Page 62 of Charlie
“Do you have to go?”
“I thought about it. It’s stupid that you’re paying for a hotel room when I live in the Dublin area. You’re my girlfriend and I want you to stay with me. God knows, I pay plenty for the room I have.”
“How much do you pay?”
“A lot more than you pay for this room, but it’s not important.”
“Why is it so expensive to live there?”
“It’s not. Conor lets us pay what we want to. He encourages us to pay equal to what we’re getting out of living there. Since I’ve been very happy with what I’ve gained, I’ve been generous in my contribution to the family.”
“Ah, I see. But are you sure they will allow you to let me stay with you?”
He got my suitcase and opened it on the bed. “Tell you what. If any of them have a problem with you living with me, I’ll book us into the nicest hotel there is.”
“I don’t want to be an inconvenience.”
Charles walked over and with an appreciative glance down my naked body, he pulled me close. “Are you kidding me? You’re the best thing in my life.”
I melted into a puddle on the floor, or at least that’s how it felt, but then he smacked my butt.
“Now pack your things, I’m double parked.”
“Can I dress first?” I wiggled my eyebrows.
“Only if you promise to undress again the moment we’re in my room.”
Charles helped me by collecting everything from the closet and bringing it to the bed where my suitcase was. When he was about to open the drawer where my underwear was, I got nervous. That’s where I kept the report and his diary.
“Hey, would you mind packing the things in the bathroom? There’s a toiletry bag under the sink.”
“Sure.”
As soon as he obliged and went into the bathroom, I cleared out the drawer and packed the report and diary under a pile of clothes in my suitcase.
“Was that all?” he asked a few minutes later as we both looked around.
“Yes.”
“All right, then let’s get you checked out.” He took the biggest of my suitcases and opened the door
“Actually.” I bit my lip. “I’ve prepaid for the room for the next two days. Do you mind if I don’t check out? Just in case you let Conor into your head again and I need a place to stay.”
Charles stopped and gave me a serious look. “That’s not going to happen. I’ve made up my mind that I want to be with you, and I mean it.”
“I want that too, but you can’t blame me for keeping a back door open, just in case you change your mind again.”
Closing his eyes, he sighed. “I’m sorry for making you doubt me. I want you to feel safe with me.”
“Ditto.”
There was a smile between us full of unspoken promises and then he held the door for me as I exited the room with my cabin-sized bag on wheels.
All the way back to Howth, we listened to music and talked about our favorite things. We discovered that Charles preferred the fall while I preferred the spring, that his favorite color was blue while mine was green.
“But what about food? If you could only eat one category of food for the rest of your life, what would it be?”
Charles thought about it. “Maybe salad; the variations are endless.”
