The Pretend Friend Ch.04

"What's so hard to get?" Charlotte laughed through the phone, and I grinned. "Captain Janus can control water, right?"

"Right," I agreed as I placed the phone down on the counter to chop the onions.

"And clouds are made of water, you know, from evaporation and condensation."

"I remember that vaguely from biology."

"Yeah, so that's how he's able to control the clouds and--"

"Well, I'm not questioning his ability to control the clouds," I interrupted and rolled my eyes even though she couldn't see me. "More like how would it even crush an army of giants."

"Because it's a lot of water, Jess," Charlotte exasperated, which reminded me so much of Noah when he tried to explain it to me. "That much water being dropped on any person can break bones, not just drown you."

I shuddered at the thought. "Like falling from a cliff into the ocean."

"Exactly!" she exclaimed. "Well, similar since you're doing the falling but same concept in reverse."

I chuckled. "Nerd."

"Hey!" she shouted, but I heard the grin in her voice. I liked that I could recognize it. "So what are you making for dinner?"

Falling back into the friendship with Charlotte happened naturally as if we were picking up exactly where we had left off ten years ago. It had been two weeks since we made up again, and Charlotte came over almost every night for dinner that it was routine at this point.

"That's for me to know, and you to find out," I answered.

"I'll just ask Noah then."

Before I could retort, she ended the call, and soon after, I heard Noah's phone ring from the living room. A grin broke out on my face, especially when a few minutes later, Noah came tip-toeing into the kitchen, poorly hiding his phone behind his back as he peeked around the counter.

"Mom."

I bit down on my grin. "Yes, Noah?"

"What are you cooking for dinner?"

"That's for me to know, and you to--"

"Oh my god, Jess, really?" Charlotte's voice broke through his phone, and I bursted out laughing.

Noah glanced around the kitchen. "Charlotte, I see onions, bell peppers, chicken, and--" He clamped his mouth shut when I shot him a steely glare, and he quickly slid the phone on the counter. "Mom's mad. Bye Charlotte!"

He ran away before I could say anything, and instead, I directed my glare to the phone even though she couldn't see me. "Using my son against me. That's not very fair."

"What can I say?" she laughed. "I think he favors me more."

"That's because you buy him too many milkshakes," I scoffed.

"Well, I can't just show up empty-handed. That's just rude."

"Charlotte, you come here almost every day at this point. You know I don't expect--"

Hands landed on my shoulders as a warm breath brushed my ear with a whispered, "So you're making fried rice."

My heart shot out of my chest, and I whirled around, screaming. Charlotte's eyes widened, and she jumped back from the knife in my hand.

"What the hell, Charlotte!" I screamed.

Noah, standing behind her, bursted out laughing, and I directed my glare to him. He immediately stepped behind Charlotte, who was trying so hard to suppress her smirk.

My glare shot back to her. "I could have literally stabbed you!"

"I didn't know you were holding a knife," she defended.

"Would that have stopped you?"

Her eyes glinted with mirth as she bit down on her grin, which was enough of an answer for me. I set the knife down and crossed my arms.

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry," she apologized and put her hands up for good measure. My gaze lowered, and she followed it to where Noah was peeking at me from behind her. She set a hand on his shoulder and guided him in front of her, and my anger faded at the sight of them standing there together. "Noah, please help me apologize to your mom."

Noah blinked up at me with guilty eyes. "Mom, we're sorry for scaring you."

I released a deep sigh and threw my arms up. "Oh whatever. Just don't do that again when I'm holding a knife."

"So we can scare you again," Charlotte pointed out. "As long as you're not holding a knife, of course."

Noah bursted out into a grin, and it was so infectious I couldn't fight mine off anymore.

"I'm beginning to think you're a bad influence on my son," I said.

"Charlotte is a great influence!" Noah defended and began to list her qualities on his fingers. "She knows a lot about movies, she is basically a genius, she buys me milkshakes --"

"Which she really shouldn't," I interrupted and eyed the cupholder of milkshakes she left on the counter. Charlotte smiled sheepishly.

"She has a really cool office, she knows everything about Captain Janus, and she --"

"Hold on, hold on, hold on," I interrupted again, my lips slowly spreading into a grin as I looked over at Charlotte, whose cheeks were beginning to flush. "She knows everything about Captain Janus?"

"Yes," Noah answered with a tinge of annoyance at being interrupted again, but I was having too much fun with this new knowledge, especially when Charlotte looked so red. "She read the comics and--"

"Oh my god!" I barked out a laugh and immediately clapped a hand over my mouth.

"Alright, that's enough," Charlotte muttered. She grabbed one of the milkshakes and handed it to Noah. I was trying so hard to hold in my laughter to stop her, and honestly, he deserved to enjoy it after giving me such precious information.

Content, Noah carried his cup out of the kitchen, but when Charlotte tried to follow him, I grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"Oh, you are not going anywhere!" I laughed. "You read the comics?"

"Not all of them!" she exclaimed, her face beet red now. "Just, you know, the ones that Noah gave me to borrow. I learned the rest from him and Google."

Warmth filled my chest as my laughter faded, and I smiled. "You read it for him?"

She shrugged. "Just enough to talk to him about it. He's a great kid despite being kind of a loud-mouth, which I have a feeling he got from you."

"You're kind of amazing, you know that?"

Charlotte lifted a brow. "What, just because I read a comic?"

"Not just that." I rolled my eyes. "You read a kid's comic, so you can talk to him about it."

"Hey, it's not just for kids!"

I grinned at her.

She shifted on her feet and looked away. "You did hear the part where I basically called you a loud-mouth, right?"

"I did."

"Okay good." Her lips quirked into a smirk even though she still wouldn't look at me. "Because you are."

It was hard to ignore the warm feelings that fluttered around in my stomach sometimes when I was around Charlotte. I thought that after ten years, they would have gone away, but she made it so hard when she was just undeniably the same.

Sure, she had matured into a more composed, independent, and cool-headed person, and I saw more of that side of her at work and in public. Whenever it was just us, though, she was just Charlotte. Relaxed, playful, considerate, wonderful Charlotte.

Alarm bells rang in my head, and as Charlotte looked down, I followed her gaze and finally realized I was still holding her arm and stroking it gently with my thumb.

"Oh, shit. Sorry," I muttered as I dropped it.

"It's okay," she murmured and glanced around the kitchen. "Do you need some help?"

"Absolutely not," I immediately said, remembering the incident from last week.

Charlotte scowled. "Okay, it was one time!"

"You got it on the ceiling!"

"And I helped you clean it, didn't I?"

"Well, we wouldn't have had to if you just put the cap on correctly."

"I've never used a blender before!"

I shook my head but grinned. "Well, I'm almost done anyway, so you can take a seat there --" I pointed to the bar stool at the counter. "-- and tell me about your day."

