ma chérie | cl16

chapter fifteen

Charles was awakened by a ray of sun, brightly shining on his face. He'd blinked a few times before he fully opened his eyes. He wanted to move, but he realized that he couldn't.

He looked down and saw Adeline's blonde head resting on his chest. She was peacefully sleeping with her mouth open. When he tried to move, she snuggled closer, putting the palm of her hand on his chest.

Charles thought to himself that they probably had fallen asleep watching Pretty Little Liars because they were both still in their sweatpants from last night. It felt different to see Adeline in other clothes—well, he had already seen her in her little black dress, that outfit with a leather jacket, and her cute monkey pajamas. She looked incredible in her pantsuits, there was no doubt about that; but there was something else about her wearing his clothes.

Charles couldn't help but smile. He could get used to waking up like that every single day.

He reached out for his phone, seeing that it was already 10 a.m. Adeline was still asleep, but she growled when she felt Charles' movement. She moved aside, and Charles could stand up from the couch without waking her up. Then he quietly left the living room and closed the door behind him without making a single sound.

After a long shower, he went to the kitchen to make some breakfast—wearing only black sweatpants and no T-shirt. He opened the fridge, taking some eggs and bacon in his hands. He was craving scrambled eggs for a breakfast.

He was still thinking about yesterday's events. The fact that Adeline had left the party and had brought him so many things just to cheer him up made him believe that she had to care about him in a way. He just didn't know in what way.

He had wanted to kiss her so badly. And he was sure that she had felt the same; he had seen it.

Charles didn't want to bring it up today, though. He knew that she was afraid of any feelings, especially love, and he also knew that something had happened to her in the past. She had secrets, for sure. And he wanted to be there for her as a friend or whatever she needed him to be.

Meanwhile, Adeline was awakened by the smell of freshly baked bacon, which was one of her favorite smells to wake up to. She opened her eyes, realizing that she was still on a couch in Charles' living room in the clothes he had given her, but she was there alone. Charles was probably in the kitchen—that would explain the smell. She had no idea he was a cook.

She looked around, and her eyes couldn't adapt to the brightness of the room. She was searching for her phone with her hand, finally finding it somewhere under one of the pillows. She glanced at the phone screen. 10:40 a.m.

"What?" Adeline shook her head as she couldn't believe her eyes. Her routine was waking up at 6 a.m. in the morning to be productive. She hadn't slept that much in a long time.

However, what was more surprising to her, she slept. Her problems with sleep had gotten worse these past few days; she had been sleeping about two hours a day to avoid nightmares. But that night, she hadn't woken up. Not even once. What was the reason, though? Why was she suddenly sleeping peacefully the whole night?

She immediately thought of Charles.

She had to admit that he was bringing her some kind of comfort whenever she was around him. She felt safe. However, at the same time, he was making her feel other things, too.

Adeline stood up from the comfortable couch to stop her mind from thinking, and her steps followed the smell of bacon. When she entered the kitchen, she could see Charles' back. Without a T-shirt. Great. That certainly didn't help her.