Page 38 of Shadowing Charlotte
"And I want to be with you," he echoed, "So, how about we sit down and actually have a conversation about what happened at the restaurant?"
"Okay…" I agreed hesitantly. He took hold of my hand, his thumb tracing comfortingly over my skin as he guided me into the bedroom. We sat at the foot of the bed, and he waited expectantly. "I… I don't really like talking about my feelings…" I began uncomfortably, shifting from side to side. "Ever since my mother passed, I just—I don't know—it's easier for me to bottle things up."
"I understand," he replied calmly, "That's how I feel about my mother. You're the only one who knows about her."
"What about your friends?" I asked.
"Shawn is the only person who has been in my life since we were children. He knows some of it, but not all. I don't freely offer the information to people." I nodded in understanding. If I were in his place, I wouldn't want to tell people, either. "So, what did I do to set you off?"
"I don't remember exactly what your words were, but you said something about my age…" He snorted and I glanced pointedly at him. "Look, Alexander, I know I'm young, alot younger than you, but I don't need to be reminded about it every five minutes. It makes me feel stupid."
"Charlotte, you are young. That doesn't make you stupid. You're bound to do stupid things, like taking drugs and then jumping your stalker in the middle of a club. Like not pressing charges when someone assaults you. You can be stupid, Charlotte, but it's not for the reasons you think." I stared incredulously up at him, fighting the urge to knock him upside his head.
"Yeah, because anything you just said makes me feel any better…" I replied bitterly. Lex chuckled, wrapping his arms around me.
"Everyone is stupid sometimes, Charlie. It's your actions that make you stupid, not your age. If it bothers you, I'll stop mentioning it. Until you act like a spoiled brat, like you did that night. And then, I'll gladly remind you." I glared at him, shoving his hands away, but Lex continued to grin at me, clearly amused.
"You're an asshole…" I muttered angrily. He laughed again, kissing my temple. Just like that, the fight that had seemed so monumental was put behind us.
Chapter thirty-two
Alexander
Charlotte was absolutely adorable when she was angry. I'd told her the truth; she'd made some foolish decisions since I'd met her, but being young wasn't inherently a fault. I hoped I'd conveyed that to her in the simplest way possible.
I was relieved that she'd finally told me what had been bothering her. While I could understand her hesitancy to speak about her insecurities, open communication was a necessary part of being in a relationship.
"So… are you done sulking? Am I still your boyfriend?" I tightened my hold around her, relishing the way she felt in my arms after such a long time apart.
"My asshole boyfriend…" she replied against my neck, still pouting.
"I'll take it, for now." A wide smile spread across my face. I realized that no matter what she did, I couldn't let go of her. Charlotte was hard to handle. Her mood swings left me confused and agitated, but she was a good person at heart; the one person I wanted to remain in my life, even if it meant fighting with her at every turn.
For a while, we sat in silence, until Charlie's stomach rumbled like an angry dragon. "Are you hungry, babe?"
"Not really," Charlotte replied. "Let's go get smoothies?"
"You can't live off smoothies, Charlotte."
"I mean, technically…" she began, making me roll my eyes. I already knew she had some smart-ass contradicting list to give me.
"Alright, you know what I mean. Get dressed and we'll go do something and grab a smoothie." I commanded, smacking her ass cheek as she rose. Charlie let out a little yelp, throwing a heated look over her shoulder as she padded over to her dresser.
I watched as she dressed, admiring every inch of her as she moved. "Am I crazy or do you have more freckles?"
"The sun does that." Charlotte shrugged, pulling on a green t-shirt and a pair of panties.
"You don't have a family history of skin cancer or anything, do you?" I asked curiously, crossing the space and trailing my fingers over her arm. Her skin was still warm, despite the fact that she'd been out of the sun for well over an hour. "You need to use sunscreen, princess."
"I will, I promise," she agreed. "When I was younger, my parents took me camping. I stayed out in the sun so long I looked like a lobster. For two days, I couldn't even sleep because of the pain. My skin blistered and peeled off."
I smirked, kissing her cheek. "Sounds like one of those horror movies you love so much…" I mused.
Charlotte laughed, the sound filling the space with an entirely different kind of warmth. The air around us felt light, the worries and pressures of reality melting away, leaving no room for anything but happiness.
Charlotte slipped into a pair of shorts and reached in the closet, plucking out slip-on shoes. I watched in fascination as her hands worked in a flurry, twisting her long hair around her fingers and pinning it up in a large clip.
"Ready?" she asked with an expectant smile, her eyes shining at me.