"You were there today," she said begrudgingly but took the seat anyway.

"I was on the floor, though, and you were doing... whatever corporate does."

Charlotte rolled her eyes, but her lips tugged into a smile as she launched into her day. I picked up the knife and resumed cooking as I listened contently.

--------------

Despite every part of my body begging me to not come into work the next day, I found the willpower to roll out of bed and go. I woke up with a sore body and the onset of a headache, but it wasn't like I felt sick.

Charlotte had left a little later than usual last night. After watching a movie with Noah and he had gone off to bed, we got caught up on conversations about the past and what we had been up to in the last ten years.

She had gotten her transplant just before college through a successful clinical trial, and she spent the majority of her college years doing the things that she had always wanted to do but couldn't. She majored in business and minored in photography, and I noticed that her eyes seemed to shift with more interest on the latter. I tried to get her to talk more about it, but she dismissed it as merely a hobby.

My eyes were still burning after I dropped Noah off at Sadie's, but I didn't walk him to the door. After getting out of the house, I started to feel more like complete shit. I knew she would have clocked it immediately, and I didn't have the energy to talk.

It looked like work was going to make it worse. It was discount Tuesdays, and the lobby was already filled with guests.

Katie, who had her own office now, still preferred to sit in the manager's office, and so I found her in there with Lewis. Since our... breakup? I still wasn't sure on what to call it, but since then, we had not talked about it. We only communicated when it was about work, and even then, it was sometimes strained. Lately, though, it seemed like the tension was getting better. At least I felt like it was.

They were discussing the schedule in front of a computer when I entered, and they both looked up at the same time. I felt their gazes stay on me as I hung my bag on a hook and grabbed a walkie.

"Hey, Jess," Lewis finally said. "How are you today?"

I turned to them and plastered a smile on my face. "Good. How about you guys?"

They looked at each other and then back at me.

"Good," Lewis answered apprehensively.

Katie gave me a nod, her brows furrowed as she searched my face. I didn't let it linger and turned away. "So what's on the agenda for today?"

It was Katie who answered this time. "I was thinking I could show you the process of making the schedules. It's a busy day, so Lewis might be on the floor a lot. You can pop out and help if things get out of hand."

I nodded in response.

"Speaking of which," Lewis stood up. "I should go check how things are going out there."

He glanced between Katie and I before leaving the office.

Katie patted the chair Lewis had been sitting on. "Come sit. We were just finalizing the schedule for next week. I'll show you what the process is like."

I took the seat next to her. Our knees grazed, but she didn't seem affected by it as she dived into talking about the schedule. I listened intently.

It was tedious work but not difficult at all. Everyone had different days and hours they could work, and it just took navigating those to put together the employee schedule. Right after that, she pulled up the movie schedule for the upcoming week, which was a completely different monster.

We must have spent a good hour in the office, and it was nice to be back in the rhythm of working with her. I had forgotten how much I liked working with Katie.

She was in the middle of explaining what kind of movies were to be scheduled in which theaters when her phone dinged. Katie read the message quickly and then groaned.

"What?" I asked.

"Charlotte wants to see me," she sighed. "She's been driving me crazy all morning."

I nodded, not knowing how else to respond.

Then her eyes widened, and she turned to me. "Please don't tell her I said that."

"Don't worry." I shrugged. "She'll hear nothing from me."

"I thought you guys were friends."

"We are," I said slowly. "But I wouldn't tell her things between us and the other managers. She and I were friends before and only recently reconnected, so that's the only reason why I'm close with her. But unless it's about work and something she needs to know, I won't tell her anything."

For some reason, I felt like I needed to make that clear and hoped that she would share it with the others as well.

Sometimes it felt weird casually talking to Charlotte around my co-workers. Charlotte didn't seem to care, but she didn't really have to. She was technically the boss. I didn't want anyone to think I got my position out of favoritism, but sometimes I couldn't help but wondered if I did.

"Oh," Katie replied awkwardly. "Okay, I should probably go see her before she gets impatient and comes here."

"Good luck."

She smiled tightly before leaving.

----------

I decided to go see if Lewis needed any help, and it seemed like he was not doing so well. There had been an emergency vomit situation in theater eight, and right after coming back from cleaning that, he had to deal with an elderly couple, who had brought tickets to the wrong theater and were angry at him for not being able to fix it.

I stood behind him, watching the interaction. After another five minutes of back and forth, the couple threw their hands up and stomped away. Lewis turned to me with an exasperated look.

"I honestly don't know why I still work here," he muttered as we left concessions.

I shrugged. "Same."

"You're more cut out for this than I am. Stress gets to me too easily."

"I think you're a pretty decent manager."

He smiled. "Thanks."

We stopped in the middle of the hallway on high side, and he sighed deeply. "How'd it go with Katie?"

"What do you mean?"

Lewis gave me a pointed look, and I raised a brow. "Come on, you guys are so obvious."

"I don't know what you're talking about." My face grew hot.

"Sure," he shrugged as his smile grew. "Whatever you say."

"Lewis..."

"What?"

"There's seriously nothing going on between me and Katie," I said. To be fair, I wasn't lying. As far as I knew, Kate and I were done.

"Okay, I believe you," he laughed.

I doubted he actually did, but I wasn't going to drag this conversation any further.

Down the hallway, the COO's office door opened, and Katie walked out. She didn't seem to notice us at first as she walked down the hallway and stressfully ran her fingers through her hair.

Then she looked up and slowed. Her face was fixed in a grim expression.

"Uh oh," Lewis said. "That doesn't look good."

"I'm gonna bash my head into a fucking wall." Then Katie actually turned to the wall, and Lewis and I rushed forward to hold her back.

"Whoa there, what happened?" I asked as she gave up and slumped against the wall instead.

Reluctantly, we let her go.

"She wants me to cut hours," Katie answered and rubbed at her forehead. "So now I have to go adjust the schedule before the day ends. We're going to get so many complaints from floor staff."

"Shit," Lewis replied.

"That's a lot," I said.

Katie nodded slowly and leaned her head back against the wall. "She has been in a pissy mood all day."

I played with the dials on my walkie, frowning.

"Jess, can you stick with Lewis for the rest of the day?" she asked tiredly. "I'm gonna be in my office, trying not to pull all of my hair out."

I gave Katie a salute, which got her to smile just a bit.

"You've got this, Katie," Lewis said encouragingly. "We believe in you."

"Thanks," she said dryly and then pushed herself off the wall with a sigh.

Lewis and I watched her leave. Then I turned to him. "So what now, boss?"

-------------

By the end of my shift, Katie had managed to finish adjusting the schedule and had sent it out. We were already receiving messages from employees asking about their hours, and Lewis had to send out a short, vague explanation on the message board.

Before leaving, I decided to stop by Katie's office and knocked on her door.

"Come in!" she called from the other side.

