(A/N: Last month was the one-year anniversary of writing this story! I can't believe that we've been following Y/N and Charlie's story for that long and I am so appreciative of everyone who's been along for the ride. Thank you!!! This story has about five chapters left before it wraps up. I will put a warning on the last chapter to let you know it is the end! <3 ALSO: At this point, the fic loosely follows the timeline of the film so some parts of the dialogue and plot will be the same but with a Being Alive twist. Enjoy!)
Charlie Barber was far from superstitious.
He was the only one at the theater who inwardly scoffed every time that someone insisted they leave a ghost light on as they exited the building. He opened umbrellas indoors if it was the most convenient method for him, he never watched for cracks as he went down the sidewalk, and if he spilled salt, the biggest inconvenience was the mess.
But, yet, as the two of you sat at the kitchen table and ate dinner, he felt suspicious and in a way, ready, to believe. Despite himself, as he stared down at the piece of paper in his hands that he'd just unfolded from his fortune cookie, he couldn't help but feel the connection, even if he were forcing it.
"You're supposed to eat the cookie so the fortune will come true," Charlie mumbled as his eyes searched over the tiny red words typed on the paper. "Or did I just make that up?"
"Um," You thought about it as you took a sip from your water. "Maybe. That sounds like it could be right." You shrugged, honestly not sure what the rules were.
Charlie shrugged. He was eating it, either way, he realized.
He popped a piece of the cookie in his mouth, still looking down at what was written inside.
"Why?" You asked, interested. "Did you get a good one?"
"Kind of," Charlie glanced up at you with a smile, "But I don't think I'm supposed to tell you what it is. Right? It ruins it that way."
You laughed out loud, shrugging, amused by his justifications. "Probably." You told him. If those weren't the rules, they might as well have been.
Charlie smiled at the ease of a conversation between the two of you. You were the only thing in his life right now that wasn't difficult. He appreciated your presence so much.
"I don't think I should take any chances," Charlie told you before he began eating the rest of the cookie. He folded the fortune up and placed it into his wallet, in between some cash and the letter he wrote about all of the reasons he loved you.
On the piece of paper, Charlie's fortune wrote: 'The middle of the process is no place to determine the end of it'.
He was hoping that was true.
Charlie's life had never been this chaotic. It was easy for him to get caught up in the turmoil and assume that it would always be this way. The thought that the light might be approaching at the end of the tunnel at some point was comforting.
"Let me see what mine is." You said, unwrapping it from the thin plastic.
Charlie leaned back in his seat and held his glass of water to his lips, watching you affectionately. Sharing these little moments with you reminded him of how much he loved you, not that it wasn't constantly on his mind otherwise.
You broke the cookie in half and pulled out the paper, turning it over so you were able to read it: 'Follow what you love'.
"Hm," You muttered, pleased by it but not thrilled.
"How is it? Is your future looking okay?" Charlie asked, slightly entertained, as he began straightening up the table. He wiped his hands off on a napkin, putting bits of trash like straw wrappers onto his plate.
"It wasn't really a fortune. It was advice." You said, "Does that still mean I have to eat it?" You asked him, looking it over.
Charlie paused, thinking about it. "I don't know what the rules are for that. Maybe if you eat it, you'll follow through on the advice." He told you, smirking because he had no idea what he was talking about.
He stood up from the table, a stack of dirty plates in his hand as you considered it.
You ate it with a shrug, the sound of the sink turning on in the background.
You then stood up to help him with the dishes. It was your apartment, after all, you didn't mind doing them.
"Careful, sweetheart," Charlie told you as you approached him. "The water's hot." He said, narrowing his eyes slightly when he saw you reach under the faucet anyways.
"Yeah, I got it-" Your wince of pain cut off your sentence as your skin came in contact with the steaming water. "Fuck." You mumbled, blowing on the spot that you'd just touched.
You sheepishly made eye contact with him and he was already staring at you with a smirk, shaking his head. He wiped his hands on a washcloth on the counter.
"Oh no, if only someone warned you, hm?" He teased you sarcastically, that same hint of a smile on his lips. Charlie carefully reached for your hand to look it over.
You gave him a look, laughing a little at his concern over something minor. "I'm okay. I barely touched it." You told him, watching the way he was inspecting you for a burn or injury.
Charlie brought your fingers up to his lips and kissed them gently, one by one. "Hmm, now you're okay." He told you, chuckling slightly at how ridiculous it was, even if it warmed his heart just to do it.
Your heart fluttered and you stood on your toes to place a kiss on his cheek. "Thanks." You told him, squeezing his hand gently that was holding yours, gazing up at him with a big goofy smile.
Charlie grinned right back, releasing your hand. "Thanks, who?" He asked, teasingly narrowing his eyes at you.
It took a moment for it to click but then you rolled your eyes as it processed, still smiling. "Thanks, daddy." You told him, skin heating up with embarrassment and arousal.
Charlie let out a loud, deep laugh, his chest rumbling as he did so. He gave you a mischievous smile before turning his attention back to the dishes in front of him. "Much better. Good girl." He said to you softly.
You were doing your best not to be overly giddy but you were failing, smiling up at him and shifting your weight on your feet excitedly.
"Stop staring at me," Charlie murmured but he didn't mean it, the playful expression on his face gave him away. He loved the attention from you, you both knew that. "Why don't you get yourself a glass of wine and pick out a movie for us to watch?" He suggested as he began stacking the dishes on the drying rack.
"I can help you." You offered, not wanting him to be the only one cleaning up.
