Being Alive [Charlie Barber]

Chapter 10: Save Me

Your apartment had never felt so lonely.

    You tried lighting a calming candle, turning on your favorite tv show that always comforted you, poured yourself some wine and made a snack. But you couldn't enjoy any of it. You knew why: Charlie wasn't there with you.

    It had been a little over an hour since you arrived back at your place, since leaving Charlie alone at the hotel room that he bought the two of you. You felt like shit.

    You weren't sure how he was going to react when he saw that you were gone. You wondered if his feelings would be hurt or if he'd choose to push you away now. You were nervous that you fucked it up so badly that he wouldn't want to see you again. You weren't sure if you'd want to see him if he just decided to go without telling you beforehand.

    You'd never been in a situation like this before, sneaking around and hiding away with someone. You wished you would've handled it better when Charlie went on the balcony and answered a call from his wife and son, but it wasn't that simple.

    Sitting on your couch, half a bottle of wine in and half a bag of chips in as well, you decided to finally check your phone. It had been ringing the entire time you made your way to  the subway and it didn't stop when you arrived at your apartment either. You put the ringer on silent and set it face down on your coffee table and tried to forget it. But now that you were tipsy and sad, you wished Charlie was here with you and had the urge to finally read his messages.

    You took a deep breath as you turned the phone over, tapping at your screen so that it would light up. Five text messages and four missed calls. You swallowed hard, seeing your boss's name there. 'Charlie Barber'.

    11:03- You left?

    11:12:- You don't need to tell me why. I just want to know you're ok.

    11:35- Do you need directions home?

    11:41- Call me.

    11:50- Please

    Your stomach twisted. It was a little after midnight now. He was probably still awake, he sent the last text not too long ago. You tried to imagine how he looked when he sent them. Half awake and messy haired, relying on the autocorrect  because his fingers were slightly too big for the keyboard on his screen.

    You picked up the stemmed glass of light pink liquid, tipping it back and finishing it. Fuck.

    Charlie was sitting up in bed, the lamp lit up on the nightstand and a few empty beer bottles sitting beside it. He had some stupid talk show playing on tv with a celebrity guest who he'd never heard of. It didn't really matter, he wasn't paying attention.

    This entire weekend had made him uneasy in the first place. He never had to sneak around before and he'd never gone as far as buying an entire hotel room just to do so. He felt like a dirty old man, hiding away with his pretty little intern while his wife was away. And, even though that sounded bad, it was what happened.

    It was hard for him to imagine what someone like you would want with him. You were young and gorgeous and so sweet, he wasn't sure how anyone could dislike you. You could spend time with anyone you wanted. Charlie didn't understand why you chose to spend your time with an older, married man.

    So, when he got back into the room and saw that you left, he wasn't surprised but he was disappointed. He wasn't ready to be done with you. Charlie assumed that you came to your senses and realized that you were wasting your time with him, he wasn't what you wanted.