by Queau, Amy
“Hi. I…uh…I brought these for you,” he said.
“Thanks.”
“May I sit with you a while?”
“Um. No. I mean, yes! Sorry. Yes, you can stay. But I’d really like to go downstairs and have a cigarette. Do you think you could sneak me out?” Charlie gestured to the wheelchair in the corner of the room.
“I don’t think I need to sneak you out. I think people do it all the time.”
Charlie rolled her eyes. “Can’t you let me have a little fun? Come on, let’s be sneaky.”
Samuel smiled “Sorry, I’m just a little nervous.”
“Don’t be. I have no intention of saying anything to you that will make you feel bad. So come on, let’s go smoke.”
Making her way to the wheelchair and throwing a blanket over her body, Charlie grabbed her purse as Sam took the position behind her.
Just as they turned the corner to enter the hallway, they were stopped abruptly when her feet hit the shins of Aaron Paulson.
“Ouch,” Aaron said.
Oh, shit. This is it. Courage, Charlie. Find the courage you need to say this to him. He’s here because you asked the nurse to bring him here. Find the strength you need to say what you’ve always wanted to say to him. Find it!
Looking around the hall, she couldn’t find anything. Nothing solid to hold onto while she found the words she needed.
“You okay?” Samuel whispered in her ear and she turned to look at him. He was inches from her face.
There it is. That’s what I needed. Stay confident. Stay calm. Samuel is with you. Do this, Charlie.
“You wanted to speak to me, Charlie?” Aaron said, visually bracing himself for the blowout.
With confidence, Charlie straightened her posture and began speaking.
Here goes…“I’ve thought about you over the years. It’s true, I have. And I’ve prepared a little speech in case I ever had the chance to give it to you. When I saw you this morning, staring at me in that bed, one thought came to my mind. And that was that you don’t deserve my fucking speech. You don’t deserve another minute of wasted thoughts. But I also realized that although you may not deserve it, I deserve the opportunity to give it to you. So here goes…” She flashed a tight smile. “I learned two things in knowing you, Aaron. The first is that I am a waste of a human being; I’m fat, grotesque, and unworthy of happiness. The second was to never, ever trust anyone. And now, at the age of twenty-four, I can honestly tell you that I’ve spent the better part of a decade trying to unlearn those things. I’ve fought with myself, I’ve been challenged to my core, and I’ve tried to erase all the hateful words and appalling gestures you ever gave me. I had failed until now.
“And I can say that now, since I’m sitting here telling you all of this, I will, from today, never think about you again. But you will likely think about me every day for the better part of your next decade, trying to justify your contribution to a 14-year-old girl’s depression, suicide attempts, and heartache. Congratulations, Aaron Paulson. You are an asshole.”
Samuel’s mouth dropped open and he gawked, waiting for a response from the doctor.
Aaron fiddled with the ring on his finger, cleaning his teeth with his tongue. A sour look appeared on his face as he nodded and walked away.
Charlie took a deep breath in and she gestured to Sam to wheel her to the elevator.
Chapter Eleven
“Kiss me,” she said as soon as the elevator doors closed.
“What?” he asked, as though he was uneasy with the request.
“I said, kiss me. This was a really big moment for me, and you’re ruining it by hesitating. I want a kiss. We can deal with the two of us later. Just kiss me,” she demanded again.
His frown eased into a smile as he quickly leaned down to kiss her. With one hand behind her neck, he pulled her mouth to his. Charlie melted at the touch of his lips, the adrenaline slowing in her system. Fearing what might happen if she were to lose herself completely, she pulled away and smiled.
“Thank you. Next time, don’t hesitate.”
He let out a laugh as the doors opened.
*
“It’s been a big weekend for you,” Samuel said as Charlie was lighting her cigarette.
“It has.” She paused, thinking of what the scene upstairs must have looked like to him. “I’m so sorry you had to see that up there. I mean, I don’t think I would have been able to go through with it if it wasn’t for you, but there’s just a lot of history there that might have been difficult for you to understand.”
“Because of me? How did I help you get through it?” he asked.
She shrugged. “You helped me in a way I don’t think I can ever put into words. Just by being there, you helped me.”
He nodded, pretending he understood, then shook his head quickly. “What are we doing, Charlie? I mean, what is going on? I’m a little confused.”
“Okay, so I haven’t done a ton of thinking about this yet. I was trying to get through one thing at a time, and honestly, the Percocet has been messing with my coherency. But I know we can figure out something.”
He nodded.
“Do you have any ideas?” she asked.
“Well, I had one very flimsy idea, but I hadn’t decided if I wanted to tell you about it.”
“Tell me.”
“No.”
“No?” she asked.
“Nuh uh.”
She laughed. “Tell me.”
“Well, since I just escaped a very long, very shitty relationship, and you initially wanted to take things slow and are obviously going to need some time to heal…” He stopped, taking a deep breath in and exhaling again. “I thought maybe we could just choose a time frame, say two months, before we do anything physical. You know, like, physical.” The pain of that sentence alone left its remnants on his face.
“Oh.”
“Yeah, see? See why I didn’t want to mention it?”
