Chapter 15: Chapter 15
As he left the kitchen, presumably to get dressed, Charlie had the urge to hiss like an irritated cat, disgusted at the prospect of missing out on that incredible view. However, being alone in the room reeking of smoke helped bring her back to reality, and when Morgan finally returned, now wearing a shirt as well as sweatpants, she immediately began to apologize, realizing the gravity of what she had done.
“I… I'm so sorry, Morgan…” She swallowed hard, wishing the floor could open up and swallow her, “I thought it would be a good idea to make you a surprise breakfast, but… Damn it, what the fuck did I do…” she wailed hotly, feeling like she wanted to punch herself as she realized how much of a mess she'd made in Morgan's precious, spotless kitchen, which was the place he loved the most. loved in his apartment.
"Is that what you were trying to do?" His eyes widened to their full size and, cringing, Charlie thought he was about to yell at her or, at the very least, lecture her about how irresponsible she was and how disappointed he was in her, like Anthony or himself. grandfather would have done.
But instead, Morgan just gave a low, breathless laugh before stroking the top of her head with a loving smile.
“I appreciate the intent, dear. And I'm even more grateful that you weren't hurt."
“But…I ruined your kitchen." she whimpered, glancing at the burnt chaos on top of the previously glowing stove, filled with embarrassment.
-"Do not exaggerate." He chuckled again, still not looking annoyed. "All I'm going to have to do is throw that food away and clean the stove and pan, it's not the end of the world." when facing the spatter that now covered the cabinet doors and part of the wall, he shrugged "And a simple wet cloth will solve all the rest."
"But..." she stammered "But it's all my fault... You must have been mad at me..."
"Of course not." he interrupted her, taking her face between his hands, visibly anxious to calm her down "I know you didn't do that on purpose, so there's no point in getting angry, especially when it's very clear that you're feeling worse than you are. that I for all of this. So trust me, Charlie, it's okay. It was nothing." He leaned down to kiss her on the forehead, as he had done many times the day before, and Charlie thought that it wasn't so bad to be upset sometimes, as long as he continued to comfort her in that way "And thank you so much for having tried to do this for me."
“I wish I had." she huffed, still furious with herself.
“Well, remind me to teach you some cooking basics later." He chuckled. "Now, will helping me clean all this make that pout go away?" He glared at her mouth, but quickly looked away.
“We'll see…” she sighed regretfully. “Anyway, it's the least I can do. Tell me what I have to do."
So for the next half hour, the two of them busied themselves cleaning up the remnants of Charlie's crime from the kitchen, with Morgan nudging and teasing her whenever she looked like she was about to start apologizing again. Finally, with a sigh of relief after seeing the room back to being as clean as it had been before that stupid idea, Charlie sat on the counter by the sink, right next to the stove, as he watched Morgan mix some eggs, pieces of cheese and herbs nearby, before placing a new frying pan on the fire, much like the one she had used.
"You make it look so easy…" she complained, even though she knew he would tease her again for pouting.
"There's nothing that knowledge and practice can't make seem easy." he consoled her, pouring the egg mixture into the skillet with extreme care "From what you've told me, the pan was heating on the stove for longer than is recommended, especially for a frying pan, that's why all that happened. These pans are made of copper, so they heat up even faster than the ceramic ones, which I use the most." much faster than Charlie expected, he deftly took the pan off the heat and placed the perfect omelette on a plate, making her mouth water at the shared smell.
“Well, my theory is that these pots hate me and they love you." she snapped, shrugging.
"I'm going to make them love you." he promised. "I just need your attention and the right recipes."
"You have an impressive patience, someone already told you that?"
"In truth no." he laughed heartily, while dividing the omelet into two parts, putting the biggest one for her "My work partners would have a lot to disagree with that, including. There is a big difference between patience and knowing that achieving goals takes time in the business world. That's why I feel so good around you." Morgan smiled, seeing her start to eat, still sitting on the counter, with her leg dangling above the floor "When we're together, I don't have to worry about deadlines, rules or negotiations. I just need to be myself. You think I know a lot about cooking, but actually the best teacher between the two of us is you. I learned a lot about spontaneity and authenticity because of you."