Charlie glanced over at you with a disapproving expression that said 'stop that'.
"I got it covered. Some wine and a movie for you, okay?" He said, leaning over to place a kiss on top of your head as he grabbed for another dirty plate. "I'll come to join you in a second."
You wouldn't argue too much with that. You nodded and went over to the cupboards, pulling out two wine glasses and a bottle of wine that Charlie brought for the two of you. After pouring one for yourself and one for him, you went to the living room area to get comfortable.
It had been a few days since Charlie returned from his trip to LA.
Opening night of the play had been a success and although it didn't solve Charlie's problems, you were able to see that it did lift a weight off of his chest. The reviews had been positive for the most part and there weren't any major issues during the performance.
It would have been nice to celebrate the achievement but instead, you and Charlie spent the night discussing how his trip went and what it meant for the future.
There were still a lot of unanswered questions.
You weren't giving up on each other but despite your optimism, you both knew it would be difficult to have a normal, public relationship considering how it began and the circumstances surrounding it. If being with you became a problem with Henry, you knew that it could never work.
The two of you were in a strange, stagnant state. Neither of you had any idea what struggles you might have to go through in the future. It made happy moments together almost bittersweet because as much as you both wanted it to work, there were still voices in the back of your heads telling you that things were going to be changing soon. It was just difficult to tell if your lives would be changing for better or worse.
It wasn't much later that Charlie was approaching you with a slight yawn, rolling his shoulders in a stretch. He had on his pajamas and his hair was getting longer, slightly messy. When he made eye contact, he gave you a gentle smile.
You looked him over, feeling overwhelmed with affection for this large, sweet man.
"Hi," He told you, sitting down on your couch with a satisfied sigh. Charlie reached for the wine you poured him, "Thanks." He told you as he took a drink from it.
You laughed at him, scooting closer. "You're thanking me? You just washed my dishes. I should be thanking you."
"It was nothing." He assured you. It hadn't been a big deal. Just a few plates and forks. Charlie was used to doing a mountain of dishes for Nicole and Henry every time that he made dinner. He wasn't sure if they ever thanked him for it before.
"Well, I appreciate it." You assured him.
Charlie looked over at you with a smile, yearning to be close to you even though he was right beside you on the couch. He was just grateful for you.
"And I appreciate you." He told you. He wrapped his arm around you and pulled you over. "Come here, sweetheart," Charlie murmured, pulling you onto his lap. He set down his glass so he could hold you close, both arms around you.
You relaxed against him, placing your cheek against his shoulder so that your face was in the crook of his neck. He smelled nice like he always did. He always smelled calming and clean. It was very comforting for you.
Charlie's hand ran up and down your back, fingertips against the fabric of your shirt. "I don't know how I got so lucky," He murmured, "I truly have no idea what I'd do without you. If I had to go through all of this alone..." He trailed off, unsure of how to even finish that.
"Well, you don't." You told him quickly, moving your head back to look at him. "I'm here. I'm sticking around." You started grinning, "Until you tell me to leave, at least."
Charlie laughed at that, his chest vibrating slightly with the sound of it. He would be an idiot if he ever let you walk out of his life. He leaned forward to kiss you softly. "You. Aren't. Going. Anywhere." He said each word in between a kiss, smiling broadly as he did so.
You were giggling and grinning like a fool in love (which you were) as you nuzzled closer to him. "You don't have to convince me." You told him. You ran your fingertips up and down his chest, touching his pajama top that he left at your place to wear when he visited.
Charlie let out a comfortable sigh. "Did you pick a movie?" He asked you, kissing along your jaw, making it hard for you to even listen to his question, let alone answer it.
You ignored him and wiggled against his lap, wrapping your arms tighter around him. "Fuck the movie." You mumbled against his skin, burying into his neck, dipping away from his kisses so you could place your own on him.
Charlie laughed loudly at that and the sound of it almost made you jump, not expecting him to find it as funny as he did. He squeezed you, pulling you away as he did so that he was able to look at you. "'Fuck the movie'? Who taught you to talk that way? I know it wasn't me." He teased you.
You gave him a knowing look, grinning. "You cuss all the time."
Charlie grinned and playfully pushed you away from him, sending your back against the couch cushion. He began tickling your sides, moving so that he was pinning you down, rendering you unable to move. "I do not."
"You do!" You squealed, laughing, kicking your legs just slightly.
"I forgot how ticklish you were." Charlie laughed as he continued to move his fingers against you, his heart fluttering each time that he heard your giggles. "Poor thing. Can't get away from me."
You continued to squirm and kick away from him, tears forming in your eyes because of how hard you were laughing. Charlie was easily holding you down, much bigger than you and you couldn't push his hands away.
"Say please and I'll stop," Charlie smirked, fingers ghosting over your rib cage and stomach.
"Please!" You gasped, "Please, please, please!" You said over and over again, letting out little squeals in between laughs. "Please, daddy!"
Charlie instantly quit as he heard that, a surprised expression falling over his features. It always caught him off guard when you called him that nickname without him prompting you to do so. It was adorable in this context but also it was humiliating how quickly it turned him on. It was wrong. He loved it.
"What a good girl." He praised you, allowing his hand to move underneath your pajama top, not tickling this time but instead just touching. "Maybe you get a reward." He teased, fingers brushing against the underside of your breast.
"Yeah?" You asked breathlessly, arching your back up towards his touch.
Charlie slowly brought his other hand to your wrists, grabbing both of them in his grip so that he could hold them over your head and press them into the couch. As he did so, he slowly lowered himself onto the floor in front of you, putting his weight on his knees.
