You didn't think about how strange this situation was until you sat down on the plane.
It was easy to convince yourself that you were visiting Charlie from across the country just because you missed him and wanted to spend time with him.
But in actuality, you were going to see Charlie because his wife called you and asked you to do so.
When the sweet, older woman who was sitting next to you on the airplane, asked why you were going to LA, you told her: "I'm going to see my boyfriend."
And when she said: "Oh, good for you. I'm sure he'll be thrilled to see you. Long distance relationships are so difficult" you didn't have the heart to explain the real situation to her.
The situation was so odd and unexpected for you, that you weren't sure how to even bring it up to Charlie. You spoke to him for a total of maybe an hour since he landed in LA because all of his time was dedicated to being with Henry.
You didn't mind it, even if you missed him, you wanted him to take the time to reconnect with his son. From the brief time you discussed how his trip was going with him, you were able to pick up on the fact that it was a shit show for him. It was impossible to find a decent lawyer and he felt like he was drowning.
At the end of your last phone call that took place the night before, you casually asked him how he'd feel if you came to LA:
"That would make me extremely happy," Charlie answered, not taking your question as serious, assuming you'd never do it. "I'd probably drop on the ground and kiss your feet because I'd be so thankful to see you."
You laughed, then got back to business. "But what if I did? I was looking at flights and-"
"Honey, that's alright. Really. It's a mess here and I wouldn't want to bring you into that." Charlie replied with.
Before you could explain the conversation that you had with Nicole, he was quickly whispering into the phone that Henry woke up from hearing the phone call, and he needed to put him back to bed.
You knew you could've sent him a text immediately after to explain the situation and to tell him that you were coming to visit him but then you thought about the possibility of surprising him.
You could almost hear the deep, shocked laughter leaving his chest and see the giant grin on his face that would accompany you showing up unannounced in LA and you couldn't help yourself.
Nicole was the one that brought up the fact that if you wanted to stay in Charlie's life, then all of you were going to have to coordinate to make it work. You couldn't keep going with your relationship with Charlie while treating it like it was a secret.
It wasn't a secret anymore.
You wanted to do things that real girlfriends would do, like getting on a plane just to see him.
You were tired of being the other woman.
You just wanted to be Charlie's.
You haven't been to airports very often. Before you moved to New York, it had been almost ten years since you'd gone on a plane. You didn't go on many vacations growing up and once you started making money on your own to pay for getaways, you focused on college instead.
You'd only made a few errors when you arrived at the LA airport. You chose the wrong bathroom, the one with the longest line because it was the closest to the area where you got off of the plane. After that, you made a wrong turn and couldn't find the right baggage claim area to get your luggage.
But finally, you found the correct terminal and you waited with the rest of the crowd for your suitcase to make its way around the belt of bags.
There was a television screen that displayed that you were in the right spot for the plane that departed from New York. You smiled as you pulled your phone out of your purse and snapped a photo of it.
You decided to send it to Charlie, your way of telling him that you were in LA.
When you were both back in New York, Charlie usually took a while to respond if you weren't in an active conversation. You saw the way that he left his phone all over the theater at work when he got distracted. It took hours to get a simple text back when he got caught up in something.
But somehow, after getting that photo from you, he replied instantly.
Your phone rang in your hand, alerting you that Charlie was calling you.
You giggled briefly before holding your phone up to your ear, answering it. "Yes?" You asked him in a sing-song voice, the excitement clear in the tone.
"Sweetheart," Charlie hummed, nervous and almost cautious. "I think I'm going crazy. I just opened that photo you sent and I must be looking at it wrong."
You grinned, keeping your eyes on the moving parade of luggage, making sure you didn't miss yours going by. "Well, what does it look like, Charlie?" You asked him innocently.
You could hear the frustrated chuckle leave his lips, the slight pause as he attempted to compose himself. "Well, honey, it looks like you just got off of a plane from New York. And if I'm really looking at it, it seems like you might even be at LAX."
"Well..." You trailed off, letting him fill in the dots. You were used to him doing thoughtful and unexpected things with you, you enjoyed it being the other way around.
"Well, what?" Charlie asked quickly and if you couldn't hear the grin in his voice, you might even think that he was angry with you.
"Well, I just got off of a plane from New York. And I'm at LAX." You told him, giggling excitedly as you said so, standing on your toes to see over the shoulders of the person in front of you.
"Don't lie about something like that," Charlie said, scared to be let down if you were joking. Nothing on this trip was going well for him. It was a giant shitshow. The idea of seeing you seemed too good to be true.
"I'm not lying, I promise. I wanted to surprise you." You told him, ignoring the way that a few people around you were eavesdropping, finding the conversation you were having to be interesting.
There were a few short moments of silence before you heard Charlie's laugh ring out through the speaker. It brought an instant smile to your face. "I feel like I'm dreaming." He said, in between thrilled chuckles.
"You're awake. I hope so, at least." You smirked. You then squeezed past people, seeing your suitcase coming by on the moving belt. You mumbled an 'excuse me' as you did so, keeping your phone by your ear.
Even as you huffed out a small grunt while picking up your luggage and squeezing back through the crowd, you could hear the way that Charlie was moving around on the other end. You could hear him mumbling to himself in the way that he did every time he left the house, patting his pockets to make sure he didn't forget anything.
"I hope you didn't call an Uber, angel girl. I'm leaving right now to get you. There's gonna be traffic but it shouldn't take long. Is that alright? Can you wait for me?" Charlie asked you, the sound of keys jingling in the background.
It was a simple question, he was just being polite. He wanted to know if you were willing to wait a few minutes for him to show up or if you wanted to just call a car to come to get you now instead.
But really, it was silly for him to even ask. Of course, you would wait for him. You'd been waiting for him the entire time that you two started sneaking around. A half an hour or so was no big deal.
"I'll wait for you." You assured him, wheeling your suitcase away from the people who were still attempting to grab their own. "Don't try to rush and go too fast. Drive safe, I don't mind if it takes a while." You told him, just picturing the way that he was going to attempt to zoom in between lanes, cursing the entire time.
Charlie laughed on the other end. You could hear his hotel room door shut and could tell that he was now walking from the way you could pick up on the slightest sound of his breathing becoming louder. "Don't tell me what to do, little girl." He mumbled, not wanting anyone around him to hear.
You swallowed hard, skin heating up with a breathless chuckle. You hadn't been away from him for very long but hearing him say that felt like the first time again considering how new your surroundings were. "I wasn't." You pouted, moving towards an empty area.
"Aw," Charlie grinned, feeling slightly guilty now. "I know. Look, do you want to stay on the phone with me while I drive, or do you want me to give you a call when I'm close?" He asked, getting into the car with a grunt.
"You can call me when you're close. I'm going to sit at the bar and get a drink while I wait." You said, the eagerness clear in your voice. It was exciting to be alone in a new city, you wanted to experience everything. Even shitty mixed drinks at an airport bar.
