Chapter 39: Chapter 39
Morgan missed the days when he thought he knew things. Everything had its share of complications, of course, but at least he knew how to act and what to expect. Now, in addition to being complicated, that situation had become completely unpredictable. And, he had to admit, he didn't know what else to do.
Before, the situation was crystal clear: he was a man without self-control who had fallen in love with a young and innocent girl who only considered him a friend. All of her body's reactions were entirely his responsibility and Charlie was just living his life normally, when he was suddenly overcome by his uncontrollable desire for her. As long as he managed to keep it all a secret, everything would be fine. His friendship with Charlie would be preserved and he could fight those feelings alone, as it should be.
But now everything seems to have turned upside down.
Before, she just thought that Charlie was too sweet and innocent, unable to understand what was wrong with walking almost naked in front of him and touching him as she wanted. Now, however, he was no longer sure about that.
Unlocking the door to his private office as cautiously as possible, Morgan felt as if he were walking into a jungle when he stepped forward into the other rooms of his apartment, not knowing what to expect. The difference was that instead of a tiger or a rhino waiting to rip him apart, there was just a 20 year old girl with a sly smile and tempting body, ready to strip naked in front of him at any moment and tempt him to give up on her. all its principles.
It had been two days since the incident in the bathroom, but he still hadn't gotten up enough courage to talk about what had happened to Charlie. And not just because a part of him still believed she'd be horrified if he dared suggest she'd done it on purpose. In fact, that part was almost dead by then. The truth was, he didn't know what he'd be capable of doing if she actually just smirked, like he did after he finished masturbating in the bathroom, and told him that she wanted him too. One of the strongest reasons he controlled himself was knowing that Charlie only saw him as a friend. However, if he was wrong this whole time. If she wanted to give herself to him as much as he wanted to possess her...
No, that didn't matter!
Shaking her head to dispel that thought, Morgan started to walk to his room, stepping firmly. If he was wrong about how he thought Charlie felt about him, it wasn't important. He wasn't the type of man who would take advantage of the momentary infatuation of someone as young as Charlie, who was going through a delicate time and was clearly getting her feelings mixed up...
Although, as she took off her clothes and displayed her naked body to him, she seemed very sure of what she wanted...
With a frustrated snarl, he practically kicked his bedroom door open, carefully scanning every corner of the room, looking for any trace of Charlie being there waiting to tease him, but finding nothing, he finally managed to relax. a little. Locking the door behind her, Morgan dragged herself onto the bed, wondering what the hell she was supposed to do. It wasn't as if he could spend an entire year hiding around the apartment from her, dreading what his own reaction would be if one day he found her again in nothing but rags, waiting for him in the bathroom, in the kitchen, or in her own bedroom...
Lost in his not-so-pure thoughts, he ended up almost falling backwards when his eyes absently wandered over the pillows and saw something that made his blood boil. Incredulous, he had to rub his eyes several times before finally realizing that there was indeed a pair of panties on top of one of his pillows, waiting for him to arrive, it seemed. On tiptoe, almost as if a part of him was still afraid that Charlie was lurking somewhere, ready to strike him with some more temptation, he inched closer to the pillow, snarling when he finally found himself in front of the garment. extended there.
Blinded by lust, the hesitation in his mind was ignored by his body, and his hand immediately flew to the scrap of cloth, eliciting a moan from him as his fingers wrapped around the cotton and lace mixture.
“My naughty little girl…” he growled to himself as he pressed the fabric over his nose, inhaling her scent “Are you trying to kill me? Or drive me crazy so I can run to your room and just take what you're offering me?
Sighing, he allowed himself to feel the softness of the fabric for a few more seconds against her palm, before putting it away inside one of the drawers in his bedside table, trying to convince himself that he would return it later. The most important thing is that it had been the last straw. He couldn't keep cowering like this and letting this go too far. He needed to talk to Charlie and make things clear, both about how she felt and what was really going to happen between the two of them. What he felt and what he wanted to happen was, of course, irrelevant. There was no reason to get carried away by those thoughtless acts of hers and start believing that they might have something, someday.
Charlie had a brilliant life ahead of her, and soon she would realize that an old-fashioned, faded man like him didn't fit her plans. That day, in fact, he had planned to show her a little bit of what her life could be like. And how she should only be concerned with flying as far as possible, instead of being stuck with an old lover like him, who wanted a lasting relationship that she was unlikely to want either.
Removing the brown paper envelope he had personally provided that day from his work bag, Morgan took a deep breath, gathering the courage to start the conversation they needed to have, before finally leaving the room, starting to look for Charlie around the apartment.
“Come on, Sawyer! Come here! “ her voice finally made itself heard, from inside one of the guest rooms, as he passed through the hall “ You need to eat!
Curious, he approached the bedroom door, which was already open, blushing a little when he saw that Charlie was crouched down, butt in the air, looking at something under the wardrobe. That, however, did not seem to be a millimetrically planned plan for him to see her in that position, since he noticed that she had a plate of cat food in one hand and kept trying to push it further into the empty space above. the closet.
“Come on, Sawyer, get out of there! “ Charlie continued to call him, sounding more and more distressed “ I know you miss Morgan, but I think he still doesn't feel like walking freely around the apartment again. At least not while he knows I'm around. “ she sighed in a sad voice, making Morgan's heart ache to know that he was responsible for making her feel that way “ Look, I admit it! I made a stupid, impulsive decision and now I don't know how to deal with the consequences, but I promise I'll work it out! Now, please…” she begged, heartbroken, as the metallic sound of Sawyer's feeding pot scraping against the carpet made itself heard, “Don't ignore me either. I'm already feeling lonely enough without you avoiding me too...
“Charlie? “ he called to her, worried, but all it did was make her startle, banging her forehead against the bottom of the wardrobe, before straightening her posture enough and sitting on the floor, staring at him as if he was the last person she expected to see there.
“Morgan? “ she returned his question with another question, looking around quickly “Where did you come from?
He almost commented that now she knew what it felt like to be caught in a vulnerable moment by someone she least expected, but Morgan soon decided to swallow that tease. Without answering her, he walked over to where she was and called out to their cat, making the cat immediately come out of its hiding place, meowing excitedly as it ran to rub itself against his legs.
“He didn't want to come out from under the wardrobe. “ Charlie mumbled plaintively “He's been missing you terribly since the last two days you haven't seen him much. I even tried to cheer him up with a little affection, but... He just ran to hide from me, here. “ she said, her voice full of sadness “ I think he really doesn't like me.
“No, I don't think that's it. “Morgan replied, unable to help but feel the double meaning that was in her own words“ Maybe he just doesn't know how to deal with what he feels for you... And he ends up needing some time alone, to understand himself better. “ he stroked the kitten's fluffy ears, making it purr, before holding it out to Charlie, with an encouraging smile “ But if you keep showing him how much you love him, I'm sure he'll soon learn to love you too.
" Do you really think? “ she questioned, hesitating to pick up the cat in her arms “ Because I've been starting to doubt it...
“Of course I'm sure. “ He nodded, moving Sawyer onto her lap, though Charlie still looked a little unsure, like she was afraid he was going to bolt under the closet again. “Just give him the time he needs and everything will be fine. After all, it's hard not to love you, Charlie. “ he found himself smiling at her, full of tenderness “ Especially when someone allows himself to know you for real.
With wide eyes looking torn between fear and hope, Charlie held the kitten in her arms, clearly nervous as I watch him raise his head and measure her judiciously, for a moment, with an indecipherable expression worthy of a feline. However, in the next moment, he simply closed his eyes and snuggled into the warmth of her lap, even purring lightly, looking ready to take a nap.