For Death Or Glory : Chapter Ten
Jake Kiszka x Charlotte (Fem OC)
Warnings: FLUFF FLUFF FLUFF, Drinking / Alcohol, Unpleasant drunk men, Teasing/Gentle Bullying, Pining, Yearning, Anxiety, Overthinking, Some Adult Themes (mild in the grand scheme) and sweet, sweet victory.
Word Count: 4k.
Summary: The day after Jake's failed attempt, he's worried about how uncomfortable the night will be having Charlotte there to train Melody, but things go better than he anticipated.
Author's Note: I'm going to leave a second note at the end of the chapter and all i'm going to say here is, happy Thursday 😉
Save My Life - Niall Horan
"Ever since you walked in, I'm seeing a new light,
Ever since you walked in, it's starting to feel like,
You might save my life."
I have replayed yesterday’s failed attempt in my head approximately four hundred times. The only thing keeping me going is the fact she looked a little disappointed after Linda cockblocked me. That probably isn’t how I should phrase it, but there isn’t a better way at this moment. Knowing that I have to look at her for the bulk of the day is definitely making me more nervous than it should be.
She still let me know when she made it home after everything, and we talked a little before she fell asleep. Definitely made me feel better since I was prepared for her to be wildly unimpressed.
Melody’s shift starts at 5 pm, but I’ve been around most of the day as usual. I just hide in my office for a while; the bar isn’t usually too busy in the afternoons, especially during the week. Josh seemed fine with the regulars who were camped out in their usual spots, so I took advantage and snuck away.
“I should have known you’d already be here,” Charlotte’s voice teased from behind me. Turning around, I saw her leaning against the doorframe, her arms crossed over her. What a sight that is. Her slight smile only distracted me briefly before noticing that her outfit was more casual today. Black turtleneck tucked into plaid slacks. Her shirt was fitted, hugging her petite frame perfectly, and I was suffering. Look respectfully, you’re better than that, don’t be gross…but, fuck me- she’s hot.
“Hey now,” I pretend to be hurt, “bullying me on the clock isn’t in your job description.”
She laughs at my rebuttal, which everything she did in those two seconds potentially ruined any chance of me being able to focus. All she did was adjust her pants, tugging them up slightly and smoothing them out, but my god. The moment she dropped her arms, I couldn’t help but notice the way she most definitely wasn’t wearing a bra. Don’t stare, don’t stare, don’t stare.
“Are you training Mel, or is Josh?” she asks, refocusing me.
“Uh, Josh for a little bit, but I’ll probably relieve him if we start to pick up,” I tell her, almost forgetting the purpose of her being here. I’m gonna need a minute before I can function.
“Sounds like a plan,” she chirps, “Don’t hide back here for too long.” She smirks at me before disappearing into the hall.
Holding my face in my hands, I close my eyes for a moment. Get it together. Don’t make her uncomfortable. Staring is rude, or at least don’t be obvious about it. Rubbing my face as I turn back to my desk.
I mumble, “It’s gonna be a long night.” ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯
About an hour goes by before the door chime starts to ring repeatedly. Mentally prepared now, I walk behind the bar, sneaking behind Josh and Melody.
“I’ll take over with her so you can focus,” I whispered to Josh. He just nodded subtly while talking to a customer. It’s the benefit of working with your family: Communication can be incredibly simple, and you don’t have to question whether the other person heard you or not.
“How is everything going?” I lean against the bar, making sure to keep Mel within eyeshot.
“She’s honestly incredible,” Charlotte says, scribbling something on her paper.
“Thank god,” I breathe out, relieved. I wasn’t really worried about Melody, but it’s nice to know it’s not just me.
“Josh is definitely good at training,” she looks up at me.
“Oh really?”
“Mhmm,” she smirks slightly, “you’re alright too.”
What has gotten into her today?
“That’s the nicest thing anyone has ever told me,” I tell her dryly, making her quietly laugh. Looking back over to Mel, she seems a little lost, staring at all the liquor bottles.
“What are you looking for?”
