Charlie Ch. 21-24

Chapter 21

It was about five o'clock that same afternoon, when Charlie's phone beeped. She was laying on her bed, half dozing and half reading a book.

Nathan: Need movie night

Charlie: I'm okay.

Nathan: I need one!

Charlie: Okie dokie

She rolled onto her back, wondering what weird movie Nathan would play this evening. It even made her smile that he would need a movie night, and that it wasn't just about her lack of sleep. Sometimes, everyone needs a "Chinese comfy movie" night. It was a body and soul restorative.

She heard footsteps coming up the stairs, and Nathan appeared at the bedroom door. He had the Chinese take out menu in his injured hand. He moved over to the bed and let his body flop face first onto it. After handing the menu to Charlie, he dug his phone out of the back pocket of his jeans. Charlie eyed the menu, trying to decide what sounded best. Nathan had already dialed and was listing the items he wanted to order. She held up the menu and pointed out the sesame glazed chicken and crab puffs. Nathan relayed the order.

Just at the time he was about to give his credit card number, Charlie snatched the phone from his good hand. She quickly began giving her own credit card information. Nathan had scrambled further on the bed, trying to snatch the phone back from her grasp. She kept him at bay, pushing him backwards onto the bed. Once everything was finished, she clicked the "end" button. Nathan has a perturbed look on his face.

"Look here, I maimed you. I buy dinner." She handed his phone back to him and smiled one of her biggest cheesy smiles. It was sorta that "fuck off" and "gotcha" smiles all at once. Suddenly, Nathan's good hand shot out and started to tickle her. Charlie squirmed and tried to roll off of the bed, but Nathan held on as she giggled hysterically. His hand dug into her side, tickling and pulling her further down the length of the bed. She tossed and turned, trying to escape his fiendish grasp, but he wouldn't let go.

"Ow, ow!" Nathan shouted when Charlie challenged the use of his injured hand. Charlie pulled back in horror. "Gotcha!" Nathan continued his tickling onslaught.

Somehow, their bodies had gotten tangled. He was half on top of her; his head hanging in the crook of her neck. His arms were planted on either side of her chest. She was clutching onto both of his wrists, waiting for the next tickling assault to begin. Both of them were panting. His breath extremely hot on her neck. In fact she could feel his lips actually touching her skin. As he turned his head to get more air, those lips drew themselves across her neck muscles. Her body responded outside of her control. A shot of desire streaked directly to her core. Taken back, Charlie felt surprised that her body would react that way around Nathan. She quickly turned her head away from his lips.

"Ready to give in?" he challenged her. Charlie was brought back to the task at hand. He was ready to start with the tickling again, and she was never one to back down from a good fight.

"Never!" she shot back. Tensing up her body, she was ready for the new attack. Nathan rolled, and because she was holding his hands, she rolled with him. Now that his arms weren't having to support his weight, he grabbed onto her sides again. Nathan had pulled her on top of his body as he continued to tickle her madly. Charlie fought and strained until she was sitting on his hips. Charlie was shaking her head back and forth violently as she squealed and squirmed.

Finally, Nathan stopped his torture and dropped his hands onto the bed. She collapsed onto his chest. Both of them were laughing while trying to take gulps of air. Once she could breathe, Charlie sat up and propped her hands on his chest. Her eyes were cheerful and sparkling. Her hair was hanging forward, framing her face in that delicious way that hid part of her eyes. Her cheeks were blushed and her chest was still rising and lifting with each puffing breath she took.

"Do you give in?" she smirked.

Nathan simply nodded. He fought the compulsion that told him he should pull her into a kiss. It would be so easy for him to push up his hips, unbalance her enough to bring her down to his mouth. He so wanted to taste her voluminous lips and feel her hands move on the rest of his body. He closed his eyes for a moment and took in a big swallow of air.

Buzz! Saved by the doorbell. Sometimes, having a damned Chinese food delivery restaurant across the street was really crappy.

"Food!" Charlie squeaked. She climbed off of the Nathan and bounded down the stairs to answer the door. Nathan stayed on the bed, trying to calm his body and mind. The whole tickling session had just given him a massive hard on. He was sure it would kill him. Instead of getting up, he had the bright idea to roll over on his stomach. Burying his head into her bed, he let out a loud moan. He could smell her on the quilt. Based on the body soap that she used, she smelled like sandalwood and nutmeg. He spent a few more moments inhaling her scent, wishing it was covering his entire body.

The front door slammed, and he could hear Charlie moving around in the kitchen. The other element that brought him out of his sniffing trance was the massive pain in his right hand. He raised his hand and looked at the bandage that covered his hand. Just my luck! He couldn't masturbate with his left. Tonight, he was just shit out of luck.

Chapter 22

Nathan made his way down the stairs. A few adjustments and a "down boy talk" helped his erection subside. By the time he entered the living room, Charlie already spread out the Chinese boxes. She had put Last of the Mohicans in the DVD player. She was sitting cross-legged on the couch holding out a fork for him to take.