"Be careful," Charlie warned you, starting the car. "Make sure you keep your bags close to you and don't be afraid to tell people to fuck off if they sit too close. You know to watch your drink, right?"
You rolled your eyes affectionately. "I'll be alright, Charlie. I'll see you soon, okay?"
"Okay, sweetheart. I'm on my way." Charlie told you, hanging up the phone with a giant grin on his face. It was such a relief to know that you were near him.
It was about forty minutes later when Charlie called you to tell you that he was waiting in the visitor lot and he'd start walking up to the exit to meet you halfway.
It was crowded there, which was no surprise. You had to keep apologizing as you navigated through the people, trying your best not to knock your suitcase into their ankles or trip on it yourself.
There were so many distractors as you walked that you almost missed him. Charlie was standing on the outside of the crowd on the sidewalk with his hands on his hips and eyes narrowed as he searched the group of people for you.
You were sure that there were things about you that made you look like a tourist that you weren't even aware of. But surrounded by people in short-shorts and tank tops, Charlie stuck out like a sore thumb. It didn't look like he was from here at all, because he wasn't and he had no urge to be here for longer than he needed to be.
Charlie was wearing a dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, light-colored, and buttoned with a white undershirt beneath it. He had on his dress pants and his nice sneakers. He looked like he was still in New York in the Fall. It was adorable.
He didn't see you yet, still squinting into the crowd. He lifted his hand over his brow, attempting to shield himself from the sun beating down on him to aid in his vision.
You made your way towards him quickly with a big smile on your face.
Being able to see movement from the corner of his eye made Charlie turn in that direction. When he saw that it was you who was approaching him, his entire face lit up. "There you are!" He bellowed out.
Charlie opened up his arms and bent slightly, wordlessly telling you to hug him. You obliged, letting go of your suitcase when you were close to him and wrapping your arms tightly around his neck.
He hugged you close, standing up as he did so which caused him to lift you slightly from the ground. "Oh, sweetheart." Charlie sighed into your hair, rocking you in his arms as squeezed you. "You're here. I can't believe it."
If the two of you weren't in public, he would've held you this way for hours. It felt like home to have you in his arms again.
"I know," You hummed happily, planting brief little kisses all over his cheek as he set you back down onto the ground gently. "I missed you so much." You told him, staring up at home with wide eyes as he took a step back to look you over.
Charlie almost looked like he could cry, maybe he was trying not to. You thought it was endearing how blatantly he wore his heart on his sleeve and how he could somehow make any moment sentimental. It made every second you spent with him special.
The sidewalk around you started getting crowded so Charlie reached for your suitcase and put his other hand on your back, leading you towards the lot where he parked the car. "You have no idea how much I missed you."
The two of you smiled like idiots as you made your way to the car that Charlie was renting while he was here.
He handed you the keys. "Start the car for me and turn on the air to cool it off, please." He requested, rolling your luggage to the trunk of the car so he could put it away for you. You noticed how he tried to discreetly wipe sweat from his brow. He wasn't dressed for the weather, that was for sure.
You did as he said, letting the cool air blast as you settled into the passenger seat. It didn't take long for Charlie to join you, huffing as he sat down behind the wheel. "Thanks, honey." He murmured, adjusting the air vents to blow on him.
After a moment of fussing, he looked over at you with a big smile. His heart was pounding. Charlie leaned in towards you, putting a large and gentle hand on your cheek and pressing his lips against yours.
You made a noise as you kissed him back, leaning into his touch. The taste of his lips and tongue against yours instantly comforted you, a sense of familiarity after experiencing so much 'new' at once.
He pulled away after a few moments with a deep inhale. Charlie's hand stayed on your skin, running his thumb in a soothing motion. The tops of his cheeks were tinged with pink and you weren't sure if it was from happiness or the heat.
"I thought you were joking when you said you were thinking about coming out here. What changed?" He asked you softly, pieces of his hair blowing as he stared at you, a tender look in his eyes.
You took in how thrilled he was right now, how hopeful he was that your presence would turn this trip around. You didn't have the heart to tell him that the reason you were here is that Nicole requested it. You didn't even want to say her name right now in fear that it could ruin the blissful moment you were having with him.
"I wanted to see you." You told him simply. It wasn't a lie, just not the entire truth. "Besides, I refuse to spend Halloween alone." You added, keeping the lightness to the mood, chuckling.
Charlie laughed at that, the kind of laugh that lit up his entire body. It instantly brought butterflies to your stomach. "That's fair." He teased you, leaning so that he could kiss your forehead. He lingered there for a moment, nose buried in your hair.
You fluttered your eyes shut, taking in his cologne and the calming way his chest was rising and falling.
"Thank you." Charlie then mumbled, lips brushing against your forehead as he did so, only backing up enough so that you could understand him. "Thank you for coming out here. It means so much to me."
He meant that. Charlie couldn't recall the last time that someone surprised him just to make him happy. There were presents on holidays, sure. But nothing like this. He forgot that someone could love him enough to do this.
"Don't thank me." You said, eyes opening. You pulled away so you could look up at him. "This is for me just as much as it is for you. I'm just being selfish." You told him jokingly. You reached up and kissed him briefly, in between the chuckles that were leaving his chest.
You locked eyes with him and your smile faded into something more affectionate. "You're welcome. I'd do anything for you, Charlie. This is nothing." You told him with a sheepish smile. It was a sweet thing to say but the truth behind it made you slightly embarrassed to admit.
Charlie swallowed hard to hear that, breath hitching in his throat just slightly as he let the weight of that statement fall onto his shoulders. You were perfect. You were always so open with him and happy to be with him and he had no idea what he did to deserve someone like you.
"Okay, I need to get on the road before I get carried away." He muttered under his breath, clearing his throat slightly as he settled back into his seat, tugging at his seatbelt.
"Carried away with what?" You asked him, raising an eyebrow, putting your seatbelt on.
Charlie let out a short laugh, shaking his head as he glanced over his shoulder, a hand going to the back of your seat to steady him as he backed out from the spot, looking behind him. "You, sweetheart."
You grinned, looking ahead of you as he pulled out from the parking lot. The thought of his lips on yours again, pressing you against the door behind you made your heart flutter.
"Will you have Henry tomorrow?" You asked him after a few moments of focused silence as he made sure he was exiting the right way.
"Later in the night, yes." He answered you, switching lanes to merge back onto the road. He originally thought that he'd just join Nicole for the trick or treating but the situation was too awkward right now. Nicole's family didn't want to be around him.
Once he was in a secure spot, Charlie glanced over at you, "I brought those costumes but I don't think he's going to wear his."
"What?" You asked, confused. "The little Frankenstein one? It would be so cute."
"I know," Charlie sighed, shaking his head. His hands gripped the wheel in front of him. "He has some store-bought ninja costume that he's insisting on. We'll see. I think I can convince him once he sees me all dressed up."
