By the time morning arrived the next day, you seemed to sleep in longer than usual. The past few days had been tough, but you didn't think you'd be that worn out.
Once you got out of bed and got dressed, you stepped into the hallway, only to notice that the door of the guest room remained closed. You didn't hear much talk coming from the kitchen, so you could only assume Charlie was still in bed.
Carefully, you twisted the handle and pushed the door, a soft creak echoing throughout the room as you stepped inside. Just as you had thought, Charlie was still cuddled up in bed, sound asleep. He honestly seemed peaceful and definitely more comfortable than he was in the hotel.
You couldn't help but smile a bit, gently taking a seat on the edge of the bed as you stared at him. As the bed shifted slightly, though, he seemed to stir a bit, his eyes opening drowsily as he stared up at you.
"Oh- sorry. I didn't mean to wake you." You spoke softly, staring down at the tired boy with a small smile.
He rubbed his eyes before grabbing his glasses from the nightstand and placing them on his face. Once his eyes adjusted, he gave a small yawn. "No, no, you're fine.. it's probably time to get up anyway.."
Giving him a small nod, you smiled before rising to your feet. "I'm sure my Pa' is off to work now. It's just my Ma' here making breakfast. After we eat, you're free to leave if you'd like."
"Trying to get rid of me already, huh?" Charlie joked, giving a small yawn as he sat up. The blanket fell slightly, revealing his bare chest and arms, and though it seemed weird, you couldn't help but stare for a moment.
He was riddled with cuts and scars, an occasional bruise, too. You tried not to look for too long, but it was enough to catch Charlie's attention. Giving a sigh, he rubbed his arm slightly. "Doing dirty work isn't all just guns and glory, I hope you know. Tumbling through the woods, running from the law- my body isn't exactly in the best shape-"
Before he could explain any further, you took a few steps forward, crouching down to inspect further. Each mark on him seemed to tell a story, yet there was one scar you couldn't seem to ignore. A large 'x' shape that lingered across his stomach, seeming darker than the others.
You had seen something like this before.
Placing your hand over the scar without warning, Charlie seemed to wince slightly. "Woah, you can look, but I didn't say anything about tou-"
"You were a sherrif." You spoke softly as you looked up at him, his eyes seeming to widen at the sudden accusation.
Shaking his head, Charlie held his hand up. "Now hold on, what makes you think that?" He asked, his tone seeming to grow a bit nervous.
Pulling your hand away from the scar, you looked at him with worried eyes. "On the other side of the state- there was always a tale of a gang who solely existed for the purpose of torturing the law." You began to explain softly, inspecting the other marks that riddled his body. "Every time they managed to capture someone- a sherrif, deputy, lawman.. they'd torture them ruthlessly before dumping their body into the forest to die."
"With every victim they claimed," You continued on, looking up and into Charlie's eyes for a moment, "They would carve an 'x' into their stomach in order to leave a mark. Anyone with the mark was publicly shamed for being bad at their job, allowing themselves to be caught by a criminal.."
Charlie seemed to stare at you in disbelief, almost surprised with how much you knew. Without another word, he pulled away and stood up, putting his shirt on before buttoning it back up. Though he seemed to ignore you, you continued on. "You were a sherrif who was captured.. so ashamed by defeat, you fled your home and moved down south.."
Buttoning up his shirt, Charlie turned slightly, giving you a glare. "Training. I was a deputy in training." He spoke calmly, despite the harsh look he gave.
Hearing that made your sympathy for him grow just a bit. "In training?-"
"I was the talk of my town. A young boy, no education or training, trying to make something of himself. My dad had left, and my mom was sick, I didn't have the support I wanted." He glanced at a mirror on the wall, attempting to comb his fingers through his messy hair. "I was abducted one night after training with the sherrif. Tied up in an old warehouse, beat senseless until I couldn't even remember my own name."
All you could do was sit on the bed, listening as he poured his heart and soul out to you in that moment. Even if he didn't realize it, Charlie was talking to you about his problems for once- and hell, you weren't gonna be the one to stop him.
His face nearly stayed emotionless as he talked, licking his hand and beginning to brush his hair back slightly. "After they dropped me in the woods, I managed to find my way back to town. Those bastards held me for four days, and I never got to see my mother again after that." He spat, seeming agitated by that specific part. "So I packed my things and rode my horse until I couldn't feel the pain anymore. I met Ted soon after that, and-"
Without letting him finish, you stood up and pulled him into a hug, causing him to pause and tense up completely. "I'm so sorry, Charlie.." Was all you could manage to say as you held him, feeling his tense body soon relax under your touch.
He stared at the ground for a moment before finally looking up at you, a small smile forming on his face. "What can I say? The past is the past." He said softly, accepting the hug as his arms slightly wrapped around you. It wasn't the best hug he could give, but it was something.
