I woke up that morning hungover, but surprisingly okay. Charlie was already up, and when I awoke to hear him in the kitchen, I stayed in bed and just tried remembering what happened to me the previous night while staring at the empty space beside me, reaching out and stretching. The sun that crept in from the door way through the living room made me feel refreshed, and relaxed. I stared at the sheets, picking at the loose thread at the end of the pillows and thinking to myself. I don't know how long that was, but it was a while.
Charlie appeared at the frame of the door to his room. I didn't yet meet his eyes. I was embarrassed.
"Good morning." He greeted calmly.
"Hi." I replied, vision focused onto my hands.
He stayed staring at me for a while, then came to lay by me again. I met his eyes. "Are you okay?" He asked softly, checking my face for whatever it was.
I nodded, afraid to speak and embarrass myself more. The previous night I begged him. What the hell was happening to me?
"Why did you think I was going to kick you out?" He suddenly asked, and I turned away in a flush.
The blood that rushed to my cheeks stayed there, and made me nervous. "I don't know. I was being stupid."
"Yeah, you were. But why were you so scared, Diana?" He tried leaning me back to face him again. I met his eyes.
"I don't know. I was... I wasn't myself."
"Oh Diana," He released a deep sigh. One that flew towards me to wake me with his coffee breath. I savored it. "Never," He took my hands. "Will I ever kick you out. This isn't just my apartment anymore."
I smiled, seeing the truth from his eyes. "This is more of a home to me than the one I grew up in." I said in honesty, squeezing his hands back. "I'm so sorry, Charlie." I said.
He knew what for. "Don't worry about it."
"I was such a child." I groaned in embarrassment, pulling from him to cover my face.
"Sweetheart, you were sad, and you didn't even know what was going on. Stop thinking about it." He cooed, brushing my hair with his fingers.
"Oh Mr. Grant, what would I do without you?" I sighed, seeing him sit up and pull me along with him.
"Starve. Come on, I doubt you had dinner last night." He said, and it was probably true.
He had out some good looking pancakes and bacon with eggs. I took one look at it, and my hungover self felt a little nauseous to smell it, eventhough it smelled heavenly.
"Where did these come from?" I asked in confusion, and he furrowed his brows at me, looking joking offended.
"I made them."
"Bullshit." I detected.
"Hey." He said sternly, "Watch your mouth."
"I thought you liked my dirty mouth?" I teased, tugging in his shirt to pull him toward me. I'd kiss him, but I probably tasted like wine and weed- and that's not the loveliest mixture.
He smugly smiled at me, leaning in for it, but I blocked his lips. He seemed to immediately see what was restraining me from kissing him back, and he huffed. "If you're not gonna be flexable then at least eat."
"Where is it from?" I asked, releasing him to sit down and look over the food.
"I made them. Well, the bacon, at least. The pancakes were frozen."
I smiled in happiness, suddenly loving the way things were at the moment. Awaking to him making me feel a little less worse than what I did. He made me breakfast. "Thanks."
"Eat." He demanded, ignoring my gratititude and I laughed at him, obeying.
He dropped me off at Erin's soon after so I could get my car and drive home. My brothers came over with James and Tyler. Charlie came, as well.
In my room, I was cozied up in my bed, falling asleep again, but when hearing his voice, I felt myself light up.
Then dim down when I heard that Claire had come.
It wasn't that I disliked Claire, no. It was that I knew he did, and his idiot friends- and my brothers- were testing his patience by inviting her over.
I didn't want to go downstairs, but James knocked and entered. "Come down and hangout." He told me, and I yawned him off, telling him to leave me be. He didn't listen.
I was still a little hungover, and the redness in my cheeks died down only the slightest.
"If that's the way you want it...-" He leaned down and scooped me up, the comforters coming along with me as he carried me down the stairs.
"James, you're an idiot, I know how to walk." I snapped as he hit the last step, and exposed me to everyone in the room. Savannah was there, and I was embarrassed.
"You're gonna let her talk to you like that?" Bailey challenged. "Diana, be nice."
"Yeah, what's with you?" James asked me in slight amusement. I caught Charlie's glare, and Claire modestly sitting by Savannah. Oh the embarrassment as well as the uncomfort.
"Put me down." I said, and he dropped me on the couch where Tyler was, and instead of going back up the stairs, I gathered the covers closer to me and almost fell asleep again.
"Stop sleeping," Austin came in and demanded, jolting me awake.
"My god, why can't I sleep in my own house?" I demanded in frustration, sitting up and running my fingers through my messy hair.
"What the hell did you do last night?"
Oh shit.
"We have guests, don't be rude." I told him passively, standing to go to the kitchen.
"I'm not fucking around, Diana. Cole came home last night wasted as hell and went on about everything you guys did."
I suddenly laughed, "Jesus, Austin, chill out, you're making it sound like I had sex with him."
All three of my brothers groaned in disgust, and Tyler laughed. "Don't forget little miss Diana also sucked Andy Carl's dick."
I flushed a deeper scarlet, and dropped my jaw. "Tyler, stop." James said with a deep laugh.
