Surprised Ever After

Ch. 13: Some Things Don't Need Fixing

Ashton

The cargo hijack is all over the news, and I'm sick of how far it is from the real situation. They've turned the incident into a shit show just to gather viewers. Hilarious. On the other hand, it distracts people from coming too close to the actual case, which gives its own advantage.

Since my company group handles the after-production service in Remington & Knight, Harvey can't do much about this. The investigators, the paparazzi, and a bunch of departments involved are after me, changing my work into a circus performance. Hours turn into a day, days turn into a week, and I've lost track of time. This fiasco has slowed down our productivity, and this isn't good.

Soft knocks from the door wake me up from my contemplation. Or did I fall asleep in my chair?

My door is gently pushed open, and Char's face appears. She must know I have fallen asleep out of exhaustion, shown by the pity glints in her eyes. She sits down on my desk and brushes her fingers through my hair. "It's almost twelve. Let's go to bed," she says.

"Yeah. I think I have fallen asleep," I reply, glancing at my monitor screen which is now in sleep mode. "I was waiting for the update from Gustav–"

"You will hear from him when you wake up. First, you need to sleep. A proper sleep." She gives a gentle tuck to pull me up. "You won't function tomorrow at your sister's birthday party. You haven't slept well for days."

Reluctantly, I follow her upstairs. I do want to be the person to know about the update from our private investigator, but right now, I have to admit that Char is right. I haven't slept well in a while or given myself a break from the hijack case. And worse, I've developed an unhealthy obsession with it, which shuts me out of people around me. Hell, I haven't even talked to Char that much lately.

The light in our bedroom is already off, except for the golden illumination on our nightstands. Her side of the bed is a bit crumpled, a sign she had been lying there earlier. She probably woke up and didn't find me next to her. I plop down on my bed and lie back over my duvet. The softness under me is heaven, hugging me like a fluffy gigantic bear. I don't feel like getting ready for bed. I just want to close my eyes.

"Don't make me get up and brush my teeth," I mumble when I feel the mattress movement next to me.

"Okay."

Char's fingers dance on my chest, unbuttoning my shirt and pants before rolling me to the side, so that she can tuck me under the duvet. Her movement is light and careful, probably not wanting to wake me up; she must think I'm asleep, but I'm not. When she finally climbs onto our bed, I pull her into me and cuddle her from behind. The mix of vanilla and coconut scent of her hair is my favorite during our night routine, among my other things, of course. I'd do way more than nuzzle into her brown locks if I wasn't this beaten.

She has been very gentle to me during this shit moment despite how little time I had for her and Chloe. I haven't heard her complaining about being neglected, or even a slightly disappointed frown. How do I deserve her again?

She turns her head, kisses my nose, and adjusts her position in my arms. "Sleep well, sweetie," she mumbles and yawns.

"Did you have a good day?"

"Better than yours, I suppose."

I chuckle at her reply. "Undoubtfully. What did you do today?" I ask and bury my face deeper into her hair while fighting the drowsiness that hits me again.

"It was our last day of the exhibition. We received plenty of offers from vendors instead" — she chuckles — "but I'm positive we will receive more inquiries from potential clients in the coming weeks. We will do it again in the summer. Chad is planning to throw another one in the summer in Europe. I might need to travel for it. And oh, maybe you and Chloe..."