I wake up in a haze. First, I notice Charlie shifting around like the night before, but he hasn’t moved enough to touch me. Next, I am happy when I notice the glare of the morning sun in my eyes, because it means that we’ve made it through the night. Finally, I realize that I really need to pee. I stretch my arms over my head and take a deep, satisfied breath before climbing out of bed and making my way into the bathroom.

I glance in the mirror as I pass by and am pleasantly surprised by how my hair has managed to dry. Usually, when I fall asleep on wet hair, I wake up with a fluffy mane. But today, my long, auburn curls fall in a surprisingly agreeable manner.

After I wash my hands and brush my teeth, I grab my bottle of lotion, which I’ve left on Charlie’s counter, and apply some to my hands and arms. I feel like, if I am going to be leaving my things here, I need to ask Charlie if I may use a drawer. His house is so organized and neat, I would hate for my things to be the only source of clutter.

I open the bathroom door to find Charlie sitting up in bed. His hair looks more unintentionally messy than usual, but I find it cute.

“Good morning,” I say happily, walking back to the bed and climbing under the covers.

“Good morning,” He says, his voice soft. I lie close to him, but further down on the pillows. My head is level with his sides. He adjusts, scooting down so that he is next to me, and our faces are only inches apart.

“I didn’t… it wasn’t me who woke you up, was it?” He asks, his dark blue eyes burning into mine.

“No,” I say quietly, “I woke up on my own. I slept very well.”

“Good,” He says in his quiet, raspy-yet-smooth, morning voice.

He brings his hand to the side of my face that isn’t pressed against a pillow, and pushes my hair back with his soft fingers. Then, he lays his warm palm over my bruise, which is nearly nonexistent today.

He leans in and kisses my forehead, then the tip of my nose, and then my cheek, where his hand was, but it has now moved to my side, gripping at my waist. His lips move slowly from place to place. They travel to my neck, and his hand slips down the curve of my hip and starts to play at the ruffled hem of my short nightdress.

I move my head, begging him to kiss more of my neck. When I do, I feel him smile against my skin. The softness of his pouty lips mixed with how gentle his hand feels against my leg is too much, and a soft whine escapes my lips. Charlie chuckles, now propped up on his free arm, leaning into my neck. I bring my hands to either of his shoulders, as he moves to hover over me, smiling down and slipping his hands further up my dress.

“I’m glad I can actually help you with breakfast this morning,” I mention cheerfully. I’m perched on the counter, eating a banana, and Charlie is retrieving a pan from the cabinet.

“I like cooking for you, though. You don’t ever need to feel like you have to help.”

He goes to the fridge, opening it and pulling out a carton of eggs. He is wearing his workout clothes: black shorts, a large gray t-shirt, and black tennis shoes. His messy hair is now pushed back in one of his thin headbands.

“I suppose we should make something quick since we… took our time getting ready this morning,” He smirks at me, “Are eggs and toast good with you?”

“Yes, that sounds perfect. I make really good scrambled eggs, actually. Want me to make them?” I hop down from the counter and walk over to him. He hands me the eggs and tells me to help myself to whatever else I need. I go to the fridge and he, to get bread for toast.

The eggs pop and crack in the hot oil as I move the spatula about the pan.

“Do you want jam on your toast? Or do you prefer only butter?”

“I’ll have jam. Whatever kind you’re having,” I tell Charlie, glancing over my shoulder. He has his back to me, and I can tell that he’s carefully spreading butter and jam on the toast.

It’s amusing sometimes, watching Charlie do simple things, because he is so particular. His strong stature and large hands work slowly and cautiously, paying extra mind to every detail. It is yet another reason why I hate to think of him fighting people so often. I’ve seen him protect me already, I know that he would fight on another’s behalf, but I can’t imagine him hurting someone else just for the sake of a win. It’s still very confusing to me.

What’s worse is thinking about someone trying to hurt him.

We sit at the kitchen bar, our stools extra close to one another. He keeps his free hand on my knee while we eat. We finish quickly, having to rush a bit so that I’m not late to the café. I take Charlie’s plate when he’s finished, insisting that I clean up.

“Do you have enough clothes here for tonight? Are you planning to pack today or tomorrow for the weekend?” He asks, heading towards the back door to let Cooper inside.

