Page 35 of The Day After Christmas
‘Will you stop that?’ she snapped.
‘What?’ he said innocently, moving his head towards hers. Felicity took a step back, breathing heavily. His cheeky lopsided grin was dangerously attractive but mostly she just felt absolutely baffled to find herself in this situation.
There was only one thing for it. Felicity put her hands over her eyes again. ‘Charlie. Put your clothes back on right now,’ she said in the loudest and firmest voice she could muster. ‘Or I’ll have to ask you to leave.’
He stopped moving towards her. ‘You’re serious?’
‘Deadly.’
‘Oh, man.’ She felt rather than saw Charlie turn abruptly to the side. Felicity turned her head to the right and opened her fingers just in time to see his perfectly formed arse in his boxers as he bent to gather his clothes.
‘Oh my God, my eyes,’ exclaimed Felicity, no longer even pretending she wasn’t looking.
‘But I thought… I’m so sorry. I…’
‘Just go and get dressed. I can’t talk to you about this while you’re… like that.’
‘I’m going, I’m going,’ Charlie shouted frantically, retreating down the corridor, clutching his clothes against him.
‘In fact, Charlie, I don’t think I can talk to you about this at all at the moment. Why don’t you go home? I can handle things here today. We’ll talk tomorrow.’
Charlie stopped and turned towards her, looking so sad that Felicity’s heart twisted in her chest. He was a good lad deep down, she felt sure of it, and she hated being responsible for that face. ‘Aw, Felicity, at least let me stay and help you.’
Be firm.‘No. I think you need to leave. Thank you.’ Her cheeks were burning, partly with fury and partly with mortification. At least, that’s what she told herself.
Charlie disappeared and came out of the staff room a few minutes later, fully dressed and looking sheepish.
‘You won’t…?’ he said as he came towards her, forehead still wrinkled into a frown.
‘What?’
‘Tell Andrea? Or James?’
Felicity laughed then. ‘Oh, no. Don’t you worry about that. James definitely doesn’t need to know any of this.’ She was turning the handle to the front door now, thinking,James is getting told the minute I get home.
‘Thanks,’ said Charlie, huffing a sigh of relief.
‘I mean, I probably should.’
‘Do you think he’s gonna wanna smack me about?’
‘Yes, most likely. At the very least. Wouldn’t you?’
Charlie shrugged. ‘I s’pose so. Is he quite violent then, your fella?’
‘You’ll find out soon enough I imagine.’
‘Oh, please don’t tell him. I said I was sorry.’
‘You probably should have thought of that before you decided to do… whatever this was.’
‘I know but…’
‘Bye then,’ said Felicity, ushering him towards the exit.
‘Bye…’ came his plaintive little voice as she slammed the door behind him.
Her heart lurched as she turned back into the centre.
