Sex Is Just A Word - #1 UNEDITED

Chapter Six - Picture Perfect Charlie

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"Excuse me Miss Reed." I put a hand out to hold the elevator and turned to face a scrawny boy running towards me holding quite a large parcel, it didn't take me long to notice that it was the boy at the front desk. When he finally reached me and had caught his breath he held the parcel out to me, "This came for you mam-" I put a hand up to silence him.

"Its Charlie, please call me Charlie." He looked around awkwardly and then reluctantly nodded, "Do you have a name or should I continue to refer to you as the boy at the front desk?" He shifted shyly.

"M...My name's Eli m...sorry Charlie." I took the parcel he was struggling to hold from his hands and gave him a thankful smile.

"Nice to meet you Eli and thank you for bringing me my parcel." He blushed and it was adorable, he couldn't have been more than seventeen.

When I finally entered the apartment my arms were numb, the parcel was evidently heavier than I previously assumed it would be. I plopped it on the floor next to the couch and knelt on my knees as I opened the box. It had a lot of duck-tape and I became concerned as to what was inside it. I finally got the duck-tape off and opened the box to find it filled with small foam buds, Well if it's fragile it's most likely not dangerous!

I took the small card out and hoped to find the senders name. Instead I found two words that sounded like a complement but gave me a feeling of pure fear and disgust Beautiful Charlie. The words on the back of the vandalised photograph Roy gave me came to mind as I began to fear the contents of the box even more.

I tilted the box onto it's side and emptied it over the floor several little cylindrical containers came tumbling out followed by a camera with a sticky note on it which read for you. I turned it on and went to the saved photos, I froze and everything but the pictures began to blur. I frantically flicked through the rest, there were hundreds and all of me, every inch of me exposed. I felt sick and ashamed at the same time. Panic-stricken I dropped the camera and reached for each of the film rolls and pulled them apart while raising them to the light. Surrounded by a mess of negatives, foam and little black containers I struggled to breath.

"Bean?"

"Huh!" I wiped the small beads of sweat off my forehead and above my lip with the back of my hand. I sighed a breath of relief when I heard Blake's voice and then instantly held my breath when I realised he was awake. I desperately clawed at the negatives and foam while shovelling them back into the box, I struggled to keep the nausea away as I focused on not vomiting.

I dragged the box into my room and inside my walk in wardrobe, tossing a blanket over it I ran to the couch. "Bean, why were you running?" I attempted to take a few breaths and hide all emotion from Blake, I swallowed as I turned to face him standing in the hallway.

"S...sorry did I wake you?"

"Nope, I've been tossing and turning all night thinking about how much work there is to do before my gallery is ready, I want to have the first show ready by-" I had subconsciously been nodding in agreement to whatever Blake was saying because my mind was still on the parcel. I snapped out of it when he went quiet and saw his face fall. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'll help you so don't worry..." I trailed off and began to walk to the kitchen when Blake grabbed my hand.

"Bean, your'e shaking. What the hell is wrong?" I pulled my hand away and hid it behind my back.

"I'm...I'm just tired okay, you should get some sleep." He gripped my shoulders and looked beyond concerned.

"I know you're lying so tell me what the hell is really wrong?" I couldn't, how was I suppose to show him those photographs? And how would he react? I broke out of his grip and went to the fridge. I took a bottle of water out and practically sculled it in the hopes that it would calm the nausea, turns out it only got worse by the second. "Bean!" he shouted behind me as I slammed the door to my room and slid down it. How was I suppose to tell anyone or show anyone? The thought of someone out there having these pictures of me and the ability to access me in order to take them made me ill even more so than before.