The Secret (Watty Award Winner) | ✔️

Thirty Three - Charlie

Ch33 - Charlie

Gently, their bodies came together on the makeshift dance floor. Without speaking, Charlie held Talia's hand gently in his, and slipped his other arm around her waist. Pulling her close, he held her gaze as they began to move slowly around the room. He hadn't expected her to take him up on his offer to dance, but she seemed full of surprises tonight.

They moved as one to the quiet beat of the music, taking each other in. All at once, Charlie realized that the air felt thick, making it difficult to breath. Being this close to Talia was like being on a high he didn't want to come down from. Did she have any idea of the effect she had on him? He sensed that she did. How could she not know? He felt like a lovesick schoolboy every time he was around her, it had to be obvious! Could it be that she had feelings toward him, as well?

Talia closed her eyes and laid her head against his chest, taking him by surprise. Brushing his cheek against her hair, he inhaled her soft, feminine scent. Charlie was overwhelmed by the emotions he was feeling. He hadn't been expecting their dance to feel so...right.

They danced so closely together that he could feel every languid breath she took as they swayed to the slow, hypnotizing tune. He surrendered himself to the feel of her body, pressed into his, and resigned to the fact that in that moment nothing else mattered, least of all their pasts.

When Talia raised her eyes to meet his, it seemed only natural for him to place his fingers under her chin and lightly tilt her face. Softly, he brushed his lips against hers. When she did not pull away, he brought her in for a closer embrace.

His heart pounded in his chest as he smoothed the soft, brown hair away from her cheek and deepened their kiss. He could not believe how nervous she made him! Abruptly, their dance ended and they stood in the center of the living room, entwined in each other's arms. It had been so long since he had felt that flicker of passion building in his stomach, and he didn't want the moment to end. Did Talia feel the same way?

"Charlie," she whispered against his mouth, causing the blood in his veins to race with a dizzying effect he had only experienced a couple of times before in his life. He tangled his hands into her hair and brought her in tightly to him. She was intoxicating—everything about her woke up senses that had been asleep for a very long time. He knew there was no turning back now, not for him. This was a path he needed to travel, no matter how it turned out in the end. He only hoped that Talia felt the same way. How would he ever be able to go back to just being neighbors?

As hard as he tried, he couldn't bring her close enough. Charlie wanted desperately to explore every inch of her body, but he needed to restrain himself. He knew how vulnerable she was, how afraid she'd been to let people in, and he didn't want to scare her off. He needed to wait until Talia was ready, and not a moment sooner. She was in charge of how this played out and he didn't want her to feel pressured in any way.

They stood in the center of the room, locked in each other's arms, the feel of her skin against his only heightened the experience. It was as if an electrical current was passing between them, electrifying each move, each kiss, each sigh.

Charlie had felt a powerful spark the very first moment he had laid eyes on Talia, although he'd attempted to fight it, for as long as he could, anyway. Finally, the chemistry he'd felt was too strong to ignore. It was as if she had come all the way from Michigan, just to pull him out from the depths of his grief and save his life. He knew it sounded like a cheesy sentiment, but he had always been a strong believer in fate. Whatever was meant to happen would happen, and there was nothing in the world that would be able to stop it from taking place.

Very slowly, he ran his hands along her body, enjoying the way she responded to his touch. The moment was unlike anything he had ever experienced before, it felt almost magical. Being there with Talia induced a very different kind of sensation than what he had known with Emily, but just as intense. He knew he could get lost there in her embrace forever and be perfectly content.

Charlie broke off the kiss and brought his mouth to her ear, trying to pace himself, but Talia turned her head slightly, inviting him closer. His lips traced the outskirts of her jaw and then finally found the soft folds of her neck, gently kissing and sucking, savoring each caress.

He could feel her breath increase as their bodies moved together, when suddenly his cell phone rang out from the back pocket of his jeans, interrupting the moment. And it was over, just like that.

Talia pulled away from him, flushed and out of breath. She looked down, refusing to make eye contact. Charlie's brows creased as he tried to read the expression on her face. Was it regret? Regret over the kiss, or regret over it ending? He wasn't sure which.

Frowning, he reached into his pocket for his cell. Whoever it was calling him, he was ready to destroy. Did they have any idea what they had just interrupted? If Talia backed away from him now, after this...

Pulling out his phone, his eyes searched for the name, anxious to find out who the offender was. A cold sweat came over his body as he stared at the illuminated screen.

What! Why in the world is Emily's mother calling me now?

He hadn't heard from her parents in probably nine months or so. Christmastime. They'd always exchanged well wishes during the holidays. It made them feel closer to Emily.

He looked up at Talia, his eyes full of regret. "I'm sorry," he apologized, "I have to take this call."

Talia met his gaze and silently nodded her head as he stepped into the next room. He didn't think it would be wise to force the girl he had just been making out to listen in on a phone call placed to him by his dead wife's mother, that was a burden she didn't need to deal with. How many woman would be understanding of that?

And why is it that Emily's mom was phoning him now—of all times? He had finally, after two years, allowed himself to be close to another woman, and she had chosen that very moment to chit chat?

Maybe it was fate? Maybe moving on and away from the memory of his sweet Emily was not what he was supposed to do. After all, he had promised her on their wedding day that he would love her until "death do us part". Did that mean her death, or his death, as well? Of course, he would always love Emily, but did that mean that he shouldn't move forward with his life? Was he destined to be alone forever? He was so confused!

Perhaps it was a higher power intervening, saving him from disgracing Emily's good name. Or could it be possible that it was Emily herself? Was she working from beyond the grave, trying to keep him from making the biggest mistake of his life? Maybe she still expected him to obey their wedding vows?

Charlie felt dazed as he swallowed his guilt and raised the phone to his ear.

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What do you think, is the phone call a sign from Emily? And just when things were getting good, too!

If you liked this chapter, please remember to give it a vote and always, thank you for reading The Secret! I update this story every Tuesday and Friday. :)