“No, but it is a good idea. I like it, it makes sense. But I also hate it.”
“Yep.” He said, pulling his hand through his hair.
“Okay. So, two months. Just friends.” She nodded. “I think I can handle that.”
She smiled, biting down on her lip.
“Fuck. Can we say six weeks?” he snapped back.
She laughed, trying to ignore the stabbing in her ribcage. “Well, I suppose, if you feel that strongly about it. We are making up the rules, here. But I have to say that if you’re expecting some wild, expert seductress, you’ll be waiting for the wrong girl. I certainly don’t want you to be disappointed. Maybe we should say four weeks. That would eliminate some of the anticipation.” Charlie fought a smile by wetting her lips.
“Four weeks. That sounds a little more reasonable,” he said, taking a step closer to her.
“Don’t come any closer, Mr. Bordeaux. I know what you’re doing,” she said playfully. “Four weeks, that’s the deal. That will give me enough time to process whether or not I’ll still be considered a ‘revenge fuck,’” Samuel winced at the term, “and it seems as though that’s a suitable punishment to set for yourself for labeling me as such. If we limit our exposure to each other, it should be fine. Let’s pick one day. One day each week that we see each other. We can spend as much time as we want together, but only on that day. Got it?”
“Can I have one of those?” he asked, refusing to answer her.
“What? A cigarette? You smoke?”
“Usually only when I drink…or in high stress situations,” he said, mumbling the last part.
Samuel lit his cigarette and inhaled deeply. Amused, Charlie watched him relax as his shoulders dropped and his forehead eased.
“Okay, so nothing physical. Four weeks. One day a week,” he said. “Is that all?”
Charlie let out a snicker. “I believe so! I don’t think you could handle another restriction! You’re cracking me up.”
“Hey! Don’t make fun of me. You have no idea—” he cut himself off, his
playful smile fading.
Charlie tilted her head to one side. “I have no idea what?”
Samuel took another drag from his cigarette and scratched his forehead, considering whether or not he wanted to finish the sentence. “You have no idea…what you do to me.”
Oh, god. Can I last four weeks?
Clearing her throat, Charlie responded, “Well then. Good. Your punishment will serve its purpose. Have fun with that; I’m sure you’ll be able to find another way to satisfy any urges that…suddenly come up,” she let out with a laugh.
*
Agreeing on Sundays, they went back inside and Samuel wheeled Charlie back up to her room. It was either her imagination or the nurses were staring at her with a newfound respect. She thought it could have been because she gave Aaron Paulson a piece of her mind, but she wasn’t sure.
When they returned to her room, her parents were waiting along with a smiling Andrea.
“You sure know how to get attention around here, Ms. Johnson.”
“Huh? What do you mean?” Charlie asked.
Helping Charlie to her bed, Andrea whispered, “You don’t know how long the staff has been waiting for someone to tell him off. He’s been an intern here six months, and for some, it’s been hell. You’ve got every nurse on this floor asking me what they can do to help you out.” She winked. “He’s such a prick.”
“Hello, Ms. Johnson.” A pretty, heavyset nurse stepped into Charlie’s room, waiting near the entry. “Is there anything I can do for you right now?”
How shockingly wonderful is this? I thought it was only for my benefit, my sanity. These people have obviously been affected by that bastard, too. And this pretty woman standing in my doorway is exactly who I was a year ago. I hope she knows…I hope she realizes how beautiful she really is.
Charlie smiled. “No. No, thanks. I think I’m good,” she said, her eyes welling with tears.
The nurse smiled, her eyes glossy, too. She nodded and mouthed the words ‘thank you’ as she turned and walked back into the hallway.
Oblivious to what had transpired between Charlie and Doctor Paulson, Charlie’s parents looked at her in confusion, but didn’t say anything. Samuel stared at Charlie in awe.
“Well, I guess I should call it a night! This was the perfect way to end an everlasting day,” Charlie beamed.
As Charlie popped more pain killers, Andrea adjusted her pillows and covered her with the blanket just before walking out the door.
“All right then, dear,” said Karen. “I will be here right away in the morning. Call if you need anything. Oh, and Sabrina packed you a bag of some clothes before she left for school. She was hoping she could catch you awake, but she stuck around to make sure you were going to be okay before she got on the bus. I put the bag in the closet over here.” She gestured toward a narrow door in the corner.
Charlie’s parents gave her hugs before they left, and Samuel lingered until everyone was gone.
“Thanks for sticking around,” she said.
“Is there anything you need before I leave?”
“No. I’m good.”
Grabbing Charlie’s phone out of her purse, Samuel set it on her bedside table.
“Here, keep this close. I’ll be texting you.”
He leaned down to give her a kiss, and then hesitated. “Ugh, nothing physical.”
Charlie’s grin widened. “Have a good night, Samuel.”
“Yeah, yeah. You, too.”
Chapter Twelve
After returning home the next morning, Charlie called The Crimson and told them about the accident, though she already knew that word had spread. Karalee had sent a vase of flowers that were now resting on the mantel by the fireplace. Lawrence figured out a schedule where Charlie could host a few days a week until she had better use of her arm. During Charlie’s discharge from the hospital, the nurse had advised her that she’d have the cast for up to six weeks.
