Little Lion Man

Charlie Jones. Author. Lover of dogs.

[charliexjones]

maqqicthckat​

Maggie sat there impatiently waiting her leg bouncing as she a way to keep her from counting the seconds. Shew jumped when they called for Charlie’s family. He didn’t really have any but she stood up. Hearing he would make a full recovery had her releasing the breath she didn’t realize she had been holding the whole time. She followed Nancy and listened to her not really wanting to answer just wanting to see Charlie and once she did her eyes widened. She turned to the nurse and smiled, “Thank you.”

She carefully made her way over to Charlie’s bed, her hand gently running over his forehead so she hopefully didn’t disturb him as her eyes filled with tears. She pressed a small peck to his cheek, thankful he was still there. “I’m so sorry… I’m not going anywhere, Charlie. I promise. I’m going to be right here whenever you wake up.” She said blinking back the tears and wiping her hand over his head again before making herself comfortable on the cot next to him. She couldn’t bring herself to lay down, she just stared at him. Watching him, a part of her wondering how the hell this could be real.

-

Charlie was out of it for hours, the sun going down and then raising again, the slow, rhythmic bleeps of the heart monitor continuing on and the sounds of the ventilator keeping a constant pace. eventually, the sun rose again and the patient had not woken just yet but the doctors weren’t worried. They knew that he needed time to rest and recover before needing to wake back up and deal with all that had happened to him in the last day. The nurses went in and out of the room, greeting the visitor as they did so. Vitals were strong and as time passed, they truly were counting down until he would wake. A couple days had passed at this point and the staff had grown fond of Maggie, making sure she was as cared for as Charlie was. They made sure he was cared for and that they were careful around him, just in case he decided it was time to wake up. 

It was 3 in the afternoon when Charlie managed to open his eyes for the first time, blurry visions of a room and someone sitting in a chair next to him. He struggled to make out who it was and then he noticed the tube in his throat and he suddenly felt the struggle to not pull it out. His eyes drifted closed again. He was so tired. It was later that evening when he woke up again, this time with more understanding and awareness to what was happening, and more of an ability to control his movements. He moved his non-broken arm some towards the person who was next to him, groaning slightly into the tube, which muffled the noise, and then reached up to try to pull it from his throat, feeling like he was fighting against it to breath.

[charliexjones]

maqqicthckat​

~

Maggie was ringing her hands hoping for some kind of good news with how Charlie was. It was hard to believe there was potentially some kind of good news with how Charlie looked and it kept just replaying in her mind. She was stolen from her thoughts by the doctor and tried her best to smile through it all but she was pretty sure the worry on her face was evident. She nodded gently and followed the doctor into her office, taking a seat and feeling as though this could not be good in any way.

As she started explaining it all Mags face fell and she stared at her laps, her fingers worrying themselves and picking at dead cuticle till it almost bled. None of that sound good or like an easy fix in anyway. She hid her face in her hand at the news and all but broke at the thought, before she pulled herself together. “Yeah… I… I just. I don’t want him to be upset by it. I wanna find who did this to him.” She bit her lip and shook her head, “I hope he would understand that.”

-

The doctor nodded her head and looked at Maggie. “I think that it’s the right decision.” She said and stood. “Someone will come out to give you updates during the surgery.” She said as she led Maggie back to the waiting room after having her sign the papers and she went back to the OR to get ready. Charlie was wheeled back to get ready for surgery. Hours passed and the surgeons were able to control the internal bleedings and they worked on his arm. One of the nurses went out to update Maggie and then went back to the surgery. They did what they could for his throat and then got the rape kit done. 

Once the surgery was complete, they wheeled him to recovery and then to an ICU bed. A nurse finally came back out to Maggie with one of the surgeons to update her. “Family of Charlie Jones?” She called out and went over to Maggie. “He made it through surgery. We lost him twice but we were able to get him back and finished the surgery successfully. We repaired the internal bleeding and the shattered arm. We did what we could with his throat injuries but that is mostly just going to need to be left to heal on it’s own. We’ve done what we could for the other thing we’ve done...” She said, trying to keep a sense of privacy for her patient. “The rest is just going to be talking to him and getting his statement but he won’t have to be conscious for the physical stuff. We are expecting a full recovery pending him waking up to see if there will be any lingering effects of the lack of oxygen to his brain and his throat. Nancy here will take you back to see him.” She said before turning to walk away.

