FRIENDS ➳ jean kirstein

013. LEARN THE HARD WAY

Charlie - November 15, 2020
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Charlie's neck ached when she woke up and, for the briefest of moments, she thought she had once again gotten stoned and stupidly fell asleep on the floor of Eren's basement. But after rubbing her bleary eyes and blinking around, she found that he was actually on the couch in her living room, propped in an almost upright position with her head resting on Eren's shoulder and one leg slung over Mikasa's lap.

Mikasa was already awake, morning oil that clung to her face gleaming in the harsh light of her phone as she scrolled through Instagram. When Charlie stirred awake, Mikasa glanced at her, offering her a smile in greeting. Eren, on the other hand, was still asleep, mouth slightly open and arms folded across his chest.

"What time is it?" Charlie asked through a yawn as she sat up and stretched. That was when she noticed just how uncomfortable she was. A skirt, bralette and jacket were definitely not appropriate sleep attire, she had learned the hard way. At least someone had the decency to take her shoes off for her; they sat abandoned on the carpet by the coffee table.

"Just gone ten," Mikasa answered. "I was going to wait until Eren woke up to head out incase he wanted a ride."

"Don't bother," Charlie said, waving Mikasa down. As she got somewhat unsteadily to her feet, she stretched again, relishing in the feeling of her stiff bones cracking. "I'll drive him."

Mikasa quirked an eyebrow. "You sure?"

"Positive," Charlie nodded. Before making for the open living room door, she bent down and pressed a quick parting kiss to the top of Mikasa's head, then she grabbed her shoes and stepped into the hallway, calling out, "See you later!"

The rest of the house was still asleep. Not even the barest hint of movement could be detected by Charlie's eyes and ears. Taking the key out of her jacket pocket, she unlocked her bedroom door—the last thing she wanted was one of the party-goers from the night before passing out in her bedroom, or two or more of them deciding Charlie's bed was the perfect place for them to get it on.

Grabbing a pair of blue tartan pyjama pants and a plain black sweater from the pile of clothes on her desk chair, Charlie lay them out on her bed then headed to her mom's bedroom. The water from the shower in her ensuite always felt just a little nicer as it pattered on one's back than the water from the shower in the main bathroom.

The scorching heat of the shower mingled with her lack of breakfast, and by the time she had given herself a deep cleanse, Charlie's legs were trembling too horribly for her to spend any more time in the shower shaving. Although she had shaved the evening before, her legs were already growing prickly—one of God's most unfair anatomical decisions, she thought.

With a towel wrapped comfortably around her, Charlie returned to her bedroom, not much caring for the fact that she was dripping water on the floor in the hallway. Cleaning it up would give her mother something to do when she returned home with her new boyfriend. Or maybe Paul could pull his weight and do the mopping up himself.

Eren was sprawled on Charlie's bed when she got back to her room, wet hair clinging to his forehead, yet he was wearing the same baggy jeans and hoodie from the day before. Evidently, he had showered in the main bathroom, but he didn't have a change of clothes. He gave no indication to show that he had noticed her arrival.

Closing the bedroom door behind herself and turning the key in the lock, Charlie looked at Eren in bewilderment. "I think I have sweats and shirts belonging to you."

"Didn't want to raid your room again," Eren responded.

It took a few moments for his words to register with Charlie—she was busy tossing her worn clothes on the floor pulling on her sweater—but when they finally did, she sharply rounded on Eren.