You watched him for a second, taking in the way he seemed to deflate from his earlier happiness at the mention of his current troubles. "How's it been going with everything here?" You asked him quietly. You reached over and played with his hair, hoping to soothe him.
He hummed at the feeling, grateful for your touch. "It hasn't been fun," Charlie admitted. "None of this is going the way I anticipated. I thought me and Nicole were going to do this ourselves, without the lawyers and everyone else. But when I showed up here..." He shook his head, thinking about it.
You gave him a moment of silence to figure out his thoughts.
"I knew it wouldn't be easy and I knew that I was getting the shitty end of this but when I talk to Nicole, it doesn't feel like I'm talking to her. It just feels like she's telling me what Nora wants her to say." He said in a calm tone but it was clear that he was ranting, wanting to get all of this out.
"Who's Nora?" You asked him curiously.
"Her lawyer. She's a-" Charlie cut himself off, giving you a sheepish look. He wanted to call her a bitch but not in front of you. "She doesn't seem very fair, I'll just say that. She seems to be influencing Nicole a lot and it's making this hard for me."
Your motions of gently running your fingers through his hair paused. You thought back to the phone call that you had with Nicole. It seemed out of character for her to be so calm and level-headed about all of this when she suggested you come to LA.
Your stomach dropped at the thoughts you were having. If Nicole's lawyer was telling Nicole what to say to Charlie, how would you be any different?
"It's not important right now," Charlie said, breaking you from your spiraling worry.
You didn't respond, your mind reeling. You hoped that you didn't fuck up.
Charlie's fingers drummed against the steering wheel awkwardly. He assumed that he ruined the mood and he felt terrible for it. It wasn't fair for him to drop all of that on you the second that you got there, especially when the two of you had been so happy before.
"You know, I have an idea..." He broke the silence, merging over to the farthest right lane.
You glanced over at him, resuming your motions against his scalp. "Yeah?"
"Yeah," Charlie agreed. "Henry's at Nicole's sister's house tonight. Before I knew you were going to be here, I planned to sift through legal documents and drink some beer. I have no plans."
You nodded, eager to hear what else he had to say.
"Let's celebrate Halloween tonight, angel. Just the two of us. I'll pull off somewhere right now so we can get candy. We can order food and watch scary movies. How does that sound?" Charlie asked the same delighted smile on his face as earlier making its way back onto his lips.
Thinking about the possibility and finding his happiness contagious, your anxiety about Nicole slowly washed away. "I love you." You hummed, leaning over to press a kiss to his cheek, holding him in place with your hand on the back of his head.
Charlie let out another one of those laughs that you loved, low and affectionate. It was surreal to have you here. "I love you so fucking much."
You and Charlie spent the rest of the car ride to the store and then to the hotel, discussing the current situation. There was a lot to consider and neither of you fully understood the best way to navigate this.
Speaking with you about plans and concerns was a breath of fresh air for Charlie. When it came to matters with Nicole and the lawyers, he felt like he was always speaking to a brick wall. It was impossible to get his opinion heard, it always felt pointless.
But with you, even when you disagreed, there was a level of respect there. You two loved each other enough to speak kindly even when you were confused or upset.
Charlie appreciated it so much.
The two of you weren't sure how to handle everything but you came up with the following conclusions:
Charlie would wait to tell Henry that you were there until he discussed it with Nicole, you would stay at the same hotel as Charlie but in a different room, and you and Charlie would split the cost of your room (Because you refused to let him pay for all of it).
So far, this was easy... Right?
After spending so much time pretending that Charlie was only your boss and nothing more, it felt extremely strange to be openly affectionate in public.
As the two of you stood at the front desk in the hotel lobby, you jumped when Charlie put his hand on your waist, forgetting that it was something that was allowed now.
"Did I scare you?" Charlie murmured in amusement, glancing down at you, squeezing at your side gently.
"Yes," You chuckled, leaning your cheek against his arm.
"Looks like we have a standard king bedroom on the third floor available. Is that alright?" The hotel desk worker said to you, typing things into her keyboard.
"Sure," You shrugged, reaching for your purse to begin getting out your wallet.
"Standard king?" Charlie asked, thinking about it. He let go of your waist, allowing you to reach in your purse. "How much more is the suite?" He asked, turning his attention to the worker.
"I don't need that," You assured him, touching his arm briefly to get his attention.
"Fifty dollars a night." The woman said, after clicking around on the screen to find her answer.
"No thanks," You replied with a small sigh.
"You want that, honey. It'll feel more comfortable." Charlie said to you gently, "It has the couch and extra space. You'll like it."
In all honesty, your financial situation was beginning to scare you. If you keep living off of an unpaid internship, unable to make the money you previously did from babysitting, you wouldn't be able to afford your apartment for much longer.
You'd been smart throughout high school and college (or maybe anxious enough) to save almost every penny that you made. You had a lot in savings but not that much. You knew when you got back to New York, you'd have to find a new job as well as the internship.
"I can't afford it." You mumbled to him, embarrassed to admit it in front of this stranger.
Charlie's face fell. Sometimes he got caught up in his troubles and he forgot how much you were going through. You were a young girl on your own in a new city, living off of the money you'd saved your whole life and the small amount of money he gave you for babysitting.
You relied on him in so many ways. Just like he relied on you.
"I appreciate it but I just need a bed and a bathroom." You told him quietly, not wanting the worker to eavesdrop too much on the conversation.
"Are you sure?" Charlie asked, running a hand in your hair, down to in between your shoulder blades. He rubbed you there gently. "I can pay for the extra."
"I'm sure," You shrugged, handing the woman behind the counter your driver's license and credit card. "I don't need extra space. Fuck the space." You told him with a grin, standing on your toes to kiss his cheek.
Charlie laughed, eyes twinkling down at you. After being told over and over again about how great LA was because of the space it provided, he couldn't agree more. He was so tired of hearing about it and even if you weren't aware of that, he was comforted by the fact that you agreed.
"Fuck the space, sweetheart." Charlie agreed smugly with a nod, patting your back gently.
Opening up your suitcase, inside of your standard king bedroom (not a suite), your skin heated up as you looked over the contents. You almost forgot what you brought with you.
Charlie was in his room, on the other end of the hall. You told him that you just wanted a few moments to unpack and shower to get ready for the night. Charlie had some phone calls to make anyway so he didn't mind giving you alone time.
A few weeks ago, when shopping around after work one day, you saw something that caught your attention: a Halloween costume. But it wasn't just any Halloween costume. The second that you saw it, you instantly thought of Charlie.
It was a white lingerie set. You weren't sure who would have the courage to wear it anywhere outside of the bedroom but you knew that it probably wasn't made to be worn in public.
The bra was covered in lace, with delicate straps and a bow in the area between the breasts. The bottoms of the set were thin and made of the same material as the top. The costume came with thigh-high socks and garters that were attached to a belt. The items that made it a costume were the white feathered wings and the headband with a halo attached.