Nancy offered Maggie a smile before leading her to the ICU. “Normally we don’t allow overnight visitors but given the situation, we think it would be best if someone he knows was here whenever he decides to come back to the world of the awake. Someone will be by with a cot in case you don’t want to sleep in the chair.” She said as she let her into the room. Charlie was in the bed, tubes and wires coming from all through his body leading to the outside of the bed, the heart monitor beeped in the background and there was a tube down his throat, allowing oxygen to be pushed into his lungs and help him breath. 

[charliexjones]

maqqicthckat​

~

Maggie sat up quickly and moved herself away from Charlie so the others could do their work. Once she finally made it to her feet again she shook her head at the question. “No, I… he called me and there was no answer.. so I was worried.” She listened to everything but it was so much and so confusing she couldn’t keep up between that and the questions but she tried. 

She nodded once she was dismissed, “thank you, and I’m sure he won’t mind answering anything.” Her brows pulled together and she shook her head, “no.. I..” her thoughts wandered to Charlie and everything they had talked about in their past, “his dad, maybe… but I don’t really know.” Before she left to go with Charlie and nervously waited for any word on him to be okay.

-

The paramedics took Charlie to the ambulance and waited for Maggie to get in. One of them hopped into the drivers seat after closing the back doors while the other was in the back with Charlie and Maggie, getting an IV going and running saline, opening up a line for any approved meds before calling in through the radio, relaying information to the hospital. They gave him some morphine and took off towards the hospital. Once they got there, they unloaded Charlie and brought him inside where they took him towards the back, a nurse pointing Maggie to a waiting room with a promise someone would be back to update her when they knew more. 

An hour passed and a doctor finally came towards the waiting room, calling out Charlie’s name to see who peeked their head up. She walked over and greeted Maggie. “We have looked Charlie over and done several tests and xrays. I won’t lie to you, he’s in pretty rough shape. Why don’t we go talk in my office.” She said so they would have more privacy. Once they got to the office, she closed the door. “Mr. Jones is going to have surgery to repair some internal bleeding and fix his arm, which was completely shattered. He has some pretty severe bruising all over his body and his throat was damaged due to what seems like attempted strangulation. We won’t know about any affects of lack of oxygen till he wakes up as we don’t know if or how long he was deprived of oxygen.” She looked over her notes once more and then back to Maggie. “The last thing is that there did appear to be...” She paused for a moment to try and think of how to word her next sentence but went with just saying it. “There seems to be signs of rape which we will address while he is in surgery as well as run a rape kit as long as you give us consent to do so. We’ve tried to reach out to a Clarissa but we haven’t been able to reach her and we need the consent papers for the kit and surgery now and since he called you and you came in with him, we are trusting that he would be okay with you doing that.” She said as she held out the papers. 

[charliexjones]

ryan-pennington​

Ryan had been through dozens of events like this, but the number was dwindling down as the years went by, and that was fine with him.  He had no problem skating in front of millions of people, but if he had to talk in front of more than 10, he got very nervous.  There wasn’t a huge crowd today, so he figure he’d be fine, but he still spent the time before it started focusing on keeping his breathing stead when he was approached and he smiled.  “It’s nice to meet you, Charlie, I’m Ryan.  I’m really glad you enjoyed it, that was the culmination of my life’s work and then it was just kind of over, so it’s always good to hear that people remember it.  Have you ever done one of these before? I’m not really a fan of public speaking, but I always agree to show up for some reason.” 

-

Charlie smiled as he spoke to the other. “It’s nice to meet you as well.” He said as he looked over towards Ryan and then around the room. “Well I don’t think I can ever forget it.” He said as he laughed. “I hate public speaking too, it’s why I became a writer. I have done these before. They are okay, usually a lot of kids which is super helpful for my nerves because kids are easier for me to talk to.”