"How big was it? He seems pretty huge. How good is he in bed?" Tyler went on in a joking way, but I began hating him more. The two women just sat there awkwardly, both sparing glances at Charlie who was clenching his jaw and rubbing his head, seeming to try to keep himself together.
"You're not funny." I told him flatly, and my brothers told him to shut the fuck up. He was so amused, the asshole.
"How can you expect us to get over it? You fell in love with Andy Carl, he fell in love with you, and you made him cry and now it's clear that whoever you'll have next won't nearly measure up to him. And you know it."
Charlie dropped his hand in his lap, and I suddenly hated Tyler.
I went upstairs, hating his annoying self, and heard as James and Chris scolded Tyler, telling him to stop bringing him up. I was glad, too. James came up to talk to me eventually, and it was old times when one of them would pick on me, and he'd come up and make everything feel alright. Charlie may have this strange idea that James had something for me, but he couldn't be less than wrong.
I went down eventually with him, calmer than before, and Tyler apologized, about to say something else having to do with Andy when James beside me gave Tyler a good smack.
I sat beside Charlie, smoothely, while the two other women were standing to leave to pick up an order of food and bring it back for us. The guys were in the kitchen, and I pretended to watch some stupid show that was on while looking at Charlie. He didn't look at me.
Instead, pretending to be focused on the television in front of us, his hand crept to my leg, and I fliched, having not expecting his warm flesh to come into contact with mine. I waited.
His hand walked, hitching higher and higher up my babydoll dress that I usually wore to sleep in. His hand slipped beneathe, finally touching me to the point of my mouth creating noise. Pleasured noises from his gentle but large fingers. I was quiet, though. So quiet, even with the television off, He'd be the only one to lightly hear me. I took his hand under mine and worked myself with it.
He was quick, and successful, and right after my spell was lifted, his phone rang. Hell that was risky, and stupid, but wonderful.
"Answer it." I told him, as he let it ring. He gave me a glare, but I dismissed it.
"Yeah." He answered like the asshole he was. He started to get up. "Hold on, Brandon, I need something to write on." He said, pinching my cheek and then walking around into the kitchen.
I stayed where I was, the aching feeling of needing him again taking over greatly, and I felt sad again. Chris came back into the living room, and begun talking to me.
He started casually, saying something about his girlfriend and how she was suddenly needing commitment. Then he asked how I was doing- apart from our loss.
I wanted to tell him everything, my brother was so good at speaking to people, I wanted to confess of my relationship with his friend. Of how one of the reasons why I ended things with Andy is because I didn't deserve him because I was cheating on him.
But I didn't.
"I'm fine, really." I said with a small chuckle. "Just a little sad sometimes, but I'm good other than that."
He looked so concerned. "So how much weed did you smoke last night?" He sat back, concerning expression toned down quite a bit and he gave a slightly smug look.
I was taken aback. "Weed?-"
"Come on Diana, I'm not Austin. I'm not blind."
I rubbed my tired head. "No, obviously you're not." I muttered, then looked back up at him. "Not much, I mean..."
"Well I know you won't be doing it again, right."
I nodded.
"And one more thing," he leaned forward, and my heart sudden sped up while my nerves got tangled around. "I know you're seeing someone."
My heart stopped then and there. I'm so glad I blushed instead of paled, because with my already rosy cheeks, it didn't change a thing. Then the question filled my mind, how the hell does he know? Where is this coming from? Then I calmed, and decided to play everything off.
"Seeing someone-?"
"Is it Connor?"
And that was when I burst into laughter, giggle fits corrupting me miserably. He gave me a bored look. I heard Bailey ask if everything was okay from the kitchen, I guess having heard my loud laughing, and when I finally calmed, I let out a huge breath. "Oh, Chris. That was the funniest thing I've heard all day, thanks for that."
He suddenly looked relieved, returning my comment with a smile. "I was just wondering."
"Yeah, uh huh." I said, hearing the two ladies come back, and Chris' question repeated in my mind, making me laugh again. Then Chris laughed at my laughing.
"What are we laughing at?" Bailey peeked in while Savannah and Claire entered the living room.
I covered my flushed face, Chris wiping laughter tears. "Nothing, just joking with my baby sister is all."
I calmed, giving him a flat look. "Yeah, well you're old."
Tyler came in. "Hey, if he's old, that means I am, too."
I didn't say anything as he took it the right way and walked with the other guys into the kitchen, leaving me with Savannah and Claire.
"Hello, Diana. How are you?" Claire asked sweetly, sitting down on the other couch and giving me a comfortable smile.
"I'm good, how about you?"
"Where did Chance go?" Savannah asked, looking around.
I shrugged, about to speak when my oldest brother's demanding voice came out, seeming to be directed at Sav's brother.
"...is it, then? She's perfect, so who have you found, honestly, that's better than Claire?" Austin asked, I guess not knowing how loud he was.
"I never said I found anyone, dammit. Why can't you just shut up and understand that I don't like her." My Charlie's voice snapped in double irritation. That poor man seemed to be having a terrible day.