I opened the door and stepped in. She looked up from some paperwork, and her eyes widened in surprise.

"Oh, hey," she said, setting down her pen. "How was the rest of the day?"

Closing the door behind me, I leaned against it. "Not bad. At least, nothing Lewis and I couldn't handle."

She nodded and rubbed her face tiredly. "Good, good."

"How's everything else going?" I asked. She lowered her hands to look at me. "With work and life, I guess."

"It's exhausting, but I'll manage," she answered, and I knew that no matter what, she would be able to handle it. Katie leaned back against her chair. "What about you? You didn't look well this morning."

I shrugged. "I was feeling a little under the weather, but I'm better now."

"I didn't realize how I was treating you before," she suddenly said. "I'm sorry."

I felt myself relax from tension that I didn't even realized I had, and I smiled at her. She matched it. "It's okay. I'm sorry if I was too harsh."

"I deserved it."

"You kinda did."

She laughed, which prompted me to laugh as well.

"So, we're good?" she asked afterwards.

I nodded, still smiling. "We're good."

There was a knock on the door, and her smile faded. Sighing, she gestured for me to open it. I swung the door open, only for my eyes to widen when I saw Laura.

She glanced between me and Katie as her lips slowly formed a smirk. "I was told you would be in here."

I crossed my arms and narrowed my eyes at her. "What are you doing here?"

Katie came to the door. "Hello."

"Hey," Laura greeted back as she leaned against the door frame. "I'm Laura. You're Katie, right?"

"Yeah," Katie answered. "Have we met?"

"Please ignore--"

Laura interrupted me. "We met a couple weeks ago. Very briefly, but I never forget a beautiful face."

Katie's cheeks flushed pink, and Laura's eyes trailed down her body.

Oh, god.

"Okay, time to go!" I shoved Laura back from the door and away.

Laura turned her head around. "See you around, Katie!"

I heard Katie replied distantly. "See you."

"You are a terrible, terrible flirt," I muttered as we exited the theater.

"You never told me how gorgeous she was. We could have been having a three--"

"What are you doing here?" I interrupted before she could even finish.

Laura smirked but didn't finish her thought. "Well, a little birdie told us you weren't feeling so well."

Noah. Of course, he wasn't going to keep quiet.

"I'm fine."

"You look like you barely got any sleep in."

I shifted on my feet uneasily. "I slept."

"Did you, or were you up late talking to Charlotte?"

I stiffened. "Did Noah tell you?"

Laura scoffed. "Noah doesn't have to tell us anything. We've barely seen you in the last few weeks because you've been here or with her."

"That's not..." I trailed off, knowing my next word was going to be a lie. Still, I didn't realize how much time I've spent with Charlotte, and guilt filled me at the hurt that flashed across Laura's face. "I'm sorry."

She shrugged. "You can make it up to me by going out with Alex and I tonight."

"What about Sadie?"

"Someone has to watch Noah, and she offered because she would rather take him to the movies with her girlfriend."

"Oh, they're official now?" I asked.

Laura gave me a plain look. "Yes."

The guilt returned, and I bit my lip. Laura sighed and slung her arm across my shoulders. "Look, we're going to have fun and forget the fact that you abandoned us for Charlotte, okay?"

"Fine," I agreed, mostly out of guilt more than anything. Truthfully, I planned on inviting Charlotte over for dinner and talk again. It seemed like today had been rough for her, and I wanted to see if she was okay.

But it seemed like that would have to wait until tomorrow because Laura was already pulling me outside to her motorcycle.

"By the way, you are going to get absolutely wasted tonight because Noah is having a sleepover at Sadie's. In his own words, he said, 'Mom, please, please don't pick me up. I will be having too much fun without you bossing me around.'"

I raised a brow. "You expect me to believe Noah said that?"

Laura grinned. "I'm an honest woman."

She was anything but that, yet when she handed me a helmet, I took it.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"Does Charlotte know what her family did?"

My eyes widened, and I opened my mouth but no answers left it.

Laura slid her helmet on and closed the visor. "Yeah, I didn't think she did, so I won't tell you where we're going."

I sighed. "Laura--"

She took the helmet from my hands and slid it over my head, shutting me up. I glared at her through the visor, but I doubted she could see it.

Turning around, she climbed onto the motorcycle and tapped the seat behind her. It had been a while since I rode on her bike, so I was clumsy while climbing on. Laura reached behind to steady me, and when I was fully on the bike, she pulled my arms forward to wrap around her waist. Falling back into routine, I leaned my head against her shoulder, and then my heart stopped when I saw Charlotte standing outside the theater, watching us.

I opened my mouth even though I was too far away and remembered a second later that I was still wearing a helmet. Did she know it was me?

Before I could raise my hand up with a wave, Laura revved the engine and took off. Charlotte continued to stand there until she was out of view.

---------------

Laura ended up taking me back to my apartment to shower and change into what she demanded as the "sluttiest outfit" for tonight. I wasn't planning on going home with anyone, and as I stood in front of my closet in nothing but a bra and underwear, I realized I hadn't thought about sex for a while.

"Oh, this is the one," Laura's breath filled my ear as she pressed up against my back and reached for a shirt in my closet.

Warmth spread down my neck, and a tingling sensation shot through my sex at the physical contact. It really had been too long.

Laura unhooked the shirt and held it out for me to see. It was a sleeveless, black crop with a v-cut that plunged deep.

"I remember you were wearing this --" Laura gently sucked on the skin below my ear but not enough to bruise. She knew I hated that. "-- at the new years party last year." Her other hand reached down, and my head fell back against her shoulder when she slipped it into my underwear. "You looked so sexy that night." Dropping the shirt, she slid her hand up my bra and rolled my nipples between her fingers. I jerked, and she held me firmly against her. "Remember how hard I fucked you against the window? Anyone could have seen us, Jess."

A shudder rolled through my body at the memory of that night. The cold glass against my cheek, my hands pressed against the window, and Laura thrusting her fingers into me from behind as her other hand held me firm against the window.

"It's been long for you hasn't it?" she whispered as she dipped her fingers in and out of me. "I can feel how close you are already."

I groaned her name softly as I writhed. My juices were flowing out faster. I felt it with how slippery her fingers were sliding into me.

"Cum for me, Jess." She grazed my clit, and I came undone. Jolts of pleasure shot through my sex and flooded the rest of my body with warmth. Sharp gasps left my mouth as I trembled, and Laura continued to rub the outside of my folds gently.

When I started to relax again, she slid her hand out and wrapped her arms around my body.

"I still got it," she hummed.

Laughing softly, I jabbed her with my elbow, and she chuckled.

"Thanks," I sighed. "That was... I didn't realized I needed that."

"You mean I'm more in tune to your body than you are?"

"Shut up."

Laura nipped my ear. "Get dressed, Silva, before Alex thinks we abandoned her."

