd. It's like his ghost was staring right back at me in the form of his jacket. After a few seconds I laughed at myself and tried to shake off the feeling. You're being weird, it's just a jacket, it was offered in an act of kindness. I then turned off my lights and I pushed the covers of my bed over so that I could snuggle myself in. Once I made myself comfortable I laid my head to sleep.