Nothing In This World (BWWM) ✅

Chapter Twenty Two

The warm late-night summer air tickled Charlene's legs despite the throw cover Lance found for her. Darla set a glass of lemonade down on the patio table for Charlene to sip from while Lance and Charles laughed and chatted in the distance. She watched carefully since she didn't want to disturb what was their bonding time.

"It's so unheard of. Rare actually to be with a white man and still be here to enjoy his presence. You two must have been on edge trying to save yourself from this world. A world not meant for you and I and definitely not meant for Charles and Ricky. You do know that Lance would be just fine without you."

Charlene smiled at Darla who sat in the empty chair across from her. "I know, but he constantly reminds me the opposite actually. The look on his face when I told him I was leaving. I thought he would have died. I knew if I didn't go with him then... I never would."

"You're sixteen?" Charlene nodded. "Oh, I remember those days. I was in love ten times over before I met Charles." She sipped her drink and sighed. "Sixteen is such a delicate age. Maybe that's why it's adorned so much." She then looked back to Charlene who was staring at the ice in her glass. "Good thing you're not sixteen for long."

"You not bad, Lance!" The two men laughed their way over to a set of chairs before plopping down in sync. "The income from a white man would be pleasant around here. I was in the office today and saw a spot open up at the shipyard. Lance should go down there Monday morning. You just got to take the back way out of here. Them whites catch you on the main road then they'll stop you."

Lance nodded as Charles gave him key survival tips. While he seemed perfectly fine with constantly going out of his way to avoid any issues, Charlene couldn't stop thinking about how they could coexist outside of the house. She enjoyed spending outside moments with Lance even if it was in a shed. Now that they are far from secret meet-ups, she wanted to know if they would even be able to explore Oregon hand in hand.

"He's seventeen. Shouldn't he be in school or something?" Charlene tried to reason.

Charles chuckled while turning to look at Darla who simply smiled. "If you two are going to stay here then you got to be put to work. You left education behind when you up and chose love over graduating. You'll help Darla around the house and with Ricky and Lance will have to grow a beard. Pull your weight around here. This life ain't easy."

"Okay," Darla patted Charles on his knee. "It's getting late and we've all spent hours relaxing and getting to know. I think Charlene and Lance are exhausted after such a drive too."

Lance agreed while throwing in a dramatic stretch. "Once again, thank you. You didn't have to take us in especially me, but your hearts are too big." Lance gave the two of them one last hug before holding his hand out to help Charlene out of her seat.

"Good night you two. Sleep on the floor, Lance!" Charles turned in his seat to watch the two leave and Lance quickly took a step away from her when he saw Charles' warning eyes.

The two went to the basement where they had a bathroom that had a tub and a sink along with a single pull-out couch and a few weights. This was obviously Charles's space to get away and now Lance and Charlene took it over.

"You can take a bath first." Lance took his shirt off and sat down on the couch. Charlene didn't turn down the gesture and quickly took her turn in the restroom. Next was Lance and he took the longest which Charlene didn't mind.

She used this alone time to make their bed and fold what clothes she had as neat as possible. She didn't know what to do with herself. Whenever she sat still, she just kept worrying about what her mother was doing and if she was listening to any of the suggestions she left in her note. If she was, then Mr. Griffen would be keeping her company by now. If not, she just prayed she was doing all right in that house by herself.

"Big day tomorrow." Lance wrapped his arms around her which caught her off guard.

"What?" She giggled as he rocked their bodies side to side. "Tomorrow is a Sunday." She then turned to face him in her sitting position. "We'll be stuck here all day anyway. You're the only person who will be getting outside time. When you get the job that is."

"If," Lance clarified. The two then broke away from their hug so he could lay on the bed in comfort. Charlene adjusted her gown before crawling in bed next to him. She rested her hand on the left side of his body and leaned forward to look him in his eyes. "I don't think we made a mistake but you've been acting different since we got here."

She sent him a small smile before slowly disagreeing. "Not different. Just liberated." Lance sat all the way up when she kicked one of her legs over to straddle his waist. "I'm just happy I followed my heart. Worried at the same time but very happy."

"This is our journey." They smiled at each other and allowed his words to settle in the air.

Lance then connected their lips long enough for it to turn into a passionate exchange of tongue. Charlene bucked her hips against his and his thin pajama material didn't hold much back. He then flipped her over onto her back where he was now hovering over her and taking control. Charlene gasped when he gripped the inside of her thigh as he disconnected their lips. He grabbed her hips to pull her down a bit then spread open her legs. She watched him look up at her with hooded eyes while slowly kissing her covered stomach then disappearing behind her gown fabric that was bundled at her hips. The feeling of him kissing her inner thighs then taking her core into his mouth without warning caused her breathing to get caught in her throat.

"Relax," he muffled when her legs began to stiffen. Charlene followed the orders that Lance gave out every now and then as she experienced a different part of the intimacy that they haven't shared since their first time together which was days ago. She'd let Lance do whatever to please her because she figured he was good at it and he knew what he was doing better than she ever could.

Breakfast was normal. It actually reminded her of breakfast at the Watson house. Eggs, bread of some sort, and juice. Regardless of what she was prepared, she ate it and didn't complain. The last thing she wanted to do was give Darla any reason to dislike her.

"Can I ask how you two met? I am just truly amazed that you two made it in Missouri. I heard a lot of terrible things going on down there. Mostly in the most dense parts." Darla chewed on her bread and gaped at the couple in front of her.

Lance looked at Charlene who clearly didn't want to make an effort to answer. "Oh, uhm. We shared a mutual friend. You know... it's when you get to the city that it's really bad. I was always hearing it in the newspapers and radios into town." Darla looked at Lance with curiosity-stricken eyes. "In the back of my head I was a little nervous about taking Charlene this distance but I couldn't think of anywhere else where we could be... liberated."

"To a degree," Charles added. "You two are free to a degree. You more than anyone else." He collected his plate from the table and excused himself from breakfast.

Darla looked around as if she was trying to avoid any further discussion in this conversation. "I'm going to go check on Ricky. He is usually up from his sleep by now." She then looked at Charlene. "Do you want me to show you how to change him? It'll come in handy for when I can't do it right away."

"Oh! Yes, of course." She jumped out of her chair to follow Darla to the room which left Lance and Charles alone. Though it didn't bother her since they did get along, she knew they would talk about something that Lance wouldn't bring up to her the next time they're alone.