Love? Maybe! Lust? Definitely!

Chapter-9: <enter> Charlie Dunham

A/N: sorry I've been really busy with my crazy as hell classes. You wouldn't believe the hours I spend in class. :( 8am to 8:30 pm. That's 12 and a half hours :O

Exams are getting nearer so, I guess its gonna be this way!! Sigh. If I find ANY time to read or write, I'd be lucky! It would be better if it weren't so hot. My class feels like an oven these days. I'm totally baked day in and day out, and not in a super cool way ;P

Don't hate me. After exams I'm free to write all I want. Love you all for reading.

******

We walked into the café and fell exhausted into the cushy seats. Our usual waiter, Charlie smiled when he saw us and walked over. "Hey! The usual? Caramel frappucino with whipped cream and a double chocolate milkshake with vanilla ice cream?" "Yessss please", Rats stressed out, managing to sound flirty even though she was slumped exhaustedly in her seat.

Charlie flashed his dimples at us and asked "rough day huh?"

Rats sighed. "More like rough night. All my relatives are over for some crazy Pooja* thing. There was so much hullabaloo over dinner and someone switched off my alarm this morning! Don't even get me started on the rest of the day!" She said, placing her face in her palms, elbows resting on the table. I could hear the exhaustion in her voice.

*Poojas are religious ceremonies in Hindu households. Usually, prayers around a sacred fire and chanting of holy verses. Indian Poojas generally start before or at the crack of dawn. There are exceptions to this however. Radhika is a Hindu as you now know (not exactly a very religious one as you can see from her way of saying "some crazy Pooja"). Radhika is a very common Hindu name. :)

Charlie smiled sympathetically and brought my double chocolate milkshake with vanilla ice cream and Rats, her Frappucino with extra cream and caramel. "Here you go. Looks like you need the extra sugar" Charlie said sweetly with another flash of his dimples and walked towards the next table.

Charlie was our senior at University and worked part-time at the café, not to save money but to get away from his house, we learned after ages of visiting this place. Charlie was a rich kid with plenty of money to spend, but no one to spend with. He was a loner and kept to himself. It took him nearly four months to talk to us even though he saw us almost everyday at the same table in the café. His parents used to be bigshot film producers and left Charlie to his own devices, growing up. Rumour had it that Mrs. Dunham, Charlie's mom, was a recovering alcoholic when she found out about Mr.Dunham's affair with a director. People say that she loaded Charlie, their Chihuahua and a few belongings into their car and drove off, bottle in hand. The details of the accident remain unknown, but when the paramedics got there, they found Mrs. Dunham's body thrown out the windshield, shattered glass and a ten year old Charlie, sitting next to his mother's body emotionless. He survived miraculously, said the doctors with a few severe cuts and broken bones. The chihuahua was missing and never found.

The doctors diagnosed Charlie with PTSD and severe depression which probably was the reason he couldn't remember the details of the accident. He refused to talk for a few years. The news channels had a field day with this and tortured the poor boy and his father. We even noticed how he never smiled genuinely to anyone. But that seemed to change of late as we befriended him more and more.

Lindsey, a girl who worked at the café, spilled the beans on why he worked there and all the other gossip. She seemed to have a mouth as big as her crush on Charlie.

*-*-*-*-*-*

"What do you think of Lindsey?"

My thoughts rudely interrupted by Rats' question, I distractedly said,"huh? What?"

"Lindsey dumbass. What do you think of her?" She asked again. "Why would I think of her? I'm too busy imagining Channing Tatum naked" I joked. Rats rolled her eyes at me. "I think she tries too hard to get Charlie's attention. Don't you?"

"Uh I don't know. Maybe. Whatever. She likes him so yeah I guess its natural she wants him to like her back.", I replied. "yeah! But shouldn't it be more subtle? If someone liked you, would you want them to broadcast it?", Rats said with a look of disgust on her face. I laughed,"I wouldn't know if someone liked me or not unless they hit me on the head and said I like you dumbo. Which is pretty much what happened with Pike"

Rats sighed exasperatedly at me and pulled over to the curb outside my house and walked me to the door just so she could pet my Labrador Retriever, Hershey.

"See ya tomorrow!" She said bouncing away to her car and speeding off.

*-*-*-*-*-*

I watched her get out of the car and the desire for her overtook my common sense. If she had to have seen my face at that moment, she surely would have seen the lust in my eyes. But why would she? She wouldn't notice me if I were the only option left for her. My blood boils when I think of her wasting her life away pining after someone she couldn't possibly have! Fighting my anger, I concentrated on concealing my car from her view so I could observe her undisturbed.

This is for chocolatefor_food. My first reader, thank you so much!! :*