CHASING CHARLIE GRAY

21

Dating Charlie Gray was easy, maybe because we basically did what we were used to. I would go to her house and sometimes, when she was feeling up to it, she would come to mine. We'd been out together on a couple dates but most of the time we just sat and talked and I liked it, I liked it a lot.

The morning after she had asked me out Ms.Gray had smiled at us as if she knew something that we didn't.

"Something's different" She had claimed, back turned as she sliced fruit up on a cutting board.

"You're right, Gia here is deciding if I would make a good girlfriend so we're dating til she makes up her mind" Charlie leaned against the counter, nudging her mother playfully.

"Ah" Ms.Gray humored her.

Charlie Gray had been open about not wanting to hide and had asked for my permission to tell people but hearing her say it to her mother so easily made me feel good, like I was worth being showed off.

"Good for you guys, You better decide soon Gia, Charlie isn't a very patient girl" Ms.Gray teased and Charlie scowled, pushing off the counter to come wrap her arms around me in a soft hug.

"I'll wait as long as it takes for you" She pressed a soft kiss to my temple and Ms.Gray cooed in the background.

Following that, I'd told my mother the week after when she was at home and it went exactly as I expected.

"Finally!"

She threw her arms around me in a massive bear hug that was almost suffocating. My parents had always been super expressive about their views so it was no surprise that my mother would accept me, no questions asked.

"Oh I have to tell your father! oh wait, do you want to?"

The last time we had talked he had been the one to point out there was something there between me and Charlie Gray so no I did not want to be the one to tell him that he was in fact right, hearing him gloat the next time we talked was enough of a punishment.

"You can tell him, he'll call to ask about it soon anyway" And I was right because later that evening when I had settled into bed, my phone lit up with a facetime notification.

"Hi dad" I yawned softly.

" that trick isn't going to work on me, I heard you got yourself a girlfriend" He grinned cheerily, his smile bright in the darkness of his office.

"No not yet, we're just dating"

"Not yet huh? You really like her don't you"

"More than I've ever liked anyone else" I confessed softly.

"I'm happy for you but how dare you tell your mother before me when I was invested in this from the start" He chastised.

"I'm sorry"

"No you're not"

" You're right, I knew you would give me a hard time so I let mom break the news to you"

"If that was an apology you better start freshening up those skills, you're gonna need them"

We talked for a while after that before I got too tired to keep my eyes open and had to say goodbye.

When I woke again there was a recent message from Charlie Gray.

Charlieeeee
2 minutes ago

You up?

It was 5am.

Yea

Charlieeeee
just now

Good because I'm outside.

I hurried to the window to check and sure enough there she was, sitting in the driver's seat of her car, staring down at her phone screen.

Gimme five minutes

As if sensing me staring, she looked up, waving excitedly at me.

I couldn't help the soft laugh that bubbled up my throat as I returned her greeting with just as much enthusiasm.

I changed into a pair of jeans and a shirt, slid my socked feet into the closest slides and grabbed my jacket, taking the stairs slowly since my mom was home.

Once I had locked the door behind me, I hurried over to the car, anxious to get out of the biting cold but also excited to see her.

"hi" she reached across the console to hug me and I melted into her embrace.

"hi, how'd you know I'd be up?"

" I've got your sleep schedule down to the second"

"And what if I wasn't awake?"

She thought about the possibility for a moment.

"I guess I didn't think that far ahead" And then she was putting the car into drive.

"Where are we going?"

"Someplace nice to watch the sun rise"

And the spot she chose was nice. High enough to see the sun rising over the horizon, uninterrupted by the many buildings in town. Charlie Gray had packed us blankets and breakfast in the form of bagels,berries and hot chocolate. 

Even long after daybreak we sat still, leaning on each other and talking about anything and everything under the Saturday morning sun.

"What?" I asked when I noticed Charlie smiling at me silently.

"Nothing, I just really fucking like you"

I didn't know how to reply to that so I just sat back, Charlie's eyes gazed over the places that had become flushed and just kept looking until her eyes found my lips and stayed there.

"Can I kiss you?" Even as she asked she was moving closer and I started nodding my head thoughtlessly until she grabbed both sides of my face and kept me still.

"What'd I say about words?" She whispered to me.

"Use them"

"Well?"

"Yes"

We stayed like that, kissing softly amongst the flowers, my hands gripping her wrists and hers guiding my head back until I was drunk off her and came up for air and even then she kept kissing me, on my shoulder , my neck.