Lover's Rock Leap

chapter 9

Charlie sat in the kitchen at the table, Winnie and Warren sitting with him. He wore a black button up shirt with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows, a pair of wrinkled black slacks, heavy work boots, and a leather jacket folded over the back of his chair. He wore his silver chains and handful of rings, staring down at the table.

"Are you nervous Uncle Charlie?" Winnie asked, snacking on a sleeve of Oreos and a glass of milk.

"A little bit. I haven't been on a real date in so long. I don't think I ever have, actually." He admitted, twisting his gun-metal grey rings over his fingers.

Winnie giggled. "Do you love Aunt Lena?" She asked.

Warren looked back and forth between Charlie and Winnie. "Of course, I do."

"How did you meet?" She asked.

Charlie rubbed his chin. "Well, Warren and I were working at the garage. And Lena came in. Instantly, I thought she was by far the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen in my entire life. And she came in asking for Baker. I was numb, I couldn't feel my arms, I couldn't feel my legs, I couldn't feel my butt." Winnie laughed. "She came in for an oil change, which is a quick service, and I was so scared when I finished on her truck, I'd never see her again."

"What did you do?" Winnie asked, on the edge of her seat.

"Well, I was wracking my brain, trying to think of something to say, some smooth transition. And Lena said her truck was making a weird noise. Stupidly, I told her to turn it on and I'd listen, but I didn't hear anything. I said, 'When you hear it again, maybe record it so I can hear it?' Her, being so much smarter than me, said we should trade numbers and she'd call me when it made the noise again. I still didn't realize she was asking for my number because she liked me. It wasn't until she called me, and invited me out to get coffee, that I had to ask her if it was a date." Charlie explained.

Upstairs, Grayson, and Salem sat at the foot of the bed in Charlie and Lena's room, Salem holding Auggie in her lap. Lena stood before their standing mirror leaning against the wall on no stand. She wore a floor length back skirt and a white tank top, messing with her hair.

"God, your body isn't real." Salem commented.

"You're like a drawing." Grayson added.

Lena smiled, turning back to face them. "Why am I so nervous? I have no idea what to wear."

Salem snorted, bouncing Auggie on her knee. "It doesn't matter what you wear, Charlie would still worship the ground you walked on." She pointed out.

"That's not the point." Lena sighed, going to sit down beside Grayson on the bed. "We don't do formal dates. Charlie and I just aren't those people. That doesn't mean I don't want a decent dinner and alone time with him. Hell, I'd take the drive thru and his car."

"That's the spirit." Grayson muttered. "You don't have to be the classiest people to go out and have a normal night. It's not bad to seek some normalcy in the sea of never-ending problems."

Lena smiled, patting his back. "Thank you, Gray."

"I liked that black dress. Maybe with a sweater? It's not pajamas, but it doesn't seem uncomfortably dressy, y'know?" Grayson said, pointing.

She nodded, standing from the bed. "Maybe the pink sweater?" she suggested sifting through the shared closet.

"Charlie doesn't know how lucky he is, Jesus Christ." Salem muttered under her breath.

Grayson and Salem came down the stairs first, interrupting Charlie and Winnie's conversation. "Don't keep her out too late, kid," Grayson said, patting Charlie's shoulder.

Coming down the stairs, Lena wore a black silk dress with lace trim and a baggy pink cardigan with tall black wedges. She wore dark red lipstick, her body glittering with gold. She wore a dainty gold necklace, gold rings on every other finger, and thin gold rings going up her ears. Her dark hair fell long and wavy down her back, save for the curls that fell over her eyes.

Charlie clambered to his feet at a loss for words. "Holy shit." He blurted out, looking her over.

"Language." Winnie whispered.

"Are you ready, babe?" Lena asked, her cheeks flushing as Charlie's eyes climbed up her body.

"Yeah, I'm ready." He breathed. "I fall in love with you all over again every time I see you, I swear."

Winnie laughed while Charlie pulled his jacket on, taking Lena's hand. "We'll take my truck." Lena said, calling, "Don't wait up."

In the cabin of the car, Charlie drove, with one hand on the steering wheel, the other slung across the back of Lena's headrest. He couldn't help but steal glances at her as they drove, dropping his arm to take her hand, threading their fingers, kissing the back of it, playing with her fingers.

When they got to the restaurant, it was just a local spot downtown that was nicer than fast food places, closer to a dive bar that served food rather than an upscale restaurant. There were no reservations or maître d, just an empty stage for live music. They picked a spot in the corner near the bar.

Charlie sat across from Lena at a corner booth tucked beside the window, reaching across the table to take her hands, letting her run her fingertips over the backs of his rings. Lena smiled, getting up to join him on his bench so they sat just beside one another.

"Hi, I'm Craig, I'll be your waiter for this evening. Can I start you off with some drinks? The cocktail du jour?" An average height man with dark hair and an apologetic face asked.

Charlie shook his head. "I'll just take whatever lemon-lime soda you have, please."

Lena didn't look up, her eyes on Charlie's as she said, "I'll do the same."

The waiter nodded, setting two menus on the table. "I'll be right back with your drinks."

Charlie moved closer until their thighs touched, cupping the side of her face, his mouth on hers. Lena kissed him long and passionately, biting his lip when he leaned back, putting her hand on his knee. They sat like that all through their dinner, sneaking kisses, holding hands, leaning into one another. He watched her lovingly, kissing the side of her neck, trailing kisses down her shoulder, entwining their legs under the table, tangling himself up with her.

They skipped dessert, paying their check, and heading over to Lena's apartment. Charlie drove with one hand on the wheel, the other hanging on Lena's hip as she kissed his neck, distracting him from the road. When they got to Lena's apartment building, they almost opted for keeping to the car, but Charlie pulled back long enough to throw his door open, going around to meet Lena at the passenger side.

They made it up to Lena's floor, waiting just long enough for her to take her keys out and struggle with the lock before Charlie lifted her off the floor, wrapping her legs around his hips. He threw the door open, the two slipping inside to slam the door shut after them.

They made it two feet into the living room before their clothes came off, Lena losing her sweater, Charlie losing his jacket. Another foot and they were kicking their shoes off. Half a foot and he was moving the straps of her dress down her shoulders. She was too impatient to reason with the buttons on his shirt, tearing the ends open, a series of tap, tap, tapping as the buttons clattered to the ground. He pulled gently at the zipper to her dress, sliding it down her hips. It was quick fingers on shaking hands, torn elastic in undergarments, skillful tongues on perfumed skin, fingernails clawing red lines down his back, a set of dull teeth sinking into her shoulder.

By the time they made it to her bedroom, he threw her on the bed, climbing between her hips. He bruised his knuckles gripping the headboard as it made indents in the wall. She dug her nails into the side of his body until he bled. He sucked on the side of her neck, kissing a trail down her collarbones to her chest leaving marks in its wake. His ribs fit so soundly between her legs, her hands pressed together in his fist above her head, his tongue inside her, bruises on her hips, labored breathing, loud profanities, skin slick from perspiration, strained voices, and the bedframe collapsing beneath them.

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