Striptease

Double Date

[Everleigh]

"The way you look at me, it's like you're stuck like honey on me. So I'm in your wish, for me. Put the blame on the chemistry and now you're just beggin' for it. Beggin', boy. Hear you beggin' for it, beggin' for it, beggin', boy. I hear you beggin' for it. Guess I got you stuck in a sticky situation. Bubblegum love. Baby, send me your location…"

Singing along to the upbeat pop song playing over the speakers of the strip club, I could feel a certain rhythm take over my body as my feet swayed in time with the same rhythm that my hips shook while my hands were busy helping my body wiggle into the normal work clothes that I left behind in my locker after my latest shift had ended.

Yanking the material of my black ripped jeans up over my calves and wiggling them past my thighs and hips, I buttoned the many buttons that went up the sides of the jeans whilst slipping my feet out of the strappy four inch black heels that were required to wear with the custom outfits and into the less painful beat-up sneakers that I still needed to either repair or buy a few pair of when I had the chance to.

Except I wasn't sure when I would have the next chance to.

Between the time that was getting eaten up, literally, with creating some of the newest baking creations I've ever made before, moving some mine and Teresa's personal belongings into Charlie's apartment and then, you know, having sex nearly every night and sometimes during the day as well, I was more then worn out to do anything but pass out from pure exhaustion alone nowadays.

That thought sent a slight chuckle moving through my chest, I couldn't remember the last time I had been so busy in my personal life that I couldn't remember when I last thought about buying something like sneakers or when I could daydream about possibly buying some different types of chocolates that didn't all include sugar in them.

Usually, that type of thinking or daydreaming would've gotten me into some deep trouble in the past, mainly with my responsibilities as an adult with my finances and personal duties when it came to deciding what was more important than another.

Except that type of thinking was beginning to worm its way back into my head and even though I didn't consider myself a slacker, I still only allowed myself only some time to indulge in fantasies that didn't include worrying and wondering how I was going to make rent or put food out on the table for Esa.

I allowed myself to daydream about living a normal life and I credit Charlie for helping me get to that point.

Before him, I couldn't remember what my life was like when I tried to separate it from the times of my anxiety and frustration ridden life I've lived before he came around in the picture.

And honestly, I didn't care to go back to that mentality, that guarded piece of armor that I always wore around my heart and my mind.

And even though Charlie and I haven't said those three little words yet to each other, I knew that, in my heart, I was ready to love someone now and he was that someone.

I loved him.

It was as easy as that.

I just haven't told him such unspoken facts yet.

Mainly because I wanted to find the right time to.

I wanted to make it special for him like how he's always made things special for me.

I didn't want to just blurt it out whenever he handed me the clean dishes from the dishwasher or asked me if I wanted to order delivery instead of whipping up dinner one night when we were too exhausted from the long hours behind us to think about making a dinner meal.