Being Alive [Charlie Barber]

Chapter 16 : Home

It was hard to focus on the inside of your fridge when you were fully aware that Charlie was shirtless behind you. But still, you tried your best to focus. "Water, sparkling water... Hmm, some coffee. Oh, I have a beer? A Heineken that you left here." You said to him.

Just like the shirt in your drawer, the lone beer that had been sitting in the back of your fridge was a constant reminder of what you and Charlie once had. He bought them when the two of you stayed in that hotel together and brought over the leftovers so Nicole wouldn't see them in his house and wonder when he went to the grocery store. Every time you opened your fridge, you saw it and wished he'd been in your apartment to drink it with you.

"Perfect." He told you, pulling on the dry t-shirt. His pants hadn't gotten that wet, it was mostly his shoes and shirt that had taken the hit as he rushed down the sidewalks.

You made your way over to him, discarding the blanket you wrapped around your shoulders onto the back of one of the chairs at your kitchen table, leaving you in just your pajamas. An oversized t-shirt and little shorts.

Charlie did his best not to look you over, noticing your bare legs in his peripheral vision as he took the beer bottle from your hands. He didn't say thank you out loud this time, nervous that he would let another nickname slip if he did so.

"Can you stay awhile? We can sit on the couch." You offered. You had no idea how to navigate this right now. It was the first time you'd been alone with him since you ended it, standing on the curb of that club while you waited for your Uber.

He nodded, grateful that you even wanted to speak with him. He took a long sip of his beer while he moved to the living room area with you, plopping down on the couch with a comfortable sigh. "Nicole's at the Greene's, remember them?" He asked.

"Of course." You told him, sitting down on the opposite end. How could you forget? Your mind flashed back to when you stayed the night at their friend's fancy house, in the guise of watching Henry. The night that Charlie fucked you in their hot tub.

"Right." Charlie blushed, thinking back to those same memories as well. He almost forgot what he was even talking about, thinking of the way you looked in that tiny white bikini but then it came back to him. "It's Sarah's birthday so they're having a girl's thing. I don't know. She's staying the night there though."

You nodded then frowned as it dawned on you. "Where's Henry?"

Charlie's thoughtful expression morphed into one of excitement. "You'll love this." He told you with a grin. "He's at his first-ever sleepover tonight."

Your eyes lit up, you did love that. Henry had been begging to stay the night at a friend's house since you first started babysitting him. It wasn't that Nicole and Charlie didn't want him to but they'd never met this particular friend and didn't know if they felt comfortable just sending him off to a stranger's house for the night.

"Really?" You asked him, adjusting in your spot, more comfortable now that the two of you were talking about something that had nothing to do with your past sexual encounters.

"Yeah." Charlie smiled, almost proud in a way. "I'm on call, just in case he wants to get picked up. But I called there a little bit ago to check in and his friend's mom said they were having a good time..." He trailed off, patting his pant's pocket for his phone. "Shit." He mumbled.

You remembered what he said earlier, about his phone being dead and that was why he stopped by instead of just calling to check on you. "Here," You offered, holding your hand out, "You can use my charger."

Charlie handed you his phone with a grateful smile. He watched as you stood from the couch, pulling down your tiny shorts as you did so, and moved near your bed where your charger was. "Thanks." He called out to you, mesmerized by how adorable you looked as you shuffled over. "My phone's not too old, is it? You can still use your charger?"