[charliexjones]

f-riley​

Forrest did the majority of his writing at home, as it could be hard to get around unassisted at times, so he didn’t spend much time at the library.  Today, however, he had been tagging along with his daughter as she ran errands, just to get out of the house a little, but she had more to do and he was getting tired, so she dropped him off and he found a vacant sea where he could people watch until she came to pick him up.  After such a long day, he found himself starting to doze off until he heard the man next to him, and he couldn’t help but recognize what was happening.  “Is it a beginning or an ending that’s got you stumped? I’ve had trouble with both over the years.” 

-

Charlie looked over when he heard someone ask him a question and he raised his eyebrows slightly. “The ending this time. Usually it’s starting that is the problem.” He said with a shrug of his shoulders. “I feel like there is maybe 5 more pages until it’s perfect and I have the words in my head but I can’t seem to get them onto the paper in the way I want them to turn out.”

[charliexjones]

maqqicthckat​

~

Maggie hadn’t expected the phone call from Charlie that morning as she reached to answer it. Her brows raising gently as she answered still horse from sleep, “hello?” No, answer, “Charlie?” She could hear him breathing and coughing and she caused her sit up, “Charlie?” A slight worry in her voice as she got up and threw on something quick, something was wrong. “I’m coming okay? Just stay on the phone for me?” 

She headed over finding his door wide open, which was unlike him. His place was a wreck, again unlike him. So now the worry rose even more. What had happened? “Charlie?” Her voice was soft as she called out for him in case whatever had happened had involved someone else. She carefully stepped further inside, her eyes dropping tot he floor when she finally found him on the floor in his room. She practically fell beside him, her hands hover over him scared to touch him, “Charlie?! What… What happened?” She bit her lip shaking her head, “we gotta call somebody.. the cops.. something, get you to a hospital.” Her hand gently wiped at his lips and cheek, “Charlie? Please say something?” the tears in her eyes daring to break free, and she shook her head calling the cops first, her thumb hovered over Clarissa’s name after she got off the phone with them, she was unsure of what to do, so she sent her a quick text. It was filled with so much nonsense and fear she may not even understand it, before she laid down in the floor next to Charlie and gently placed her hand over his. “I’m right here, okay? I’m not going to let anything happen to you.” Her fingers gently rubbed at his hand even though her motions were frantic she was scared to death for him.

-

The police activity in the house was sudden and loud, the officers coming into the home after announcing their presence, searching the house to make sure that the person who had done this wasn’t still in the house and the paramedics rushed in as soon as the officers declared it safe. One of the officers approached Maggie. “Ma’am, do you know what happened here?” She asked the other, looking towards Charlie who was now being attended to by the paramedics who were assessing him and trying to decided how they should transport. Charlie for his part was till unconscious, body motionless besides the slight rise and fall of his chest to prove that he was in fact breathing and alive. 

The list of possible injuries being rattled off by the paramedics was long and seemed like it could go on forever. Brusies, throat injuries, a broken if not shattered arm, possible internal bleeding, and most notably they noted that there could be signs of sexual assault, but they would need to wait until the hospital could looked at him to have any solid ideas since he was still out cold. They placed an oxygen mask carefully around his face to try and get more oxygen to his brain since his throat injuries were constricting how much he was getting to begin with. 

They got him on a backboard and then the gurney. The police officer finished up her questions and looked to Maggie. “If you wanted to go with him to the hospital you are free to go, we will contact you with further questions and someone will want to talk with Mr. Jones as soon as he is capable of answering questions but one last one, is there anyone that you think he knows that is capable of something like this or why?”

[charliexjones]

Charlie had finally sent in the draft of the book to his editor and was relieved that the hard part was finished, at least all the words were on paper and he didn’t have to think about writing them down any longer, just making whatever edits were suggested. He pulled himself out of bed, moving to the kitchen after his nap, his house quiet as he moved through the hallway, almost too quiet as he thought he remembered leaving the tv on. He frowned as he slowed his walk, a radio turned on, music blasting through the house, causing him to jump slightly in surprise. The song registered in his head, sending him back to the times with his father. 

