by Michelle Lee
I shake my head no, as I answer, “N-N-No, Why?”
“There is a dinner sitting out on your table.” He says it through clenched teeth. I think he is angry. “Let’s go, you need to put clothes on, the cops will be here and we can’t touch anything. Pack a bag, you‘re not staying here anymore.”
I clutch the blanket tightly to me. When I stand I look down at the sink and stop moving. “I didn’t have those lined up on the sink like that. I had them placed all over the bathroom.” I can hear pounding in my ears, I’m a little light headed as I voice what we are both thinking, “Brody, I think Michael was in my house, ate at my table, moved my candles,” my breath comes out in a hiccup and the room is spinning, “and jerked off on my bed.” The seriousness of the situation is too much. I feel myself start to fall to the floor. Then everything goes black.
“Charlie, you have to get up, I need you to get dressed.”
I hear Brody’s voice like he is at the end of a tunnel. I want to answer him but my mouth isn’t cooperating. “I can’t” I’m not sure what it is I can’t do, get dressed, go in the bedroom, or just move my body. Brody seems to understand anyway. He gently places me on the couch, trying hard to hide my body, and disappears.
When he comes back he hands me clothes, “give me the blanket. I will hold it up so you can get dressed behind it. You can’t go in the bathroom and touch anything else.”
I stand and turn my back; I don’t care if I flash my ass. I just want to shield my front. The front door is still open after all. Unraveling the blanket, I give the edge to him, getting dressed behind it.
CHAPTER 13
She waits in the hall while the police and crime lab gather evidence. Charlie has given her statement to Officer O’Connor. Now she is waiting while Brody goes over what happened when he arrived. She is allowed to go in and pack a bag but can’t bring herself to go in alone. She wants to wait for Brody.
When he finishes he walks over to where she is and asks, “You ready?”
“No, I still need some things for work this week, but I don’t think I can go in there.”
“Ok” He takes her hand and walks away from the open door and all the activity. “We can go together or I can go in for you. It’s up to you.”
She takes a big breath, “I can do this. Just don’t leave my side.” She plays with her hair, twirling a indiscriminate curl, smiling she says, “Besides god only knows what kind of underwear you’ll pick this time.”
“You got it.” He tries to smile but it doesn’t chase the sadness from his eyes.
They walk back the way they came, pause at the front door, Charlie grabs his hand and they go inside. In the bedroom, she finds her duffle bag and fills it with underwear, bras, stockings for work, and casual clothes; jeans, tee’s, and tank tops. She grabs her swim suit on chance she may go swimming. Then grabs a hanging garment bag and grabs enough suits, and pieces of suits, that she can mix and match for work. She has enough clothes for awhile. She is not taking chances.
Leaving the bedroom she has the duffle, Brody has the garment bag, “You got enough?”
“I hope so.” She’s not really sure where she’s going but she grabs her car keys off the hook by the door and says “Alright, I’m done. Let’s go.”
“Ok.”
“I think I will just head over to that holiday inn express that is 10 minutes out of town. Will you follow me?”
“WHAT? DO you really think I am going to let you sleep in a hotel?” He is looking at her like she is a three headed monster. “You are staying with me.”
“I don’t think…”
“Yeah don’t think, you’re going.” He starts walking to the door again.
“What about Steph?”
“That won’t be a problem. She is moving out.” They continue walking toward the stairs “She broke up with me last night.”
She stutter steps on the stairs, “Oh, I’m sorry Brody, I know how much you loved her.”
“Don’t worry about it; I didn’t love her as much as I thought. Besides, you have bigger things to worry about; than my love life.”
“It helps. You know, keep me distracted.” They reach the bottom of the stairs and he holds open the door for her. “If all I am doing is thinking about myself, I will go nuts. I’m not supposed to change my normal routine, remember?”
“Worrying about my love life is normal?” he quirks an eye at her.
“I always worry about your love life. You’re such a slut. The girls you go with are something else.” Charlie giggles a little.
“W-w-whoa, a slut?” He places a hand on her arm to stop her from walking.
“Yeah. You lost your virginity when you were in 6th grade.”
“Yeah, but in my defense, she was hot.”
“She was your babysitter!!” Talking about his sex life should have been weird, since she has developed confusing feelings for him, but it’s not. He has always been oversexed, and it has been a constant thing to tease him. Plus, it’s just too easy. “What about that time in high school when your history teacher asked you out?”
“She didn’t know I was a student.”
“You’re disgusting.” She says laughing, “Well, we better get moving. I will follow you to your house.”
“Let’s do this.” He smiles like he just made the best joke in the world.
