Remember This✔

Chapter Thirty-Nine

"Really?" Perry says. "Who fought?"

"All girls, I split them up," Lauren says. "Those zones actually came in handy."

"Zones?" Charlie says, shooting Perry a confused look. "You didn't put anyone in zones."

"It was starting to get a bit crowded," Perry says. "It seemed like a good idea until it didn't work and everyone just did what they wanted anyway."

Molly suddenly feels like that's aimed at her because Perry looks at her for a tiny second before hiding his frustration with a mouthful of pancakes. Charlie lets it go, so she does too, but a part of her wonders if there's more to it.

After they've eaten Molly and Charlie are given the back yard as their main area to tidy up. They have a strip of trash bags between them along with a dustpan and sweeping brush. Molly stares at the carnage with her arms folded.

"The faster you start the faster it'll be over," Charlie shouts from somewhere near the pool.

"Why did I agree to this?" Molly groans back.

Charlie has already filled one bag by the time Molly has arrived at the first section. He is just grabbing rubbish with his bare hands while Molly is sweeping plastic cups and cigarette ends into a neat pile. She carries the heavy dustpan over to the trash bin and tips it inside then slowly walks over to the other side where the rubbish seems to be worse. The yard looks even bigger in daylight. Some of it is grass, some is wooden decking, and at the bottom there is a maze of neatly cut hedges surrounded by small water features. Charlie walks past her carrying four full bags that jingle from the glass bottles and she scowls.

"Show off," she says.

He returns a minute later. "You need some help sweeping?"

She flips him off and he laughs as he comes up behind her. She stops sweeping as he places his hands on her waist.

"Did you just flip me off?" he says, as his arms squeeze around her stomach.

"No," she laughs. "Charlie!"

He picks her up and spins her around, placing her on the ground slowly. She touches his face as she squirms underneath his weight. "I don't take kindly to that kind of attitude," he says.

"I'll remember that," she says. "Can I get up now?"

"I'm thinking about it. I'm deeply considering it. No." He brings his lips down to hers and she holds on to the back of his head as they kiss against the floor.

The heat in her stomach intensifies. When their tongues touch, a throbbing starts at the bottom of Molly's body. It's a new sensation, natural and strong. So strong that it's hard to resist it. It's like her uterus is literally screaming at her. Charlie moves his lips to her throat and when his hand crosses with hers she can't take it anymore. Something inside of her snaps and she pushes on his chest to turn them over. She sits on top of him with her legs astride his waist and then she trails her lips along his throat until she can't wait any longer and kisses him. She runs a hand underneath his shirt and gently grabs his side, his body jerks a little from the skin to skin contact and his hand falls on her back, flipping them back around. She becomes pinned underneath his body weight and he just plays with her hair as he looks at her.

"I think we should take it slow," he whispers.

"Well, duh, we're outside."

He smiles. "That's not what I meant. I don't want you to feel like you have to do anything to please me."

"Okay, I won't kiss you or touch you anymore. We'll just stay apart." She grins at him, biting on her lip.

"Molly, I'm serious," he says with half-laughter. "When things get heated like that then I need you to tell me when it's too much."