Fierce

Chapter 30

Later the same night Charlotte was pacing outside Georgie's apartment. She was in a total tizzy – caught in a cycle of worst-case-scenarios and what-ifs. It was a borderline miracle that she somehow plucked up the nerve to knock on the door before she chickened out and left.

"It's unlocked!" George called chirpily from somewhere inside.

Charlotte walked through to the kitchen and stopped in shock. A half-naked Lincoln was standing behind a glowing George – who was only in a shirt... and clearly not her own shirt.

"Um..."

"We're baking!" The smile on Georgie's face was so enormous it looked painful.

"Good for you?"

"Want some?" The smile was starting to become a little unnerving.  

"You haven't told me what you're making," Charlie reminded her.

"Cookies. Lincoln thought I should start out small."

"But I'm still helping more than I should, aren't I?" He reached over her to get to the bowl, and if it were possible there was even less space between them.

"That's because you have a micromanagement problem."

"Oh do I?" he pulled her into him jerkily.

Georgie turned around, and the two of them just stared at each other until Charlotte couldn't take their gooeyness anymore. "Guys. PDA already, for fucks sake. You're burning my eyeballs."

Linc stopped to look at Charlotte, and must have noted the anxiety radiating from he because he said, "I'll pop down to the shops for some milk. Don't fuck up the cookies, love." He pulled a jumper over his naked chest and kissed Georgie smack on the mouth (and a pat on the bum for good measure), before heading out the door with a cheeky grin.

George pouted at her friend. "What what what do you want?"

"Sit down."

"I'm fine thanks."

"You'll want to be sitting for this. And put some pants on."

"Just spit it out."

"...Before I say anything, you have to promise me you won't get mad."

"Mad?" George said the word as if it was laughable. Though to be fair, she was clearly floating on Cloud Lincoln. "Why would I be mad at you?"

"Jaycob and I are going to be dating," the words came out in an anxious rush.

"Huh? Going to be?"

"Yes," Charly nodded firmly. "And we'll also be fu-sex...sexing. We'll be having sex."

"I don't really want to be hearing this right now—"

"Okay. No. Full disclosure: we're already having sex. Have already... past tense. And, um, will probably– definitely be doing it, er, in the future too." She checked her watch. "Near future, most likely."

"Oh ew," Georgie picked up the bowl again.

"Did you hear me? We're having sex —"

"Yep, loud a clear mate. Loud and clear."

"—and when he asks me out again, we'll be dating too." Charlotte stared at her friend, already half wincing in preparation. "Do you need to like, hit me or yell or something?" Instead Georgie pulled a teaspoon out of the drawer, heaped it up with cookie dough and offered it to Charlotte wordlessly. "That's it?"

"It wasn't exactly out of the blue."

"And you're cool?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"