It was the perfect time for Charlie to think about shaping up her life. She could already cross “Telling Aaron Paulson to Go to Hell” off of her list, now she had to figure out what to do about a full-time job and a place to live. She was going to have plenty of days and nights to devote to devising a plan.
She sat down at the computer and started searching for apartments. She placed a few phone calls only to discover that living on her own was going to take hundreds of dollars that she didn’t have every month, so she decided to focus on finding a job instead.
Her days were filled with preparing the perfect résumé, submitting applications, and job hunting. Her nights were devoted to texting and calling Samuel.
*
Hey, you. Still working? She smiled and hit send.
Charlie twisted a forkful of spaghetti into her mouth and patiently waited for him to respond.
Not anymore. ;) Whatcha doin’?
She bobbed back and forth in her seat, gazing at his response, trying to come up with the perfect, sexy thing to say to him.
Taking a bath. Sudsy bubbles all around me. Touching myself. Wish you were here. xx
She let a little giggle escape. Ha! I’m such a tease.
You suck. Hey, Sunday is almost here. Two days away. Any ideas what you want to do? Oh, and be careful how much you tease me, Charlie. Two can play that game. xx
Yeah, I should be careful. He’s just so adorable.
Not sure. Call me in twenty minutes, we can talk about Sunday.
After finishing her dinner, she was rinsing off the plate when she heard the beep from her phone.
Twenty minutes!? If it’s taking you twenty minutes, you’re definitely doing something wrong. I could come over and show you how to get that down to four minutes, tops. ;)
Charlie burst out laughing. Her parents turned and stared from the living room, waiting for an explanation. Awkwardly, Charlie smiled and shook her head before heading downstairs.
Nineteen minutes later, Charlie’s phone rang.
“Hello?” she said.
“So, how was your bath?” he asked, seductively.
“Ha! I was teasing you. I didn’t take a bath, I was eating dinner.”
“Ah, I see. So…what do you want to do on Sunday?”
“Something cheap. I think I might have a lead on a job, and I’m going to need to save as much money as I can if I’m going to move out of my parents’ house.”
“Wow. I didn’t realize you were planning to move. Okay, something cheap. How about I cook you dinner at my place?”
Oh, just dinner. I was hoping I could spend the whole day with him.
“Yeah, that sounds fine,” she said.
“We could go out if you wanted,” he said, sensing hesitancy in her voice.
“No, dinner at your place sounds good. Is there anything else you wanted to do on Sunday?”
“Yes! Yes, of course. Are you available all day?”
“Well, I suppose I could move a few things around, you know. I’ve got such a busy schedule these days, with all of my naps and baths,” she said sarcastically.
“Good. I’ll pick you up at nine o’clock.”
“In the morning! What do you have planned for us at nine o’clock in the morning?”
“Nothing, yet. But I’m sure it will be fun,” he said.
Charlie could hear him smile.
“So, what’s this job?” he asked.
“Well, I just applied today, but it looks like something that I could make work. It’s a caretaking position for an apartment complex here in Burnsville. It’s not full-time but I create my own hours, and if I continued working at The Crimson I’d probably be able to pull off the discounted rent.”
“That does sound pretty good. Have you told your parents yet?”
“No, not exactly. I’ll wait to hear whether or not I get this interview. I don’t want them to be too hopeful only to squash their dreams of being empty nesters.”
Charlie could hear a deep muffled voice in the background of Samuel’s phone.
“Gotch
a. Well, I’m going to go and grab some dinner with Gabe. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Okay, sounds good.”
“Have a good evening.”
“Goodnight.”
*
After watching a movie and eating a bowl of ice cream with her parents, Charlie checked her email to see if any of the jobs she had applied to had responded.
To her surprise, one had. The apartment complex manager had sent her a message.
Charlene,
Thank you for your interest in RM Kellerman Company. We currently have two positions available. Please let me know which one you feel would best suit your skill level and contact me with which times you could be available for an interview.
Leasing Consultant — part-time Responsible for greeting prospective residents, leasing, filing and other duties assigned by management.
2. Property Caretaker — part-time Responsible for delivering letters, cleaning up garbage on property, unit turns and other duties assigned by management.
Thanks Again,
Kelly Carlton
Property Manager
Birchwood Manor Townhomes
Perfect!
Dear Kelly,
Thank you for responding so quickly! I believe that both jobs would be well-suited for me, but I think I would prefer to interview for the Caretaking position. I would also be interested in living on-site.
I am available to interview any time that best fits your schedule. However, presently, I have a broken arm. The cast will be removed in a few weeks, but I am already eager to get back to working. Please let me know if this is going to be a problem.
Thank You,
Charlie Johnson
That should do it.
Now, about that bath…
Chapter Thirteen
Charlie wanted to save the surprise news for Samuel until she could tell him in person. After all, getting a job and finding a place to live were big news. She had gone for an interview the very next day, and to her astonishment she was told she could move on site within the next few weeks. Everything was finally falling into place for her, and she found herself constantly grinning.