“I’ll have to go back to my room after class tomorrow and change for work, so I’ll pack then.”

I hear Cooper trotting into the kitchen, and Charlie follows behind.

“I can take you to work tomorrow, too, and then just pick you up when you’re done. That way you don’t have to worry about your car and we can just leave from there.”

I agree, and dry my hands on the red and white-checkered dishtowel near the sink. Then, I grab what things I’ve decided that I need for the day: two notebooks and a pen, my sunglasses, my phone, all of which are already waiting for me on the edge of the bar, and follow Charlie into the garage.

We are almost to the café, and Charlie tells me that he will pick me up and take me to campus. I feel bad for the amount that he chauffeurs me.

“I’m just going to train now, while you’re here, which means I won’t be able to come in for oatmeal, and to stare at you.” I look over at him, giggling a bit and he grins towards the road ahead. I imagine that his dark eyes look amused from under his black shades.

“When will you go for your run then? I shouldn’t determine your schedule. I can just walk to campus, it’s no big deal.”

“Stella,” He parks in front of Lighthouse, “I’m not going to have you walk alone when I can easily drive you. I’ll just go for a run while you’re in class. My schedule is flexible and it changes all the time.”

I lean over and kiss Charlie’s perfect lips.

“I’ll see you later, then,” I say, smiling, and tucking my bottom lip between my teeth.

“See you soon, baby. Have a nice day.”

And my day is nice. Allie and I clear everything about Sunday with Mr. Miller, and he is okay with her taking my shift. We have a fairly busy morning at the café, so Allie and I don’t get to talk much, but my shift goes by very quickly. I buy Charlie and I lunch from the café, and we eat it in his car outside of my class in the short time that we have. Fleetwood Mac’s “Go Your Own Way,” plays from his car stereo, and we argue over which album we think is their best. Charlie offers that some of their earlier albums are his favorite, while I speak in defense of Rumors.

Before he leaves, he tries to pay me back for both of our lunches, and I tell him that he’s being ridiculous.

My classes go by quickly, luckily, and Charlie picks me up immediately after. We decide that we want stir-fry for dinner, so we end up having to make a trip to the supermarket.

Charlie is rather affectionate in public. Not in an overly conventional way. He doesn’t try to hold my hand the entire time, or kiss me constantly. He does things subtly, like rubbing my shoulder while we’re deciding which kind of rice to buy; gripping at my waist when he can; and slipping his fingers into the belt loops of my jeans while we wait in line at the register, pulling me backwards, closer to him.

When it’s our turn at the register, the man who checked out the line ahead of us calls for one of his coworkers, asking her to take over. I don’t catch her name, but when she takes her place behind the register, I feel Charlie’s chest stiffen behind me.

Her eyes are fixed on him, “Oh my gosh! Long time no see. How are you?”

I smile towards her, even though she hasn’t looked in my direction yet.

“I’ve been well, how about yourself?” Charlie asks, but doesn’t give her time to respond, “This is Stella.”

“Hi,” I smile, politely offering my hand. She shakes it and smiles at me.

“I’m Bridget,” she says, and begins to scan our items.

“Nice to meet you, Bridget.”

There is a short, sort of awkward silence and Charlie takes his fingers from my belt loops and rests his hands on my waist.

“I can’t believe how long it’s been since I’ve seen you out. We used to run into each other all the time. Are you two going out this weekend?” She asks, looking between us.

“No,” Charlie responds, “We’ll be in Charleston this weekend.”

“Oh, okay.” She looks at me and gives me a slight, closed lip smile before looking back down at her register and giving us the total.

Charlie reaches into his back pocket and pulls out his card. I want to offer to pay for half of it, but I feel like he would just be offended, especially if I ask in front of someone he knows.

I hurry to collect two of the four bags, not giving Charlie time to protest or insist that I not carry any. Bridget says goodbye to us both. I smile and wave, saying once again that it was nice to meet her, and Charlie simply nods in her direction.

He throws his free arm around my shoulder as we walk to his car and kisses the top of my head. While he is probably worried that I’m upset over seeing one of his friends, I worry that he feels like he, or we, can’t go out.

