Abrade - [Charles Leclerc] A Sequel To Corrode

Quattordici

       "What are you reading?"

Celia nearly fell out of her chair when she suddenly heard Mick's voice. She closed her book with a loud snap as she looked up. "Sorry," Mick sheepishly grinned, realizing he nearly scared her to death. "It's okay," Celia chuckled, letting out a breath she was holding in an attempt to calm her hammering heart. Mick lazily strolled into the kitchen, wearing a pair of sweats and a cozy looking sweater that made her want to bury her face into his chest and breathe in his scent and... Right. The book. "I was ready Fourth Wing," she explains after clearing her throat, handing him the book when he approached her. "Brutal games, grumpy dragons, sizzling sexual tension..." Mick said, his eyebrows raising suggestively when he read what was on the cover of the book. "Oh no, it's not-..." Celia gasped, reaching for the book again. "It's not what?" Mick asked teasingly, holding it up so she couldn't reach it.

Celia decided she didn't want to play this game, and she sunk back into her seat, crossing her arms over her chest and giving him the same five-year-old treatment he was giving her. "It's a good book," she defends, even though her cheeks colored pink at the thought of the scene she was just reading. Thank god her bookmark was on the table and not in the book, so when he opened it on a random page, it wasn't the scene she was reading. "It seems interesting for sure," Mick commented, placing the book on the table. "But I have something interesting for you, too," he continued. "Don't you need to be around doing the things a guard should do?" Celia asked, knowing Charles hadn't come back yet and Joanne was still upstairs. She had been awake in case Joanne needed anything, but after dinner, she hadn't come back downstairs anyway. "I'm still partly on sick leave, so my shift is over," Mick replied.

"I wanted to go to bed, so only if you're quick," Celia said. "I promise," Mick said, showing his beautiful smile that made her heart clench in her chest as she got up. She followed Mick outside as he guided her into the garden, taking a seat on the bench in front of the fountain, and then looked up. "There are so many stars visible tonight, I thought you might want to see them," he said, and she diverted her eyes from his face to the sky. He was right. Celia wasn't sure if she had ever seen such a starry night. "Can you spot any constellations?" Mick asked. Celia shook her head. "There," he said, pointing at the sky. He shuffled closer to her, their shoulders touching as her eyes followed where his fingers pointed. "It's Orion the hunter." Celia cocked her head sideways and then suddenly saw it, a soft laugh escaped her lips. "Did you know that Orion is upside down for the people in the Southern Hemisphere?" he said. "Because they're basically upside down compared to us in the Northern Hemisphere?" she asked.

"Yeah, basically," Mick chuckled. "It's probably one of the last days we can see him clearly like this. He's more or less a winter constellation," he continued. "How do you know all this?" she asked, looking over at him. "I read too. Just non-fiction, no smut about dragon slaying men." Celia gasped and pushed his chest. "You did not just say that, Fourth Wing is a great book, I've said it and I will say it again," she laughed. Mick grinned, his chest growing in size at the fact that he made her laugh. His eyes flickered to her lips when she looked up at the sky again, and his hand reached out to turn her face back to his, capturing her lips between his own. Celia's heart jumped, but she relaxed soon enough, melting into his touch before he pulled back a little to look at her. Her cheeks were glowing, a shy smile on her face, which made him gnaw at his bottom lip before they kissed again.

        Joanne had fallen into a light sleep when Charles came back home. His footsteps on the stairs were enough to wake her up, and she reached for the switch of the lamp on her nightstand. Her hand reached into the drawer, wrapping around the weapon that rested there. Charles brushed his knuckles over the door before he entered, letting her know it was him. He quietly came in, and she relaxed, leaning up on one elbow. Charles' fingertips moved over her cheek before he leaned down to kiss her. "Everyone okay?" she asked, sitting up further as he shook the jacket of his suit from his shoulders and arms. "Yes," Charles confirmed. "Liam did really great," he continued, kicking his shoes off and starting to unbutton his shirt. "Didn't expect anything else," she replied, making him chuckle softly. Charles draped his slacks over the chair and crawled into bed with her. Joanne giggled, and his eyebrows rose in question. "What is it?" he asked, pulling her against himself. "Teresa saw Mick and Celia sneaking out and making out by the pond," she said, causing Charles to let out a breathy laugh.