“Uhh–” she holds up a piece of paper; I really need to stop letting Josh write things down.
“Oh, hold on,” I walk past her, reaching up to one of the higher shelves and grabbing it for her. I stand with her while she mixes it, making sure that she doesn’t need any more help. I find myself glancing over to where Charlotte’s sitting as she’s watching us until her eyes meet mine. My insides twist when she does that, but it only gets worse when she fights a smile as she looks down at her paper, scribbling something again. Are we..
“Does this look right?” Melody asks, pulling my attention back.
“Yes, it looks perfect,” I tell her, watching her beam for a second as she slides it to the customer, “Just let me know if you need help or a break, okay?”
She nods, saluting me again. I see Josh walking back with a handful of glasses. He points at the tap, so I grab new ones and start pouring for him. He takes the fresh drinks from me, trotting off the whatever table he talked into another round.
“Are you impressed yet?” I ask, leaning against the bar across from Charlotte. It’s only partially a joke; I’d do anything to make her smile right now.
Her eyes linger on my hands before looking up at me; she lets out a small “mmmm.” I can see her chewing on the inside of her lip as she’s trying to give me more shit.
“What now?” I laugh.
“I’d be more impressed if she could make that drink without you hovering over her,” her sweet voice taunting, as she bites her lip, looking away from me.
‘I am just a girl, Jacob’ plays in my head as I look at her. My hand reaches out close to hers, and her head snaps back, watching me as my index finger lightly grazes the back of her hand.
“You know what, you’re right,” I tell her, backing up as she looks up, meeting my gaze. I shoot her a wink as I turn to go help out, but not before taking in the way her hand covered her mouth, and I could barely see how her face was flushed. Got her. ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯
I peek at Melody while I pour a beer, shifting my gaze back to Charlotte; we’ve been playing this game all night as she watches Mel, making my heart pound harder every time her eyes meet mine. Sneaking glances any chance I get, making the night feel like it’s flying by.
“Right behind you,” Josh says before I feel his hands grab my shoulders. He leans into me, “Seems like you’re having a good night, huh?”
The smile growing on my face gives me away.
“I think she’s into it too,” he adds.
“She is, isn’t she?” I spit out rather quickly. He squeezes my shoulder before taking off with a few fresh drinks.
She’ll look at me and then start making little notes, and if she thinks I’m just not going to notice, she is sorely mistaken. What is she taking notes on? Waltzing over, she quickly tucks the page back underneath the stack she has with her.
“Do you want something to sip on while you’re here?”
Her eyes light up, “maybe something small,”
I pour her a little glass of bourbon, still wholly impressed that it’s one of her drinks of choice. Sliding it over to her, she grabs it from me. Letting her fingertips graze mine as she looks at me. Pulling it up to her lips, she takes a small sip. Just watching how the glass sits against her lip makes my hands sweat.
Her body shivers as she swallows; whether it is the drink or the slight breeze that rolls through the bar when the doors open, I can’t help myself from noticing.
“Cold?” I ask through a laugh as she rubs her hands together quickly, giggling as she does.
She nods as she tucks her hands under her legs to warm up. My eyes are drifting as she does. Fuck. I do everything I can not to make my life harder, but the way I can see her peaked nipples through her shirt is definitely not helping. Jake, get a grip. She’s just a girl, and it’s not like she’s trying- oh. My God. It was at this moment I knew I was fucked. She had leaned back just enough to plaster her shirt even tighter to her body. Her nipples are pierced; that’s so normal. I feel totally fine. As I try to convince myself to be calm, I feel my dick twitch, and I force my gaze away from her. Fucking HELL THIS GIRL.
Silently, I turn around and walk to the other end of the bar, taking the orders of whoever looked ready, anything to keep my brain occupied. I’ve always been one to look at women who pique my interest respectfully, but this is rapidly becoming an exception to my morals. I would never have imagined her to be someone with any sort of piercings, aside from maybe her ears, of course. She was always so put together and professional; didn’t even consider what she could be hiding underneath it. I shake my head, hoping to rid all the potential thoughts that could flow through. ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯
She spent a few minutes talking with Mel, even though her eyes kept finding mine. Something so small, so innocent, but my stomach would beg to differ with how the butterflies erupt when I see her gaze shift over to me. Never thought I’d just want someone to watch me as much as I do her.
