Interrupted (The Progress Series) (6 page)

“Well, now it’s two. If he isn’t your boyfriend after tonight, then you’re a fool.”

“Karal? Don’t do that. I’m already weird about the whole thing as it is. Quit making it worse.”

“How am I making it worse? And why are you weird about it?”

“Um, hello? Jesse?” Charlie said too loudly. She looked around the kitchen to make sure no one heard her.

“Jesse Shmessy. You can do so much better. You could start by going to the movies with Samuel and staying hopeful. Believe me, Jesse is a thousand miles away and has probably already had sex with several girls since he got there. Thinking about him is useless, so just get out there and seduce the hell out of this guy.”

“I just don’t want to deny the fact that I still think about Jess when Sam’s not around.”

“Well, if you’re not thinking about Jess when you’re with Sam then maybe you should just
stay
with him,” said Karal.

But I feel like I’m being disloyal to Jess.

*

“Hi,” Samuel said with a shy grin as Charlie approached him outside the theater.

She was dressed in a long black fitted skirt, and her white coat extended to just above her knee. She bit her bottom lip when she saw the relief and slight insecurity behind his eyes.

“Didn’t you think I’d show up?” she asked.

“I wasn’t sure. I didn’t know how long your were going to have to work tonight, and I—”

She leaned in and interrupted him mid-sentence to give him a brief kiss. With the way their previous date had ended, she wanted to show him that she was still very much interested.

She stepped back quickly and searched his eyes for a reaction.

There was nothing there.

“Oh god, I’m sorry. I was just hoping I could try to correct my awkwardness from last night by fixing it tonight. But instead I’ve created another—”

He leaned in and kissed her again. This time it was on his terms and expected. It was slower and lingered a little longer than she anticipated. His palms rested on her cheeks and her fingers lay gently around his wrists, but he pulled away a little too soon for Charlie’s liking. She let out a quick sigh of shock as he stared into her eyes.
Are my knees working? Everything feels like rubber. Holy shit, this guy can kiss.

“Better. Slower. I’m not going anywhere,” he said with a grin.

“I’ll try to remember that,” she said, trying to conceal her gasps for air.

“Shall we?” He gestured to the theater doors.

“We shall.”

*

After the movie, Charlie and Samuel walked to a diner two blocks away. The weather was getting warmer as spring was approaching; puddles of slushy snow lined the streets and rivers of cold water trickled down the drains.

The inside of the diner looked as though someone had taken a snapshot of the place in 1956 and redecorated it perfectly. There were seamed and padded red booths, a black and white checkered floor, an old jukebox and oversized windows. There were even antique plaques on the wall from that era (one said
Shakes and Malts)
, and there were a dozen rusted metal plaques of Fords and Chevys that covered the entire back wall.

Charlie and Samuel were seated in a booth with a view of the busy city street outside.

“Have you been here before?” she asked, taking off her coat.

“No, you?”

“Never. This place is a trip! I feel like I’m in
Back to the Future
and Biff is about to walk in—,” she said.

“Those movies were awesome. I think my favorite was the first one,” he said.

“Classic. But I definitely prefer the second one. There’s so much going on, and it can get really confusing unless you’re paying close attention. I like movies that keep me on my toes.”

They were torn from their conversation when the waitress, in full 1950s costume, walked up to their table.

“Hi there, I’m Sue and I’ll be your server. Are you ready to order?”

“No, I haven’t even opened the menu yet. I’m sorry. Can you give us a minute?” Charlie asked.

“Can I start you with something to drink?”

“Oh, yes,” said Charlie. “A cherry Coke?”

“Two, please,” Samuel said with a smile.

As the server walked away, Charlie leaned toward Samuel and whispered, “I have a really tacky question.”

“Okay…”

“I don’t have a lot of money for this meal—”

“Charlie, don’t worry about it.
I asked you
to join me for dinner. How tacky would it be if I asked you to pay for it?”

“Well, good then. I’m getting a malt…
and
dessert,” she said with a wink.

“Sounds good. Is it tacky for me to ask if I can share them with you?”

“No! Of course you can.”

The server returned with their sodas and took their orders. After she scooped their menus off the table and walked away, Samuel folded his hands and set them on the table.

“So, Charlie, may I ask you another question?”

She panicked a little before answering, “Yes.”

“What was that earlier? The kiss?”

She set her face into her palm and tried to force a few words out that would make sense. “I…I don’t know. I’m so
sorry—”

“No, wait. That’s not what I meant. Let me rephrase that. When you initially kissed me, it was tense. Uneasy. It felt more like a goodbye, rather than a hello.”

She ran her fingers through her hair and rested her hands on the table. Her shoulders tensed and her stomach twisted. Exhaling, she dropped her shoulders slightly and nodded her head. “I think it might be best if we just take things slow. I’ve got a lot of stuff I’m trying to sort out.”

“I’m in no rush.” he said with a genuine smile.

Damn
.

“I love that you said that. And, I hate that you said that.”

Confusion crossed his face.

“No, I mean, I love that you said that. But, when you kissed me back…” She thought back to her weak knees and the feel of his rough hands on her cheeks. 

Pulling herself out of the quick flash, she realized she had taken too long of a pause. She shook her head and tried to focus on her next words. “Yes. Slow. We’ll take it slow.”

He let a small laugh escape. “On one condition…”

“What’s that?”

“That you give me one of those kisses every time I see you.”

She blushed and looked down. Samuel grabbed her hand and kissed the back of it just as the server brought out their chocolate malt—with two straws.

