𝐬𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐭 𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐫𝐝 ✰ 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐠𝐢𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬

𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧

reggie's lips quirked into a frown, and he wrapped his arm around charlotte's waist, pulling her closer into him. "i don't want to go, char." he muttered in a sleepy voice. "i promise i'm never gonna leave."

"you shouldn't make promises you can't keep." she brushed her thumb across his cheek softly, looking into his gorgeous blue eyes that sparkled in the moonlight.

reggie leaned forward to press his lips to hers, sweet and soft and reassuring. it was a familiar sensation now, kissing him, but charlotte still got butterflies in her stomach nonetheless. it was a feeling that she could never get used to, no matter how often it happened.

"i'm not leaving. no matter what. pinky promise." he whispered against her lips. "now, can we please go back to sleep?"

she smiled as a way to say yes, then nestled her head into the crook of his shoulder. she tried to keep her mind away from the terrible dream she just had, but it was no use. the image of the boys flickering away before her eyes was too hard to shut out of her mind. she was completely, utterly terrified of losing them, she realized. they were her family.

charlotte couldn't bear the thought of going on without them. she knew she would have to be strong for julie, who was losing just as much as she, but char didn't know if she'd be able to do it.

reggie had already drifted off to sleep again, his slow, soft breathing signaling that he was sound asleep. char nestled into his arms a little closer, delicately running her fingers over the smooth curve of his bicep until she fell into a deep sleep right next to him.

• • •

hours later, the sunlight peeking through the circular windows lit up the faces of the two ghosts. charlotte blinked her eyes open to find herself still wrapped up in reggie's arms, his lips just barely ghosting across her forehead. for a second, before she had to think of anything else, charlotte let herself close her eyes again and drink in this feeling.

the feeling of waking up in reggie's arms was unlike anything she'd ever known, anything she'd ever experienced. she felt so safe, so protected, and, for the first time, she felt...content. charlotte was completely content with where she was. like anytime she was with reggie peters, she just felt happy. just in his presence, there was this pure, uncontrolled happiness that seemed to take over every inch of her body, that seemed to fill every part of her soul.

she shifted ever so slightly to look up at the sleeping ghost's face. his hair had stayed exactly where she'd brushed it away from his forehead in the middle of the night, pushed back from his face in the greaser-meets-rockstar style he pulled off so well. she sighed, a soft smile crossing her lips. she was really, truly happy for a moment.

suddenly, something blocked the rising sun from coming in, casting a shadow over charlotte's features. she looked up and squinted to meet the eyes of a familiar long haired skater boy in her window.

"what the hell?" she muttered to herself, then popped out to the roof right outside her window. "what are you doing here?"

willie tucked his skateboard under his arm. "i wanted to see if you want to come along to book the guys their gig." his eyes flitted furtively back and forth between char and the window. "i also want-i need to talk to you."

charlotte swiped her tongue across her teeth, thinking. she stuck her hands in the pockets of her sweatpants, then looked back to reggie, who, thankfully, was still sleeping. "how long do you think it will it take?"

"an hour, at most."

she considered it for a second and nodded. "yeah, i'll come. let me change and leave him a note."