He sat down next to her and took the fork. Scooping up one of the boxes, they both began to eat. The movie started, and life returned to a moment of normal. When she was done with the crab puffs, Charlie licked some sweet and sour sauce off of her fingers and relaxed back into the couch. Feeling stuffed, she leaned over and laid her head directly on Nathan's thigh. He lifted up his arms and Chinese food box to make way for her. She turned on her side and snuggled her head to find a good resting place. So much for the "down boy" discussion.

Once Nathan was finished with one box, he leaned forward to get another. This lightly squished Charlie in the process.

"Hey!" she squawked. He patted her on the head, and she returned to watching the movie. Nathan had a bit of a harder time concentrating on the movie. His brain had taken the stance about the geometry that he was trying to ignore. Another 90 degree turn and Charlie's face would be in the prime position to lick, suck, and swallow him whole. He shut down the thought and focused on carefully chewing each bite of food.

When the scene of the movie changed and Clannad's song started to play, he heard Charlie sigh. She shifted and stretched. Then, as if she was hit by a stroke of genius, she let out an "oooooh" sound. Nathan knew that sound, and it meant she was thinking up some kind of trouble. Charlie extracted herself from his lap and dashed into the kitchen. She was like a whirlwind of hair, tank top, men's pajama bottoms as she ran down the hallway. She returned with a triumphant look and a container of mint chocolate chip ice cream.

She settled back on the couch, spooning the mixture into her mouth. Nathan definitely wanted to be the spoon she was using. He had to be careful that she didn't catch him watching. That would definitely make for an awkward moment.

"Want some?" she held out a spoonful. He nodded and she held the spoon up to his mouth. He leaned forward and took what she was offering. She then went back to feeding herself. Once in awhile, she held out the spoon again for him and he took more. When she was done with the container, she got up to replace it in the frig. Returning to the couch, she curled onto her side and put her head back in Nathan's lap. The movie and his torture continued.

Tonight, she actually stayed awake for the entire movie. Nathan was slightly disappointed. He liked it when she fell asleep and he carried her up the stairs. It gave him a chance to play Prince Charming, the good guy.

"Cig break," she announced as the movie ended. She stood up and began to collect the Chinese food boxes. He followed suit to help her clean up the area. They walked into the kitchen. He stuffed the empties into the garbage, and she put the leftovers into the fridge. Charlie grabbed a cigarette and lighter out of the drawer and opened the back door. He followed her. She took up her sitting position on the railing. She had already brought the cigarette to her lips, but the lighter was refusing to work properly. She kept flicking the surface in the hopes of getting it to light. Nathan walked over and removed it from his hand. He removed the cigarette from her lips. Putting it to his own lips, he lit it in one fail swoop. He exhaled the contents and held it out for her.

Once she had it in her hand, he stepped forward. He took her face in his hands and laid his lips on hers. God, she tasted as good as I thought she would. He focused on how luscious and full her lips were as he turned her head to get a better angle for their first kiss.

Chapter 23

Nathan is kissing me! Charlie's brain was straining to understand what was happening. It was an out of body experience. She could see them on the porch, him standing between her legs, gently holding her face. Their lips were touching. Something in her disconnected body lit up, that desire that comes from having a good kiss that only begged of sexual possibilities. She could see Nathan shifting her head and taking more of her lips. The desire was adding an ache between her legs. It was one of those movie-star kisses. It was becoming more and more intense as he pulled her face closer and closer to his. He grew more insistent by the second. Then, at the moment that she would become a puddle and pure sexual lust would kick in, he pulled back.

When his lips disconnected from hers, that was when Charlie re-entered her own body. He was still holding her face, searching his eyes. She let out a loud sigh, unsure of what really happened or how to react. His smiling Nathan eyes simply focused on her, looking at her lips and then back to make eye contact. Then, he let go.

As Nathan walked off the porch, he said "Good night."

Charlie was left dumbfounded. It took her a couple moments to register that she still had a cigarette in her hand. Her body wasn't her own, and her brain took a mental vacation. She stood there taking long drags on her cigarette. She stared at Nathan's balcony in disbelief. The interior lights turned off one by one. Soon, his house was dark.

Charlie stepped back into her apartment. The kitchen light seemed too bright, too surreal. She leaned against the counter, instinctively her hand rose up to her lips. Her fingertips retraced the path and feeling of Nathan's lips on hers. She felt confused and wanted to march over to his apartment. Ask what was going on, but something in her body told her to stand still.

She didn't know how long she stood there, but her legs were starting to tingle from being in one position for so long. It was like she was drunk again as she stumbled through the house and up to her room. Sitting on the edge of her bed, she looked over her shoulder at the closed curtains. Her mind began to engage with her surroundings.

She looked towards the bathroom and replayed the events in the shower. Her hand ran over the quilt on her bed, reminding her of how she woke up laying on top of him after she had gotten sick in the kitchen. His hand in her hair when she fell asleep on the couch. She eased back on the bed. Now her thoughts strayed from the doctor's office and holding his hand to the tickle fight they had just had on her bed. His lips on the side of her neck. The kisses on her forehead. The kiss on the balcony. The ache that started in her core resurfaced, and she crossed her legs together.