You grinned brightly, having an idea as to where this was going.
"Good girls get to cum." He murmured, glancing up at you. Charlie kept his hold on your wrists as he brought the other hand down to your pajama bottoms, pulling them down over your hips, smirking when he saw the way your hips were twitching in anticipation.
"Please?" You asked him with puppy dog eyes.
Charlie groaned with a smile on his face, squeezing at your hands while he slipped your panties off. "Okay, okay, sweetheart. I'll give you what you need. I'll take care of you." He assured you softly.
It was comical how easily Charlie could make you desperate for him. It didn't matter what the two of you were doing, if he spoke to you in a certain tone or looked at you a certain way, you became a complete mess for him.
You attempted to pull your wrists apart but found it impossible because of the way he was holding them. It was as if he had more strength in one hand than you did in both arms. You let out a soft sigh at the thought of it. Your strong man.
He let go of your wrists. "Keep them above your head. Pretend daddy's holding them for you." Charlie instructed you. He needed better access to the lower part of your body, he couldn't hold your hands at the same time.
Charlie glanced up at you before bringing his attention back down to in between your thighs, pushing them apart. He gripped them, keeping them spread for him. He moaned when he saw you, exposed for him, then ducked his head down to place his lips against your folds.
You gasped quietly, eyes fluttering shut so that you could enjoy the sensation.
He began hungrily lapping at your wetness, making sounds of content and approval as he did so. It became clear in moments like this that he enjoyed pleasing you almost more than you even enjoyed receiving it.
"I could eat this perfect pussy all day. Make my angel cum over and over and over again." Charlie murmured, his voice sending vibrations throughout your body. He meant it. It was one of his favorite things to do.
You whimpered, reminding yourself to keep your arms above your head as you grinded your hips against his tongue, needing more. "You're so good at this." You told him, thighs trembling in his secure grip.
Charlie hummed with a smile. He loved your praise. "Thank you, sweetheart." He muttered before diving back in, his tongue and lips feverishly moving around your clit. He allowed for one of his hands to leave your thigh so that he could slip it inside of you.
"Oh!" You moaned, hands going into fists. "Don't stop." You urged him.
"Do you want more?" Charlie asked, moving his one finger painfully slowly inside of you.
"More," You nodded, begging. "Please."
Since you used your manners, Charlie carefully slid a second finger inside of you, curling them upwards as they disappeared. His tongue moved in time with his touch, quick and concentrated circles and pulsations.
You let out a low whine, appreciating how well he knew your body and knew exactly what you needed.
Charlie brought his free hand up to your breast, pushing your top upward so that he could easily grab you and run his thumb over your nipple, teasing you there as he gave you everything you wanted below.
"Oh my god. Charlie. I-" You cut yourself off as a sound of pleasure escaped your body. You were close already. You couldn't help it.
He nodded briefly, giving you permission, not wanting to move too much and stop the things he was doing because he didn't want to ruin the high that was building up for you.
Charlie rolled your nipple between this thumb and pointer finger as your muscles clenched down around his fingers inside of you. He groaned against you as he felt you orgasm, moaning and arching as you came.
You said his name over and over, shaking underneath the way he was holding you in place.
Charlie pulled away slowly and watched you in concentration. He stared as you caught your breath, your eyes fluttering open so that you could give him a big sleepy smile.
"Yeah? Was that good, angel girl?" Charlie asked as you, a proud smile on his face because he was the one who was able to make you feel that way.
You nodded, breathless. You couldn't respond out loud, your head was still in the clouds.
Charlie glanced down at your body, taking in how perfect you looked. "I want to try something." He told you, thinking. His fingers that had just been inside of you slowly trailed down the front of your body, leaving wetness behind on your skin.
You moved with his touch, squirming your hips as he ran his hand down your body.
Charlie kept his eyes on yours as he ran those same two fingers against your folds, wanting to make sure you were wet. You were, indeed, soaking wet, practically dripping onto the couch beneath you.
He cautiously inserted the two fingers, watching in fascination as your back arched up from the couch and you gasped in pleasure. He began moving them in and out of you at a steady pace, smirking when you made sounds of desperation.
"I want to fill you up, baby. I want you to take more, can you do that for me? Will you let daddy stretch you open?" Charlie asked you in a cooing voice, smug at how much you were enjoying this.
You could barely even focus on your words, beginning to feel overstimulated in the best way. You nodded, agreeing, wanting to do anything to please him.
Charlie kept staring at your entire body, wanting to make sure you were enjoying it, as he slowly added a third finger inside of you. He moaned loudly, feral at the sight of his large fingers moving inside of you and how you were taking him so well.
"Oh, fuck!" You whimpered, hands squeezing into tight fists above your head. His three fingers felt closer to how big his cock was and how it always took a moment to adjust when he gave you that.
"Good girl. Take it." Charlie groaned as he watched you, his hand moving at a quicker pace as you adjusted to the size. "You'd only let daddy do this to you, is that right? He's the only one."
The sounds leaving your body were humiliating (which made Charlie love them even more), moans and whines of surprise and pleasure and pain rolling through your chest.
"Yeah. I know, sweetheart. I fucking know. It feels so good." Charlie urged you gently, nodding as he brought his thumb up to your clit, leaving light touches there while his three fingers moved in and out of your body.
Your entire body tensed up, that little touch giving you exactly what you needed. You had been so sensitive when he began touching you again that your orgasm was approaching quickly, almost there already.
"Don't-ah! Oh, god. Don't stop." You begged him, your toes curling and head tilting back with how overwhelmed you were feeling. It was almost too much but not enough to tell him to stop. You were so close.