Oh, can't you see you belong to me? How my poor heart aches With every step you take?

Charlie’s eyes widened as he took another shaky step foreword towards the sound, phone heavy in his pocket as he walked, trying to convince himself that it was just someone accidentally connecting to his speakers via Bluetooth. He heard a noise that was definitely a person in the house which made him freeze in place, the music continued to play in the background.

Since you've gone I've been lost without a trace. I dream at night, I can only see your face. I look around but it's you I can't replace. I feel so cold, and I long for your embrace. I keep crying baby, baby, please...

Before he could react, he felt something heavy hit his back between his shoulder blades and he felt his body falling forwards, hitting the floor hard, arm underneath him snapping in two. He groaned as he turned to face whoever it was that had broken into his house, the place that was supposed to be his safe zone. “Please..take whate...” He got out before his sentence stopped in it’s tracks and the familiar face of his father stood before him. He could feel the other’s eyes locked onto his body before he felt the kick to his chest. 

“YOU WILL NOT RELEASE THIS BOOK!!” His father boomed out, the kick landing square on Charlie’s chest, leaving him gasping for air. “Please....leave me alone...” Charlie said before he felt another kick to his abdomen. He had no clue how his father had even heard about the book but that didn’t matter now. What mattered was that he needed to get away from the man. He started to crawl away, slowly. The older man laughed as he pulled Charlie back by his ankles, pulling him back to a room. His father continued to hit and kick Charlie all over, leaving bruises already starting to show. Hands were suddenly around his throat and he couldn’t breath, choking on the lack of oxygen. Barely conscious, his ability to fight back was gone. 

~Time and things done later~

After some time, Charlie could feel his father’s body pulling away from his before one last kick to the head forced his eye to close. “If that book comes out, I’ll be back and I won’t leave you alive.” His father said and walked out of the house. 

Charlie laid there for a moment, body splayed out on the floor of his bedroom. He slowly pulled his pants up and tried to sit up, but he couldn’t hold himself up. He let his hand touch his neck which was covered in dark, deep purple and black hand shaped bruises. He felt bruises everywhere he could possibly get bruises. He reached to his phone which was in his pocket and when he got it, he hand the phone call his last call made back, which happened to be Maggie. He coughed, blood coming out with the cough and his eyes slipped closed, the phone ringing on the floor next to his body.

@maqqicthckat

[charliexjones]

Charlie had been invited to city hall in order to talk about participating in an event for the youth of their town about being able to find success in their lives. Charlie honestly didn’t see himself as some sort of inspiration or that anybody would want to hear him talk but they insisted that he was popular and that teens loved him and read his books in their schools, which he felt honored by. He agreed to at least come down to city hall to talk about it and meet the others that might be participating in the event. He walked into the building, hands in his pockets anxiously s he looked around to see everyone else. He recognized a few people including an Olympian he had watched. He walked over and offered his hand and a smile. “Hi, I’m Charlie. I have to admit, I watched you when you were at the Olympics and you were amazing.”

@ryan-pennington​ 

[charliexjones]

Charlie had been struggling lately with finishing up the first draft of his book and he found himself sitting in the library, staring blankly at the laptop in front of him. He sighed as he leaned back into the chair, running his hands through his hair. “Come on Jones. Figure it out.” He whispered to himself as he pushed himself back up in the chair, trying to figure out how he wanted to end the book. He was so close to being done with this draft. The beginning and endings were always the hardest for him but being that this was his first non-fiction book about his own life and the trauma he had endured, it had made it harder for him. He wanted to end the book right, to maybe reach out and touch one person, change one life and he thought if the words weren’t perfect, then it wouldn’t do it. He spent another few minutes staring at the screen before saving his progress and closing the laptop. “Damnit...”

@f-riley​

[charliexjones]

maqqicthckat​

~ 

Maggie smiled and nodded, “I’ll order the pizza you pick the movie.” She nodded and smiled, as long as he was okay that was what mattered. “Pick us something good though. Nothing too sappy.” She teased knowing that romantic comedies tended to be her favorite. “I think we’ve had enough sap to last us a lifetime.” She ordered the pizza and once it came plopped down on the couch next to him with a smile already grabbing her a slice. “What did you pick?” 