“We can go out to a bar or something tonight if you want to,” I decide to go ahead and offer, “You don’t need to feel like you can’t ask me to do things like that, you know, we don’t have to stay home every night.”

He walks with me, his arm still around me, to my side of the car, opening my door. I nearly add that he also doesn’t have to be so chivalrous, but I decide against it.

“I don’t feel that way at all,” He says, “I like staying in during the week, mostly. Maybe we’ll go out this weekend.” He smiles at me before closing my door.

Charlie and I help each other make the stir-fry. He does most of the work though, because, despite him insisting that my scrambled eggs were the best that he’d ever had, he is undoubtedly the better cook.

We decide to eat in the living room, and Charlie puts on an Elvis record, rather than the TV, for background music. We talk for a bit about our days, and eventually we end up on the topic of Thanksgiving.

“Are you still going to visit your aunt and uncle?”

“Yes,” He says, “I was planning on coming back Friday though, so I don’t lose too much training time. What day are you leaving to go home?”

“Tuesday,” I say, taking a bite of the delicious stir-fry, “I’m skipping classes so that I can leave right after work. I’m so excited to go home, I miss my parents so much.”

“What are they like?” Charlie asks, still eating contently.

“They are cute. My mom is always happy. She’s protective, but carefree, if that makes sense. She would rather me feel like I can be honest with her than feel like I have to hide who I am or what I’m doing. And thank goodness for that, because she loves knowing about my life, but I don’t mind because I know she has only pure intentions. She isn’t judgmental. My dad is quieter, very relaxed. He is kind and friendly to everyone, and he almost never gets angry. He doesn’t care to know details as much as my mom, but he loves the time that I get to spend with him. We have a lot of little traditions, he and I. They are both funny, and very smart. We are all so close. I love them. I think you would like them, too, and I know they already like you.”

Charlie smiles down towards his plate and we finish our food in silence. I insist again on cleaning up, but he of course follows me into the kitchen and tries to help. We listen to more records after the kitchen is clean, and Charlie asks if I’m excited for my first day at Dr. Keller’s.

“I am,” I say, “Hopefully I’ll learn a lot.” We are sitting on opposite ends of the couch, but Charlie has pulled my feet into his lap and is massaging my calves and ankles.

He stares at me, but isn’t looking in my eyes like usual. I realize that he must be looking for my bruise.

“Is it really gone already?” He asks.

“Almost,” I say, “I didn’t have to add any extra makeup today. There is only a faint bruise on my bare skin.”

He smiles and I can tell that he’s beyond relieved, like he couldn’t fully relax until the reminder was gone.

“Maybe I should sleep on the couch tonight. I can’t imagine what Dr. Keller would say if I turned up on my first day with a half-swollen face.”

I laugh, but I immediately regret what I’ve just said. Charlie looks down at my feet in his lap with troubled eyes, pursing his pouty lips.

His hands are still rubbing my ankles, but I quickly pull my feet away so that I can scoot over to him and climb onto his lap.

“Charlie, that was stupid of me to say. I’m sorry.”

He looks up finally, into my watery gray eyes.

Feeling like I’ve upset him has an instant affect on me. He brings his hand up to my face and traces under my eyes.

“It’s okay, baby. Don’t be upset.”

It almost makes me feel worse, because he’s the one who deserves to be upset. However, maybe worrying about me will distract him from feeling bad about himself over the asshole comment that I just made.

I bring my own hands to his hair and pull off his headband, running my fingers through his soft, brown curls. I lean down and kiss his forehead.

“I’m getting tired,” I say, “Can we take a shower?”

He smiles and nods while I stand up and reach for his hand, and we walk towards his room.

After we’ve showered and gotten ready for bed, I offer to take Cooper outside to go to the bathroom, while I call my parents. I’m surprised that they haven’t tried calling, seeing as it’s so late. I think that they know I’m with Charlie again. I’d already texted them during today, so I suppose they don’t have any reason to worry. Still, I’m glad when my dad answers and I’m able to hear both of their voices before I go to sleep, like usual. Our conversation is short, and we mostly talk about how excited we all are that I’ll be home in less than a week. They wish me good luck on my first day of my new job, and they tell me they love me before we hang up.