Charlie's thumb on your clit sped up just slightly as he curled his fingers inside of you, running them against your inner wall. He cussed when he felt you tighten around him, pulsating and clenching.
"Oh! Charlie!" You moaned out. Your hands moved from above your head despite him telling you to keep them there so that you could grasp at the couch below you, needing something to squeeze as you came hard, painful almost because of how full and sensitive you were.
You saw stars. Your heart thumped in your ears and you felt lightheaded like you were floating as you came. You weren't sure how long you were in this fantasyland as your orgasm washed over your body. But when you fluttered your eyes open, you were thankful that Charlie was already wrapping his arms around you in a hug, pulling you close to his chest.
"Oh, I'm so proud of you," Charlie murmured into your hair, pulling you cautiously into a seated position so that he could bring you up onto his lap, keeping his arms tightly wrapped around you.
You said nothing, settling into his arms and burying your face into the crook of his neck. You squeezed him tightly, feeling the urge to be as close to him as possible after going through something as intense as that had just been.
"I love you." You mumbled quietly against his skin.
Charlie grinned brightly, kissing the top of your head and rubbing your back soothingly. He loved when you hugged him like this; like you needed him. "I love you so much, my sweet girl. You did so well for me."
A few minutes passed while he held you tightly and soothed you back into reality.
Eventually, you pulled away to look up at him with an exhausted giggle.
He caught your look and raised his eyebrows, asking you what was on your mind.
"Can we do that again?" You asked him with an eager smile.
It was almost surprising how quickly you felt comfortable at Exit Ghost.
Back in the Midwest, you had a few good friends but belonging to a larger group was always something you searched for. You never thought you fit in. It was odd to say that you felt most comfortable with a group of people who were mostly double your age but the collective passion towards creating bonded all of you together.
Of course, it helped that Charlie was there too.
Being with Charlie always felt like home.
Your footsteps echoed in the otherwise silent stairwell of the theater. Your mind wandered to what your plans were for that evening. You were debating surprising Charlie with dinner. Maybe you could buy the ingredients and come over and make him something as your kitchen only had a microwave...
You'd been so focused that you didn't hear the large, heavy footsteps join in with yours until you heard the voice. "There you are." It hummed, coming from above you.
You glanced up with a grin. Charlie.
"Hi." You told him, "Looking for me?"
Charlie glanced behind him to make sure that it was just the two of you. "I'm always looking for you." He mumbled quietly with a chuckle, tucking his hands into the pockets of his cardigan as he descended the stairs.
Your heart fluttered to hear that. You stopped where you were, leaning your back against the cold wall behind you, waiting for him to join you at the bottom of the set of stairs he was on.
You watched Charlie's eyes travel up and down your body quickly, jaw twitching. "Jesus." He muttered, exhaling deeply from his chest.
"Hm?" You asked him, feigning innocence.
"Have you worn that skirt before, honey? I think I'd remember if I've seen it." Charlie asked you under his breath, his attention directly on the article of clothing and the way that your thighs looked right now.
You glanced down, pretending as if you forgot what you put on that morning. It had been on purpose, you knew you'd get that reaction from him. "It's new." You said, running your fingers along the material to smooth it down.
"It's short," Charlie said, his lips twitching downward in an almost amused smile. "Very short."
You let out a small laugh. "I'm sorry. Is it against the dress code?" You asked as he moved closer to you, pressing your back against the wall. Charlie looked over his shoulder, both ways, to make sure you were alone.
"This is the dress code for you, angel." He smiled, gazing down at you. "Short skirts and tall socks, hm?" Charlie said, his fingers running along your shoulder, "Most beautiful intern in the world."
You made a soft noise, putting your hand on his chest and looking up at him with wide eyes. "Are you sure? I wouldn't want to be a distraction, Mr.Barber." You giggled.
He grunted under his breath, the notch in his throat bobbing from his effortful swallow. "I like my distraction." Charlie bent his head down, lips close to your ear. "Some days the only thing that gets me through is imagining ripping these little skirts off of you."
You shivered slightly, your hand on his chest snaking up so that you could place it on the back of his neck, holding him in place. "We shouldn't be doing this here." You told him gently, though you couldn't help the way you were practically melting against him.
"Do you want me to stop?" Charlie asked, bending down further to let his lips press against your throat, moving into the crook of your neck.
"No," You instantly breathed out, fingers tangling into his hair.
Charlie hummed, staying quiet so that he'd be able to hear if any doors opened and alerted the arrival of someone else on the stairs. "Remember when these were the only moments we had together? The only times we were alone were when we'd sneak around in the theater."
You thought back to it when you were first getting to know him. All of this seemed risky, sure, but getting caught had been only a nightmare. It was strange to think that it was your reality now.
"I was always so needy for you." You chuckled, thinking back to the ways you'd physically shake with nerves just to be in his presence.
Charlie pulled away with a big smirk on his face. He looked you over, down from your eyes to the rest of your body then back up again. You still made his heart pound but he remembered how nervous he'd been around you in the beginning.
"You still are." He teased you softly. He put a hand on your cheek, letting his thumb graze over your bottom lip, pulling it down just slightly, groaning as he did so.
You blinked up at him, allowing your tongue to run along the pad of his finger before closing your lips around his thumb.
"Fuck," Charlie sighed, his mouth parted in concentration as he watched you. "Look at you. So pretty. Sucking your boss's thumb at work."
