CHASING CHARLIE GRAY

24

"You want something? "

"Hm?"

"You were staring"

"I wasn't!" She laughed at me.

"Yeah you were but it's cool" Charlie peeled her shirt off over her head.

"You can touch too" She eased in between my legs, running her hands slowly up my thighs.

"No sex!" Vanessa shouted, several feet away and Charlie threw a careless middle finger at her over her shoulder.

I waved at Vanessa as she left before returning my focus to Charlie Gray who was now lowering herself into the pool.

"You coming?" I made my way silently over to her.

"Remember that one time I held your hand and you freaked out? "

"You promised we wouldn't talk about that" I whined, hiding my face in her shoulder.

"No, I specifically remember saying that we would " She hummed, running her hand soothingly on my back.

"I'd like to think we've come far since then"

We stayed like that, wrapped in eachother's embrace until the sun went down and the stars came out.

"You're staying right?" Charlie asked as she dried my hair after I had showered.

I didn't want to return to an empty house and keeping her company sounded very appealing.

"Yeah"

"Are you going on our senior trip?"

"I didn't plan to, why? Are you going?"

"If I'm feeling up to it. I usually never plan to do stuff until the day of when I can gauge how I feel, but I want to" her eyebrows were knotted as she focused on braiding my hair.

"I don't even know where they're going " I responded gumly and she chuckled.

"A resort, the drive's a couple hours"

"I'll tell my mom later tonight "

"That didn't take much convincing"

"I'm a very simple girl, I hear my girlfriend is going and now I am too "

Her hand stopped moving in my hair.

"What?" I looked up at her and she had the most gentle smile I'd ever seen on her lips.

"That's the first time you've called me your girlfriend"

"I'm not seeing anyone else, are you?" I mocked.

"Fuck no" she laughed, continuing to braid.

"Good"

She groaned, hugging me to her chest.

"You wanna go see a movie or something?"

Without thinking I was already scrambling off the bed to look for something to wear.

"I'll take that as a yes" She laughed, coming over to my side.

***

We ended up going to a quaint pizza place right around the corner after the movie finished.

We were sat in a booth far from anyone else's view and Charlie's arm was draped around the back of it, her hand playing gently with the hair at the nape of my neck, scratching lightly at times which caused me to twitch and she laughed at me each time it happened.

"Quit it" I grumbled around a mouth full of pizza.

"I can't help myself, you're just too cute" She gushed gripping my face while simultaneously squeezing my cheeks together.

"Charlie" I groaned, trying to shake her hand off so I could get back to eating.

"I know I know"She let go after giving my cheeks a final squeeze and moved back to petting my hair.

"You must really like pizza huh"

Nod.

"Is it your favorite food?"

Nod again.

"You almost seem to like it more than you do me since all you've done since we got here is stuff your face"

"They are different things, the way I like you is not the same way I like pizza. Besides, I like pizza more" I grinned.

A smile pulled at her lips but she hurried to hide it, replacing it with a frown and turning away from me.

"Now you've made me sad"

Even though I knew she was kidding I hurried to reassure her anyway, tugging on her arm gently so she would face me again.

"I was only kidding, I like you alot more than I do pizza"

"You do?"

"Mhm" I hummed.

"I don't believe you" She huffed.

"What can I do to make you believe me? "

She pretended to think about it for a while.

"A kiss"

In hindsight I should've known better especially when it came to Charlie.

"No, we're in public" I whined.

"So?" She raised her brow challengingly.

"So pick something else"

"Nope, that's what I picked, I won't change my mind" She crossed her arms and leaned back into the booth.

"Charlie" I pleaded but it was useless,  she would never change her mind.

"Unless you're gonna give me a kiss I don't want to hear it"

"I taste like pizza" I tried.

"I don't care" Charlie remained adamant.

I whined for another second or two before caving and reaching up slightly to plant a kiss on her lips.

She hummed in approval, her hand sliding down to grip my neck, angling my head more towards her and guiding the kiss.

I could feel myself growing flustered the longer she held me in place, the thought of people seeing me like this causing my cheeks to redden significantly as the seconds went on.

Her tongue moved against mine slowly and for a second I didn't even remember where I was. When she finally pulled back I instinctively raised my head to meet her lips again and she laughed at the dazed look on my face.

"A second ago you didn't want me kissing you and now you're practically begging" Her thumb dragged over my bottom lip teasingly.

"Please" Normally I would feel embarrassed but I couldn't find it in me to care.

Her eyebrows raised in surprise as she took in my plea.

"Are you finished eating?"

"Yes"

"Good" She grabbed my hand leading the way to the front of the restaurant, we passed the waiter that had served us and from the rise of her eyebrows and the smirk she gave me I could immediately tell she had heard or seen that embarrassing moment just now.

I kept my head down as Charlie paid for our food and then she was leading us outside and to the backdoor of her car and pulling me inside gently.

"What're we doing?"

Her eyebrows raised again as if the answer wasn't obvious.

"Making out" And then she was pulling me down into her lap.