You knew that he'd lose his mind if he saw you dressed up as quite literally; Charlie's angel.
When you bought it, you assumed that Charlie would be in New York for Halloween. You envisioned putting it on in the comfort of your apartment after getting some liquid courage from the bottle of wine that you always had sitting in your fridge.
Now, in a new environment and in a situation that put you on edge itself, the idea of wearing this seemed a lot more daunting.
You picked it up from your luggage, laying it out on the bed in front of you. It was gorgeous. You knew that Charlie would love it.
You sighed, a smile slowly forming on your lips. You knew you had to surprise him with it. His reaction would be too cute.
An hour or so later, there was a knock at your door.
"Happy Halloween!" You heard Charlie ring out from the other side in a goofy voice.
You giggled softly, moving from your spot on the edge of the hotel bed to the door. You paused at the mirror to look yourself over. You had the angel costume on and although you doubted yourself at times, you had to admit that you liked the way that you looked right now.
You adjusted your hair and the straps on your shoulders, giving yourself a look of approval before walking to the door.
You opened the door just a small crack and poked your head out slightly, not enough for him to see the halo or anything else that you were wearing. "Hi," You told him excitedly, looking him over.
Charlie chuckled, narrowing his eyes in concentration. He shifted on his feet in hopes to see the inside of the room better. "Hi," He replied slowly. He was curious why you barely had your door open and why you weren't instantly letting him in.
"What's the password?" You asked him, smirking in amusement.
Charlie's grin grew larger, wrinkles forming around his eyes and mouth. "Hmm," He pretended to think about it. "Trick or treat?" He guessed, eyebrows raising happily.
Your smile matched his. You glanced down, taking in the way that he was wearing more comfortable clothes than he was in earlier. A plain white t-shirt and soft pants. "Your shoe's untied." You said simply.
Charlie blinked in confusion and glanced down. The shoes were tied. "No, they- Oh." He smirked brightly, locking eyes with you again. "Was that my trick?" He asked, realizing. He laughed, filled with affection from this entire interaction.
"Mhm," You nodded, chuckling. You drummed your fingers against the inside of the door, grinning up at him. "Do you want a treat too?"
Charlie nodded, running a hand through his hair, trying to peer inside again. "If you're going to give me candy, I'll take one of the Snickers." He told you, thinking over the options that were inside the mixed bag you picked out together.
"Not candy." You told him in a sing-song voice. You carefully shut the door so that you could scurry back over to the edge of the bed and sit down on it. You fussed with your outfit, making sure that it still looked good as you sat.
Charlie waited patiently from the other side of the door, smirking softly as he waited for you to tell him to come inside or to open the door again.
"Come in," You called out, your heart speeding up at the fact that he was about to see you in the little outfit that you had on. You swallowed hard, watching the way that the door handle turned as Charlie opened it and entered the room.
"So, I don't get any Snickers, or-" Charlie's teasing rant was instantly stopped when he saw what you were wearing. "Oh." He said lamely, mouth hanging open, eyes practically popping out of his head.
You didn't say anything smart-ass in response even though you usually would be too caught up in the way that he was staring at you. Your heart was fluttering, under the scrutiny of his stare.
"I wanted to dress up for Halloween." You told him with a growing smile.
Charlie was speechless. He moved closer to you, his steps careful, approaching you in awe. You didn't seem real. You were too perfect.
You stood up from the bed, letting him see the full outfit, the way that the fabric clung to your body and accentuated the parts of it that you wanted it to. You slowly spun around, wanting him to see the little wings that you were part of the costume and the way the panties showed off your curves.
Before you could turn back around to face him, Charlie's large hands covered your shoulders, stopping you. He squeezed into your muscle just slightly, without even meaning to, not wanting you to move.
You took in a sharp intake of breath, always caught off guard when he was demanding with you, even if he wasn't saying a word.
You felt him shift behind you, the fabric of his t-shirt against the bare skin on your back. His hair brushed against the crook of your neck as he bent down. "Look at you," Charlie murmured, voice coming out in a groan.
"Do you like it?" You asked with butterflies in your throat. "Charlie's angel." You said with a grin, giggling breathlessly. You attempted to look up at him but Charlie's hand went to your throat, holding you in place looking straight ahead.
"I fucking love it, sweetheart," Charlie grunted, his thumb ghosting over your chin while the rest of his hand kept his gentle grip on your throat. He brought another hand to your waist, moving slowly down until he was cupping the curve of your ass.
You let out a quiet whimper, arching against him. He was so tall and commanding, it was easy for you to feel completely under his control.
"So pretty." Charlie sighed. His eyes traveled up and down your body, from the angle that he was at, able to see everything from above you. His fingers found their way inside of your panties from behind, palm against your ass as his fingers grazed against your wetness.
You gasped at the contact, feeling the way that his fingers slipped past your outer lips, parting them open so he could slip his middle finger inside, not entering you but hovering outside of your entrance.
"You're already wet for me." Charlie moaned, "I really am in heaven, aren't I?" He teased though his voice was serious. There was nothing else he could ask for right now.
You attempted to squirm against him, wanting more from his touch. "I'm always wet for you." You told him with a faint smile, eyes fluttering shut as you focused on the way that he was touching you.
Charlie groaned, grinning as he took both hands away from you, leaving you feeling naked and empty. "Get on the bed." He instructed you, smacking your ass gently and pointing over your shoulder to the mattress in front of you.
You did as he said, crawling onto the bed eagerly. You laid back on the sheets and stared up at him expectantly, eyes wide as you watched the way that he palmed his cock from the outside of his pants as he stared back at you.
"You look so good. I almost want to take some pictures of you." Charlie said with a slight smirk, testing the idea out with you cautiously.
It was a concept that his mind went to often with you. He was always thinking about making moments cinematic and how he would direct instances of art in his real life, you were no different.
He never wanted to bring it up before because it was too risky. He couldn't have any photos of you connected to him, that would be concrete evidence. But now that your relationship was all out in the open when it came to Nicole, it was less of a threat.
You considered it. You glanced at your phone sitting on the nightstand beside you.
"I was just teasing, I-" Charlie began talking but you cut him off, reaching for your phone.
"We can take them on my phone." You offered, handing it over to him.
Charlie was surprised, eyebrows raising as he slowly took your phone. It was comical how much smaller it looked inside of his grip compared to yours, like a toy. "Are you sure?"
You nodded. "I'd like it. I've spent so much time as your intern but you've never directed me before." You told him with a hint of mischief.
Back home, at Exit Ghost, it was often hard for you to control yourself when you watched Charlie fulfill his role of director. He was so confident in what he wanted and firm when he explained how to achieve it. It was hot. You'd be lying if you said you never fantasized about being on the receiving end of it.