Cooper is trotting up to the porch steps now and I move to meet him at the back door, stroking his head as we reenter the house. He stays by my side while I flip the lock and we walk together to the bedroom.

When I enter, only my lamp is on and I notice a bulk of pillows separating Charlie’s half of the bed from mine.

“I know you were joking earlier, but I do want to make sure that nothing happens tonight. It’s an important day for you tomorrow.”

He smiles at me, but his eyes are heavy and sad. I wasn’t expecting him to still be thinking about what I’d said, and I definitely wasn’t expecting him to do this. I’m so sleepy now, that all I can manage to do is nod and crawl into the covers.

I turn off the lamp and lie there, silently. I usually like to talk through everything with him, but I feel rather terrible right now, and I don’t know what to say for myself.

To make things worse, he leans over the stack of pillows and his soft lips kiss mine.

“Goodnight Stella,” He whispers, hovering over me with a smile for a moment before retreating to his side of the bed.

I turn my body towards the pillow block and stare at the small bit of his hair and bare torso that I’m able to see over the barricade. I don’t close my eyes or try to fall asleep; I just wait. I wait for the right thing to say or do to come to me, but it doesn’t.

I grow impatient and, rather selfishly, I sit up and start to move the pillows, lining them up with the rest at the head of the bed. Charlie looks over his shoulder and then turns his entire body over to face me.

“What are you doing, baby?”

I finish with the pillows and lie down rather dramatically, placing my head on his chest like usual.

“I can’t sleep unless I can feel you.”

It’s very simple.

He wraps his arms around me and I press my lips to his chest just before my sleepiness takes over.

I’m woken up by Charlie, but not until the morning, and not by accident. He’s managed to wake up to his alarm before me again, and he brings me breakfast. He even found the tea mix that I’d packed from my dorm and made me a cup. We eat and get ready for the day and I actually manage to make it to my eight o’clock philosophy class for the first time this week.

I use the time between Philosophy and my afternoon classes to re-pack for the weekend. Then, I finish any homework that I have and decide what I’m wearing for my first day of work.

I decide on a lightweight, black button down shirt, and I tuck it in to a high-waisted, nude colored skirt. The skirt is pleated and rather poufy. It comes to my mid-thigh, but I still worry that it’s a bit short. I decide to wear a sheer pair of black tights under it and opt for flats, rather than heels. I throw on a cute, thicker belt where my skirt meets my top and touch-up my hair with a curling iron, leaving it down and simple.

I leave for class already dressed for work, knowing that Charlie will be arriving as soon as I make it back to my room.

My classes go by excruciatingly slow, probably because I’m anxious to see what the office will be like, and to start my weekend with Charlie.

***

As Charlie parks his car in front of the office, he asks if I need him to pick up anything specific for our trip.

“No,” I say, “I think I have everything I need.”

“Okay, babe,” He says, leaving over to kiss me, “Good luck. You look amazing.”

I thank him and climb out of the car. As I approach the tall glass door, I take a deep breath before stepping inside.

The office lobby is very modern and trendy, mostly white with touches of black and tan. Despite it’s starkness, is quite welcoming, and very lovely. A thin woman who is nearly my height greets me. Her straight, dark hair is pulled into a bun and she wears cute glasses and has a friendly smile.

“My name is Lydia,” She says, reaching her hand out to me.

“Hello, Lydia. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Stella,” I reply, smiling and shaking her hand.

She turns and walks behind the large receptionist’s desk, and I follow.

“I’m so relieved that Dr. Keller found you to take Friday afternoons! I’ve been wanting to ease into working part time for a while now, because I just feel like my husband and I don’t get enough time together with our kids.”

“I understand,” I assure her. I explain my simple weekly schedule, offering that I would be happy to fill in if anything ever comes up with her children. She thanks me, saying that she will probably take me up on my offer soon.

I learn all of the basics in about an hour, and Lydia tells me that there are typed instructions in a document on the computer, should I get confused. She also offers me her cell phone number in case I need to ask a question.

“Do you think you’re alright for me to leave? Dr. Keller has only one more client coming in tonight. It’s an extra long appointment. I can stay though, if you’re nervous about being left alone on your first day.”