Her arms slipped away, and I turned around to glare at her. "If we're late, it's because of you."

Laura flashed a grin. "You weren't saying that when I made you cum just now."

"I hate you."

"You love me," Laura sang as she backed towards the door. My glare followed her until she sucked the fingers that had been in me into her mouth, and god, I felt another jolt. Her lips lifted into a smirk. "Sweet as always."

Before I could say anything, she gave a wink before disappearing out the door.

----------------

Alex was already there when we arrived at Lopsided, a popular bar facing the beach. The girls and I had a few performances here before, and it was always a good crowd. A very drunk one but good.

"Jess, you're alive!" Alex exclaimed when we joined her, and she threw her arms around me, giggling. Her cheeks were already a little flushed, and I eyed the three shots on the table.

"You got started without us?" Laura laughed.

"I got bored, and you guys took too long," Alex pouted, and a deep chuckle from the guy standing next to her pulled my attention to him.

He looked like the typical guys who lived on the beach, sporting a tank and shorts, but his smile was warm when he flashed it towards Laura and I in greeting before turning his gaze back to Alex. His eyes softened, and I grinned.

"I'll go get us some drinks," Laura said before leaving the table.

"Did you both sleep together again?" Alex asked as she finally let go of me.

"That's none of your business," I shot at her.

Alex blinked innocently. "Hey, as long as it doesn't affect the band again. You know how Sadie got last time."

I groaned. "It won't, I promise. Laura and I --" My eyes flickered to the bar, where Laura was already engaged in a conversation with an older woman, and from the coy smiles on both of their faces, I knew it was a flirty one. "We're just friends."

"Who like to sleep with each other." That didn't come from Alex but the guy who was with her. I looked at him, and he raised his palms defensively, still smiling. "Hey, I don't judge."

"What, because you go around sleeping with your female friends too?" I questioned. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Alex hide a grin behind her fingers.

His eyes widened and flickered over to Alex worriedly. "No, of course not. I meant I don't judge people who do that, but I don't do that. Sleep around with my friends, guys or girls. Not that anything's wrong with that, I mean --"

Alex bursted out laughing, and I allowed my face to relax into a grin. He glanced between the two of us for a couple more seconds before he seemed to understand, and his lips peeled into a sheepish grin.

"You're messing with me," he chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck.

"For now," I said, giving him a pointed look. "Laura and I make a pretty good team when it comes to dealing with assholes who mess with our friends."

He pressed a hand to his chest, over his heart. "I promise I only have good intentions."

"Uh huh."

"Victor's alright," Alex jumped into his defense, and relief filled his eyes. Though she rolled her eyes, I could tell she was pleased by him. "A little bit like a puppy but very charming and smooth."

Just Alex's type.

Victor beamed at the compliment, and I was surprised he didn't protest her comparing him to a puppy. Most guys would.

"When did you guys meet?" Laura asked as she came back to the table with our drinks.

Alex tapped her chin in thought. "An hour ago?"

Laura choked out a laugh, and I bit down on a grin.

"But I really like you already," Victor blurted out as he looked at Alex.

"Cool it, lover boy," Laura snorted. "You just met my girl an hour ago."

Victor's face began to fall when Alex laughed, but then she reached out to take his hand and the smile that stretched across his face was wide and infectious.

Laura slid a fruity cocktail towards me and leaned in to whisper, "You think they're going to last?"

Grinning, I leaned in to whisper back, "For his sake, I hope they do."

-------------

It didn't take long into the night before Laura disappeared with the woman from before. By that point, I already had a couple of drinks, and after Alex and Victor started to become more touchy, I left them to go to the bar.

My mind couldn't help but flash to Charlotte now that I was alone, and I wondered if she was doing okay after today. I pulled out my phone to shoot her a text.

Jess: hey, what are you doing?

I was only there for a few minutes before I felt a presence slide into the seat next to me. "I've been waiting to get you alone for the last hour."

Her voice was sultry and smooth, and I turned my head to meet her steady gaze. She looked as confident as she sounded. I let my eyes sweep over face. Heart-shaped face with a soft chin, pale blue eyes that were almost grey and were lit with interest, and matte pink lips that were lifted into a small smirk.

Putting my phone away, I twisted my body around on the stool to fully face her now, and her smirk widened. "Is that so?"

The woman shrugged, her brown curls giving a slight bounce on her shoulders. She leaned in closer, and I caught the scent of her perfume, which was sweet with a slight musk like vanilla and amber.

"What's your name?" she asked, and her gaze swept over my face now.

"Jess. Yours?"

"Olivia," she answered as her eyes settled on mine again. "All of my friends call me Liv, though."

I leaned in closer. "Should I call you Olivia or Liv."

Her teeth flashed with a grin. "Olivia. Definitely Olivia."

"Can I get you a drink, Olivia?" I offered, returning her grin.

"I already ordered it for us," she said and glanced behind me. I followed her gaze to the bartender who was making two glasses, and one of them was the fruity cocktail Jess had gotten for me earlier. Hers was a darker drink, probably a whiskey. "I can tell a lot by the drink that people get."

"Hm." I returned my gaze to hers. "And what does mine say?"

She leaned even closer now, and I felt her hair brush the arm I had resting on the table. "It tells me you're fun, explorative, and..." Her eyes dipped down to my lips. "Risky."

I rolled my tongue across my teeth, and a thrill shot through me when her eyes followed the movement. "Risky, huh?"

The bartender came at that moment with our drinks, and Olivia leaned back and picked up her glass. "Am I in the ballpark?"

I took a sip before answering, "I think you hit a home run, actually."

She bit down on her lip, and I let my eyes linger on it. The flirtatious banter with a stranger, the warmth from the alcohol, and the prospects of a fun sex-filled night. I didn't know how much I missed it until now.

As the woman slid out of her seat and excused herself to go to the restroom, her eyes gleamed with hunger. My body throbbed with that same desire. I downed the rest of my drink and followed her soon after.

-----------

Olivia's teeth scraped my skin as she sucked on the side of my neck. I was going to tell her to not leave any bruises, but as soon as she slid two fingers into me and stroked my clit, I lost all my thoughts.

She was certainly assertive. The moment I entered the restroom, she pulled me into the last stall and pressed me against the door. I barely got a breath out before her lips were on mine, but I wasn't complaining.

It had been a long time since I had been so desired after and taken like this. With Laura, it was about comfort and taking care of each other like we did when we were still together. With Katie, it was about pleasure and unwinding from stress.

Olivia wasn't about giving and taking. Yes, I felt amazing and breathless from bliss, but it felt more like she was taking me, claiming my body and controlling my pleasure. I tried to hold in my moans because Olivia wasn't holding back at all. I heard people coming in and out of the bathroom, but she continued thrusting her fingers. I felt my wetness slide down my thighs and just knew her hand was coated in it.

