Stella and the Boxer

Chapter 19

I’m shocked. Who the hell was I talking to last night? I fumble for a second before I respond.

“Well, I still think it was mean of you to purposely upset him. Charlie is sweet and nice. I’m sure he wouldn’t have done that to you. I’m glad to see that there is more going on in your head than I thought, though,” I smile when I say it, and he smiles back, laughing a bit.

I continue after a moment, “You were trying to upset me too. You wanted me to ask about other girls that he’s been with. Even if it was just to spite him, you wanted to get me angry.”

“I know – I was out of line and I’m sorry, honestly I am. I may come off as a scumbag, but even I know better than to try to ruin something important. You don’t need to worry about any other girls,” He speaks the last part very clearly, winking at me after. The wink doesn’t set me off though – it is actually a warm, friendly wink – reassuring rather than uncomfortable.

And even though I wasn’t worried, it’s nice to have someone else remind me that I don’t need to be, especially someone who’s known Charlie much longer.

“Thank you,” I say, “And it’s alright.”

He takes one last drag of his cigarette, that he’s somehow managed to smoke very quickly during our brief conversation, and throws it to the ground, stomping it with his shoe.

“It was…nice to meet you?” I tilt my head at him a bit as I start to back away, towards where I was headed originally.

He smirks at me one last time, “Nice to meet you, princess. Tell Charlie that I’m sorry, and I’ll see him around.”

I nod, and turn away from him. Before I can pick up my pace again though, I stop, looking over my shoulder. He is still staring at me.

“You should pick that up, you know.” I say, gesturing towards the used cigarette.

He laughs, but bends down and picks it up, “Only for you, princess.”

“I’m sorry that I took so long,” I tell Charlie as he grabs my waist and gives me a short kiss.

“It’s okay. I figured you would be tired,” Charlie says, and I catch him smirking. I try to ignore it, distracting myself by laying out our food on the table in front of me, but I feel my cheeks getting warm and I know that I’m already blushing.

“I really like this dress on you,” Charlie says, his fingers tugging at the hem of my slip.

“Thank you,” I reply, smoothing out the back of my dress and simultaneously brushing his hand away. I take my seat then, feeling oddly shy.

We are in some sort of meeting room in the gym, where there are tables and a small kitchen area. My bagel, tea, and fruit are in front of me, and I’ve placed Charlie’s oatmeal and a bottle of water directly across the table.

When I sit down though, he follows, taking the seat beside me, but scooting even closer, and he reaches for his food.

As he starts to eat his oatmeal, he lays his hand on my thigh.

“Are you feeling okay today?”

“Yes,” I respond, finishing a bite of my fruit, “Just a little tired. I’m glad you left the aspirin though. Thank you.”

He laughs, “I thought you would probably be needing some,” His hand squeezes my thigh gently, “You can sleep in the car, too.”

“I wish we could stay here longer.”

“Me too. Yesterday was nice. I’ve never really had anyone to wander around and see new things with. I drag Mark out on occasion when he travels with me, but he usually complains that he’s hungry or tired the entire time, and ends up going back to the hotel. You’re much better company,” He leans over and kisses the side of my forehead.