Charlie grinned, aware of the blood rushing straight to his erection at your words. He could see the twinkle in your eye and it was adorable. "You're a bad girl, aren't you? I don't think you deserve to wear that halo."
You laughed, running a hand up the side of your body, through your hair, until you reached the thin headband that had the halo attached to it. "Should I take it off, director? Is that what you're saying?" You asked with fake innocence.
Charlie swallowed hard, jaw tensing at that. If you wanted to play this little game, he was more than willing to participate. He motioned you towards him without any words, just a stern look in his eyes and a wag of his finger to come closer.
You crawled towards him on the bed, keeping eye contact. It took everything in you not to move directly to where the material of his pants was tented outwards, mouth-watering at the sight of it.
When you were close enough, Charlie bent over with a hand on the mattress to steady himself, making eye contact almost at the same level as you. He reached a hand forward and carefully pulled the halo off of your head, keeping his eyes locked on yours as he did so.
"As cute as these are, I think they need to go too." He said, running his fingers along the tops of the small wings you were wearing. "It wouldn't make much sense for an angel to act like such a naughty little girl."
You sighed happily, loving the way that he was speaking to you. You knew he sometimes held back when it came to dirty talk, always worried about taking it too far or treating you in a way that you might perceive as disrespectful. You loved it when he let go and enjoyed himself.
"If that's what you want, Mr.Barber." You smiled, staring up at him as you shrugged the winged part of the costume off, leaving you only in the lingerie aspects of it now.
Charlie moaned out loud to hear you say that. When you first met him, you had such a difficult time calling him anything but Mr.Barber. It was adorable.
He glanced down at you before turning his attention back to your phone in his hand, pressing down on the camera icon on the screen. He took a deep breath, a smile on his lips. "You're sure you're okay with this?"
You nodded, "I'm sure." You assured him. To let him know that you were serious, you scooted back on the bed, giving him a better view of you and the outfit. "How do you want me, daddy?" You asked him, waiting for his instructions.
Charlie's hand instantly went to his cock, needing some sort of relief from the aching he felt instantly after you asked him that. He throbbed against his palm, catching his breath. "Fuck, just like that. Show me how pretty you are."
You listened to him, leaning back on your hands and staring up at him with wide eyes. You watched as he angled the camera a certain way, making sure it was how he wanted it. Suddenly, you felt a bit shy, wondering what he was thinking as he stared at your body through the screen.
"You're beautiful." Charlie breathed, "I can't believe you're mine."
To hear that, a genuine smile spread onto your lips and it was then that Charlie snapped the photo. It felt like a weight was lifted off of your chest, getting the first one out of the way made you more confident. That wasn't so bad.
"Oh, it looks so good, sweetheart," Charlie said, glancing back at the photo before pulling the camera up again. "Come here this time. On your hands and knees. I wanna see your perfect ass."
You were taken back by his request but felt a warm sensation pool in your stomach, arousal and excitement. You obeyed him, moving into a position as if you were going to crawl towards him. Instead of moving though, you arched your back, sticking your ass in the air.
"Oh my god," Charlie said, almost in a deep whine. He bent down slightly, switching perspectives. "Don't move. Look up at me." He instructed you, "Yeah, just like that. Good girl. You look so gorgeous."
Charlie snapped a few more photos with you in this position, moving around the bed, getting the pose from different viewpoints. He couldn't get enough. He spent so much time admiring you that it was satisfying to capture it on film like he was creating something from your beauty.
When he moved back to the front of the bed, you felt bold from all of his praise and compliments. You crawled towards him, looking up at him, giggling when you saw him still taking photos. It was like he was hypnotized by you from the other side of the camera.
You got close enough to him that you were right in front of where his cock was pressing against his pants, the outline of his length evident from the thin fabric. You bit your lip slightly, unable to stop yourself from leaning up and running your tongue along his hardness, leaving a wet spot on his pants from your mouth.
Charlie had been so caught up in taking your picture that he didn't stop right away, he kept taking photos of you, teasing him through his pants. When he realized, he hesitated, looking at you over your phone. "You're fucking bad."
"Am I?" You asked with fake innocence, nuzzling your face against his cock, keeping your eyes on his.
Charlie was filled with a rush of adrenaline. It was one thing to take pictures of you, a beautiful girl in lingerie, but he felt like it was something completely different if he were in the shot as well.
It wasn't what it was about. He wanted to admire you, not himself.
Charlie gently gripped your hair and tugged, pulling you away from him, "Ah, ah." He tsked under his breath. You gasped in surprise but the moan that left your lips afterward let him know that it was out of approval, not pain.
"Really fucking bad. I didn't tell you to do that, did I? I thought you were going to listen to your director, baby." He scolded you with a smirk, pleased by the way your hips were squirming as he held your hair between his fingers.
He let go of your hair and pushed you back against the bed, chuckling slightly at the way you whined as your shoulders hit the mattress. Charlie moved onto the bed, joining you, sliding you upwards on the mattress as he did so. He spread your thighs, settling between them.
"Aw," Charlie grinned, putting a hand on your cheek. He ran his thumb over your bottom lip that you were jutting out, pouting. "Don't be sad, honey. You're still daddy's angel, aren't you? You just like being a brat sometimes."
You nodded, parting your lips so that you could wrap your mouth around his thumb, sucking on it instead of pouting as if to show him that you could be an angel, after all.
Charlie grunted, the pad of his thumb running along your tongue. He held the phone steadily in his other hand, "I like you like this. So cute." He murmured, snapping a photo of you.
You felt heat rise to your skin, not expecting him to take your picture without a warning, especially in an intimate moment like that. The surprise was welcome though; it turned you on.
Charlie removed his thumb from your mouth and put two of his fingers against your tongue instead, his middle and ring finger. He continued to take photos of you as you sucked on them, looking up at him with doe eyes.
"Fuck. Look up at me, keep doing that." Charlie groaned, pushing them in farther in your mouth, stopping when he felt the way you tensed in discomfort. You put your hand on his wrist, holding him in place to let him know wordlessly that you weren't in pain. "Good girl."
He moved in slow, careful motions as he took his fingers out of your mouth and ran his hand down the center of your body, pinky dragging across your skin. Although he wasn't actively taking photos, Charlie stared at you through the screen of your camera, watching all of this as if it were a movie he was filming.
You let out a small noise when you felt his pinky nudge at the material of your white panties, pushing them to the side without losing any of the saliva that you gathered on his other fingers.
Charlie kept the camera trained on your face, staring at your expression through the screen as he carefully ran his fingers along your slit, stopping at your clit.
Your eyes fluttered shut in pleasure, mouth parting slightly. At this moment, you did look like an angel.
Charlie couldn't help himself from taking a photo, wanting to capture your moment of bliss forever. It was his favorite.
If you were more coherent, you might've been embarrassed or self-conscious about these pictures. But you knew that they were all on your phone. If you wanted to delete them when you were finished, you could do that. You wouldn't even have to look at them if you didn't want to, you could have Charlie get rid of them.
