Chapter 11: Chapter 11

"It...?" Charlie started to ask, confused, until a very light, almost non-existent pressure appeared in her lower back, followed by a high-pitched meow.

Dumbfounded, she turned to find a cat sitting on her bed, right behind her. Its shaggy fur was a mess of orange and white spots mixed on top of each other, and the large eyes that stared at her curiously were a soft gray, like an overcast autumn day. Feeling her heart melt as it always did when she saw any four-legged creature, Charlie gently held out her hands for him to come to her, which the cat did with impressive ease, starting to purr as soon as he snuggled his head against her neck.

"He's really good at sneaking…" Morgan grumbled "But at least I'm glad you guys are getting along so well already. Not that he had any other option but to fall in love when it comes to you." he teased, looking at her tenderly.

"Oh, Morgan... It's so beautiful... What's the name? It is yours?" Charlie asked, stroking the kitten, euphoric "And why did you bring him here?"

“Well, I'm terrible with names, so I thought I'd best leave that part to you." Morgan came to sit beside her again, with a smile that couldn't disguise her anticipation "And well, it would be the most logical thing to bring it here, since, from today, you own it."

"What?!" she gasped, torn between feelings of shock and excitement. "Me?! Like this? You know I can't bring any pets here..." Contentment gradually gave way to bad memories, making her sigh sadly "It'll be like last time, with Waffles."

“Don't worry, I've thought about it." His hand rose to the top of her head, stroking her "I will not allow Samantha to mistreat or threaten him, as she did with Waffles. You won't have to find him a new home like we did last time, I promise." Morgan assured, with so much affection and determination that Charlie couldn't do anything but believe him "This time, I'm going to be much more incisive with those two about what will happen to them if they dare to hurt you like that again. And if even that doesn't make a difference, you can leave it at my apartment and see it whenever you like. You always said I should get a pet to bring some joy to that huge, empty apartment." he joked, shrugging "So I thought it would be a good idea if we did this “shared custody” for a while. That way we can both have the company of that sneaky little ball of fur." He stroked the cat behind the ears, making it purr even louder.

"But... If my cat... I mean our cat..." she corrected herself, a gigantic smile spreading across her face, "That doesn't mean I'm going to have to visit your apartment all the time? I thought you'd rather die than leave me there again..."

"Do not exaggerate." He snorted as he looked away from her. "You know I would never refuse your company without good reason."

"And what big reason was that anyway?" she questioned him, curious "It must not be so important anymore, since you changed your mind."

“I…” he bit his lip for a moment, as if he regretted saying that. “It doesn't matter. I just realized that I don't have to worry about problems that don't exist. Things are what they are. And I have to come to terms with that." He shook his head, making her even more confused "There's no reason not to allow my best friend free access to my house." he smiled, not seeming to realize that her expression was showing all the disappointment he felt "So, now that we've decided where our cat's new home will be, why don't you give him a name? I think it's about time I started calling him something other than "what the hell are you doing" and "come down now"."

With a rueful smile, Charlie tried to hold back the tears that were threatening to well up in her eyes again. So that was it. Without even knowing it, he had answered all the unspoken questions that were plaguing her because of what Samantha had told her. She was his young best friend and that was it. The girl he gifted kittens to and protected from her evil stepmother. Because he loved her, but not the way he loved her. Now, it was up to her to come to terms with the fact that no matter what clothes she wore or how many shades she threw, they would never be anything more than that: friends.

And it took him a lot of effort to contain his sadness as she lifted her new kitten in front of her face, placing a kiss on it head, before speaking again, trying not to show what she was really feeling.

"Well, since you're so rebellious and adventurous like that... How about... Sawyer? Like Tom Sawyer?" she asked, a whisper, being suffocated by more feelings than she wanted to, as she unconsciously remembered why she liked that name so much "Grandfather used to read that book to me every night when I was a child."

“Yes, it's perfect." Clearly worried, Morgan slid closer to her on the bed, gently moving her hair behind her ear in order to see her face better. "Do you miss him? Is that why you're so sad?"

"Yes, that's right." she sniffed, telling herself that it was better that he continued believing that half-truth "On my birthday we used to feed the horse riding around the farm, feed the ducks in the pond near the house, bake a cake together… And now…" Hugging Sawyer to her chest, she swallowed several times, trying to make the urge to cry go away. "I'm here. Alone."

“You'll never be alone, Charlie." with a slightly choked voice, as Morgan was feeling her suffering as if it were his own, he wrapped his arms around her, bringing her close to his chest in a tight embrace, but still gentle and full of affection "Not while I'm alive. I would give everything I have to bring your grandfather back to you and allow you to be a family again..." he assured, with a desolate sigh "But, unfortunately, I can't do that. However, I can guarantee you one thing: I will always be there for you, Charlie. No matter what happens. Never forget that." he leaned his lips against her forehead, in a soft and comforting kiss, which was enough to make her tears completely release.

"Ah, Morgan..." she just sobbed, holding on to him almost desperately, as her throat, crammed with all the confessions she wanted to make but never could, threatened to choke her.

“It's okay to cry." He assured her, holding her protectively as he stroked her back "I know that living in this house you had to learn never to show your feelings, but you can let it all out, now. I don't want you to keep anything bad inside you, especially so much sadness."

As if his words were the push she needed, Charlie found herself crying and sobbing like she hadn't since her grandfather passed away a few months before her 17th birthday. Hugging Morgan, she mourned silently for the father who would never love her, for that terrible woman who never tired of tormenting her, for never being able to hug her grandfather again and for the man she would always be in love with, but who would never return her love.