"We're not stupid, Chance. It's obvious you're with someone, just tell us who. What are we gonna do about it?" Chris' calm voice soothed to him, and I thought for a second that Charlie would fall under my brother's spell like I wanted to, but then I realized that he was very immune to whatever it was my brother attempted on him.
"I don't have to tell you guys anything, fuck off." He growled, and turned to barge outside, his firey anger just overflowing. I wanted to hug him.
Claire let out a quiet sigh, resting her hand gently in her forhead. "I'm so sorry, Diana..." she whispered to me, and I shook my head.
"No, Claire, you didn't anything wrong. Don't worry about it."
My phone rang, then. Savannah smiled at me. "Is that him?"
I checked my phone and looked at her. "How did you know?"
She shook her head, and told me to answer it. I did.
"Hello," I said, hearing his grumpy self huff in frustration.
"Uh, hey."
"Are you okay?" I asked, escaping to my room.
He deeply sighed. "Why is it such a big deal that I don't like Claire?"
I lightly chuckled. "Because she's perfect."
"No, she's not." He snapped. "Stop saying that."
"No, stop denying it." I said back, a little amused. In my room, I peeked through the window, seeing him leaning against his car and looking very unhappy with his furrowed brows.
"You're perfect." He told me, and focusing on the look on his face made my heart warm up, seeing his face relaxed the slightest when telling me that.
"Did they ask if you were with someone?" I asked, purposely ignoring his sweet compliment.
He didn't really notice. "Uh yeah." His throat cleared. "I don't know where it came from, I mean, I guess it's because of Claire, but. Y'know."
"Huh. Chris said he thought I was seeing someone."
"What?" Charlie's voice came off as slightly panicked.
I resisted the urge to laugh. "Yeah. He thought it was Connor." I said in mastered nonchalance.
I watched as my man's eyes widened in shock as well as irritation and I stiffled the laugh.
"Are you serious?"
I let myself laugh. "Yeah I thought that was funny."
"Why?" He demanded.
I smiled, looking down from my window and seeing his furrowed brows. "Because I'm not seeing Connor, I'm seeing you."
His looked relaxed again. It looked more calm, and a little proud. "Come down here so I can hold you." He told me.
I watched him dreamily. "Maybe later, Mr. Grant. Or Charlie. Wait, I guess I have to call you Chance when we're in the presence of my brothers."
"That sounds weird coming from your mouth, don't say it."
"What, Chance?" I teased.
He kind of cringed. "Don't."
"Why not?"
"Because it's not yours."
"Chance isn't mine?"
He huffed again, but almost jokingly. "Sweetheart, let me tell you something. Chance is yours, Mr. Grant is yours, and Charlie is yours. I am all yours. It just doesn't feel the same compared to what you usually call me."
I chuckled, melting from what he just told me. "I didn't think it mattered."
"I just like it when I'm Charlie to you because I feel like I'm able to be open with the fact that I'm yours, and-" He stopped himself.
My heart broke. "And..." I gently mentally nudged him. "And 'you're mine, Diana.'" I said for him.
He suddenly smiled. "And you're mine." He finished, and relief filled me.
"I'm yours. All yours." I sighed in contentment, loving saying when normally I'd hate the sound of possession. He just made it feel like we weren't objects.
"Yeah, baby. You're mine."
"I love you." I told him, and I watched as his eyes lifted from the ground and somehow found me watching him. He grinned, the smile growing brighter and genuinely happier.
"I love you, too."
"Hey," I perked. "Let's go to your place so you can show me how much you love me, since we didn't have sex last night."
He suddenly laughed his beautifully rare laugh. "Fuck, I really do love you."
I laughed as well.
His facial expression fell as he groaned in realization. I asked him what it was. "I'm supposed to be helping the guys clean out the attic later."
"Clean out the attic? My attic?"
"Yeah." He grunted.
I stayed quiet for a while, then he faintly smirked. "We can just be a little crazier tonight than we usually would." He said suggestively.
"Well, hell that's a lot of crazy." I joked, matching the smile in his face.
"Baby, you and I both know you're capable."
"I guess we can try it out, then."
...
But it was all too soon when I heard them above me, rummaging through the cake-layered dust and every now and then releasing a fit of manly coughs.
I boredly stayed in my room, hearing as they spoke and wondering how it looked for my brothers and Charlie to be up there suddenly talking like everything was fine. Then I smiled, knowing that's how things were between him and I.
Claire and Savannah left to go meet up with someone and shop. They invited me, but Austin told them I was grounded. I'm pretty sure the whole house laughed their heads off at that.
I'm not sure if Chris told my brothers or not what else I really had been doing that night, but I wasn't going to hear it if they did.
My homework was packed, and as I did it, it lasted until after they were done, and then a string of men came flowing into my room, interrupting my work. "Aw, look at her, she is a good girl, Austin." James jokingly fawned- Charlie glared at him.
"We're gonna head out." My brother informed me, ignoring James' typical remark.
I only nodded, allowing them to leave with nonchalance. Charlie locked eyes with me, and my heart warmed.