"You mean because of my impulsiveness and not being able to keep my mouth shut?" she laughed, before taking another huge mouthful of her breakfast.
“No, I mean you're not afraid to be who you are. You're not afraid to show the world what an amazing person you are, no matter how much the people in that mansion tried to repress you." He reached up to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear, but ended up resting his palm against her cheek, making her blush. "Be proud of who you are, Charlie. People like you are rare in the world and make the lives of boring people like me much better."
"You're not boring." she disagreed, nudging his belly with her foot "You were the only reason I kept myself sane these last three years in that mansion. I don't know where I would be if it wasn't for you." wanting to pull him closer so she could hug him, Charlie wrapped her legs around his waist, making him freeze instantly "All I wanted was to know how to repay you in kind..."
"You..." he cleared his throat a few times, before speaking again, looking everywhere but at her "You don't have to do it for me..."
“Well, I find it hard to believe that there's nothing you want." Finally getting close enough to put her hands on his shoulders, Charlie cocked her head to the side, searching his eyes. "Come on, you can tell me. I will be more than happy to do so."
"You have no idea what you're asking for…" he murmured, in a deep, husky voice that she only remembered hearing once, which happened to be the night before in her room, before all that confusion, when they looked like they were about to...
At that mere thought, his throat went dry and her nipples hardened, aching inside her bra, as if they were just as eager to get Morgan's attention as she was. Taken by the courage that hope had given her, Charlie ignored the fact that he was still avoiding her eyes and put her hand on the back of his neck, pulling him closer and closer, burning more and more with the desire to kiss him. , especially when she realized that Morgan wasn't fighting her, letting her bring their faces and lips together, mere millimeters away from finally...
A loud ring of music made them both shudder and, as she had just woken up from a trance, Morgan practically leapt away from her, his eyes as wide as a gazelle he's run into a lion. Paralyzed by shock and revolt, Charlie could do nothing but watch as he ran to a small table nearby and grabbed his cell phone, which she couldn't seem to stop ringing.
"Hello?" he asked, breathlessly at first, running his hands nervously through his hair, before her expression turned grim, "What do you want…? What does it matter to you where she is...?" he snarled, until the moment his eyebrows rose. "What do you mean? It makes no sense to do this so soon! I don't care what you think, the right thing would be to wait a few weeks or at least a few days...! You doesn't dare look for her!" he practically yelled suddenly, furious. "I'll be the one to take her there! And you'd better have a minimally reasonable explanation for all the rush when we get there!" With that said, even though it looked like the person on the other end of the line still had something to say, Morgan hung up, possessed.
"What there was?" she asked, though her intuition told her she wasn't going to like the answer.
“It was Samantha." he grunted "Apparently, she convinced not only the funeral home to hold Anthony's wake and burial later today, but also gathered all the family lawyers, to read the will and distribute the assets soon after the funeral is over. I can't believe that woman is so ambitious! Barely allowing her husband's body to be buried, before getting her claws into his money!" Morgan snarled, disgusted. "I'm sorry, Charlie. Part of this is my fault. I should have known she would do something like this and rushed to take care of it myself."
"Don't be silly." She sighed, jumping off the bench "Samantha would have found a way to do the same thing, no matter how much you insisted... And then? What time will the burial be?" she asked, hugging herself.
“Late afternoon, at the mansion." he told her, frustrated. "It's likely the will won't be read until after eight."
"As long as this ends today..." Charlie moaned, opening her arms immediately when she realized he was reaching out to hug her, "I just want to get back here as soon as possible and never have to see Samantha again."
“And you will, dear. I promise." He comforted her, kissing her temple "We'll get through this together and everything will be fine."
Nodding against his chest, Charlie just closed her eyes and enjoyed the warmth of his embrace, trying to ignore the annoying little voice in her mind that kept warning her that her stepmother was probably planning something.