“You think you’re so funny, I was giving myself a pep talk and you use it as ammunition?” Blushing, a fierce red, Charlie and her pride walk to the car, grinning like a fool.
CHAPTER 14
They arrive at Brody’s house twenty-five minutes later. Charlie has always loved it here. It’s on the edge of the city but not quite rural. The house is red brick, with black shutters, and a black front door. The color combination gives it a sophisticated feel. The large front porch has two rocking chairs, one on either side of the door, both stained black to keep with the décor. There is an old red maple tree off the front corner of the house, which is so old the trunk is all knarred with knots and hanging thick limbs. It is the kind of tree begging for a tire swing. There are flowers of all colors and variety in mulch beds surrounding the front of the house. These same flowers follow a red brick walking path from the porch steps to the sidewalk. It is so charming and warm, you would think a family lived here and landscaped frequently. Instead, it’s just Brody.
Getting out of the car I take a deep inhale. The air here smells better. It cleanses. I can feel some of the stress subside. Michael will not find me here.
I turn and watch Brody as he gets out of the car and goes through the motions of being home. He walks over to the mail box and gets his mail. Still holding my garment bag I imagine how it would be to come home to him every night. He would be the kind of husband to pick up the dry cleaning, and change the oil in my car. He’s a perfect mix of sensitive and man. Wait, did I just think about Brody and husband in the same sentence?
“Hey, you alright?” Brody asks as he walks over “You look like you just remembered something you forgot, and you’re panicked.” He waves his hand in front of her face, back and forth in front of her eyes. “Hello?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. I don’t know what you mean?” I’m laughing nervously, and can feel myself want to babble a way out of this conversation. To stop from doing that I say, “let’s go in. I want to get settled.” I turn on my heel and march off to the house.
“Huh, that was weird.” Brody says to himself following after Charlie.
He gets his keys out and unlocks the door. I sigh. This is what a home should feel like. I am so comfortable here. We walk into a foyer of hard wood floors and high ceilings. The stairs are directly ahead and split the first floor in two. The living room is on the right and the dining room on the left. The kitchen takes up the entire back of the house. The staircase feels grand, like Scarlet O’Hara will be gliding down, in her green curtain dress, any minute. The house is nowhere near the size of Tara, with only four bedrooms, but it has just as much style.
Standing
at the bottom of the stairs I ask, “Can I still have my room?” I used to stay here a lot and stay in the same room. Brody told me if I decorated it, it could be mine. It started as a joke but I jumped in with both feet.
“You know it. It’s yours.” He smiles and I can tell he is remembering what I put him through getting the room prefect.
I run up the stairs like a kid getting a present. I throw open the door, and launch myself on the queen size four poster bed with draped white gauzy curtains. Lying on my back, looking up at the ceiling, I wait for Brody to come in. He stands in the doorway looking at me. I sit up and smile at him.
“I still love it here so much. I thought since Steph was here with you for awhile she would‘ve put more of her mark on the place, but it’s still just like I remember.”
“Even if she wanted to change things, in here would’ve been left untouched.” He walks over to the closet and hangs up my bag. “I am so glad I can put that down, it’s freaking heavy. Did you leave anything in your closet?” He turns to face me, smiling, and I hit him in his face with a pillow. “Hey!”
“Yes, I left some things in my closet!” I laugh and pick up the other pillow “Come at me.” I am now standing on the bed.
“Oh, yeah? Really? Everytime you challenge me…you lose” laughing he picks up the pillow from the floor and swings it at my feet.
I jump and bring the pillow down on his head. He swings again, this time when I jump I land on his pillow; and as he pulls it away, my feet come out from under me, I fall back on the bed arms flailing. Brody jumps up on the bed towering over me bombarding me with hit after hit. I curl in a ball, for protection, laughing till it hurts and tears are pouring out of my eyes.
“Say it!!” Brody yells continuing his assault, cackling like a maniac.
“I give, I give.” I say breathlessly. I try to catch my breath. “One of these days I will get you. I will win.” I uncurl from my ball and lay on my side all stretched out, propping my head in my hand.
Brody sits next to me and says, “Sweetheart, the day you win, I will give you the keys to my house.” He sounds so cocky.
“Hmmm, that sounds like a challenge. I do love this house.” I stroke my chin with free hand pretending to think. “I will think of something.”
“You can try, but you will fail.” He grabs my hip and shakes me, playfully. Then, sitting in a big bed with his hand on my hip, the atmosphere changes, it becomes charged with electricity. Instead of moving his hand off of me; he moves his hand up my body. Up my side and back down past my hip to my thigh. He moves slowly back to my hip and pushes me to my back.