*

Time slowed down with Samuel. Charlie was able to catch her breath and process things easier. There was no anger, confusion, or built up tension swirling in the air around them. She didn’t anticipate that his words would hurt her or that he had any intention of malice. It was so much easier than what she was used to. She hadn’t realized how much she would appreciate that.

After dinner, Samuel grabbed her coat and offered to help her put it on.

I didn’t know guys still did things like this.

“Thanks,” she said as he opened the door for her on their way out. “Oh, and thanks again for the movie and dinner. I had a fun time tonight.”

“You’re welcome. So, what would you like to do now?”

She glanced at her watch.

“Oh, come on! The night is young! Let’s live a little. We can play video games, or watch a movie. We could even go and park somewhere,” he said, elbowing her arm.

“You mean, go
to a
park?
To
a park,” she said without amusement.

“Sure, that too,” he said.

Everything reminds me of Jess. Jesus, Charlie. Get him out of your head!

“It really is late. I have some things I have to take care of tomorrow.” Bile was rising in her esophagus at the thought of kissing Samuel with Jess in the back of her mind.

“Okay… Is everything okay? You look a little pale,” he said.

Feeling small beads of sweat on her brow, she tried to wipe them away without making it obvious. “Just a little nervous about that kiss.”

His concerned expression softened to a smile. “Don’t be.” He softly placed his hands on her cheeks and brought his mouth to hers. Innocent at first, he laid soft kisses on her top lip. His tongue parted her lips, looking for an invitation, and she obliged. As they stood on the lit street corner, his hand moved to the small of her back and he pulled her close to him. She rested her arms on his shoulders and enjoyed the sensuous torment of knowing it wouldn’t go past this. Not tonight.

Again, he pulled away too quickly.

With his breathing ragged, he pressed his forehead against hers with his eyes closed. “Slow.” He exhaled. “Damn it, this is going to be hard.” He kissed her forehead and took her hand to cross the street back to their cars.

Laying her head on the pillow that evening, Charlie found herself feeling giddy—a feeling she hadn’t had for years. In fact, she couldn’t recall it ever quite feeling like this before. Every crush she’d ever had always turned into negative thoughts about herself:
He’ll never like me; I’m the size of a whale. Even if he found me remotely attractive, I’d never let him see me naked. There’s nothing sensual or sexy about me, even
I
wouldn’t have sex with
me
.

Now, it was completely reversed. She felt confident, beautiful and worthy. She hadn’t fully invested in Samuel yet, and she was sure he felt the same. But there was an emotional pull between the two of them, something that made her stomach flip and her heart warm. A confidence that she had always lacked before was beginning to flourish with every shy look he gave her, every tingling touch upon her, and every unassuming kiss that melted her.

“Knock, knock,” Bill said, walking down the steps.

“Hey Pops! I’m in bed. What’s going on?”

Bill stayed on the other side of the wall. “…Are you decent?”

“Oh gosh yes, Dad. Come in.”

“Just making sure.” He came around the corner to find Charlie bundled up in her yellow comforter.

“What’s up?” she asked.

“Your mom wants you to make a grocery list of stuff you want around here next week.”

“Okay,” she said. “You came down here to ask me
that
?”

“Oh! And, we’re taking Sabrina out for dinner tomorrow night; she’s going back to school on Tuesday. Would you like to join us?
Five o’clock or so.”

“Sure. Anything else?”

“Nope. Just checking on ya.” There was something in his voice she couldn’t put her finger on.

“Was there something you wanted to talk to me about?”

“Nah. I’ll be fi… I’m good. I just wanted to come down here and make sure you hadn’t lost some more weight.” He winked and threw a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup on her bed.

“G’Night.”

She smiled. “Good night, Pops.”

She could already hear his footsteps climbing the stairs.

Her phone beeped, making another smile play on her lips. She quickly checked the text.

Can’t stop thinking about you. Good night. Sleep tight. Think of me. xx

Charlie smiled and reread the text a few times before drifting asleep.

*

She began to dream. She was lying on her side as his hands started at her waist, inching their way down to her thigh. His long, strong fingers gripped her hips and tugged her flat on her back. Without opening her eyes, she arched her back and opened her legs. Wanting to feel him against her, she lifted her hips up from the bed in search of him. She moaned in agony. The suspense was building and she needed him to satisfy her.

She felt his lips brush against her stiffened nipples and another moan escaped. Her legs found him and she wrapped them around his waist and slammed his body against hers. Forcefully grabbing his dark hair, she pushed his face further into her breasts and whispered, “Harder.”

She heard him snicker just as he bit down. He ripped her panties down to her ankles and spread her thighs again. Starting again slower, he tormented her with a flick of his tongue and began blowing gently against her. She ached from deep within, not wanting the play to ever end.

“Oh god, don’t stop. Don’t stop, baby,” she whispered. “I need to feel you inside of me. I need you.” As soon as his body closed in on hers, she could feel the fullness inside as he inched deeper. She brought her hips up to his so that he could be completely immersed in her, but he wouldn’t allow it. He inched back and smiled.

“So eager, Charlie. No, no. Slow. Slower,” he teased.

*

“Charlie?”

“Huh?”

“Charlie, wake up. Wake up, Charlie.”

“What?” Charlie was ripped from quite possibly the best dream she’d ever had.

She opened her eyes and sat up to see Sabrina staring down at her. She threw her head back and tried to calm her pending orgasm, which seemed to flicker out the instant she saw her sister’s face.