"You're so sexy," she said. "I want you to say my name when you cum."

Breathless, I could only nod, but it wasn't enough for her. She bit down on my neck, not enough to hurt but enough for my eyes to snap open in shock.

"Okay, Jess?" she demanded.

"Yes," I mustered out a breath.

Her lips fell on my neck again and slowly trailed lower. My head fell back against the door, no longer caring as moans left my mouth. My stomach tightened, and I tried to hold it off for as long as I could.

Then she parted the crevice in my crop and sucked on my chest where the bra wasn't covering. Her thumb flicked across my clit again just as two of her fingers dipped in all the way, and I lost all control.

"Olivia, oh fuck, I'm cumming," I moaned gutturally.

The wave of orgasm slammed into my stomach and washed down my legs, turning them into jelly. I slid down the door, and Olivia pulled her hands away to watch me. I pulled my knees to my chest, trembling and gasping, and I felt her fingers slide into my hair, stroking gently. Then her grip tightened, and she tilted my head to look up at her.

A smirk slid across her face. "You were worth the wait."

She released my hair to run her fingers down my face to rest against my mouth. Still looking at her, I parted my lips, and she slid them in for me to taste myself. I circled her fingers with my tongue, and she smiled, pleased.

After Olivia was satisfied, she withdrew her fingers and parted her legs. I knew exactly what she wanted and hiked up her tight red dress to reveal the matching thong underneath. She slid her fingers back into my hair and pushed my face closer. There was already a damp spot in the material, and her aroused musk filled my senses.

I pulled her thong down, revealing cleanly-shaved folds that were glistening. Olivia draped a leg over my shoulder, and then pushed my head in. My tongue slid out to stroke her, tasting her sweetness for the first time.

"Such a fucking tease," Olivia groaned and pressed firmly against my head. I breathed out a chuckle before I slithered my tongue inside of her, and she jerked against my face.

I stroked my tongue in and out of her, and circled the outside of her folds each time. Her moans were quieter than mine, more breathy and controlled. I reached up to grip her thighs for more leverage, and raised myself up just enough to deepen my tongue's reach.

Olivia gently grinded against my face, her fingers still firmly gripping my hair.

I probed and searched until I felt her clit, and she let out a sharp gasp when I grazed it with my teeth.

"Fuck," she panted, and I tapped my tongue against the bulb. Her nails dug into my scalp, and she let out a growl. "Stop teasing."

A grin stretched across my face, but I obliged and licked her faster and slashed my tongue across her clit each time. Olivia grew breathier, less controlled than before. I kept at it until her body froze up, and she let out a series of gasps. Her juices flowed onto my tongue, and I lapped it up as she jerked against my mouth.

When her orgasm finally passed, she let her leg fall off my shoulder and released my hair from her grip. Licking my lips, I eased her thong back up and fixed her dress before looking up at her again. Olivia was already staring at me, satiated lust in her eyes, and she grabbed my arm and pulled me back up.

"That was --"

Olivia pressed me against the door and pressed her lips to mine hungrily. My underwear and pants were still pulled down to my ankles, making it hard to maneuver, so I continued to let her take control.

"I'm in town until next Friday," she murmured in between kisses. "We should do this again."

I smirked. "Haven't had enough of me, yet?"

She pulled back, her swollen lips stretching into a grin. "You might be the only saving grace while I'm here."

I didn't ask her what that meant because I knew this for what it was. Instead, I asked, "When do you want to meet again?"

Olivia drew her finger down my chest. "You can come back to my hotel tonight. It's down the road. King size bed. Ocean view."

And as tempting as that was...

"I have to pick up my son early in the morning," I said, and her eyes flicked back up from my chest to meet my steady gaze.

For the first time tonight, she looked stunned. "Your son?"

Sighing, I bent down to pull my pants and underwear up, and she stepped back to give me room. "Yeah, my car is back at my apartment, and my friend drove me here."

Olivia gave me a dubious look. "She's not planning on driving you back tonight, is she? She looked pretty wasted already."

"No, we were planning on splitting an Uber."

"You're not married, are you?"

"Definitely not married, and I'm not with anyone either."

Her expression turned contemplative, and I shifted on my feet.

"How about I take you back in the morning?" she offered.

Now it was my turn to look surprised, and she lifted a brow. "Why would you do that?"

"Why wouldn't I?" she challenged.

"We just met," I answered. "And you're leaving in a week, and if I read the signals right, this is just sex, isn't it?"

She nodded slowly. "You read the signals right."

"So..."

"So I want more sex with you, Jess," she said bluntly. "And I'm offering you my company for tonight and a ride home in the morning with no expectations. Just a fun week with you until I leave."

I breathed out a laugh. "Well, it was fun."

Her lips lifted into a smirk, and when she offered her hand, I took it.

--------------

I didn't see Charlotte's reply to my message until the morning.

After waking up to Olivia's face in between my legs and returning the favor after my orgasm, she hopped into the shower while I put my clothes back on and checked my phone.

I received a message each from Laura and Alex, letting me know they got home safe. I quickly replied to let them know I was still alive before shooting a quick message to Sadie to let her know I would be by to pick Noah up.

Then I got to Charlotte's message, and my heart gave a small leap.

Charlotte: Sorry, it was a rough night, but I'm about to head to bed. Are you and Noah free tomorrow evening?

I stared at her message for a minute before replying.

Jess: We're free tonight if you want to come over

As soon as I sent that message, I began to overthink and decided to send her another.

Jess: I want you to come over

There. Just in case she felt like I didn't want her over or something because it was a very Charlotte thing to do. I smiled at the thought.

"You ready to go?" Olivia asked as she stepped out of the bathroom.

My phone dinged at that moment.

Charlotte: Of course, I want to come over. I'll see you both tonight.

Smiling, I looked up, and my phone dropped onto my lap. Olivia's lips formed a satisfied smirk as my eyes ran down her body.

In all her naked glory, Olivia walked to her suitcase, and she glanced over her shoulder at me before bending over to sort through her clothes. I clenched the bedsheets to refrain from jumping towards her.

"What are you doing tonight?" Olivia asked as she slid on a fresh pair of underwear.

"I have a thing," I said, my eyes stuck on the way her breasts bounced as she pulled on a mid-thigh length, flowery skirt.

"A thing?"

"Huh?"

Olivia laughed, and I shook my head to clear it and met her gaze again. "What's the thing you have tonight?"

"Oh." I cleared my throat and forced my eyes to stay on her face. "I have a friend coming over, and we're having dinner with my son."

She raised a brow. "Just a friend?"

"Um, yeah."

"And how often does your friend have these dinner dates with you and your son?"

"Only several times a week... hold on, dinner dates?"

Olivia pulled on a white blouse after putting on her bra. "Yeah. That's what they sound like. Do you like her?"