It seemed like hours had passed when she finally started to calm down and was able to start trying to wipe her tear drenched face.

"Do you feel better?" Morgan asked her, pressing a handkerchief to her cheeks and gently wiping them as Charlie took a deep breath, struggling to compose herself.

"Yes." She tried to smile, even though she knew she wasn't doing a good job "I'm sorry for using you as emotional support during this deluge. Damn, my face must be awfully swollen, shouldn't it?" she huffed as she ran her fingers over her eyelids.

“Hey, I'm going to be seriously hurt if you keep acting like I shouldn't be here." he teased, pushing her hands away so he could wipe his eyes with the tissue himself. "I wasn't kidding when I said I'll always be there for you, Charlie. This means you can use me for whatever you like, including your private emotional support."

“I wouldn't promise that if you would. I might end up taking advantage." she couldn't resist teasing him, even though she knew there was no more reason to do that, since he didn't feel anything for her.

"No... I don't think I would regret it..." For a moment, Charlie swore she saw him shift his attention to her chest, but that impression faded so quickly that she convinced herself she had only imagined it. "If you're already feeling better, I was wondering... I know it won't be the same, but... How about we make a cake together, at my house, like you used to do with your grandfather?" he offered, timidly "While he bakes, we can go out for a bit and buy some things Sawyer will need, like toys, food, collar..."

"Looks like you've really gotten over that aversion to the idea of seeing me in your apartment, haven't you?" She nudged him, glad she was managing to speak more naturally, though her voice was still a little husky.

“I've never disliked you, Charlie." Morgan's eyebrows dropped, leaving him with an anguished expression "I just... I did what I thought was necessary... I did what I thought was right." he corrected himself, as if he was struggling with every word. "In order to protect you…"

"Protect?" she found it strange, but the discomfort that she felt got the better of her curiosity, and before she asked him what he was referring to, she had to complain, "Well then, you better get it through your thick head that you don't have to do this, Morgan. I'm not a child!" Angry, she lifted her chin and leaned even closer to him, bringing not only their faces but their bodies closer as well.

"Believe me, Charlotte..." Her throat dried up as she realized that his eyes had darkened and, this time, she couldn't deny that he glanced down at her cleavage, before speaking again, "I know it. I know it very well".

“Well, it doesn't seen like." She snorted, though her face was starting to flush. "I'm a grown woman, but you don't treat me that way."

"Because you're a child compared to me, Charlie…" he started to argue, sounding almost plaintive, but she was quick to cut him off.

“Oh, please! Don't give me that conversation. 14 years is not that long." she complained indignantly. "It's not like you're old enough to be my father or anything."

“Kids are having kids before they're even fourteen these days." he shrugged, rolling his eyes.

"And being grandfathers at twenty-eight? What a complicated life.." she sneered, making one corner of his mouth lift "And honestly, I don't even know why we're having this conversation. All I want is for you to treat me as an equal." She bit back the urge to add that she wanted him to treat her like a man would a woman. "That's so hard?"

"I see you as an equal, Charlie... Believe me, I see you through and through..." he muttered under his breath, looking tense as she'd ever seen him. "That's the problem..."

"And how could that be a problem?" she challenged him, placing her hands on his shoulders so that she could face him even more closely, leaving their noses almost touching.

"Because it makes me want to act like you're like me... Like you feel the same way I do..." He suddenly placed his hands on her waist, sinking his fingers into her skin softly but firmly, as if were claws, causing her to choke "And that could turn out to be a big…big problem." He repeated the word, as if he were trying to make it more powerful.

Still, very slowly, he began to blur the distance that separated them, millimeter by millimeter, with that cloudy, lost look that was making her panties wet. Biting her lip to stifle an expectant moan, Charlie felt her heart race as she realized that his attention was, in fact, completely focused on her mouth, and by the second, they were moving closer and closer to each other, almost at the point of...

That's when a high-pitched scream pierced the air in the distance, sending them reeling from each other in surprise. Now clear-eyed and wide, Morgan lifted her head toward the door, though her hands went up to Charlie's shoulders in a protective motion.

"What was this?" he asked, troubled.

"It sounded like Samantha…" She gasped, disoriented.

"You stay here." he instructed her, seriously, getting up from the bed "I'm going to check what happened."

"No way! I won't let you go alone, especially when we don't know what happened."

"Charlie…" he started to disagree, but in the face of her determined look, Morgan couldn't do much but sigh in resignation. "But stay behind me at all the time, okay?"

After she nodded, the two left her room in a hurry, towards Anthony's office, where the door was ajar...

And Charlie couldn't contain a scream when, opening the door, she saw her father's inert body lying on the floor, next to the table where he used to work, with his wife kneeling beside him, crying hysterically, with screams that they looked capable of cracking the windows.

“Anthony!" Morgan and Charlie exclaimed at the same time, running to help him.

"What happened?" Morgan asked Samantha, stunned, while Charlie pulled his father's face into her lap, getting more and more desperate as she tried to wake him up, without any success.

"He was so well tonight..." Samantha lamented, her voice muffled by the hands that covered her face "We were drinking wine and talking, when, all of a sudden, he started complaining of a pain in his chest and said we'd better get to the hospital as soon as possible... And now..." Mrs. Manson sobbed, opening her damp, makeup-smeared fingers just a crack so she could stare down at her husband's body. "I think he's dead."