You grinned against his skin before bringing it further into your mouth, putting a gentle hand around his forearm that was holding his thumb in place.
Charlie moved in closer, bringing his free hand to your hip. He slowly moved it down the side of your body before sneaking it under your skirt. He nudged against your thighs, wordlessly telling you to part them.
Your heart was thumping as you shifted your feet, letting your legs spread slightly in your standing position.
Charlie's fingers instantly found the spot in between your legs that made you gasp softly, grinding your hips down against his touch. "See? I told you. You're still so needy for me." Charlie told you playfully.
The two of you were very aware of the fact that you were at work, in a public area, but neither of you was actively thinking about it at the moment. It was as if the threat of getting caught was diminished now that Nicole knew.
Your eyebrows furrowed together in frustration, his thumb still in your mouth, as he ran his fingers along your underwear, not giving you the direct contact that you were craving.
"I should make you cum right now, in the middle of work. Just to remind you that you belong to Mr.Barber." Charlie mumbled, pushing you against the wall harder, thumb slipping farther in your mouth.
You let out a small noise, moving your hips against the hand that was beginning to sneak inside of your underwear.
You two made eye contact, both wordlessly debating whether you should make the smart choice and stop or if you should chase desire and go through with this even if it wasn't smart.
Before the choice could be made, Charlie's phone rang loudly in his pocket, breaking the tension of the moment between you two.
He grunted under his breath and kept his thumb in your mouth while his other hand left the confines of your soft panties and reached for his phone from his sweater pocket. He chuckled slightly when he felt the way you playfully bit at his thumb, trying to get his attention again.
"One second, sweetheart." Charlie scolded you with affection, pulling his hand away from your mouth as well, knowing that you would just distract him if he let you continue to suck on his thumb in the way that you were.
You huffed but smiled, understanding. "Who is it?" You asked, motioning towards his ringing phone.
Charlie glanced down at the screen and frowned in concern. "Not sure." He muttered before pressing the green 'answer' button and holding the phone up to his ear. "Hello?"
You could hear a female voice. It was muffled, since he was the one listening but you were able to hear, "Is this Charlie Barber?" from the other end.
"Yes," He replied.
"Hi, this is Nora Fanshaw, I represent your wife, Nicole Barber." The voice rang out, though this time the words weren't as clear to you.
Charlie glanced down at you, sending you a nervous glance before he took a step back, pressing the phone against his ear so that he could attempt to listen better. "Hi." He said lamely, unsure of what else to say.
There was no chance that you'd be able to hear the conversation now with the distance between your bodies. It only added to your curiosity.
"Do you have an attorney yet?" Nora asked, straight to the point.
Charlie stole a look over at you, blinking in surprise that he was receiving a call like this without any warning. His head was spinning and at times like this, he just wanted to be near you. You were too far away, even if there were just a couple of feet between the two of you.
"No," Charlie responded to her, moving towards the wall and leaning against it.
"Okay. Then it's okay for me to talk to you directly. Okay?" Nora asked him.
Charlie gave you a wide-eyed, frazzled look, wordlessly letting you know how he felt. "Okay." He said back cautiously. Should he have an attorney before he had this conversation? He had no idea how to navigate any of this.
You frowned back at him. You couldn't hear the conversation at all, only his responses. There wasn't much you could help him with, not that you'd have the knowledge or experience to do so anyway.
"I'm calling because we haven't received a response to our filing," Nora explained. As she finished her statement, the sound of a door opening and shutting could be heard in the stairwell.
The set designer made her way down the steps, giving Charlie an apologetic smile for coming to him right now during a phone call. She held up two different photos of stools, wanting his opinion on which he liked better.
Trying to focus on her and the conversation, Charlie sighed as he held up his hand towards one of them, choosing. "Yeah, I've been rehearsing this play and flying back and forth to LA-"
"You're going to need to file your response." Nora quipped back, interrupting him before he had the chance to explain why it was taking him a while to sign the divorce papers that Nicole gave him.
As she spoke, the set designer held up two more images, this time of phones. She stared at him expectantly, waiting for his decision.
Charlie was overwhelmed. He gave you a look, needing your help right now.
You wasted no time, you knew what he needed. You looked at the two photos and pointed towards the one that looked like a rotary phone from the '70s. You then looked over at Charlie to see if he agreed.
He sighed in relief, glad that the choice had been made for him and he nodded to let you and the set designer know that he wanted the same one. "Nicole said there was no rush." He answered Nora, focusing on both things at the same time.
The designer rushed back up the stairs, not wanting to bother her boss more than she had already and getting the information that she needed.
Based on what he'd said to the person on the phone so far, you were able to conclude. He was speaking to someone who was involved with the divorce process. You wished that there was more you could do. You could see the stress on his face and in his body language.
"It's been more than thirty days since you were served. By law, you're meant to respond within thirty days." Nora told him.
You watched as Charlie pulled out a tiny X-Acto knife on his keychain, opening and closing it. You'd never seen him so fidgety, you didn't think. "I didn't like the first lawyer I met." He muttered, "We weren't going to even do it with lawyers-"
Charlie was interrupted, this time not by Nora, but by the door opening and closing again. Both of your attention went to the top of the stairs, where one of the actors, Frank, began moving towards the two of you.
"Charlie, I'm thinking I shouldn't tuck in the shirt?" Frank called out, disregarding the fact that a phone call was taking place entirely.
You took a step towards the bottom of the stairs in an attempt to stop him before he could get closer to Charlie and distract him completely from the conversation he was trying to have.
"It keeps coming out during the love scene," Frank said, still in a loud voice, addressing both of you.
