Page 96 of Storm Bound
And now, I got to have it forever.
Twenty-Six
Adam
Was this really happening? Was Charlie here, next to me, driving my car again, looking beautiful like he always did? And had he really stood up for me against Justin?
It might have been a couple hours since it all happened, but I still couldn’t wrap my head around it. It had all happened so quickly it all still felt like a dream. A fantasy.
“You’re thinking so loudly,” Charlie said from the driver’s seat and put his hand on mine.
Ants crawled up my arm at his touch, and I closed my eyes, enjoying the sensation of how he made both my body and mind feel.
At peace.
“I’m sorry,” I said.
He smiled and squeezed my hand.
“You need to stop apologizing,” he said.
“But I hurt you, and I never meant to do that to you.”
“Don’t worry, sweetie. We have a lifetime for me to punish you for that.” He smirked, and I chuckled.
“I’d like that,” I said.
“Really? I can be a terrible nag when I want to be. You can ask Benji.”
“Sounds good to me. I’d take a lifetime with you nagging me over a lifetime with anyonebutyou,” I said.
Charlie smirked, and we came to a stop in front of my house.
“How about we start with a little bit of loving, and we can work our way up to nagging?” he said.
The ants smoothed all over my body, and I was opening the car door before I even thought about it. I just wanted to be with him. In the same space as him. Comforted by him. Loved by him.
It had been two days since we’d been together, and I missed him like crazy.
I opened the door, and Charlie walked up to the house as if it was the first time. As he walked through the door, I noticed the remnants of Justin, and they made me feel sick.
“What’s up?” Charlie asked.
I shook my head and went to the kitchen, took a trash bag, and went around the house throwing everything that belonged to him in it. Charlie stood by the door frame of the living room, watching me. He knew it was something I had to do on my own. Get rid of the ghost of that man.
Justin had only been here for less than a week, and the mess was worse than a fucking landfill. I was so glad he was out of my life. And even if he dared come back, I knew I had Charlie by my side to help me deal with him.
A few minutes later, I dumped the trash bag and his suitcase outside the front door, something to take to the station later, but if he happened to come by, there was no way I was opening the door for him. I was going to be busy with Charlie for a while.
“Come here,” he said as if he knew what I’d been thinking, and he put his arms around my neck. His body pressed to mine, and my mind found the peace it was looking for. He gazed into my eyes, and his breath warmed me. “I missed you.”
“You have no idea how muchImissedyou,” I replied.
Our lips connected, and my body erupted like a firework. This was how I was supposed to spend my days and nights. Just like this. With him. No one else.
“You’re the best kind of addiction,” I said to him.
His sweet, passionate smile turned sinful, and his hands slid down to take mine.
