The Other Woman |Charlie Barber x Reader|

~The Glory Days~

It feels strange to be staying in a hotel when you very well could have been sleeping at your cousin's house or at Charlie's. Not that you could complain; it was a beautiful hotel.

He never backed down on his promises, that man, having paid all of the expenses for the flight and the room itself, despite your best efforts to protest. So far, both of you had been adamant about keeping your promises toward one another. You'd sworn to Charlie that he wouldn't just be another case on this trip unless he wanted advice. In return, whatever advice you'd give, he'd have to take.

That was somewhat difficult for Charlie. It was hard for him to just give up control of his life, hard to listen to other people and let them have an opinion on the way he ran everything. It was his way, or nothing. You supposed that came with the cons of his career choice.

Aside from all of that, he'd been rather generous with this trip, having wanted to make this more of a vacation for you rather than a burden. Along with paying the travel and hotel expenses, he'd already taken you to see two movies, treated you to dinner three nights in a row, and taken you to the beach. Beach trips were rare; it wasn't like New York City had luxurious sands and warm sunlight to bathe in.

He must have seen it the same way. It hurt you a little to see him so self conscious and weary of himself at the beach. He'd kept a white shirt on for the most part until you stripped out of your own sundress and he was practically drooling over you in your new black bikini. Once the two of you were covered in sand but out of the public eye, he practically devoured you in the backseat of the rental car.

As much as he wanted you back in the hotel after that, he'd promised a brief trip to the Boardwalk in Santa Monica. It wasn't exactly Disneyland, he'd said, but it was close enough. A few sugary concoctions later, you even convinced him to get on a few rides. The one he'd been least reluctant about was the Ferris Wheel. Something about how 'he could kiss you in private' on top of that one.

It had been a while since you'd felt this way. Sun-kissed, sandy skin, aching limbs, and flat feet. Some part of you realized it was like the summers between your high school years. You were still smiling from ear to ear once you got back to the hotel that night.

The day after that was also memorable, but not for the same reasons. You had awoken without Charlie; no traces of him other than dirty clothes strewn about and a note propped up against a cup of coffee that was still warm. It read that he'd forgotten about the first parts of the trial and that he didn't want to wake you, but he had to go to court anyway.

That was the first time you remembered why you were actually here.

Though distraught, you made a point of texting him to thank him for the adventure from the day before and for the coffee he'd left. He had sent a smiley face in response. With nothing to do but mope, you'd ended up cleaning the room a little. Although Charlie had requested housekeeping, you didn't exactly want them finding your underwear flung about. It wouldn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what was happening almost every night.

In fact, you were surprised the neighbors hadn't complained yet. Some fucked-up part of you hoped they were just enjoying the show instead. They probably were.

That day, you had decided to take an Uber to your cousin's house in hopes of paying her a visit. Now that she knew more about your 'mystery man,' it wasn't like you had much to keep from her. The two of you had discussed Charlie, his situation, your situation, and then how her kids were doing. It all felt so... domestic. Like you'd just sent the kids to school, your husband to work, and you were catching up with a fellow mom. Weird.