You sent Charlie a brief look of frustration, feeling it almost as much as he was before turning towards Frank. "What love scene?" You asked him softly, holding a finger up to your lips in hope that he'd get the hint and lower his voice.
"Nicole said I could take my time," Charlie said behind you, holding the phone tighter to his face, not listening to what Frank had to say because this was much more important to him. He could see that you were attempting to take over the situation and he was more than grateful.
"When I hug Beth," Frank answered, still in the same volume that he'd been speaking in before.
You wanted to pull your hair out. "You don't hug Beth. Shh." You whispered.
Oblivious to the additional conversation taking place outside of her, Nora kept speaking, "If you don't file your response we're going to file a request for default judgment against you."
"It's something I'm trying." Frank began to catch on to the way you were talking in a purposefully quiet tone. "I also have a thing about tucking in things..." He admitted sheepishly, moving in closer towards you.
You glanced back at Charlie, noticing how his face fell even further at whatever had just been said to him over the phone. Your stomach dropped. This was too much. "Come here. Be quiet." You mumbled to Frank, trying to solve this.
"It's a hold-over from childhood. Insecurities about my figure." Frank explained to you in a hushed way, bending closer to you so that you were able to hear him clearly.
"Charlie?" Nora asked in a snappy voice, irritated that he hadn't responded to her yet.
"Yes, sorry." Charlie with a frown, beginning to walk towards the steps to his side, trying to distance himself from whatever the two of you were doing so that he could concentrate on this instead.
You looked over at Charlie and motioned for him to go away. You could handle this. He needed to have this conversation alone.
Charlie hesitated at the top of the stairs, wondering if it would be a good idea to leave you alone to handle this. "A default judgment. What does that mean?" He asked, needing clarification. He watched in fascinated horror as you began tucking Frank's shirt in for him.
"We'll be able to lay claim to whatever we want," Nora said matter-of-factly as if she were delivering the weather instead of a statement that could ruin Charlie's entire life.
Charlie felt his mouth go dry. Yeah, this conversation was far too serious to be had right here. He needed to get away. He needed air. And maybe a cigarette.
"What do you mean? Whatever you want of what?" Charlie asked as he began walking down the stairs that led to the exit that he so desperately needed.
You could hear Charlie's deep voice reverberate against the walls of the stairwell as you worked on Frank's shirt, trying to ignore the way that the actor was grinning smugly at the fact that you were paying attention to him in this way.
A few moments of almost uncomfortable silence passed.
Then you looked up at Frank with a frown while continuing to work on his shirt, "Don't hug Beth."
When Charlie returned to rehearsal, he informed you that he needed to get on a plane to LA the next day. He didn't go into detail but you could tell from the look in his eyes that it wasn't for any positive reason.
He whispered in your ear that you could spend the night if you wanted but he was leaving around five AM the next day, meaning you'd have to do so as well so that he could lock up the apartment behind you.
As much as you wanted to spend time with him before he left, you both decided it would be a good idea not to. You always did a good job at making Charlie stay up late with you and distracting him from what he needed to do.
Most of the time, he welcomed it. But when he had a short amount of time to pack, book a flight, look into lawyers, and get enough sleep, Charlie decided he should be responsible and have you stay at your apartment.
Later that night, he ended up stopping by your place even though he promised he wouldn't. Charlie wanted to explain to you what was said on the phone and why the trip to LA had been so impromptu.
Charlie relied on you to vent his frustrations. You were more than happy to oblige.
The next afternoon, you'd been attempting to revive a houseplant you kept on your window sill when your phone rang with a call from Charlie.
You reached over to where your phone was sitting and put it on speaker, answering it. "Charlie! Hi. How was the flight?" You asked him as you inspected the brown, dried leaf in your hand.
You could hear Charlie sigh in relief just to hear your voice.
"Hi, sweetheart. I'm glad I could get a hold of you." Charlie said gently. As if you had anything else to do besides wait to talk to him.
"The flight was...fine." He told you. You could hear that he was in the car, phone hooked up to the speakers so that he didn't have to use his hands to touch his phone.
"Just fine?" You asked with a frown, gingerly touching the soil to judge if you should water it or not. Why did all of your plants die? It was so frustrating.
"Just fine," Charlie repeated, biting back a yawn. His fingers tapped impatiently against the steering wheel as he found himself in traffic. "It's fucking hot here though. Sunny too. I can barely see where I'm driving."
"Well, be careful." You said wiping your hands on each other to rid your skin of the soil that collected there. You could hear a long honk and then Charlie grunting in frustration. "Do you want to wait to call me when you get to where you're going?"
"I'll be with Henry." He explained to you.
"Oh, okay." You mumbled, turning the speaker option off so that you could hold the phone to your ear instead.
It wasn't a big deal. Charlie would be with his son so he didn't want to talk on the phone. It made sense and you agreed with the choice. But you couldn't help but wonder if that was a look into what was to come for the both of you: Because of Henry, there needed to be distance.
"I have to pick him up then tote him around to all the local lawyers until I find one that's right for me. It's not exactly how I want to spend our father-son time." Charlie said bitterly, the sound of his blinker apparent as he switched lanes.
"I know," You frowned, taking a seat on the edge of your bed. "It's not fair how they dropped this on you. But Henry won't understand what's going on, not really. He'll just be glad to see you. Take him to get lunch or something first. Ice cream too. He'll be fine."
Charlie took a deep breath as he considered that. "Thank you. I know. I hope so, at least." He said, trailing off. He swallowed hard. "God, I wish you were here. Do you know how much more relaxed I'd be if you were in the passenger seat next to me?"
