illicit affairs | Charlie Barber x Reader

chapter twenty: great expectations

Happy IA day!! I figured I could just overstimulate you guys after seeing Adam at the premiere today ;)

Anyways, I hope you guys are having a good day and are excited to jump back in! Let's get into it, shall we?

-dal

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You couldn't explain it but things were different. They felt different. Of course, there were a few things that could contribute to this.

Now that Thanksgiving break was over, school was back into play. The break that was forced upon you was over and admittedly, you were grateful for it. Every year was the same, yes, but every year you would get burnout. Through the holidays, you would go through periods of exhaustion. Periods of not being able to go on, so yeah... You were glad you got a little break (no matter how much you fought against it.)

But the most obvious reason for this certain shift was Charlie.

"... you are so utterly special..."

This seemed to stay with you until the end of Thanksgiving break. No matter how many times you tried to shove that thought out of your head, you still clung to his words. They echoed in your mind on repeat, reliving that moment as much as you could. You waited for it to be treated like a song that you replayed over and over. Eventually, you would grow tired of it and move on to something else.

But that never happened, though.

Even with this new 'territory' you were entering, Thanksgiving was the last time you saw Charlie. Although you missed him, it was for a good reason. With Henry being out of school, Charlie decided to use his free time with him. He wanted to make sure to spend as much time with Henry as he could.

It hurt less knowing that Charlie always called you before bed.

"I just feel like I'm losing touch with him." Charlie expressed one night. You could hear him shuffling with some papers through the phone, being a dead giveaway that he was in his office.

"What makes you say that?" You remembered laying in bed in that red t-shirt again, clinging onto it like you were a kid with their stuffed animal.

"I don't know. He's just been acting... Different. Like he doesn't want me as his dad anymore." You could hear the disappointment in his voice, his tone growing lower. "It makes me feel like I'm doing a bad job..."

"You're being ridiculous." You could hear him chuckling at you, huffing a breath. "I'm serious, Charlie!" You giggled to yourself, staring up at the dancing shadows across your ceiling.

"I'm not overthinking it, sweetheart-"

"I'm not saying you are." You hummed, inhaling sharply. "I mean really think about it... He had to see you two separate. I think it's natural for him to feel like he needs to pick sides right now."

"And he's been picking hers."

"I think if you spend more time with him, he'll start to see that you aren't the bad guy. You'll remind him that you're still his dad."

"You really think so?" He seemed desperate in his question, hoping that there would soon be an end to this misery.

"Doesn't hurt to try." You licked your lips hearing him chuckle low into the phone.

"I just wish he would change his mind about Christmas." With silence greeting you from his side of the line, you imagined he took a break from what he was doing and joined you in staring up at the ceiling.