𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚎 𝚋𝚎? {𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚕𝚒𝚎 𝙳𝚊𝚕𝚝𝚘𝚗}

'sᴀʏ ɪᴛ,

Time is a funny thing. It goes by in a blink when you want to cherish it, and freezes when you wish for anything but.

I had no idea how long it had been since I said the words I was too afraid to admit even to myself. It seemed like no time had passed, we were still here - same as the moment before. The ache in my chest was the burning reminder that time was passing by.

A soft exhale. One filled with relief and anticipation.

Time took that as a sign to hurry. Because the next second, Charlie's hands were on my waist slowly pushing me backwards. He brought up his hand to my face, his skin burning mine. His fingers grazed my lips, then my jaw, and slowly down to the curve of my neck.

He didn't dare threaten my virtue. His hands were curious, but never straying too far. Warmth pooled in my heart, and I couldn't help but tangle my fingers in his hair. He made a throaty sound and pushed me further behind till my back collided with the desk.

His lips ghosted over mine. Even though he wasn't touching me, I felt tingles whenever his lips moved – to my temple, eyes, ear, and finally my lips. The distance, almost invisible, was too much to bear.

"Kiss me," I whispered into his face.

He quietly laughed, looking all too pleased. His lips were now so close, infuriatingly close. He brushed them gently, and then pulled away. He was teasing me, and he looked defiantly smug about it.

"Say it again."

I almost did. The need to submit, to do as he asked so I could finally have what I wanted was overwhelming. Then again, I found his appeased smile intolerable. It was enough to bring some of my senses back.

I pulled my hands away from him, standing up straighter. He was shocked, as expected. Clearing my throat, I fixed my clothes and widened the distance between us. His hands fell back to his sides, and I fought the urge to smile at his crushed expression.

"Elle –" He stopped, correcting himself. "Della, what's wrong? Did I do something?"

"No."

"Then why-" He sounded flabbergasted, "Why did you just stop?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," I leaned in. "I don't ask twice."

He let out a loud groan in annoyance and pulled me back to him. My body was now flushed against his. I bent my head backwards to dodge his attempt to kiss me. Another annoyed growl.

"Say it, Charlie," I looked back at him with the most innocent smile. "Tell me what you want, and it's yours."

"God, you will be the death of me," he murmured. "And I would happily oblige. I want you. Now please, just fucking kiss me."

I instantly crashed my lips onto his. The teasing was enough torture for both of us. The yearning, the anger, and all the annoyance I had towards him surged into our kiss. He, in turn, bit my lip aggravating me further. I could feel how warm he was, I could taste the desperation and madness on his lips.

"See," I mumbled on his lips, "This is what happens when you're not getting on my nerves all the time."

He chuckled between the kiss and agreed with a small 'mhm'.

I had completely lost myself in him. He took away all my worries the second he pulled me in. I was caged between his arms, but I had never felt freer.

A sharp knock interrupted us. I pulled back slightly, but he kissed me again with more fervour. Another knock.

"Don't answer," His voice was huskier than I had ever heard. "Whoever it is, they can wait."

"But –" He interrupted me with another kiss. His hands were in my hair, causing me to lose focus. Or rather, making me focus on him. Only him.

"Dells?" Neil's concerned voice brought me back to reality. Another loud knock. "Are you okay?"

Charlie stood motionless. His eyes were glazed over, a million emotions passing through. Before I could check in on him, Neil called out to Knox.

"She's not answering."

"She must be asleep," Knox reassured him.

"No. No, she was supposed to be studying," Neil sounded worried. He pounded the door now. "Della, open up!"

My mind couldn't catch up to what was happening. It was getting harder to breathe. What just happened? I ruined all chances of staying at Welton the minute I acted on my feelings with Charlie. He must be regretting it, his glassy face made much more sense now.

"I'm sorry," I choked out. I couldn't breathe. "I'm so sorry."

"Listen to me," Charlie shook my shoulders. "Open the door."

He left for the bathroom, shutting it with a harsh thud. I hugged myself, trying to keep the tears in.

Breathe. In. Out.

My body was shaking furiously, matching my tangled brain. Another thundering knock.

Breathe. In. Out.

I forced a smile and wiped any stray tears, and opened the door. Neil and Knox stumbled in, losing balance. Todd was standing a little away with concern glinting in his timid eyes.

"Are you okay?" Neil grabbed my shoulders, checking me for any wounds. "What took you so long?"

"I was asleep," I lied, my gut twisting with every word. "I'm sorry if I made you worry."

"See, I told you!" Knox wobbled up and smiled, clearly proud of himself.

"Yeah, yeah," My brother agreed noncommittally, his eyes still fixed on me. I could tell the wheels in his mind were turning, I just hoped he would be distracted enough to forget it.

"Todd, hey!" I greeted loudly, trying to turn Neil's attention. "Have you finished your paper yet?"

He nodded, "Neil and I just finished it."

"We wrote about Romeo and Juliet," Neil looked back at him with a loving smile. "He's really talented."

"You have to let me read it."

"Maybe later," Todd agreed.

"Is nobody going to ask me?" Knox pouted. "I could've written a masterpiece, you know."

Poor, sweet Todd fell for the gimmick and asked, "What's your paper on?"

"Erm, well..." Knox trailed off, looking up at the ceiling. "I haven't started it yet. The masterpiece needs time to come into fruition, right?"

"Your obsession with Chris took no time to come into fruition..." I mimicked him, and he made a whining sound in response.

"You promised to give me tips about that whole situation," Knox reminded. Neil was busy talking to Todd, and I silently thanked God for making him take the bait.

"I will," I patted his shoulder. "Why are you guys here anyway?"

"Oh! Right. Dinner-time."

The three of them waited outside while I took my coat and fixed my hair. I saw Charlie peeping through the mirror and my heart ached again. I willed myself to stay impassive until this was all over. He stared at me while I pretended not to notice. It was too hard to meet his eyes.

"Leave after a minute or two," I quietly said, still looking at my reflection.

He gave me a thumbs-up and shut the door again. As soon as he disappeared, I collapsed on my bed. My hand was on my mouth to try and silence my whimpers.

This was a mistake.

"You ready?" Neil asked from the hallway.

"Yes," I took a deep breath and walked out, leaving a boy hidden in my bathroom.

☾☼☽