Your heart ached. You'd do anything to be there too. You imagined the way you'd reach your hand over and soothingly run your fingers through the back of his hair, against his scalp, as he drove. You'd rub his shoulders and crook of his neck, reminding him everything would work out fine.
"You say that now but then I'd start playing my music too loud or I'd need to stop before we get there to go pee and you'd regret asking me to come with you." You smirked, trying to lighten the mood.
Charlie laughed at that, a genuine one. "I know you'll think I'm being facetious but I'd do anything to stop at a shitty gas station to let you use the restroom right now. That's how badly I wish you were with me."
"Aw, Charlie..." You sighed, "Don't make me sad. I'm already mourning the loss of Earl."
You could almost hear the gears turning in Charlie's head. "Wait, what? Who's Earl? I-um... Honey, I'm so sorry. Did someone pass away?" He asked, suddenly feeling like the worst boyfriend in the world for forgetting something like that.
"Yeah. My plant." You answered him, "The one in the cute blue pot that I keep on the window by my bed. I woke up this morning and he was fried. I think I forgot to water him and we had all that sun yesterday."
If you were able to see the look on Charlie's face, you would've cried with laughter at how dumbfounded he was. "Jesus Christ. Your plant." He said, a tone mixed with disappointment and relief. "You scared me. I thought it was your grandfather or someone."
You laughed, feeling guilty even if you hadn't meant to do it. "Sorry."
"Don't be," Charlie murmured, a grin on his lips despite the rollercoaster of emotion you just put him through.
You glanced over at the plant and the calendar that was hanging on the wall beside it. You mumbled a cuss word under your breath.
"What was that?" Charlie asked, unable to hear what you said.
"I said, 'shit'." You answered honestly.
"'Shit'? Why?" Charlie asked, switching lanes yet again, trying to get in the fastest lane.
"It's nothing." You deflected, feeling guilty to even bring it up. A moment of silence passed. "I just realized you'll be in LA for Halloween."
It was something that Charlie discovered as well before he left. He had to make a quick pit stop by the theater to pick up the costumes he had made for him and Henry on his way to the airport.
"I know," Charlie said apologetically. "I was looking forward to spending it with you."
"It's okay." You assured him, not wanting him to feel bad. "It's a lot better that you can be with Henry.
There were a few moments of silence that passed between you two.
"We can celebrate when I get back." Charlie offered to you, smiling sheepishly. "We can both pick out a scary movie to watch, get some candy...I'll even knock on your door and pretend to 'trick or treat' if it would make you happy." He smirked slightly at the thought of him doing that.
You grinned and let your back hit your mattress, lying down on it. "That does sound nice."
"Let's get you a few costumes too, hm? You have to dress up." Charlie suggested with a hint of mischief coming through in his tone. "I think you'd make a really cute little kitten. Maybe a naughty school girl too. What do you think?"
You liked the idea of Charlie picking out what to dress you up in. "Whatever my director thinks is best." You told him with a giggle.
Charlie groaned with a laugh, shaking his head. "I should not be horny while sitting in traffic. You're ridiculous. I can never keep up with you."
"I'm ridiculous? You brought it up." You argued with a laugh.
Charlie laughed at that. He always did that, worked the two of you up during a time that wasn't appropriate. He was usually so practical but when it came to wanting you, all of that went out of the window. Clearly, this was true, considering the predicament the two of you were in.
"Oh, look. Honey? My GPS says I'm four minutes away. I should probably let you go so I don't miss my turn." Charlie said distractedly, glancing over his shoulder to see if there were any opportunities for him to get in the next lane.
"Sure," You said. You would never admit it but you were disappointed to say goodbye. You knew that once he picked up Henry, it could be days until you heard from him again depending on how busy he was.
"I love you so much. I'll call you tonight." Charlie told you. "Fuck. I really wish you were here."
You ignored his last statement, not wanting him to dwell on the things that you couldn't change."I love you, Charlie. Have fun today." You said as you sat back up in bed. "It'll all be okay. I promise."
As the two of you hung up and ended the call, you sighed in realization.
You missed him already.
A few hours later, as you attempted to clean up your apartment, your phone rang again.
You set down the rag you had in your hand and walked over to your couch where your phone was sitting on the coffee table. The phone number on the screen wasn't saved as a contact in your phone.
You rolled your eyes. Probably a scam or wrong number.
You were going to silence the ringer so that you could easily ignore it but then you thought about the different possibilities.
The area code looked unfamiliar too. What if it belonged to California? What if Charlie was trying to get a hold of you on a different number? Your mind went to the worst possible case scenarios.
You picked up the phone with a sigh and pressed answer. You'd beat yourself up about it if you didn't at least know who it was.
"Hello?" You asked curiously.
"Hi." A voice replied on the other end.
It was familiar but you couldn't place it right away.
"It's Nicole." The voice explained, causing a rush of panic to run through your body.
You opened your mouth to speak but no words came out. You had no idea what to say and you were having a hard time even wrapping your head around the fact that she was calling you in the first place.
"I know, I'm sorry. This is very awkward for me too." Nicole explained, able to somehow detect the anxiety in your silence.
She had a feeling that you wouldn't have answered her call if it came from her number since you had to save it to discuss babysitting details before. So she dialed your number on her mom's.
You hadn't seen or spoken to her since she found out about you and Charlie.
"Oh. Hi." You said, feeling stupid for such an inarticulate response. You sunk on the couch underneath you, needing something steady with how much your legs were shaking.