He lies down next to me on his side. His hand moves over my stomach. He is watching my face to see how I will respond. My eyes are closed, my breathing slow, when he moves his hand up my stomach, I stop breathing for a second and licks my lips.
He runs his hand back down and teases the skin between my jeans and tank top, with his fingers. I remember the matching set he picked out for this morning. He dips his finger into the very top of my jeans and fingers the lace of my thong. My breath catches.
He pulls his fingers out and pulls me into his arms and just holds me there. He places a gentle kiss on the top of my head. I sigh and relax in his embrace. We lie there with each other for the rest of the afternoon.
CHAPTER 15
It’s a short ride back to my house. I can’t wait until Charlie is safely there. It’s driving me crazy being out in the open. I feel exposed and unprotected. I can’t keep her safe if I don’t know where the danger is. I pull up out front of the 2 car garage. When I get out I get the bag out of the back, and go retrieve my mail.
I watch Charlie as I walk back. She is relaxed taking a big inhale of the fresh air she admirers the house and its surrounding. She was with me the day I came to look at it. She is the reason I made an offer. I love my house, but when Charlie is here with me filling it with her energy, it becomes a home. I love to imagine her sitting on the front porch, rocking in the rocking chair with a small child on her lap, and her stomach big and round with another on the way. She would be a perfect mother. That’s what this house has always needed. A family. My family.
As I walk and look through my mail, the top of my head is burning. I look up into the green eyes of confusion.
“Hey. You alright? You look like you just remembered something you forgot, and you’re panicked.” I wave my hand in front of her face. “Hello?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. I don’t know what you mean?” She says with a little giggle. “Let’s go in”
“Huh, that was weird.” I follow Charlie up the front steps to the front door retrieving my keys to unlock the door. Once inside I stand back and let her take it all in. It’s been sometime since she has been here. Steph didn’t want her here. She didn’t like it when I wouldn’t paint or redecorate. She thought it was too stuffy and wanted to add something of her own to “our” place. When she wanted to redo Charlie’s room, I said no, she was furious. She never went in there and would just pretend it didn’t exist. She would even describe it as a three bedroom house and give me a look of contempt.
Charlie always said the stairs were her second favorite thing about the house. They are directly in front of the door, they start wide on the ground level taper in slightly as you go up, then widen back out at the top. The balcony off the stairs goes the entire length of the first floor and about five feet wide with the bedrooms doors breaking off of that.
”Can I still have my room?” Charlie asks. I notice a little nervousness in her voice. She probably thinks it’s been changed. When I first bought it she was here all the time, it was her favorite, so I said she should just decorate it and keep it. Let’s just say when she wants something she gets it.
“You know it. It’s yours.” I say smiling, remembering how she drove me nuts with paint swatches, duvet patterns, furnishing, and carpet ideas. Eventually, she finished and it is the softest, most beautiful side of Charlie I have ever seen. She said it was easy with such good bones to work with. The room told her how to create it.
She smiles and runs up the stairs to her room. I hear the door bang open and laugh quietly; I feel better having her here. This is her home. Walking up the step I turn left and stand in the doorway watching her. She is sprawled out on the bed, like she’s about to make a snow angel. She sits up and smiles at me.
“I still love it here so much. I thought since Steph was here with you for awhile she would‘ve put more of her mark on the place, but it’s still just like I remember.”
“Even if she wanted to change things, in here would’ve been left untouched.” I walk over to the closet and hangs up her bag. “I am so glad I can put that down, it’s freaking heavy. Did you leave anything in your closet?” I turn and face her, smiling, and a pillow hits me in face. “HEY!”
“Yes, I left some things in my closet!” She laughs and picks up the other pillow “Come at me.” She is now standing on the bed.
“Oh, yeah? Really? Everytime you challenge me…you lose” I laugh because it’s true. She has been trying to beat me at everything since our first year as friends in 8th grade. She always wanted to see who ran faster, who could swim farther, who could eat more. Every time she lost. I pick up the pillow that has landed at my feet, and swung at her feet.
She jumps over my pillow and at the same time brings her pillow down on my head. Before I know it we are in a full fledge pillow fight. Really, pillow fight? What am I a 15 yr. old girl? I swing again, this time when she jumps she lands on the pillow as I pull it away, her feet come out from under her and she falls back on the bed arms flailing. I jump up on the bed, with a take no prisoners’ attitude, and pelt her over and over. She curls in a ball laughing till tears are pouring from her eyes.
“Say it!!” I laugh.