𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 | 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐨𝐧

𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚛𝚝𝚢-𝚝𝚠𝚘

Luckily, I had a ride home. Rhonda drove, and I sat in the front seat alongside her. Charlie sat in the backseat, staring out the window, deep in thought. His eyes were trained on the passerbys, and the silence was loud but not impeding. It was peaceful. "You gonna go back to your dorm tonight, Dalton?" Rhonda asked, glancing back at him through the rear-view mirror. 

"Where else am I gonna go?" Charlie asked, not moving his gaze from the inky black that was the outdoors. An occasional twinkle of light shone through—various homes, traffic lights, and street lamps.

"Y/n's bed." Rhonda laughed, and I looked away as quick as possible. "She's not objecting."

"Believe me. I would." Charlie laughed along, now moving his head to view the front of the car where we were. "Our beds are way too small, though." I didn't speak up, knowing that if I did, I would say something stupid. "I can stick it out. It'll just be a for a few more nights."

"I'm sorry." I said through my blinding embarrassment.

"Don't be." Charlie replied before Rhonda could even begin to open her mouth. "Elliot should be the one, sorry. I mean, he really fucked it up. He had you all to himself, and he really just blew his chances out of the water."

"Yeah, like he had a chance in the first place." I replied with a scoff, moving my gaze to the road ahead of us. It had started to snow. I felt Charlie's eyes on me, though I didn't look over to him.

"You alright, doll?" His voice softened, sending a shiver through my body. I didn't respond. "It probably shook you up, huh? I mean, it shook me up a lot."

"God, why are you getting all depressy on us?" Rhonda asked, not wanting to feel the uneasy that was beginning to waft around the car.

I let out a laugh, trying to bring the mood back up. "It's in the past now. I'm just lucky you guys were in the same place I was." I still felt Charlie's eyes concentrated on the back of my head. I still didn't look over. I could feel he was frustrated with me or impatient. Honestly, I couldn't tell.

"Y/n.." His voice was a slight more stern, but still held that warmness I craved so much. "Let's talk when we get back."

"Alright." I said, thinking that would be a good idea.

The drive felt quicker on the way back, rather than the drive with Elliot. Maybe it was due to the people I was with. I enjoyed their company. When we got back to campus, Charlie quickly stole me away.

"You didn't seem so eager to talk about what happened with everyone around." Charlie explained, taking my hand. We started to walk around campus. The snow was just beginning to stick to the ground, and it all reminded me of last year. It felt like so much had changed from then, yet nothing at all.

"Yeah.." I sighed, watching my breath turn into fog right before my eyes.

Charlie squeezed my hand, letting me know I was safe with him. His body was warm, and mine was freezing. He quickly noticed, so we huddled into the library. "Are you gonna talk to me?" He asked, part of himself breaking apart.

I looked to the floor, ashamed. I hated being the reason someone was upset, and clearly, my timidness upset him greatly. "Charlie, I..."

He let out a sigh, placing his hands on my shoulders, looking at me. I gathered my courage and looked back at him—and his eyes reflected mine like a mirror. "Don't you trust me?" That was a stupid question because the answer was so obvious I forgot to answer. "What am I -" His voice stopped mid sentence, his eyes filling with tears. I had to look away, and he let put a sharp groan of frustration. "What am I to you?"

"Please, do we have to do this now and in the library of all places?" I asked, looking around, seeing only a few people sprinkled around the venue. We were quiet enough that we didn't make a scene.

"You won't even look at me." He let out a sort of laugh, one that was filled with dejection.

"Because you're upset." I replied, keeping my voice low and unemotional. I still kept my eyes off of him. He didn't respond. "Charlie," I began to speak up again, but I heard him shuffle around... leaving.

I had to chase after him, even if that was what he wanted. I had a hard time opening up to people, even ones I loved. It cost me so much, and I regretted not getting over my fear. I walked after him. The snow had landed quicker now, lighting up the pathway in front of me with its reflective properties. It was easy to make out Charlie.

"Where are you going?" I yelled out to him just to watch him ignore me. I picked up my pace, going at a slight jog. The air was freezing, making every step painful.

I supposed he heard me following him close behind because he quickly turned around. I saw his heartbroken expression, but a small smile was plastered on his face. "Go to bed. Let's talk in the morning, when we're... calm." The snow caught in his hair, making him almost look unearthly.

I shook my head, my ears hurting from the cold that bit at them. "No. We're talking now, Dalton." I saw his face clear up of a bit of agony, but something was still holding him back.

"No. Go to bed." He replied, turning back around. His body grew tense as he started to walk back to his dorm.

I grabbed his shoulder, turning him back around. "I'm sorry." I said, and he shook his head. I didn't know how to respond to that. "You wanted to know what you were to me, right?" I felt my heartbeat quicken. He didn't say a word, just stared at me with blank eyes. "You're..." I could feel my fear creep up my back, intertwining with my nerves and into my brain. I began to shake of both the cold and fear of being vulnerable. "You're my world, Charlie." I said, and then started to laugh. "Gross, sorry that sounded cliché."

He shook his head, a smile appearing on his face. "No, it's sweet... really sweet." I watched as he brought his hand up to my face, caressing my cheek with the back of his hand. "Do you wanna be... official?" He asked, a slight tremble to his voice. Maybe he was afraid of this, too.

I nodded, pulling him into a hug, the snow encapsulating us together. He hugged me back, running his hands through my hair. "Sure." I responded the most awkward sounding I could ever sound. Apparently, he was pleased by my words.

"Sure." He chuckled, kissing the top of my head. "You're so cute." I heard him sigh.