That fact put you at ease and how turned on it was making Charlie relaxed you as well.
Charlie continued to run his fingers over your clit, taking in all the ways you moved and moaned under his touch. "You trust your director, don't you? You know he'll take care of you." He asked you, his way of making sure you were still comfortable.
"Yes, daddy." You said breathlessly, moving your hips in time with his touch. "I trust you." You told him, genuine. You did trust him, with this, and with everything.
Charlie moaned, letting that wash over him. You trusted him. That meant so much to him and he didn't take that for granted. He never wanted to do anything to betray that.
He slowly took the same fingers that had been in your mouth a moment ago and lined them up with your entrance. You were soaking wet. Staring at you, he cautiously plunged his fingers inside of you.
"Oh," You gasped, your words breaking off into a moan of pleasure.
Charlie took another photo, from a different distance, trying new things out to see what he liked best. He always had a very particular vision. "You're so pretty. Prettiest little actress I've ever seen. I think we should make a movie together." He smirked.
You giggled, eyebrows knitted together in concentration from the way he was touching you.
This continued for a few moments, Charlie's fingers moving in and out while his thumb rubbed against your clit. All the while, he took pictures of you when he deemed it appropriate, taken back by how gorgeous you looked in every single one of them.
"I'm close." You sighed, eyes blinking open. The sight of your phone pointed in your direction made you freeze up just slightly. You'd been so caught up in the moment that you almost forgot about it entirely.
Charlie could sense that hesitancy and knew what you needed. He tossed the phone beside the two of you on the bed, getting rid of the option of him to capture the moment altogether.
As much as it turned you on to direct you, he wanted to be present with you right now. He wanted to give you everything you wanted.
"Go ahead. Cum for me." Charlie urged you softly. He curled his fingers upwards inside of you, learning by now exactly how you needed it to finish. He brought his now free hand down to your clit, touching you more deliberately than he'd been doing with just his thumb.
Your back lifted off from the mattress as you grabbed the sheets around you, gripping them as you came hard. You let out a symphony of gasps and moans, occasionally saying Charlie's name.
As you came back down to Earth, recovering, you barely processed the fact that Charlie was standing up from the bed. He pushed his pants off of his hips, along with his boxers. His cock stood fully erect, precum leaking down the side of it.
You whimpered at the sight of him almost naked. He was so gorgeous. If you thought he'd be okay with it, you would take photos of him in the same way he took them of you, admiring how attractive he was.
Charlie pumped his length a few times as he moved back onto the bed, grunting with each movement, concentrating on you.
"I need to be inside of you right now, sweetheart." He mumbled, "I fucking need it."
You nodded, spreading your legs for him. You went to take off your underwear, wanting to give him better access but Charlie made a sound of disapproval as you did so.
"Don't do that. Daddy didn't tell you to." Charlie said, moving between your legs and staring down at you. "Keep them on. They're so pretty on you. I love this costume. My angel girl."
You let out a shaky, desperate breath. You wanted him so badly. "Please," You murmured, begging for him without having the strength to use your words to tell him so.
"I know, I know." Charlie cooed, feeling just as hungry for it as you were. "It's okay, I'm right here."
He moved mindfully, making sure that the two of you were comfortable. Charlie pulled your underwear to the side, running his hand over his cock, gritting his teeth at the feeling. He could tell how much you were yearning for him and it made him throb.
Charlie removed his hand and instead rubbed the head of his cock against your folds, making both of you moan. "God," He grunted, coating himself in your wetness. He glanced up at you, keeping eye contact as he thrust inside of you, entering you with almost his full length.
You cried out and Charlie groaned similarly, watching the way it looked for his cock to disappear inside of you. "You're so tight." He gasped, moving his hips to begin to move in and out of you, shallow strokes. "I won't last long, honey. You're just-fuck. Y-you're just too perfect. I can't handle it."
You nodded, understanding. You hadn't lasted a long time either, the rush of him taking photos of you had worked you up before he even touched you, leaving you aching for him. You knew that he felt the same way.
Charlie continued to fuck you, his short and slow strokes becoming deeper and faster, unable to hold himself back from pounding into you as ferally as he wanted to.
In the back of his mind, he imagined how much he would enjoy it if he were recording the two of you right now. If he could set up a camera and record the two of you having sex, it would be like a dream for him.
He'd direct you the whole time, telling you which position to get into and reminding you of how beautiful you were. Charlie groaned at the thought of it, how amazing you'd look on camera while he bounced you up and down on top of him.
Spurred on by his filthy thoughts, Charlie grabbed your ankle as he bent over you, allowing him to thrust more wildly. "Legs on my shoulders, angel. Let me get deep inside of you."
You tried to catch your breath as you let him move your legs how he wanted them. He stopped the rocking of his hips as he positioned your calves on his shoulders. It moved your body into a different angle, allowing him to move forward and enter you entirely, his entire cock buried inside of you.
You locked eyes with him as you adjusted to his size. It would always shock you how large he felt like it was the first time every time.
"Oh, that feels so good. My good girl." Charlie whined, beginning to thrust his hips again, fucking you deeply. He pressed his forehead against yours as you wrapped an arm around his neck, pulling him down closer to you.
"Daddy," You whimpered, the feeling painful in the best way. "Don't stop. I like it like this." You told him softly, taking in sharp breaths with each time he pushed deeper inside of you.
Charlie nodded, moaning as he kissed you. His tongue and teeth ran along your lips, sloppy because he was more focused on the way he was fucking you instead of the way he was moving his lips against yours.
The two of you stayed in this position for quite a while, longer than Charlie thought he could last, in pure bliss. Now and then, he'd pull away from kissing you so that he could brush your noses together and whisper dirty and sweet things to you.
You could have sex with Charlie, all day, every day. It felt good, of course. But also, you craved it so much because it always made you feel connected to him. He wasn't afraid to show his emotions and he always let you know how he was feeling when you were making love.
It always made you feel like Charlie truly belonged to you.
Now that you didn't have to hide from Nicole, maybe he was yours.
The possibility made you cry out, pulling him even closer to you. "I love you." You whispered, needing him to hear how much affection that you had towards him, you couldn't keep all of it to yourself.
Charlie's pupils dilated, the lust in his brain forming into pure love as he stared into your eyes. He was close, he could feel it, wanting to cum inside of you to mark you as his. "I love you so much. So so much."
His thrusts became sloppier, the rhythm of them less predictable as he felt his orgasm approaching. "Right there. Fuck. I'm right-right there." Charlie groaned, lip trembling in concentration.
You nodded, fingertips digging into his back slightly, anticipating it. "Please." You begged him, wanting him to. When Charlie finished, it was always your favorite part. Even though it usually meant it was over, it also signaled to you that he was satisfied, which was what you loved.
