Unconditionally

I was sitting at the island in the kitchen when Carly found me.
“Hey, kiddo.” She smiled in her mom voice. I gave her a light smile and wiped away the remaining tears.
“Hungry? Tired?”
“Both.” I laughed.
“Okay, I’ll warm something up for you. Eat it, I’ll show you your bedroom and then you’ll be all set.”
“Thanks, sis.”

“So, what’s Charlie’s deal?” I asked as I shoveled the chicken alfredo into my mouth.
“Nothing. If anything, he was excited that you were coming. He said you two were talking a little at the wedding and you seemed really cool!”
“Wait, he’s that Charlie?” I practically screeched.
“Yes, the one you made out with on the beach in front of, like, everyone.”
“Oh my god, Carl, I was so drunk I forgot about that.” I grimaced. “He barely looked at me in the car. That Marco guy called me a babe or something before I got in the car, though.”
“Of course he did.” Carly rolled her eyes. “I love him to death, don’t get me wrong, but he can be such a dick sometimes. Charlie hates how Marco gets when he’s trying to pickup girls because he can be so arrogant. Honestly, that probably with the fact that Charlie got in a fight, put him in this bad mood.”
“Yeah, that shiner was nasty.” I agreed.
“Well, if you’re all done, I’ll show you where you’re all set up. His room is actually right by yours.” Carly explained. I nodded and handed her the bowl before following her to the basement.
“So we redid the basement to have it for guests, but you and Charlie happened first. Essentially it’s two master bedrooms, each with a bathroom, and a small living room and kitchen area. The living room has two doors that open to the rest of the basement which has Jay’s bar, pool table and darts.” Carly showed me each area as we walked through.
“So, the guys come over a lot.”
“Um, yeah.”
“Are they loud?” I asked.
“Not really, mostly because they know Sophia’s upstairs so they don’t get horrible. They’d also listen if you told them to shut up.” Carly laughed as we walked into my room.
“So this is your place. I tried to keep with the sage and cream, neutrals and plants because I know how much you loved that. If you want to change anything, please let me know.”
“No, Carl, this is amazing!” I gasped. The vanity for my makeup was huge. I had a whole bookcase and desk set up with a queen sized bed. There was a canopy of tulle and fairy lights, a tapestry on one wall and a whole bunch of photo frames filled with me, my friends and family.
“I hardcore stalked you Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for all those photos.” She laughed.
“Carly, this is perfect!” I said, spinning to give her a hug. “This means the world to me.”
“This is your house too. Please don’t think you have to stay down here. I moved you here so we’re closer.” She said, letting me go.
“Thank you so much, Carly.” I beamed.
“You’re welcome, Kale. Hey, why don’t you go talk to Charlie, kinda settle things? He’s not that bad, I promise.” She winked before leaving me in my room.

After I showered, and god, did that feel great, I wandered into the living area. Charlie was sitting on one of the couches, on his phone.
“Um, do you mind if I turn on the TV?” I asked lightly. Charlie looked up at me and I swear I saw him blush.
“Oh, no. Yeah, go for it.” He stammered over his words.
“Any preferences?” I asked, sitting on the other couch.
“I honestly probably won’t pay any attention. Put on whatever you’d like.”
“Sorry about the car earlier. I didn’t mean to be rude.” I whispered as I settled on HGTV.
“Yes you did, and I deserved it. Jason kinda reminded me about who you were and then Marco-”
“Carly told me about Marco. He’s not my type anyways. His poor ego.” I smiled. Charlie laughed, an actual laugh. I giggled and turned a little to face him.
“You might deflate his ego enough to let him walk through a door.” Charlie joked. I laughed along, realizing that he wasn’t bad at all.

“So, can I ask about the shiner?” I asked as the show went into a commercial break. In the 15 minutes it was on, Charlie decided he wanted a better view and moved onto the couch I was on, yet we sat on total opposite ends.
“Well, Duncan Keith is a fucking asshole.” Charlie tried to smile, but I could see anger in his eyes. When he turned to face me, I noticed three stitches across the bridge of his nose.
“Shit.” I whispered, moving close to him. I was invading his personal space but he didn’t say anything as I lifted my fingers to run them near the bruise.
“Char, that’s bad.” I cringed. He nodded, eyes closed. Our bodies were touching, heat radiating off of each other and his breaths were shallow.
“It’ll be okay.” He promised. I sighed and dropped my fingers.
“What happened?” I asked. Charlie shifted as if he was trying to get closer.
“Well, I pushed him and he fell. And then, he swung his stick and it just-”
“I hate him.” I hissed. Charlie laughed and slid his arm so it was around my waist.
“That makes two of us.” He whispered.
I didn’t realize how close we had gotten until I felt his breath on my skin. I closed my eyes as he nudged the side of my head with his nose. It was a feather-light touch, yet it was there and when I turned my head slightly, I ended up with my lips pressed against his jawline.
“Remember Carly and Jason’s wedding?” He asked as I left a trail of kisses on his jawline.
“Barely.” I hummed, moving my lips down to his neck. His throat vibrated with a light chuckle. His hands came up and he tilted my chin up so I could look at him.
“Want me to remind you?”
“Yes.” I gasped as his lips touched mine. He was hesitant at first, unsure of what to do. I went with it, not rushing into the kiss, but sliding my hands up his chest, letting him know I wanted more.
Charlie broke away, kissed my nose and then looked at me.
“I’m not going to be that guy who sleeps with you and then totally ignores you. I remember the wedding, and every other time you’ve been here with Carly I always saw you and wanted to say something. I’ll keep going until you tell me to stop, okay?” Charlie promised. I searched his forest green eyes for any sign of insincerity.
“Okay.” I whispered, as he cupped my face with his large, calloused hands.
Charlie was more persistent, yet didn’t press. Our lips slotted together perfectly, urging me to push more, desperate for more of Charlie. I ran my hands across his chest and back, tangling one hand into the curls at the nape of his neck.
“Shit,” he moaned when we separated to breathe. I laughed lightly before kissing his jawline and down his neck. Charlie gripped my hips and lifted me so I straddled his waist and fumbled with the buttons of the flannel he wore.
“Charlie, I want you, but-” I stopped, sitting back and taking a deep breath.
“Not like this?” He asked. I covered my face with my hands and groaned. Charlie laughed, reaching for my wrists and smiling at me.
“I want you so bad, but I don’t want a hookup.” I whispered.
“Hey, it’s okay! We can stop here, despite how much I want you as well.” Charlie ran his fingers through my long hair.
“I should probably get to bed.” I sighed. My palms rested on his taut abdomen, drinking in the heat of his body.
“Yeah, me too. Early skate tomorrow.” He whispered as he nuzzled into my neck, fingers tangled in my hair still. I felt his mouth close around the skin of my neck. He bit lightly, tongue running over the marks as he sucked.
“I swear, Charlie.” I moaned as he pulled away.
“I told you, I needed to remind you about the wedding.” He laughed. I kissed his lips lightly and stood up.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Charlie.”
“Goodnight, Kailin.”

Notes