I frowned. "She's my friend."

Olivia placed her hands on her hips and tilted her head. "Right... but do you like her?"

"No, I mean, I like her, and sure, she's attractive, but I don't have any feelings for her," I stammered. "She's just a really amazing friend, and she's great with Noah too. I'm grateful to have her in my life."

A rush of air left me, and I felt heat creeped up my neck after unloading all of that. Olivia's hands fell from her hips, and she grinned.

"What?" I muttered, looking away.

"Nothing. I was only messing with you," she laughed softly, and my face flushed hotter. Olivia bounced towards me and straddled my lap. I still didn't look at her, so she tilted my face to meet her amused gaze. "You're so adorable when you're flustered."

Before I could protest, her lips silenced it.

-------------

I didn't have work today, so I took Noah shopping for school supplies. School was starting in two weeks, and we also needed to get him some new swimming clothes for his annual sleepover at Dylan's family lake house. It was a tradition that Dylan invited Noah to after they met, and since then, Noah has always spent the week there with them before school started.

Currently, though, he was in the middle of explaining why he needed four packs of mechanical pencils.

"Noah, they're refillable," I interrupted.

"Yeah but Dylan always loses his, and I have to let him borrow mine and then he loses those!"

"Then don't let him borrow your pencils," I answered simply. "Let him learn his lesson the hard way."

"Mom, I can't do that!"

I raised a brow, and he sighed. He put one pack back. "Then three."

"Two," I countered. "I'll drop it down to one if you continue."

He opened his mouth, but then rethought, and closed it again. Pouting, he put the third pack back. I ruffled his hair, and he scowled.

Afterwards, we grabbed lunch, where he told me, spoils and all, the entire summary of the film he watched with Sadie and Justine. It was a sci-fi so definitely not something I would watch anyway, but then he revealed that it was part of a series and asked if we could watch the others together. With his eager smile, of course, I couldn't say no.

We went to the store to grab groceries for tonight and while I thought of making something more elaborate, Noah wanted spaghetti. I thought of Charlotte's first dinner with us, where I offered to teach her how to cook, and well, spaghetti was an easy enough meal to learn.

After getting home, I quickly showered and changed into a simple tee and shorts. Then I spent the remaining hours cleaning the house while Noah took a nap.

Charlotte, still dressed in her work clothes, arrived around her usual time in the evening and entered while I was taking the ingredients out. She handed me a bottle of wine and set a single cup of milkshake on the counter.

I cocked a brow. "Wine today?"

She blew out a breath, and I took notice of the shadows under her eyes. "Yesterday was... rough."

Frowning, I stepped towards her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Hey, what happened?"

"I honestly don't understand why my dad suddenly bought the theater company. Everyone, including me, told him it was a bad idea, that we would be buying it at a loss, but he was set on doing it anyway. Now, I'm trying to salvage what I can, but there's just so much conflict between the board members and I--" she suddenly cut herself off, her eyes widening. "Sorry, I don't mean to unload all of this on you. I know how you feel about my family, but--"

"It's okay, Charlotte," I interrupted and offered her a genuine smile. "I want you to be able to talk to me about what's bothering you even if your family is involved. My problems with them are my own, not yours to deal with."

Her face relaxed, and she sagged against the counter. "Still, I didn't want to dump all of this on you as soon as I got here." She glanced around at the ingredients on the counter. "What are you making?"

I grasped her other shoulder, and she looked at me again. "Charlotte, I'm here if you want to talk."

She shook her head but smiled. "No, I shouldn't -- I don't want to think about it tonight. I came here to hang out with you and Noah and get my mind off of work. Last night was supposed to be for that, but..." She trailed off and frowned.

Guilt filled me when I remembered her watching me leave with Laura after work. Of course, Charlotte wasn't my only friend, but I felt guilty for not being there for her last night even though I knew she was having a hard day.

"I'm sorry we couldn't hang out yesterday," I said quietly.

Charlotte's eyes widened. "No, Jess, it's not because of you, I swear. It's just --" She groaned. "One of my college friends is in town, and she convinced me to go out last night to relax but then ended up just disappearing. I looked for her everywhere because I was afraid she got lost or worse, and she wasn't answering her phone. But she texted me later that night, so I barely got any sleep. And work today, you already know."

A pang shot through my chest at the exhaustion and defeat on her face, and I pulled her into a hug. "That sucks. I'm sorry, Charlotte."

Her arms slid around to hug me back and buried her face into my shoulder.

"Is your friend okay?"

Charlotte scoffed. "Yeah, I should have known she would be. She has always been like this, but I can't not worry."

"You're a good friend, you know that?"

Her voice softened. "Thanks." Even though I didn't want to, I pulled away, and she smiled up at me. "What have you been up to?"

"I just took Noah school supply shopping. He's still taking a nap."

"I haven't see him in a while. How is he?"

My heart warmed. "He's good. He's very excited that school is starting up again."

"Oh yeah, I got him something. I hope you don't mind." She reached into her bag and withdrew three packs of pencils. They were the same ones I got for him earlier.

I looked at her, my heart pounding so hard now.

"He told me that there was a kid who kept losing his pencils, and you said last time he was starting school soon." She shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't know. I figured he could use them."

I pulled her into another hug.

"Thank you," I whispered.

Her hand rubbed my back gently. "Yeah, of course." There was a small pause before she said, "It looks like you had some fun last night."

"What?"

Charlotte pulled away, her eyes glittering with amusement as she pointed to the side of my neck. I touched it, and my eyes widened when I felt the small bump.

Olivia's hickey.

Heat crept up my cheeks. "I, uh, yeah. I guess I did."

"Laura?" she asked casually. "I saw her pick you up yesterday."

"No," I answered and then grimaced when I remembered Laura and I in my bedroom. "I mean, yes and no."

"Yes and no?"

"I mean, yes she picked me up, and well, we did some things, but the hickey isn't from her."

Charlotte lifted a brow. "Oh?"

God, my face felt like it was on fire.

"I went home with someone last night," I blurted out, and Charlotte's eyes widened. "It wasn't Laura, but... yeah."

I clamped my mouth shut as Charlotte continued to stare at me in surprise. I pressed a hand to my cheek, trying to absorb some of the heat.

Then Charlotte laughed quietly and shook her head. "Well, I'm glad you had some fun last night."

"I would have rather hung out with you."

She rolled her eyes but smiled. "We see each other almost every day."

"Still. We have a lot of catching up to do," I said.

Her gaze softened in the way that made my stomach flutter.

I forced myself to look away. "So you ready to make some spaghetti tonight?"

Charlotte laughed. "Yeah, right." At my silence, she lifted a brow. "You're serious? After the mess last week?"

"You said you wanted to learn how to cook," I reminded. "And spaghetti is easy."

"I did say that, didn't I."

I grinned in response.