Charlie moved a hand to the side of your face, balancing one arm against the mattress as he came, hard. He pressed his forehead against yours, breathing heavily and moaning your name over and over again.
The two of you stayed in that position for a while, catching your breath and reveling in the feeling of perfectly fitting together like a puzzle.
Charlie helped you move your legs into a more comfortable position, pulling out from you as he did so. His breath was coming in shakily as he massaged at your legs, soothing them after being in the same position for so long.
"Thank you for dressing up for me." He grinned lazily down at you, his hair falling into his eyes as he squeezed pleasingly at your muscles. He grew more serious, "And for trusting me."
You smiled, reaching up to him. "You're welcome. Come here, I'm okay." You assured him, not wanting him to think he had to keep massaging you after all of the work that he'd just done.
Charlie didn't listen right away, enjoying the way it felt to help ease your tension. But then as he took in how comfortable you looked laying back against the mattress in the way that you were, he decided to collapse beside you.
You rolled over, placing your head on his chest and wrapping an arm around him.
He put a hand on your back, rubbing soothing circles while he caught his breath.
"Want your phone?" He muttered, reaching for it. Charlie knew that you were probably anxious to see the way that those photos looked or to get rid of them entirely and he didn't blame you.
"Sure," You yawned, taking it from his hands.
A moment of comfortable silence passed before you reached for something on the nightstand beside you.
"Want your candy?" You offered him, holding a mini Snickers bar in your hand that he mentioned earlier.
Charlie laughed loudly, the sound of it echoing against the hotel walls. "Sure." He responded, just as you had a moment ago.
He pressed a kiss to the top of your head, taking it from your hand.
A true angel.
The next day, October 31st, you were on costume duty.
"Hold still," You mumbled, "Wait. Dammit. Bend down a little for me." You said, in concentration, losing balance slightly from the way you were attempting to stand on your toes to reach the top of Charlie's head.
"Let me just sit down, honey. You're going to fall over." He chuckled, giving you a look of affection as he took a seat on the couch with a grunt, practically collapsing on top of it.
In theory, Charlie had been thrilled to dress up as the Invisible Man like he planned to. But now he wasn't sure if Henry was willing to dress as Frankenstein to keep up the Universal Monsters theme. And he was beginning to realize how complicated his costume was itself.
If he didn't have you there to assist him in wrapping the gauze around his head, he wasn't sure if he'd be able to even make it work.
You moved so that you were sitting on his lap, straddling his waist. You giggled softly when Charlie's hands instantly went to your hips, staring up at you. The wrap covered his neck and the bottom of his chin so you were able to see the majority of his face.
You bent down and kissed him. "How much longer do we have?" You asked, staying close, making contact with his lips with each word you spoke.
Charlie hummed, kissing you over and over again, fingertips digging into your flesh. "He's supposed to get here in about forty-five minutes. Do you think you can wrap me up by then?" He asked with a quiet chuckle.
"I hope so." You smiled, pulling away at the mention of the task at hand. You needed to finish his costume; you'd been distracted by his lips. You grabbed at the material, wrapping it around the back of his head carefully.
"Thank you for helping me," Charlie said to you, his hands going to your sides, running his touch up and down.
"Of course," You told him, placing a kiss on the top of his head. "I don't know if I can fit all of this hair in though." You chuckled, trying to imagine how you were going to smooth down the fluffy dark hair on top of his head under the costume.
Charlie chuckled at that but the laughter didn't reach his eyes. You noticed the way that he was spacing out, staring at the black and white horror movie playing on the tv over your shoulder without any emotion.
"You're nervous." You said gently, wrapping the material around his jaw.
"No," Charlie murmured, locking eyes with you.
"Hm," You said simply, not convinced. You knew better.
There was a beat of silence.
"I just want everything to go well," Charlie admitted, lips pulled down into a frown. "I want Henry to have a good Halloween." He said, sadness present in his tone. Even though that was the truth, it was also a simplified version of how he felt.
Of course, he wanted Halloween to go well. But he also wanted everything to go well. With you, with Henry, with the divorce... Everything.
"I know you do." You agreed with him, "He will, Charlie. Henry's going to love your costume." You said with a grin, looking him over. He looked adorable and you were barely done with him.
Charlie took a deep breath, nodding. Everything would go well. That's what he'd tell himself. It had to, there was no other option, or at least no other option that he wanted to consider.
He was struck with the realization that he'd be lost without you like he had been many times before. Even if you weren't physically here, Charlie would still have you as comfort. He'd always have you as comfort. He was so lucky.
You paused in the way that you were wrapping his costume, hovering the material over where you wanted to drop it.
Charlie looked up at you with a raised eyebrow, wondering why you were hesitant. For a split second, he wondered if you could read his mind and you had just listened to his sappy, emotional thoughts about you.
"I want one last kiss before I hide your lips away." You told him in amusement, knowing that once this costume was fully on, you wouldn't be able to see his face, let alone be able to kiss him. You leaned down and pressed your lips against his.
Relieved by the reason behind your pausing, Charlie grinned into the kiss, wrapping his arms around you and pulling you in close to him. "How about a few kisses?" He asked with a chuckle.
"Even better." You mumbled, your chest against his as he drew you in closer.
"Mm. Happy Halloween, sweetheart." He said in between the movements against your lips, hugging you as he did so.
You would be spending the holiday by yourself, in a small hotel room. It wasn't ideal. You'd give anything to be able to go trick or treating with them.
But even so, you were grateful that you had time with him now and you had the entire day before to celebrate with him.
Charlie pulled you down onto the couch beside him instead of on top, murmuring against your lips. "Let's pause on the costume." He said softly, hand moving under the shirt that you were wearing. His thumbs ran over your waist, to your back where your bra was clasped.
"I'd rather spend our time making you moan." He groaned as his tongue ran along your bottom lip, undoing your bra as he did so.
It was a happy Halloween, indeed.
A few minutes before Henry was supposed to arrive, you made your way back to your hotel room, not wanting him to see you and be confused as to why his babysitter was visiting in LA.
You didn't hear from Charlie for the majority of the night after that, which was what you assumed would happen since he was spending his time trick or treating with Henry.
You sent him a text a few hours before you knew he would be going to sleep:
'How did it go?' with a pumpkin emoji attached.
Only a few minutes passed before you got a response from Charlie:
'The highlight of the night was that someone gave Henry a lighter instead of candy. So I think you can draw your conclusions.'
The two of you exchanged a few more texts before Charlie dozed off.
From what you could gather, the night was a disappointment, to say the least.
Charlie woke up the next morning with a heavy heart. The feeling of not being good enough and the suffocation of the stress he was under was overwhelming.
"Did you have fun last night?" Charlie asked Henry as he handed him his bookbag.
Nicole was coming to the hotel to pick Henry up. It was frustrating to Charlie because he assumed that he would spend the day with his son but Nicole told him that they had other plans that they couldn't get out of.
Charlie supposed he shouldn't be surprised. Just add it to the list of things that weren't going his way.