Charlie nodded as he went to the couch, sitting down on it and leaning against the back cushions. He pulled his legs up under himself as he curled up. He found the position comforting to himself and he grabbed the remote, turning the tv on and flipping through to netflix, trying to find the perfect movie. He smiled as he saw Hook pop up and he clicked it, waiting for Maggie to come to the couch and looked up when the pizza was brought in. “I chose Hook because you can’t go wrong with Peter Pan and Robin Williams.”

[charliexjones]

maqqicthckat​

~

She hugged him close and smiled at the feeling of him relaxing, “I… I was thinking we could maybe order some pizza and just watch a movie or something.” She bit her lip and shrugged, “but I understand if you’re not comfortable here anymore. I don’t mind looking like a slob though and just going for something easy.” She shrugged and smiled, leaning in to brush the hair away from his forehead, “Please don’t do that. Don’t beat yourself up about it. I understand being embarassed but you don’t have to be with me. I get it, Charlie.” 

Charlie nodded his head. “Pizza and a movie sounds nice.” He said as he offered her a smile, trying to reassure her that he was in fact, okay. “As long as you are here, then I’m comfortable.” He said and he sighed, running a hand through his hair. It was easy to tell him he shouldn’t be embarrassed however he couldn’t help but feel like it. He hated feeling like that but he knew some of it came from his past. He shook his head, trying to forget about those thoughts. “We gotta watch a comedy or something to change this mood.”

[charliexjones]

rissa-evans​

“Come on, I think I have some of Christian’s old things there you can change into. I accidently packed them when I ran away a couple of years ago.” She motioned for Charlie to follow her into her spare room. She dug through the closet to the very back where she had a box that needed to go to donation and put it on the bed. “Check to see if you see something. I’m going to go change out of these clothes before I end up getting paint every where.” She nudged him playfully before slipping into her room. It took a few seconds but she was changed and met up with Charlie in the living room, plopping on the couch with the remote in hand. “Okay what do we want to watch?” She asked, pulling her knees to her chest. “Oh I ran into Maggie the other day and you’ll never believe what she thought!”

“Is it inappropriate to say I hope I don’t get any of his vibes rub off on me while I wear them?” Charlie said and followed her to the room and looked through the box, grabbing a pair of sweats and a t-shirt and he quickly changed while she was out getting changed herself. He took his clothes to her washing machine. He went to the kitchen and grabbed himself a beer, opening up his dominoes app and then went to the living room. Charlie ordered their food and then sat on the couch, relaxing into the comfortable couch cushions. Once she joined him, he looked over. “I think I’m gonna burn these after I’m done with them.” He said and shrugged. “Anything is fine, honestly, you pick.” He added and raised an eyebrow. “Oh? What did she think?”

[charliexjones]

rissa-evans​

“Charlie!” shrieked, laughter bubbling out of her as she felt the paint seep through the cotton of her clothes and began to touch her skin. With a sigh, Clarissa calmed her laughter and looked around the room in dismay; they’d been at this for an hour at least and they had barely gotten a wall done. “I think you’re right.” Giving up, Clarissa put down the roller pin on the paint tray. “Oh! yes! Meat lovers?” She asked, skipping before spinning around and walking backwards out of the room. Snickers, her beloved young dog, nosed Charlie, almost as if urging him to order the pizza. He knew he always got fed a slice. “We can watch a movie too?”

Charlie couldn’t help but laugh as he looked at himself covered in paint. “I also think we are both terrible painters and you should definitely hire someone to come in and paint these walls.” He said with a shrug of his shoulders. “If I have to add all the extra meat, I’m getting a second with pineapple on it.” He said as he looked down at Snickers. “Okay fine, how can I say no to you huh?” He said with a laugh as he pulled his phone out and opened up the Dominoes app, ordering their pizzas. “Oooh, movie night too? Alright. I’m glad I came over to paint.”