Rolling her shoulders, Charlotte pulled up her sleeves. "Okay. You ready to see my bad skills, then?"

"You can't be that bad."

"I don't think I've cooked a thing in my entire life."

"How do you even feed yourself?"

"I have a personal chef." Of course she did. I stared at her, and she smiled sheepishly. "I can boil eggs though."

"There are no boiled eggs in spaghetti."

She scowled. "Well, I know that."

Chuckling, I pulled the ingredients out of the fridge and set them on the counter. "Have you cut an onion before?"

"No."

I rolled a ball of onion down the counter towards her, and she caught it and set it on the cutting board.

Charlotte turned to me with a raised brow. I grabbed a knife and came up to her. "I'll show you."

She took the knife in her hand, and I stepped behind her, peering over her shoulder. I guided her other hand to the onion. "Make sure to curl your fingers, so you don't accidentally cut yourself. And now just cut it in half."

Charlotte sliced the knife down, and the onion fell apart. "Don't worry. I have bandages in my car."

I laughed, thinking she was joking, but when she didn't laugh, I stepped aside to look at her. "Wait, you're serious."

Smiling, Charlotte bit down on her lip. "You always gotta be prepared."

My eyes flickered to her lips, and she released them from her teeth. Olivia's words from this morning came back to me. As Charlotte glanced over, I quickly averted my gaze back down to the cutting board.

"Okay, now you're going to peel off the skin and wash the onion." This part was pretty self-explanatory, and I watched Charlotte quietly as she worked.

When she got the skin off, she moved to the sink to wash the onion and glanced over her shoulders at me. "How am I doing, chef?"

"Amazing," I answered. "But the next part is gonna be tricky because we have to dice the onions."

"Shouldn't be too hard."

Of course, she had overestimated herself. Charlotte was struggling to make incisions on the onion, and her fingers gripped it clumsily. I was growing anxious just watching her, and just as she was about to cut her fingers, I grabbed her arms, stopping her.

"Here, hold it like this." I guided her fingers and then picked up her knife-holding hand, gripping it tightly as I guided it back to the onion.

Then with her hands in mine, we diced the onion together. She had tied up her hair, so her neck was exposed to me. I smelled her sharp perfume and clenched my jaw, trying to focus on the dicing.

"I think I'm starting to get it now," she said.

"You think you can do the rest on your own?" I asked.

"Maybe." With that, I slid my hand away from hers, but then Charlotte grabbed onto it. She turned her face slightly, and our cheeks almost brushed. "But probably not."

"Okay," I heard myself say.

We diced the rest of the onion together. She hummed happily, oblivious to how difficult it was for me to stand so close, touching her.

When we finished, I stepped back and turned away to release a shaky breath.

"So what's next?"

I turned back to her. She was leaning against the counter, smiling proudly at the diced onions. I sucked in a small breath to steady my beating heart.

"Tomatoes," I finally answered. "We gotta cut them and toss them in the blender to make the sauce."

She grimaced. "More blending?"

I shook my head with a laugh. "Don't worry. I'll take care of that."

After explaining to Charlotte how to cut the tomatoes, I left her to it and began to make the meatballs. I added the seasonings to the meat and rolled them into balls. We worked in silence for a while until Charlotte let out a giggle.

"What?"

"Nothing." She sucked in her lips, trying to hide her smile.

I rolled another meatball and placed it on the tray. She giggled again.

"Seriously, what?"

Charlotte turned to me. "It sounds funny."

Her eyes fell down to the ground beef in my hands, and I rolled it in my palm. It made a sticky sound, which I was so used to, but clearly she was not.

"Just how old are you?" I asked amusedly.

She gasped. "Hey, I'm your boss."

"Not right now," I shot back. "I'm off the clock, and I'm pretty sure I'm older."

"By five months!"

"Still older."

Charlotte rolled her eyes and returned to cutting the tomatoes. "Whatever. You're just lucky we're not at work."

"Oh?" I grinned. "What, are you going to punish me at work?"

"I just might."

"Uh oh," I teased. "I might have to contact HR."

"HR's a mess right now, so you'll have to stick with me."

"I guess I'll just have to take my punishment then."

"Like a good girl," Charlotte chuckled, and I froze. She seemed to have realized what she said, her eyes widening. "Not in a weird way!"

"Right."

"Sorry, that sounded weird."

"It's... fine," I forced out and refocused on the meatballs while trying to ignore the way my heart was beating loudly.

"Ow!"

Immediately, I pulled off my gloves and rushed towards her. Charlotte took a step away from the cutting board, cradling her hand to her chest.

"Let me see," I said calmly.

She met my gaze, and I smiled encouragingly. Reluctantly, she held out her hand, and I gently took it in mine. It was a small cut on her index finger. It wasn't deep, but blood had begun to pool at the opening.

I guided her to the sink and ran her finger under the water. Then I tore off a paper towel and had her hold it down on the cut.

"Stay here," I said. "I'll go get you a bandage."

She nodded, and I left the kitchen to grab the bandage from the hallway closet. When I returned, Charlotte was leaning against the counter, still holding the paper to the cut.

"I think it stopped bleeding," she said as I lifted the paper away.

It had definitely stopped. I tossed the paper, and wrapped the Spider-Man bandage around the cut.

Charlotte wiggled her fingers, smiling. "My savior."

"He's Noah's favorite superhero."

"I meant you."

Heat crept up into my cheeks, and I turned away. "It was just a cut."

She grasped my hand and pulled me back towards her. "Still. I appreciate it."

I let myself hold her gaze for a few seconds before my heart felt like it was going to explode, and I dropped it.

"Here, why don't we swap?" I stepped away, changing the subject. "I'll finish cutting, and you can make the meatballs."

Her gaze remained on me, and I avoided it. "Okay."

The rest of the cooking went by with no more accidents. I guided her through the rest, and she seemed to have caught on pretty quick. Though, I still didn't trust her with a knife, and she didn't seemed inclined to pick one up any time soon.

Through our conversation, we somehow ended up on the topic of Noah, and I found myself tensing up. We were leaning against the counters across from each other while the sauce simmered on the stove.

"I know it couldn't have been easy to raise Noah on your own," she said.

"It wasn't easy, and it still isn't sometimes," I answered honestly. "I used to wonder if his life would have been better if I had given him up, but I remembered how I grew up with no parents and how much it sucked."

Tears began to form as past memories came back to me, and I pushed them back.

"I didn't want him to experience that too," I finished, my voice barely above a whisper.

Charlotte's feet entered my vision, and a moment later, she took my hands tenderly. I slowly raised my head, meeting her warm eyes, and the tears came back. Not wanting to cry in front of her, I tried to look away, but she turned my head back.

"Hey," she said gently. "Just by talking to him, I know he's loved, and he loves you a lot too. You raised him better than anyone else would have."

