Chapter 13: Chapter 13

“Forget everything that woman told you." He begged, when they finally reached her car and he was able to seat her in the passenger seat "The only person who should have a guilty conscience is her, for being so low in a delicate moment like this. Plus, I bet she's the one who's planning money-making schemes right now, which is why she made a point of telling all those lies, hoping to throw you off balance."

"I know." Charlie nodded, exhausted "Could we stop by the mansion before going to her apartment. I know maybe this isn't the right time for this, but... Besides picking up Sawyer, I wanted to pack my bags. I don't want to leave this for later and have to meet Samantha when I get back there. I promise I won't be long..."

“You could take forever if you wanted to." he soothed her, kissing her temple "Don't worry about it. I understand perfectly."

All the way to the Manson mansion, and even when they quickly packed the few belongings Charlie wanted to take from there, the two remained silent. And Morgan only broke it when they finally parked at his condo and he was forced to caress Charlie's cheek, to wake her from the sleep she had sunk into, holding Sawyer, after they had left the mansion.

"Darling..." he whispered against her ear, making her shudder, waking up "It's okay, we're here." Gently, he lifted her again in his arms, making her gasp.

“I can walk, you know?" She blinked heavily, looking torn between drowsiness and stubbornness, as well as embarrassment.

“I know, but you don't have to. You've worn yourself out enough for one day. Besides, it costs me nothing." aside from the fact that he was getting to enjoy the addictive sensation of having her warm body pressed against his, but of course he didn't admit that aloud.

"Did you happen to discover that you like to carry me around?" she teased him playfully, as if she had just read his mind.

“Not unlike you carrying Sawyer right this minute." He tried to lose her, turning his face all the way to her building elevator, to disguise the slight blush in her face.

"I can't believe it's been almost two years since I've been here..." she mumbled as they walked up to her apartment, seeming to be talking more to herself than to him.

“I'm sorry again about that."

"You know you haven't really given me a real explanation of why you did that yet, right?" She raised an eyebrow, seeming to be expecting that explanation to happen right then and there.

“Well, I guess we'll have time for that another time." he finally put her on the floor as soon as they got out of the elevator and arrived at the door of his apartment, which was the only one on that floor "Now, the most important thing is for you to rest as much as you can."

As soon as he opened the door in front of them, before Charlie had time to even breathe, he scooped her up once more, carrying her up to her room, while Sawyer skipped away, looking far more interested in exploring the unknown place than ever. to keep keeping her owner company.

"How are you feeling?" he asked worriedly as he finally sat her down on her bed, trying his best to ignore the fact that Charlie was in her room, as she had so often been in his dirty dreams. "Do you have a headache? Hungry? Want to take some medicine before trying to sleep?" he continued to question, placing his hand on his forehead right after "You look a little hot. Maybe I should bring a thermometer..."

"I'm Morgan..." She took his hand away for a moment, but then intertwined their fingers. "Well, at least as well as possible after today. I think I just need to get some sleep..." she sighed, propping her head up with her other hand "And prepare myself for what's to come in the future."

"It's going to be okay, I guarantee it." he comforted her "How about I make you some tea? It'll help you sleep...” He was about to get out of bed, when the hand that was wrapped around his stopped him, squeezing her fingers between his even tighter.

"Morgan..." She paused for a moment, seeming to swallow hard, before asking, her voice shaky, "I-I know this might sound like a bit much, but... Could you stay here with me today? Just while I don't fall asleep?" Her tone made her sound like she was practically pleading. "I…I don't want to be alone. At least not tonight..."

“Of course I can, dear." he cut her off, kissing her forehead to soothe her. "Just wait a minute. I'll get a chair to put beside the bed and hold your hand all night, if that makes you feel better."

"A chair?" Her eyes widened, looking strangely uncomfortable with what he'd said. "But that shouldn't be uncomfortable for you?"

"I'll be fine." Morgan assured, but that didn't seem to be enough to convince her, since she soon retorted, with her cheeks visibly tinged with pink, even in the dimness of the room, lit only by the light of the lamp next to the bed.

“It's not fair that you have to go through this in your own home, just because I'm here." again, she hesitated for a moment, before swallowing hard and saying "W-why don't you lie down next to me? The bed is huge and we can sleep without invading each other's space..."

“You mean…” he gasped, before he could disguise his reaction, “So we can sleep together?!

“Don't be so old-fashioned." she huffed, letting go of his hand so she could hug herself, hiding her chin between her knees, though he couldn't help but notice that her blush had deepened, becoming an almost shimmering shade of red. "It's not so bad for a man and a woman to just sleep in the same bed. Even more so if they are friends." he thought he heard a slight tone of irritation in that last word, but soon put that thought aside.

"I... I..." Completely stunned by her request, Morgan opened and closed his mouth several times, not knowing how to act.

“I promise I won't sleepwalk and attack you, if that's what you're worried about." she promised, looking like she was trying to lighten the tense mood with a joke, even though there was a certain disappointment there that he didn't quite understand where it was coming from.

“Of course I'm not worried about that." He cleared his throat, thinking to himself that his main concern was whether he would be strong enough not to do anything crazy, when he finally had her laid out on his bed, as he used to imagine on all his lonely nights, as he stroked his cock. "Just... You took me by surprise, that's all." he struggled to compose himself, convincing himself that he wasn't wild enough to lose control on a dark day like this one, especially when it came to Charlie "Of course I can sleep on your side, if that'll suit you. to help."

Very slowly, thinking and reviewing each move before executing it, Morgan took off Charlie's shoes and her coat, before covering her with the sheet and turning on the room heater. During the entire process, she watched him intently, as if she was expecting him to bolt from the room at any moment. However, once he was sure she was comfortable, he kicked off his own shoes and unfastened the top few buttons of his shirt, taking care to leave it in place, not wanting to make Charlie uncomfortable having a bare-chested man at his side. her.

Finally, he climbed on the other side of the bed and lay down beside her, keeping a respectful distance between them, even though it forced him to balance on the edge of the bed, almost to the point of falling. With a quiet smile, which he hoped was a good mask for the turmoil going on inside him, Morgan linked his hand with Charlie's again, kissing the back of it.

“Sleep well, Charlie. I promise tomorrow will be a little better day."

"I hope so too..." she sighed, staring at him for a long time before sliding closer to him, hugging him. "Am I going too far?" she asked, embarrassed "I... I just wanted to keep hugging you, while I don't fall asleep..."

“You don't have to worry about always doing what makes you feel good, Charlie." He tried to keep his voice steady even though his heart was racing. "Especially when it comes to me."

"Thank you, Morgan..." she yawned, blinking her eyes more and more slowly, until she seemed to fall asleep completely, but not before murmuring, despite not seeming to be fully aware "I love you..."

"I know, darling..." he sighed, hiding his face against the long brown hair that flowed over the pillow "And you will never know how much I would love to love you just as a friend, as I know you love me..."