[charliexjones]

maqqicthckat​

~

She scooted over when she felt his weight lift from the door. Tears still in her eyes as she looked up at him. Her gaze never leaving him as she stood up. “You have nothing to be sorry for.” She was itching to reach out and give him a hug or comfort him somehow but she was scared to send him back in the bathroom. “You don’t have to take care of me, Charlie. You never had too, but it meant so much when you did.”

Her brows pulled together and she steadied herself, “can… can I give you a hug. I think you need it more than I do.” She needed it to though, but it was to make sure he was okay and she hadn’t ruined everything completely. “I’m sorry I pushed for it, Charlie. I never should have.” She shook her head, “I knew better than to push for it.”

Charlie looked down at her and offered a smile, trying to reassure her that he was okay, that she wasn’t to blame for his reaction, that he only blamed his father, not anybody else. He nodded as she asked if she could give him a hug and he opened his arms, pulling her in close to him in a hug. He let himself relax while they were hugging and he pulled away a short while after. “You have nothing to apologize about. Now if we want to get dressed, maybe we can go out and grab a bite to eat or something?” He asked curiously, head tilted to the side at his question. “Cause I know I’m starving and really want to just forget my little freak out even happened.”

[charliexjones]

rissa-evans​

Snicker’s barks echoed through Clarissa’s home, followed by rounds of laughter. The sounds of joy could be followed to the back of the quaint Georgian home, into Clarissa’s study tucked in the corner. After staring at the same awful wall color for 3 years, Clarissa had decided that it needed a refresh. Paint cans were on the floor, fresh paint on one wall, trays were on the floor and it could be said that it looked like a painting masterpiece if it wasn’t for the two adults crippled over in laughter and covered in paint. With a chortle, Clarissa rolled the paint roller, dripping with paint, over Charlie’s back. “I would say I’m so–” A giggle broke out from her, cutting her sentence in half. “sorry, but I’m so not. You had that coming!” Clarissa didn’t care that there was paint in her floors or on her clothes, or even her hair. She only cared that her and her childhood best friends were together again and laughing and having fun. @charliexjones​

Charlie had needed this, needed the time to forget what his mind was doing and just have fun with someone who meant the world to him. There had been a lot going on recently but he was excited to paint, which sounded weird but he ended up painting a lot of rooms because he was tall. He only had himself to blame for their current situation as he had been the first one to put paint on Rissa. “I know.” He said with a grin, rolling his roll pin over her shirt too. He couldn’t help but laugh. “I don’t think we are getting very far in the whole paint the room thing.” He said and set his brush down, trying to catch his breath. “Plus I can order pizza or something?”

[charliexjones]

maqqicthckat​

~~

Maggie was frozen when he left the room, she pulled her robe back around her tight and thought about what she had potentially done wrong. She was unsure what to do. After everything Charlie had been through she was clearly not helping. Maybe she should leave? But considering what Charlie had told her early and how he had expressed that he didn’t want her to leave. She couldn’t do it, not to him.

She was still lost though unsure of what to do, so she gave him a moment to himself, getting dressed so he wouldn’t have to think about what had happened when he came out of her bathroom. A thick sweater and some leggings seemed the best route in her head, but she was still unsure. She paced for a minute, still unsure if she should bother him. But she went and sat against the bathroom door. Her voice gentle and worried about him, “I’m here, Charlie. You’re okay and you’re safe. You come out when you’re ready, but I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. If you wanna talk like this we can.” She offered but she shrugged, “or we can just sit here. No one’s going to hurt you though. I promise.” 

Her eyes dropped and she felt tears in her eyes as she pulled at loose threads on her sweater, her voice a little broken, “I’m sorry. I should have stopped us. I… It was a lot for the both of us to go for in that moment. It’s not your fault. You just take whatever time you need in there okay. I’m not going anywhere.” 