"I guess," Henry said with a shrug, yawning. He didn't sleep well on the hotel bed. He woke up multiple times in the middle of the night and complained that the mattress wasn't as comfortable as the one at home.
"You guess?" Charlie asked with a frown, feeling a bit of his heartbreaking. He felt like he fucked up but he hadn't done anything wrong. He tried his best, it just wasn't good enough.
"Yeah," Henry said simply, bending down to pull his shoes on.
Before much more could be said, there was a soft knock on the door.
"Is that mom?" Henry asked, perking up.
"Probably," Charlie said with a sigh. He ran a hand through his hair frustratedly, making his way over. He looked through the peephole to confirm it was Nicole before he opened the door.
"Hi," Nicole said, giving him the slightest smile. It was still odd for her to see him after everything that took place. They'd been through so much together that she hardly saw Charlie as himself anymore, just the stress that they caused for each other.
"Hi," Charlie said, not meeting her eyes. He was exhausted and it was clear.
"How did it go last night?" Nicole asked him, almost sympathetic. It was pretty obvious it hadn't been a blast from the way that he was carrying himself.
"Mom!" Henry yelled excitedly from inside of the room before Charlie could respond to her question. He rushed to the door, thrilled to see her.
"Hi!" Nicole said, her face lighting up to see her son. "Do you have your bag, honey? We should get going."
Henry practically slid against the floor, halting to a stop so he could rush back into the room and get his belongings together. It wasn't lost on Charlie that Henry was the most lively he'd been since he was dropped off there.
Now that it was just Nicole and Charlie again, he gave her a cautious look, leaning against the doorframe. "I have something to tell you." He said. He didn't have the energy to have this conversation but he wasn't sure when he'd get an opportunity alone with her.
"Great," Nicole mumbled sarcastically but gave him a small smile. She was just giving him a hard time, not realizing how much pressure he was already under.
Charlie ignored that, shaking his head slightly. He glanced over his shoulder, making sure that Henry was busy throwing his clothes and toys into his bookbag. He leaned in closer to Nicole.
He had to do it. Rip it off like a band-aid.
In a quiet voice, he told Nicole that you were in LA to visit him.
He braced himself for the worst. He assumed that she wouldn't react positively to hear that.
Instead of her screaming at him or alerting him that her feelings were hurt, Nicole simply shrugged. "I know."
Charlie was visibly confused, eyebrows furrowing together and mouth parting in thought. "You know?" He asked, trying to figure out what she meant.
"I know," Nicole repeated, slightly amused by how dumbfounded he looked. "I'm the one who suggested she come here. I called her earlier this week."
A part of her knew that she was dropping a big piece of information onto him and even if she knew it sounded wrong, she was satisfied that she had some control over the situation after all of the sneaking around that Charlie had done behind her back.
Charlie was reeling.
"Wait, what?" Charlie asked, blinking in contemplation.
Henry joined the two of them again, practically skipping over. "I'm ready!" He called out, standing by Nicole's side.
"I'm sorry if that makes you uncomfortable but I'm just looking out for our family." Nicole shrugged, trying not to show how smug she was that she caught him off guard. "I think it'll be good for us to discuss things together. Nora's the one who brought it up, even. She thinks it's the best way to handle this."
"Nora brought it up?" Charlie asked, his stomach sinking. This made sense now.
"She did. I mean, this is her job. She knows what she's doing." Nicole said, putting a hand on Henry's shoulder.
"No, this isn't her job. Her job is to be your lawyer. She shouldn't be your fucking therapist." Charlie said in a hushed tone, trying to hide this conversation from Henry even though that was practically impossible.
"I thought I wasn't allowed to say 'fucking'," Henry said innocently.
"You aren't," Charlie said, a little harsher than he meant to.
"Let's talk later," Nicole said to him, motioning towards Henry. He didn't need to hear this.
Charlie's jaw tensed, swallowing hard. He was furious. He wanted to talk now.
He felt like someone had just pulled the rug out from under him, his mind racing.
It made sense now; why you hadn't told him specifically why you chose to come.
Charlie didn't trust Nora. She wanted you to come here for a reason and it had nothing to do with helping him and Nicole repair their family. It was her job to win.
Nora was using you as a weapon.
Sleeping in, as you usually did, you woke up to the sound of your hotel door unlocking and opening.
You weren't worried. You gave Charlie your extra key the night before and even in your half-asleep state, you remembered that Henry was leaving earlier that morning so it wasn't shocking that he was coming to see you.
"Charlie?" You asked, mumbling against your pillow in a tired voice.
"It's me." You heard him say, approaching the bed after shutting the door a bit harsher than was necessary.
Charlie rushed over after Nicole left because he wanted to share the information with you that he just learned. In all honesty, he was angry. He wanted to know why you didn't tell him that Nicole called and he wanted you to realize how much trouble you might've caused by coming here.
But as he got closer to you, he realized that all of the tension in his body began to dissipate.
As you lay in bed, covered in blankets and your face buried against the sheets, Charlie knew it was impossible to be mad at you. You looked adorable and innocent and all he wanted to do was hold you.
You were his angel.
He groaned softly, frustrated by the situation and even more frustrated that he almost let Nora get a victory against him by making him upset with you; the only person who was on his side.
One of Charlie's favorite things about you was how willing you were to see the good in others. When Nicole called you, he knew that you assumed that she meant well.
Perhaps Nicole didn't even realize what Nora was doing. Charlie knew that there was a chance that he was reading too far into it himself. He'd never even met Nora, maybe she was genuinely trying to help (but he doubted it).
Charlie couldn't be mad at you for how sweet you were. He loved that about you.
"Go back to sleep, honey," Charlie said in a soft tone, crawling into bed beside you. He pulled your back against his chest, hugging you tightly. He needed you so badly right now.
You were his only comfort.
"Mm?" You made a tired noise. Wrapped in his arms, you were already dozing back off, put at ease to be in his presence. You had no idea about the conflict going on in his brain right now.
He placed a kiss into your hair, pulling the blanket over himself. "Shh, just like that. Go back to sleep for me." He muttered, breathing in your familiar scent.
Although he was lulling you to sleep, Charlie was awake, heart pounding. He stared at the wall beside the bed, eyes wide and filled with tears.
He could sense the fact that you were sleeping again, your chest rising and falling at a steady pace, a rhythm that usually soothed Charlie into a slumber himself at night but he had too much on his mind to relax right now.
From this point on, Charlie knew that big changes would happen quickly, most likely not in his favor.
With you in his arms, against his chest, you were the only thing keeping him secure.
You were the only thing that made Charlie feel safe.
(A/N: Quick reminder that we have just a few chapters left of this story before it's over. I just wanted to tell you guys to remember to trust the process. I appreciate the time that you've put in to read this and the trust you have in me to wrap up your journey with Charlie. Thank you for always being patient with me <3)