"I wanted to get a hold of you because I wanted to ask you..." Nicole trailed off, unsure how to sum up exactly what she was asking. "Well, I guess it would be a favor. I want to know if you'll do me a favor. Not just for me, but for my family too."
You felt like you could puke. You glanced over at your bathroom door. No, hold it together, you told yourself. "Uh. Okay. Well....What is it?"
Nicole took a moment to consider how to ask it. Then, finally, "I think you should come to LA." She said, "While Charlie's here."
"Come to LA? Like... Now?" You asked and internally beat yourself up for being so slow about this. You were just caught off guard and you were scared to say the wrong thing.
"Yes," Nicole said. She didn't blame your shock. She would've felt the same way if you had been the one to unexpectedly call her. "I talked to Charlie about the two of you. Briefly, but we talked. He says that the two of you are serious and there aren't any plans to end the relationship."
Your stomach twisted at that. Of course, the two of them had talked about you, it would be impossible for them not to. But as you imagined the things that Charlie and Nicole said about you in the heat of the moment made you nervous.
You didn't respond to her. You were glad to hear that Charlie was just as committed to you as you were to him but you also felt guilty to know that Nicole was aware of it. This might have been the most uncomfortable phone call you'd ever been involved in.
"The process of this divorce is a lot more complicated than I expected... The lawyers, the fees, all of it." Nicole explained. "I'm trying to control what I can and I just thought if we all met and discussed the future, we could come to an agreement or... I don't know."
You let her talk as you thought it over.
She sighed in frustration. "I'm just going to be honest, there's no use in me talking around what I want to say."
"Okay," You urged her to continue, scared to hear what it is that she wanted to say.
"I can't even put into words how hurt and embarrassed I am that this happened," Nicole explained, letting herself speak freely. "But it did happen and just like everything else in this divorce, we just have to keep moving forward. If you and Charlie plan to stay together then there needs to be some discussion about how that's going to look."
You leaned back against the couch, running a hand over your face.
"I want to know how involved Henry will be if he's going to be spending time with the two of you or with just Charlie. I need to know if you'll be coming with him to LA when he visits, if he'll bring you with him on Christmas and birthdays..." She trailed off, realizing how many small details were involved in this and becoming overwhelmed.
"Nicole," You interrupted her gently. You felt terrible. "I understand but I don't know if I'm the best person to ask. I mean, Charlie would probably be a better help than I am."
"It can't just be Charlie," Nicole told you, almost sympathetically. "This is your life too, you deserve to have a say. I want to hear from you. I want... I just want to make this work."
You instantly softened. For so long you viewed Nicole as the enemy. You were scared of her finding out and you felt like she was the only thing holding you back from being with Charlie. Right now, hearing the exhaustion in her voice, you saw her for what she was. You wanted to help her, it was the least you could do.
"I need to make sure we're all on the same page for Henry's sake. He knows who you are. He loves you, he always talks about you. If you're around, he's going to know. If you and Charlie are serious, you can't hide from him." Nicole said, her voice slightly bitter. "And to be honest, for selfish reasons, I think I deserve some sort of closure."
"I agree," You told her softly, defeated. "But coming to LA... That's a lot. I don't know."
"Just... think about it, okay? I looked up flights and you could come out here in two days. There's a direct flight then." Nicole explained to you. Her tone made it sound like she was begging you.
"I'll think about it." You answered her.
"Charlie doesn't know about this, by the way," Nicole added, slightly embarrassed. "I knew he'd try to talk me out of calling you and I wanted to do this for myself."
"Okay." You said lamely, at a complete loss of what to say to her. You wanted to end this call so badly.
"Let me know what you decide. You can call me on this phone or mine, it doesn't matter." Nicole said, clearly feeling the awkwardness as much as you were. "Thanks for considering it." She added before hanging up the phone.
You dropped your phone on the couch cushion beside you with an audible exhale. "Fuck," You mumbled, feeling tears of embarrassment and frustration prick at the back of your eyes.
You didn't disagree with anything that Nicole said but it hadn't been easy to hear. It had been difficult to hear her voice in general. She was correct in pointing out the fact that from this point on, the situation was going to be moving at a quick pace.
She and Charlie's relationship was changing rapidly and by being with him, you needed to be involved in these changes. You were no longer just the woman on the side. Regardless of how you two started the relationship, you were Charlie's girlfriend now. You were part of this family.
You sat with your eyes closed, thinking about it, for what felt like hours.
It seemed like such a bad idea to go but you wondered what the consequences would be if you told Nicole 'no'. Would it just make her more upset with you? It would be nice to be civil with her and you didn't want her to resent you more than she already did.
But Charlie would hate the idea. You didn't want to upset him either.
You glanced at your phone. You knew that he was going through a lot right now. He was spending much-needed time with Henry and maybe even speaking with a lawyer right now. You didn't have the heart to call him and give him yet another thing to stress about.
You'd have to decide on your own.
Nicole was right. This was your life too.
Thinking back to the conversation, you realized that you agreed with Nicole about something else too: You both just wanted to make this work.
Your eyes narrowed at the table in front of you, noticing what seemed to be a little piece of trash on the surface of it. How did you miss that when you'd been cleaning?
You reached forward and picked it up. It dawned on you. It was the fortune that had been inside of the cookie when you had dinner with Charlie, a few days ago.
Turning the strip of paper over, your eyes widened as you remembered what was written on it:
'Follow what you love'
Right then, you knew what you had to do.
You needed to follow what you loved. You needed to follow Charlie.
You were going to LA.