“Excuse me?” I hear Mel’s voice cut through the chatter of the bar. A clearly intoxicated man was standing close to Charlotte, his hand on the back of her chair, and I could tell from her face that she was trying to be polite.
After sliding a drink across the bar, I walk over to see what’s happening. Watching Charlotte back away slightly from him as he talks at her, I know Melody well enough that if I don’t stop this situation, she will.
“Do you know him?” I look directly at Charlotte.
She just shakes her head, and her eyes go wide. I tap Mel’s arm and point, silently telling her to worry about the bar.
“Hey buddy,” I start. “I don’t think she’s interested, so why don’t you just–” I wave, gesturing that he should move along.
“If she’d let me buy her a shot, I bet she would be,” he slurs a bit. The warmth was already spreading throughout my body.
“Yeah, I’m sure you’re a real catch, but if she said no, then drop it.”
He looks back at her, “Don’t listen to this asshole, babe. Probably just mad he can’t fuck you.” My jaw clenched at the crass comment. I have a better chance than this fucking dude.
“What the fuck?” She gasps, “Did you really think YOU had a chance?”
He throws his hands up, “the night is young, beautiful.”
Get away from her.
“Yeah, you’re done,” I snapped. I can’t stop it from coming out. My body is tense.
“What?”
“Go. Get out. You’re done.”
“I didn’t do anything!”
“You’re not going to disrespect women in my bar, now GO.” My voice raises as I point to the door, staring this drunk down until he finally backs up, flipping me off as he storms out.
I can feel my body shake slightly; I’ve never been a fan of confronting people like that, but it comes with the territory. Taking a deep breath, as subtle as possible, I can feel her staring at me.
“I’m sorry. Are you okay?” I ask quietly.
She just looks at me, her expression soft, “Um, yes.” Carefully, she picks up her glass and takes another sip of her drink; I can see her hand shake as she holds it. The anger I felt watching him talk to her still lingers as I watch her try to relax; nothing I can’t stand more than men treating women like a piece of meat.
“You don’t have to do this tonight,” I tell her, “I can talk to Melody, and I’ll just keep an eye on her tonight so you can go home if you want.”
“Thank you,” she says, just above a whisper. I motion to her to hang on a second, letting Josh know that I’m going to step out for a few minutes; I meet her at the end of the bar.
“Want to walk with me for a second? I’ll walk you back to your car after.” She nods quickly, a subtle smile gracing her lips. ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯
“Is it weird talking in person?” she asks as we walk towards my usual spot near the water. “Well, about.. not work.. stuff, obviously.”
“I don’t think weird is the right word,” I smile at her, “But seeing you switch from professional to this is definitely wild, though.”
She breathes out a sigh as she leans against the railing, looking out to the water, “Well, you’ve already.. unfortunately… seen a lot of everything except this.”
I lean against the railing next to her, enjoying the sounds of the small waves crashing against the cement.
“I have to say,” I start quietly, “I think drunk Charlotte was the most fun of the alternatives so far.” The smirk grows on my face as she grabs my arm, gently pushing me away from her.
“Hey! You basically are at fault for that one,” she says with a laugh, “you kept giving me fresh drinks, and who was I to turn that down?” I let out a loud laugh; she’s not wrong. I couldn’t help myself.
“Fair enough,” I put my hands up in surrender, “I’ll take the blame for that one. But, it was a fun night for me, at least.” Thinking back to the way she stared at me while I was cleaning up, her fingers laced in mine as I helped her up the stairs, the way she kissed my cheek after helping her break her zipper.
I just watch her as she stares out at the waves. The way the streetlamp glow bounces off her hair, you can still see its color even though it’s so dark. Her face finally seemed calm, relieved after the last handful of times I’d been around her. She always seems so focused and unamused while she’s working. But, the alternatives have been crying or drunk as hell, so just peaceful is nice. I’m glad she seems comfortable, at least.