She smiled though, “you remember that time we were out,” she chuckled, “I was pretty wasted and broke my heel.” She leaned back against the door trying to get him in a different head space. “Snapped in it too thanks to some guy that was trying to grind on me at that party.” Her head rested back against the door. “I had started walking home and you followed me out. That damn sidewalk was rough as hell. I was walking on my tip toes. It was easy for you to catch up to me.” She smirked, “you offered me a piggy back ride to take me back to my dorm. You literally refused to let me keep walking and I wound up passing out on your back.” She smiled, “You took care of me though. You always did.” 

Charlie could feel his chest constricting and it was becoming harder and harder to breath. He let his hands run through his hair as he tried his best to calm himself down. The words repeating over and over in his head but instead of Maggie’s voice, it’s his father’s. He closed his eyes as tight as he could, tears falling from his eyes as he silently sobbed, making it even harder to breath. He could feel himself going over the edge and he leaned back against the door, feeling Maggie sitting against the door on the other side. He felt bad that he was doing this all in front of her. He wanted everything to go right and now he had ruined everything. 

Listening to Maggie, Charlie started to calm himself down more. It took twenty minutes for him to calm down more, enough to come out. He stood from the floor as he stood by her mirror, running some water over his face as he tried to wipe the tears away. With his face now dry and his breathing under control, he carefully opened the bathroom door and looked out towards her. “I’m..sorry...” He said and frowned softly. “But I’ll always take care of you...no matter what.”

[charliexjones]

maqqicthckat​

She loved that he saw it that way, she had at first until she got noticed and thought about how he would react and how Clarissa would react. She couldn’t stand the thought of them thinking less of her, especially Charlie. She just didn’t want to struggle. She saw a way to make money and took it and she had done good with a solid fandom, that may have been out the window though with Charlie busting in like he did, but she didn’t care. Not with him look at her like this, kissing her like he had, and holding her. She had thought about these kinds of moments with him so many times that it being real was almost unbearable to believe and she shivered in his touch. 

Her robe slipping down her shoulders and hanging loosely on her arms, the tops of her breast just barely visible, she searched Charlie’s eyes for a minute before her blues landed on his lips causing her to lick hers to taste him still there. “Touch me, Charlie.” Her brows relaxing before she carefully swung herself into his lap. Her hands at the back of his neck nails gently scratching at his scalp. “I’ve thought about this so many times… I just never wanted to act on it before… Please,” She said gently grabbing one of his hands and pulling it from her face, slowly moving it down the space that had opened up in the front of her robe. Barely trailing his fingers between her breast, shivering at the lightning the simple touch sent through her skin to her aching cunt. Their hands stopping just before she got there, linking their fingers as she looked in his eyes, “I wanna know if you’re better than what I imagined all those times I thought about you being with me.” She said leaning into the hand still on her face and pressing a kiss to the heel of his palm. She wanted this to be slow and passionate but a part of her wanted Charlie to do whatever the hell he wanted to her and make it where she couldn’t leave the bed.

Maybe he would stay with her after that? Maybe this was the start of something she had wanted for so long with him but never thought she deserved.

Charlie honestly had no clue how they had gotten to this point but there they were. He would be lying if he said he hadn’t thought of this very moment for years, ever since they were younger but it just never happened. He had always wondered what would have happened if he had made a move back then, but he wasn’t really the type to make the first move, perhaps because of what he had gone through with his father. He had gone to therapy since then and had mostly moved past those feelings and memories with tools to deal with it when they snuck back in.

Once she had swung herself over his lap, Charlie could help but stare at her for a moment, almost as if doubting it was happening. As their hands moved down, he could feel his heartbeat speed up and his blood started to pump as he let her guide their hands until they suddenly had their hands intertwined. Then the words she spoke made him freeze, body stiffening slightly as it brought him right back to his childhood. He could tell his eyes were glazing over slightly as he struggled to go through the tools he had always used, not seeming to be able to stop the memories the flooded in. He carefully moved her next to him and stood up quickly from the bed. “I’m so s-sorry...” He said as he found himself running from the room, desperate to find somewhere he could hide both from the memories and from his embarrassment. He finally found the bathroom and he closed the door behind him, leaning up against it, pulling his legs up against his chest, tears already falling down his cheeks as his breathing constricted, making him gasp for much needed air, feeling the panic starting.