Alice

15.2

A/N: I'm a mess encased in messy gift-wrapping paper, so please excuse any mistakes.

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"Come on," Charlie said, standing up. He extends his hands toward me and I place mine in them. His fingers curl around mine. "Let me take you back."

He pulls until I'm standing, but doesn't drop my hand. Instead, his fingers slide between my own, interlocking them. My lips stretch into a wide, goofy grin.

He's holding my hand!

"So," I begin, my eyes focused on his hand curled securely around mine, "you really like me?"

Just to be sure.

"That is what I said," he murmured, leading me back to his truck.

"Like, like me? As in the way I like you, like me?"

"Alice," he laughed.

"It's just that you—"

Warm. Soft. My eyes flutter shut. The world fades away. It was like one of those cheesy scenes in a movie where the background sounds fade to silence and the scenery disappears. The electric sensation of his mouth on mine not only shocks me, but drowns me until there was nothing but him and me and us and my blood pulsing in my ears. There was no more questions. No more answers. No more wondering or thinking or doubting or hoping; there was nothing but this.

And I was totally and utterly fine with that.

His lips parted mine, allowing his tongue to make its grand entrance. I couldn't keep him out. Didn't want to. The bitter taste of cigarettes lingered on his lips, I wasn't disgusted. I get it now. The addiction. He was as addicted to cigarettes as I may now be addicted to his lips. To him.

His hand slid around my waist, and pressed me into him. I think I made a sound in the back of my throat. A moan? His hand slipped under my shirt, and his fingers raked the bare skin, causing me to arch into him. His fingers were cold but his touch left me burning.

I don't know when my hands found their way into his head of hair, but they did, finally. Soft. I sighed into him.

I could die now and be happy. I'm content.

His lips left mine, and it wasn't until I sucked in some air that I realized I needed it. We were breathing heavily, and my heart was beating frantically in my chest. I wondered if his was too. I peeked up at him in time to see him drag his bottom lip between his teeth. He stooped down to pick up his jacket which had slid off my shoulders at some point during the kiss. He straightened up and draped the jacket over me again.

"Did that clear things up?" He asked, looking down at me.

"Y-yeah—" Too high pitched, try again. "Yeah. Yep. Cleared. Got it." Let's start talking baby names.

"Good." His hand found mine again and he walked me to the passenger side of his vehicle.

The drive back was a long one, and I fell asleep halfway there. When he woke me up, we were in a parking lot.

"Come on," he murmured, unbuckling my seatbelt.

I yawned loudly, a very unsexy move on my part but, come on, I was tired. He chuckled lowly and climbed out, walking over to my side. I was still rubbing the sleep from my eyes when he opened the passenger door and helped me get out.