I look down a bit, noticing the way she’s holding herself, this poor girl.
“You look freezing,” I reach out, rubbing her arm to try and warm her, “Actually, here.” I slide my flannel off, draping it over her shoulders before she quickly slides her arms into it.
“You’re so sweet,” she lets slip out, her eyes wide after it leaves her mouth. A statement I’ve heard a million times from a bunch of different girls I’ve gone out with, but something about it coming from her feels better.
“Looks cute,” I quietly say before biting at the inside of my lip to fight smiling too big.
She covers her face with her hands, hidden in the sleeves of my flannel. I can just hear her small laugh muffled through it. Her laugh is becoming one of my favorite sounds, and that’s terrifying.
“Stooop,” she can’t even make it through the whine without laughing.
“And what if I can’t?”
She looks over at me; I don’t think I’ll ever get used to her stare. She goes from holding my gaze to my mouth to slowly glancing down until she looks back at the water. I follow her lead.
“I come out here a lot,” I finally break the silence, pausing my thoughts. I feel her gently graze my forearm; timidly, she slides her hand into mine. My stomach turns with nerves before finally spitting out, “whenever the bar starts to feel too loud.”
“I can’t imagine you being overwhelmed like that,” her voice lower now.
I ran my thumb over the back of her hand, hoping she couldn’t feel me shaking, “It’s just nice to escape the chaos for a minute.” I felt like if I didn’t keep talking, she could hear my heartbeat.
“So, anyway–” I start as she turns to face me. I can’t figure out what she’s feeling between the dim light and the look in her eyes. My nerves start creeping up on me again.
She steps forward, eyes locked on mine. She leans against me, placing her free hand against my chest, and presses a kiss to the corner of my mouth.
I freeze, looking at her, trying to find an answer to the question I can’t seem to spit out. All I can hear is my heartbeat, and I feel my body start to shake. She’s staring back at me; all I can think of is how badly I’ve wanted to kiss her. Just take the chance, Jake.
I step towards her, bringing my hands up to cradle her jaw, and I swear time has slowed. Her body leaning into me, her hands finding their place against my chest, as I barely ghost my lips over hers.
“Is this okay?” I whisper, desperate for the answer.
She looks at me for not even a second before letting out the smallest, “Please.”
My lips can’t find hers fast enough. I let out every ounce of air in my body; the relief was surreal. She was softer and sweeter than I could have ever dreamed as she pressed her lips against my top one. I swear I can feel the blood moving through my veins, and I can’t do anything about the smile that may be permanently on my face at this point. Neither of us knew when to stop, taking turns placing playful little pecks on each other.
She snaked her arms up around my neck, pulling back for a second. Then she looked up at me, giggling quietly—those eyes. The feeling that spread through my chest as she looked at me; my body immediately felt hot. I can’t stop the grin growing on my face as I look at her, tilting her chin up towards me.
“So, uh..” I whisper.
She simply shushes me before she goes back for another kiss. I feel her smile against me, something no woman I’ve managed to get to this point with has ever done. My heart feels like it could rupture as it just rattles my skeleton. Lingering as long as I can, lightly tugging on her bottom lip with mine, her hands shifting to hold the sides of my neck while I deepend the kiss. Her fingertips pressed into me as our mouths slowly moved against each other; everything felt desperate, like we’d been deprived of this moment.
She leaves one hand on the side of my neck as she holds my jaw, running her thumb across my lip. How is she-
“Perfect,” she whispers, letting out another soft giggle.
I pull her into me, her arms back around my neck, and gently lift her, making her laugh.
“Jacob!”
“What is it, honey?”
Her face flushed at the name; I pressed a kiss to the tip of her nose and then against her forehead, lingering there for a moment. A breeze reminding us of where we are. Holy shit, I did it.
“I should probably head home,” she whispers against my lips.