Nathan?

Chapter 24

Charlie woke up the next morning, feeling as confused as she did when she fell asleep the night before. Her mind kept replaying different actions, different events with Nathan. She quickly showered and put on clothes. She planned on finding him to ask about the kiss. Once she reached his balcony, she noticed there was a note on the door. Getting closer, she grabbed a hold of it and yanked it for its taped position.

Gone fishin'! LOL Actually going to Shelley's. Be back in a week. Nate

Charlie sat down in the chair by his door with the note still in her hand. All of this had to be a joke. He must have been messing with her last night. There wasn't any logical reason for that kiss. Charlie continued the conversation with herself, going through all of the various possibilities in her mind. The only one that really made sense was that he was messing with her. Come on, she was just plain Charlie. Nothing special. Nathan was her friend, and typical Nathan, he was doing something to get a rise out of her. She shook her head and went back to her apartment.

With the coffee pot already working its magic, she stepped into her writing room. She needed to catch up on her number of pages and answer some emails. With her coffee by her side, she began to work. On occasion, a thought about Nathan would slip through her mind. She shook it off and continued with her work.

It was about an hour later, that she realized the apartment was too quiet. She could hear the breeze playing with the curtains over the kitchen sink. She turned to her CD player and pile of music. She began to flip through the CD collection to find something to inspire her. That was when she noticed a CD case propped up on the chair in the corner. A sticky note on it said, "Play Me." Charlie palmed the case and put the CD into the player. She returned to her seat at the computer; she looked inside the CD case. In bolded black letters at the top of the case was the word "Charlie." Inside, the list of songs were written.

Desert Rose—Sting
Will You Remember Me?—Jann Arden
Last Exit to Eden—Amanda Marshall
Kiss the Rain—Billie Myers
White Flag—Dido
Love and Memories—O.A.R.
Apologize—One Republic
Broken—Seether
I Will Find You—Clannad
Eyes of a Stranger—Payolas
Breathe—Anna Nalick
Waiting in Canada—Jann Arden

Charlie knew some of the songs that were in the list, like the ones from Jann Arden, Amanda Marshall, and Anna Nalick; however, there were songs that didn't sound familiar to her. These were the songs she saw on Nathan's Ipod "She" list.

She pulled one of her knees up to her chest and put her head on it. She sat listening to the songs, the music and words filling the room around her. When the last song had finished, she reached over and turned off the stereo. Her mind was reeling. All of the songs had something to do with love, unrequited love, missing love, missing another person. Flashes of their kiss kept coming to mind. What the hell was Nathan doing?

Feeling a bit panicked, she looked around to see if there were any other notes or items left in her writing room. Nothing that that she could see. Moving back into the kitchen, she opened the refrigerator door. All of the contents from the door were on the drink shelf, and the drinks were in the door. Immediately, she huffed. Bastard! Surely, this was a sign that Nathan was just playing with her. She went to task, moving everything back to its rightful place. When that cold world was put back in order, she grabbed a vitamin water. Again, she was left standing in her kitchen, leaning on the counter, wondering what the hell was going on.

Charlie found her purse and grabbed her phone. She thought about calling him, but she didn't know exactly what to say know. Okay, text message. A bit more informal and impersonal, but then again she didn't know how personal to be at the moment. She just wanted to know what the hell was going on. She started punching the keys.

Charlie: Are you there?

Nathan: I'm always here

Charlie: What the hell is going on?

Nathan: Did you listen to the CD?

Charlie: Yes

Nathan: Go listen to it again. Get back to work!

Charlie: What the hell is going on?

There was no response. She moved back into her writing room. The stereo sat there mocking her like it knew more about what was going on than she did. Charlie flipped it back on and hit play again. The songs started over, and she turned back to her story. At least that could make sense right now. She began typing like a mad woman. The clicking helped cover up some of the music.

When she stopped typing for the night, it was 11:30 p.m. She had managed to finish the pages that she didn't create from the previous day as well as the pages required for today. The CD kept playing and playing and playing. With her back screaming from sitting too long, she stood up and made her way into the kitchen. Some leftover Chinese food for dinner. Microwaved and ready for consumption, she decided to watch some tv before going to bed. Taking her food and phone with her, she headed for the living room.

Sitting on the couch, it suddenly dawned on her that it felt lonely. She looked at the spot that Nathan normally used. It was just empty. She actually sat staring at it for a few minutes while she ate. Finally, she put down the container and grabbed the phone.

Charlie: Nathan?

Nathan: Charlie!

Charlie: What the hell is going on?

Nathan: How was work today? Did you get your pages written?

Charlie: Yes, don't change subject

Nathan: What's the subject?

Charlie: Why did you kiss me?

Nathan: I wanted to

Charlie sat staring at her phone. She couldn't quite figure out what to type next. His last message was a bit disarming. It wasn't like she could put up an argument and call him a liar. "I wanted to" was just simple and there. She started at the message so long the backlight on her phone switched off. She punched the display again, and the message was still there waiting for her. It hadn't changed. She put down the phone and stared at it. Charlie discovered a new meaning for writer's block.