Chapter 7: Chapter 7
"Doesn't he come every year?" Vivian laughed "I have the impression that he would come every day, if it were possible."
"But not today. He had an important meeting and we had agreed that he wouldn't be able to visit me until much later." Charlie explained, running to the door so she could open it, anxious.
And the breath rushed out of her lungs as she found herself face to face with that dazzling smile and dark green eyes that had stolen her heart the instant she'd first seen him, injured ankle and sunk in the water of a source. And, with the same warm, caring expression she'd given him that day, Morgan reached out and gently stroked her hair, tucking one of the strands behind her ear.
"Your father tried to keep me locked up for a few more hours in the meeting, but luckily I managed to escape." he teased, still with a smile that made her heart rise in her throat. "Sorry I didn't say that was a possibility. I was afraid to make a promise that I might not be able to keep and end up disappointing you."
“Well, thanks to that you just gave me the best surprise I could ever ask for." not even bothering to try to control herself, Charlie leapt towards him, not only hugging him, but also wrapping her legs around his waist, which forced him to grip her thighs tightly, to keep hold it firmly in that position.
"Charlie...!" he gasped, apparently much more out of surprise and embarrassment than the effort of having her in his arms "We've already talked about this… It's not good to act so impulsively…" he cleared his throat, seeming to be trying to scold her. there, but sounding nothing more than kind and patient, as usually "Especially in public."
"Oops..." She did her best to contain a shameless smile and put as much innocence into her voice as possible as she slid to the floor, grinding herself as hard as she could against the hard wall of muscle that was his chest. "Sorry about that." Even when her feet hit the carpet and they came face to face, she remained with her arms around his neck "And I'm sorry I missed the rest of your meeting."
"Are you joking? It's your birthday." He raised his eyebrows, as if surprised that she was questioning something so obvious. "Nothing in the world could be more important than that."
Biting her lip to contain the urge to kiss him then and there, Charlie just smiled shyly, knowing she would never be able to find enough words to tell him how much he meant to her.
"Hello to you too, Mr. Sullivan." Vivian mocked behind the two, while Jack just let out a low laugh.
"Hello, Vivian. I was planning to steal your volunteer a little earlier today, but unfortunately I wasn't able to come quickly enough. You've already finished your work, right?" he asked that question directly to Charlie, who nodded excitedly "Great! Then it's time for our annual birthday ritual."
"Burger and ice cream?" Charlie flashed a bright smile.
"With french fries and whatever else you want." He smiled, looking delighted to see her cheer.
Waving quickly as she said goodbye to Vivian and Jack, Charlie wrapped her hand around his and practically ran them out to the car, eager to carry out the tradition they'd been carrying out since her 18th birthday. Over time, Morgan had become more and more attentive and protective of her, even making a point of cooking for her and making sure she had a balanced diet. Her birthday, however, was one of the only days of the year when he made sure she ate and did whatever she wanted, even though he couldn't quite hide the fact that Charlie's love of fast food worried him a little.
"So how was work today?" He smiled as they got into the car, starting a conversation with the same question he'd asked her since she'd started her volunteer work at the institution, but which Charlie always felt was sincere, no matter how many times it was repeated.
"Mirabel's puppies have been born! Of course I was a little sad that I couldn't be there to support her, but oh Morgan, they're so adorable! Damn it, I should have introduced them to you!" She huffed, angry with herself.
"Everything is fine." he laughed, as he started the car "Tomorrow I can give you another ride and then I can be attacked by all those fur balls until I fall to the ground... Again."
“It's been an amazing day, admit it." Charlie chuckled, remembering the occasion where Vivian took a day off to celebrate her wedding anniversary and Morgan had offered to replace her, making all the animals fall in love with him at first sight.
Not that Charlie doesn't understand them. She knew well how she was.
"And I also want the opportunity to explain myself to Vivian." he commented and, in the face of Charlie's confused expression, he ended up explaining, embarrassed "I know I already talked to her the last time when... We ended up getting caught in a compromising situation." he cleared his throat hard, looking away to the road ahead of them "But I still don't feel good after she saw us holding each other like that. I don't want her to end up thinking our relationship is anything more than a friendship."
At the sound of those words, Charlie's heart shrank almost to the point of disappearing. With a grimace, she glared at him, even though she knew he couldn't see.
"And what's wrong with that?" she questioned defiantly, attracting his attention due to her icy tone "What happens between two adult people is nobody's business, no matter what kind of relationship they have."
With an unreadable expression, he just stared at her, until he finally spoke hesitantly.
"I thought Vivian was your friend."
"And she is. But that doesn't mean everything that happens in my life is her business. If you and I were having sex, what does it matter?" Sullenly, she crossed her arms over her chest to hide the fact that her nipples had hardened just thinking about that possibility.
"Charlie...!" he gasped and the sheer horror in his expression only made Charlie even angrier.
"What?" she grunted, slumping deeper into the passenger seat. "Does it surprise you that a girl who just turned 20 knows what sex is? Well, I have news for you, my schoolmates found out what that was much earlier."
“Charlie!" it was his turn to grunt, before interrupting himself abruptly, taking a long breath right after "I know that today's youth are much more liberal... In these matters... " Morgan swallowed, embarrassed "And I'm not saying this shouldn't be taken lightly, but, there's no point in letting others think we're doing something like this..."
“Why do you keep talking like you're eighty?" she huffed. "You're as young as I am."
"I disagree." instead of smiling as she expected, Morgan's expression became even darker, almost bitter "I'm old enough to be your father, so it's up to me to take care of your being. This includes your reputation."
“How many guys do you know who were parents at the age of fourteen?" She raised a skeptical eyebrow, relieved to finally see him smile, even just a little.
“Boys are having babies earlier and earlier these days."
"And being grandfathers at twenty-eight? Wow, what a difficult life..."
“What really matters is...” he cut her off gently, with a warm smile, “Call me old-fashioned, but I think making love should involve... Well, love." as those hesitant words came out of his mouth, he scratched his stubble covered cheek and Charlie had the impression of seeing a slight blush underneath "Casualty is good from time to time, but it can be a much more special experience when it involves feeling. And, well…” The gleam that came into those eyes made her heart melt completely, flooding her chest with that heady feeling she only felt for him, “You're special, Charlie. So I want everything you experience to be perfect. This includes the way other people see and treat you."
"Well..." With her face burning and not being able to think hard enough to think about how this conversation could evolve into something that ended with the two of them naked in the backseat or saying that they loved each other, she just laughed. nervous "If this was a hint about me needing to leave Anthony's mansion, know that you can take me to your apartment any time you want."
"Of course." He smiled and Charlie almost had a heart attack at the thought that her dream was about to come true, when he suddenly pulled his cell phone out of the glove compartment and stomped on any hope she might have had. me. "Don't worry, I'm only going to be there for a few days until I find myself a new apartment. So, you can stay there as long as you like."
"Forget." Charlie grumbled, trying hard not to whimper in sheer frustration. "The restaurant is just up the road. Park and let's go eat. I think I need two burgers with extra meat today."