“Mmm.. One more,” I mumble into her. We giggle through another slow kiss until I feel her shiver, moving closer to me to steal my warmth. I wrap her up in a hug, feeling her body against mine. Breathing her in, fighting the urge to kiss the side of her head a million times.
Finally, mumbling to her, “Let’s get you to your car before you freeze.”
Her hand comfortably holds my bicep as we walk, and I can’t help but steal glances at her any chance I get.
The rest of the night at the bar dragged on, helping Melody be sure of what she was mixing as I was daydreaming about Charlotte’s lips on mine. ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯
As soon as I get home, I fall into my routine, knocking on Josh’s door.
“You can come in,” his muffled voice said. Opening the door, I got comfortable in my usual position against his doorframe. We both knew that if I sat down, neither of us would get any sleep.
We go through our usual questions, asking about each other's day and how the bar was; catching each other up has become a habit.
“I know you’re hiding something,” he says, a shit-eating grin plastered on his face, “what did you do?”
“What do you mean?” my hand finding comfort on the back of my neck.
“You haven’t stopped smiling this whole time,” I can see the gears turning in his head, “not that you don’t smile normally, but this feels different.”
I don’t need to tell him. I can keep it to myself.. maybe.
“It’s Charlotte, isn’t it?” He asks, eyes squinted at me.
My face turned red, giving me away, “um.”
“OH, IT IS. WHAT HAPPENED?”
I walk over and sit on the end of his bed before finally caving, “I kissed her.” Looking over at him, I can’t hide my smile anymore. He flings himself across the bed, pulling me into a hug.
“Jake, oh my god, I’m so happy for you,” he can’t get the words out fast enough, “Tell me everything!”
There we sat for a while, just recounting the entire situation for him. My face hurt physically from the smile that I couldn’t shake off. It was perfect.
“Between the two of us and these four walls,” he starts, “she’s definitely–” his eyes widen as he looks at me. It’s always funny to me when he clocks into being a typical man; he’s never one to care about people’s physical appearance, nor does it affect how he thinks of someone, but it will always make me laugh when someone catches his eye enough for him to bring it up.
“No, I know. She’s gorgeous; it’s insane that she even looks at me.”
He just looks at me momentarily before his hand finds its place on my knee, giving it a gentle squeeze. Being twins, we’ve always been close and heavily rely on each other for many things. Physical touch has always been big for both of us, which we’re convinced is because we were forced to be close before we were even on this earth.
“It’s nice to see you like this,” he says, swallowing quietly.
My hand moves to cover his, feeling the comfort coming from him before I finally admit, “I’ve never felt like this before.” My stomach turns at the thought. What if she regrets it tomorrow? Was it just a lapse of judgment? Oh my god, she’s going to hate-
“What’s wrong?” He quickly clocks my mood shift.
“Nothing. I just don’t want to get too ahead of myself this time, is all.”
He pauses for a moment, sighing slightly, before looking back at me.
“Jake, it’s okay to be scared,” he tells me, “But you also deserve to be happy. I can tell by how she looks at you that you’re not scaring her off. So, just do what you do best and let her guide this endeavor,” he says, waving his hands around in true Josh fashion.
Looking down for a second, I know he’s right. My chest feels heavy as I sit in my doubt until Josh grabs my arms, forcing me to look at him.
“Hey, it’s going to be okay,” he whispers, “let yourself be happy and free. You’ve earned it.”
I know he’s right. I should just let things happen and see what comes of it. I’ll just try not to get my hopes too high. The anxiety starts to fade as we sit there for a few more minutes until my phone vibrates on his bed, and all my nerves seemingly melt away when I pick it up.
Charlotte: I made it home ❤️
⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯
Author's Note part two: WE DID IT, WE MADE IT!! I'M PUNCHING THE AIR AND SCREAMING WITH ALL OF YOU. AHHHHHH I've been dying over this chapter for a while and MY GOD they are so cute and this chapter makes me want to cry for them!
Chapter Nine
Chapter Eleven
FDOG Master Post | Masterlist | Playlist
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