The tension left my body with her words.

"Can I ask what happened with his father?" Charlotte asked quietly.

"He wasn't ready to be a father, so he left," I repeated the words I had rehearsed and spoken so many times before whenever people asked.

Charlotte frowned. "That's a dick move."

She had no idea.

My mouth tasted bitter after telling her the lie, especially while she was wiping away my tears so gently right now and gazing at me with warmth in her eyes. I wished I could tell her the truth, but there was no good in doing that. It would only mess everything up.

"Well you have me." She smiled. "If you or Noah ever need anything, I'll be there."

"You really are so great," I sniffled.

Her smiled widened, and she pulled me into another hug. We seemed to do that a lot.

"You know what would hit right now?" she asked lightly.

"What?"

"My mom's sea-salt chocolate-chip cookies."

I buried my face into the nape of her neck. "I miss her cookies."

"I wish I had learned how to make it before she..." Charlotte trailed off, and my arms around her tightened.

"Remember when she blocked off the kitchen because we kept sneaking in for the cookies?"

Charlotte's body vibrated with a laugh. "Oh my god, she didn't even notice until half the pan was gone!"

I laughed.

When we finally pulled away, I noticed her teary eyes, which she tried to hide from me. A thought came to me, then, and I tucked it away.

Noah finally woke up from his nap after we finished setting the table, and he was overjoyed to see the milkshake and pencils to say the least.

"That doesn't mean I was wrong, though," I said pointedly when he reached for the pencils. "Charlotte just spoils you too much."

"Hey, you can't do work without pencils!" Charlotte defended.

"Exactly!" Noah nodded vigorously.

I didn't even bother arguing against them. Not when they both shared a grin, and my stomach fluttered from the sight.

Charlotte and I each had a glass of the wine she brought during dinner.

With the first bite, Charlotte's eyes widened in amazement. "This is really good!"

"Congrats," I held up my glass, and she clinked it. "Your first cooked meal was a success."

She rolled her eyes. "I had a lot of help."

"Still. You did amazing."

Her lips lifted into a pleased smile. "Thanks."

Noah ended up repeating everything he told me earlier today to Charlotte, who, the nerd that she was, unsurprisingly knew a lot about the Space Tron film series. Halfway through, our gazes met, and I gave her an apologetic look. She merely winked in response before tuning back in to Noah.

After dinner, Noah asked to watch the first movie in the Space Tron series with us. I glanced over at Charlotte who was carrying the dishes over to the sink.

"Maybe another day, sweetie," I answered. "Charlotte's had a long day and--"

"I don't mind," she casually said. "I love those movies."

Noah's eyes lit with excitement, and my heart soared.

After Charlotte and I finished cleaning the dishes and Noah finished wiping down the table, we all settled on the living room couch with a bowl of popcorn. Noah was wedged in between us, and I comfortably draped an arm across their shoulders.

"You don't have to stay for the whole movie," I told Charlotte before the movie started.

She tilted her head back to rest against my arm and flashed a warm smile. "I really don't mind, Jess."

I returned the smile. Then the movie started, and we all tuned in.

Despite my reservations about the space fighting and sci-fi genre overall, I became engrossed in it all. The one we were watching was released in the seventies, and Charlotte had spent the beginning quietly explaining the technical feat it took the filmmakers to make the visuals for the film. That made me appreciate it even more.

By the time the credits rolled, I looked at the clock and was surprised to see that it was well over midnight.

"Wow, that was a long..." I trailed off when I looked over to see both Noah and Charlotte passed out asleep.

He was slumped against her shoulder, and their arms were comfortably linked together. A grin stretched across my face, and I quietly pulled out my phone to snap a picture.

Then I roused Noah from his sleep, and he blinked his eyes open. "Did the aliens win?"

"Yes," I chuckled.

"Okay good," he mumbled sleepily, his eyes beginning to flutter closed again before I gently shook him awake.

"Go brush up. I'll be up there in a few to tuck you in."

He released a tired sigh but slid off the couch, and I pressed a kiss to his forehead before he left. I turned to Charlotte, who remained asleep. I didn't want to wake her since she looked so peaceful, but I didn't want her to wake up sore either.

"Charlotte." I gently shook her shoulders, and her eyes slowly fluttered open. "Hey, Princess."

She let out a soft groan as she sat up. "Not that nickname again."

I laughed. "It's pretty late. You want to stay the night? You can have my bed."

"Where will you sleep?"

"I can take the couch."

She frowned. "I can take the couch."

"Charlotte, I'm not letting you take the couch. You're the guest."

"Well, I'm not letting you take the couch either," she said stubbornly and then threw her hands up. "This is ridiculous. Why don't we just share the bed? We used to do that all the time."

My heart stuttered at the thought of us laying in the same bed. "I, um, sure."

She lifted a brow. "Are you really sure?"

I would have to be.

Giving her a firm nod, I smiled. "Yes. There should be some new toothbrushes in the bathroom closet. I'll go say goodnight to Noah and meet you in the room."

Her face relaxed into a smile, and I left her to go upstairs to Noah. He was already asleep on top of the sheets when I came in, and I adjusted him on the bed to pull the blanket over him. After I was sure he was comfortable, I pressed a kiss to his cheek and left the bedroom to go brush up.

My heart started to race again at the thought of sleeping next to Charlotte tonight, but I tried to calm myself down. This was Charlotte, my best friend. I definitely didn't have feelings for her, and if anything, it was because she was a perfect friend to Noah and I, and she just also happened to be super attractive. She always had been. I was just getting all of those feelings confused for something else. That was all.

Once I settled myself down, I headed towards the bedroom and was surprised to see that Charlotte wasn't there. I flicked on the lights to make sure, and yeah, it seemed like she never even came up.

Frowning, I headed back downstairs to see if she had left without telling me. The TV had turned off on its own, and the living room was pitch dark. Still, I saw Charlotte still sitting on the couch with the little bit of light that came from upstairs, and I registered the quiet sniffles not long after.

Immediately, I rushed to her. "Hey, what's wrong?"

She had her face buried in between her knees but looked up now. I couldn't see much, but I caught glimpses of tears on her cheeks.

"It was -- " I heard her swallow. "It got dark, and I... I know it's stupid, but I can't stand the dark. Not after I lost my vision."

I engulfed her in a tight hug and felt her tears seeping into my shirt when she pressed her face into my shoulder.

"I know it's stupid," she cried softly.

"It's not stupid at all," I reassured her. "I'm sorry, Charlotte. I didn't know."

Her fingers curled into my shirt as she continued to softly cry, and I rubbed her back soothingly, my chest aching.

Soon after, her cries quieted, and she grew limp against me. Instead of waking her up this time, I gently twisted us around and stretched her legs out on the couch. Charlotte snuggled into my chest, and I quieted the alarm bells in my head as I wrapped my arms around her.