"Your life turned around all because of some nasty gang.. so why turn around and join one..?" You couldn't help but ask, the curiosity eating away at you.
Charlie smiled as he pulled away from the hug, dusting off his shirt as he gave a small sigh. "Sometimes, in order to stay safe from the enemy, you join them. Once I started my new life, I never went back."
Before you could say another word to him, he turned and headed straight for the door. "So, you said something about your Ma' making breakfast?" Was all he asked, casually rubbing his stomach as he made his way towards the kitchen.
~
When the three of you had finished your breakfast, Charlie laid back in his seat, smiling in satisfaction. "You sure are an amazing cook, Mrs. (L/N). I can't remember the last time I had a nice homemade meal such as this."
"Oh, Charlie. You're too kind." Your mother spoke with a smile, standing from her chair to gather the dishes from the table. "Perhaps if you stay another night, I could bake up some of my special apple pie."
Hearing the words 'apple pie' made Charlie sit up in his seat, a smile forming across his face. "That'd be wonderful. Thank you, ma'am." He spoke softly before standing up as well, making his way to the sink. "Mind if I wash these dishes for you? As a thanks for the breakfast."
Though your mother seemed hesitant, Charlie insisted, allowing her to take a break as he handled all of the dishes that cluttered the sink. It warmed your heart to see such a hardened criminal become such a gentleman.
You couldn't help but assist Charlie with the dishes, not wanting your 'guest' to have to do so much work on his own. It only took about 15 minutes to get all of them done, dried, and put away, thanks to your team effort.
"Hey, ma? I'm thinking of showing Charlie around town on Basil. You wouldn't mind, would ya'?" You asked as you looked at your mother, smiling softly.
Nodding slowly, your mother stood up and smiled. "Of course, dear. It'd be nice to sit by the fire and catch up on some reading." She hummed softly. "You two be safe, alright? Be careful if you go around those woods." She teased softly before making her way to the living room.
All you did was roll your eyes, keeping your smile as you glanced at Charlie, signaling him to follow you outside. Though he seemed skeptical of your sudden urge to give him a tour, he followed along anyway. "What are you up to, hm?"
"Why, what do you mean?" You asked with a smile, walking towards the back of your house, entering the small stable that held your horse.
"You never mentioned anything about a tour." He said, raising an eyebrow.
Untying Basil's reigns, you smiled, giving her a few pats before hopping onto her saddle. "I may have twisted the truth a bit. I've got somewhere I'd like to show you." You said with a hum, patting Basil's lower back. "Hop on, I haven't got all day."
He seemed skeptical of your behavior, glaring at you for a moment before finally hopping onto Basil's back. "Alright. But we better be back in time for that pie, though, ya' hear?"
A laugh escaped you as you gently whipped Basil's reigns. "You'll get some pie, I promise." You spoke softly, holding on tightly as Basil took off, heading towards the woods.
The two of you rode in silence for a few minutes as Charlie inspected the area around you, seeming to grip tightly to your shoulders as you rode. "So, where are we headin' anyway?" He finally asked out of curiosity, trying to look ahead at the trail Basil followed.
"Impatient now, are we?" You teased softly, smiling as you kept your eyes on the road. "You'll see when we get there. Let's just say, it's my favorite place to go when I've got nothin' to do."
After a few more minutes of riding, you finally tugged on Basil's reigns, signaling her to stop. Hopping off the saddle, you glanced back at Charlie, a grin spreading across your face. "We gotta walk from here. You okay with that?"
Charlie hopped down as well, standing by your side. "I guess I don't have a choice, huh?" He said with a smile, carefully following behind you as you began hiking up a thin trail, heading right up a hill.
It was a bit of a steep climb for a while, but once the two of you finally reached the top, Charlie froze to hear the sound of rushing water.
Looking out, he saw a large waterfall that fell from a cliff, forming a rapid river below. The entire area itself was so intense, yet peaceful in a way. The sounds of rushing water always calmed you in ways you didn't understand, and funny enough, it seemed to have the same effect on Charlie as well.
"I'll be damned." He spoke under his breath, his eyes lighting up as he stared at the falls for a moment. "How the hell is there just a place like here in the middle of nowhere?"
Giving a shrug, you casually slid down the hill, landing on a rocky edge that was closer to the falls. "No clue. One day, I decided to explore the woods, and I ended up finding this place. Wanna know what's even better, though?" You asked softly, carefully standing up on the ledge. "This path leads to a hole in the rocks behind the waterfall. I usually like to sit back there and just watch the water rush down."
Soon, Charlie slid down as well, giving you a smile as you helped him to his feet. "You sure know your way around here, I'll give you that." He chuckled softly before glancing at you, a mischievous grin growing across his face.
"Wanna go for a swim?"
~
(IVE BEEN WORKING ON THIS BOOK I PROMISE
I didn't realize I haven't updated it since December. I'm so sorry 💔
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