Page 55 of Shadowing Charlotte
"Later. You needed it more than I do," he replied with a smirk. "Feel better?"
"Marginally," I replied dryly, straightening my skirt and smoothing my hand over my hair. I sighed, but offered him a strained smile, grateful for his distraction.
"Well, that's better than nothing, I guess." He frowned at me, a peculiar look in his eyes. I chewed on the inside of my cheek, unable to tell him what was eating at me. If I told him about Adam's latest texts, he would detonate. Instead, I sat silently in the car as he drove us to the autobody shop and forwarded the screenshots to officer Stevenson.
A few minutes later, he replied, stating they were sending the information to a detective to handle the case. "You going to call your dad, or do you want me to handle that?" Alexander asked, digging in his pocket and producing a new vape.
"I quit." I blinked at him.
"So, you don't want—" I snatched it from his hand before he could pull it away, inhaling and letting out a sigh. I wasn't sure if it was the nicotine or pure placebo, but it made me feel calmer.
"I love you." The words seemed to take him by surprise, even though I'd said it before. His blue eyes lit up in bewilderment before a smile stretched across his handsome face.
"Love you too, princess," he replied, affectionately rubbing my knee with the back of his fingers.
The entire drive, I stared out the window, wondering if I was making the situation better or worse by not telling him about Adam's last texts.
When we arrived at the repair shop, Alexander held my hand the entire time, standing just behind me as I spoke with the receptionist and filled out all of the paperwork. Together, we stood in the parking lot as my Jeep was brought up.
"Pick up something to eat for dinner. I'm going to call my dad," I told him, offering him a soft peck before I climbed into the driver's seat.
Chapter forty-eight
Alexander
Ididn't simply pick up dinner. I stopped by Home Depot and grabbed a new lock for Charlotte's front door as well. She seemed visibly shaken after what her ex had done, nearly silent the entire drive to the repair shop, and I wanted to take one more thing off of her plate. As I walked through the aisles, I imagined all the ways I could make Adam suffer like Charlotte was suffering.
Some part of me didn't blame him. Charlotte was addicting. She had a way of making herself at home inside people. Hadn't I been bewitched by her, as well?
Still, Adam and I weren't the same. There had been some grey lines in our relationship. I'd stalked her, yes, but I'd never threatened to do her harm; I'd never assaulted her. I couldn't do that to her. Perhaps that was the difference between us. We were both obsessed with her, but he wanted her to own, I wanted her to love.
Charlotte was already home when I arrived. She clutched her phone in her hands, staring blankly at the tv screen, which was still powered off.
"Charlie?" She blinked up at me, a lost look in her honey eyes. The silence between us grew until it was suffocating, squeezing the air from the room.
"I think I just want to go to bed…" she finally whispered, sounding dazed.
"You're not hungry?" I asked, holding up the takeout bag. Her head shook slowly and the nagging worm of worry in my gut morphed into a raging monster that clawed at my insides. "Charlie, you're scaring me, baby." I dropped the bag on the table, alongside the new lock and crossed the living room. "I need to know that you're alright."
"I'm just tired," she replied weakly, offering me the saddest excuse for a smile I'd ever seen.
"Alright. Let's go take a shower. I'll wash your hair," I offered. Finally, some semblance of a genuine smile bloomed on her face.
"That would be nice."
I locked the deadbolt on the front door and took her by the hand, leaving the food forgotten on the table. Charlotte stripped slowly, exhaustion etched in her expression, her eyes still slightly glazed. Something was horribly wrong, I just couldn't pinpoint what.
Under the scalding water, I washed her hair, gently scrubbing her scalp until she let out a series of tiny, relieved sighs. I craved those sounds, anything that signaled she was alright. She leaned back against my chest as I lathered her body wash in my hands and began to rub them over her skin. It was intimate, in an entirely different way than when we fucked. Charlotte's naked body always aroused me, but this was new, making her feel loved and cared for when she was lost.
Again, I was struck with the profound realization that I was in love with her, this strange, beautiful creature who had turned my world upside down. I turned her in my arms, letting her bury her face against my shoulder, and simply held her as the water streamed over us. That was when Charlie began to cry, the sound making my heart sink into the pit of my stomach.
"It's alright. I've got you, baby," I murmured, running my fingers over her wet tresses. "You're alright."
She cried in my arms until the water ran cold. Only then did I turn the shower off and wrap her in a towel, guiding her into the bedroom.
My sweet Charlotte. She was like me, fragile in so many invisible ways. Her headstrong attitude was a mask, one that so often fell away when we were alone together.
I climbed into bed first, holding the sheets up as she slipped in next to me. Her soft sniffles were the only noise that filled the dark bedroom, the sound making the weight of her somehow feel heavier against me. Loving Charlie made it second nature for me to take on her emotions, to absorb her pain and offer comfort in return. I could only hope that was enough.
