Mr Smith, Miss Jackson.

Chapter 7

A knock on my door jolts me awake. I didn't even know I'd gone to sleep. I turn the TV off (Jeremy Kyle, no wonder I fell asleep) and head towards the door. It's dark out and a yawn escapes my lips. "Dan can I borrow a phone? I found this dog outside and I don't know where to take it." It's Charlotte. I run a hand through my hair and open the door wider.
"Come in." I mumble sleepily. She walks in, a Tibetan Mastiff in tow. I follow her to the kitchen and hand her my phone, grabbing a bowl and filling it with water for the scruffy dog. Charlotte angrily slams my phone onto the table, grumbling about someone being 'completely useless'.
"I have no idea what to do with it." she tells me awkwardly.
"I guess I'll have to take it home with me and try find somewhere for him tomorrow." She goes to lead the dog out of the house but I pull her back.
"I'll look after him. He's a cutie." I laugh, running a hand through his fur.
"You mean it?! Thank you so much!" She throws her arms around my shoulders. I start to hug her back but she quickly pulls away.
"It means a lot to me." She tells me with a small smile.
"Come on, let's get him cleaned up." I say, leading them both to the bathroom. I start to fill the bath with warm soapy water, unsure of how he'll take it.
"Where did you find him anyway?" I ask Charlotte, who's stood in the doorway, stroking the dog without a thought.
"Oh well after you left I had to go pick Grace up from Oxford Street. We were walking back when I found him under a tree in the park." she holds up few bags as though to prove to me that she really was there.
"What did you buy?" I joke. She grins and pulls out a dress and shoes.
"Regular girly stuff." She sticks her tongue out.
"Oh and these." she says, pulling out a thong and lacy bra. I blush and look away, making her laugh. "Would you like to see them on me?" She asks.
"What?! No!" I put the dog in the bath, concentrating hard on him instead of the gorgeous girl by the door.
"The dress not the lingerie!" she hits me on the head with her free hand, laughing.
"I'm going to get changed." she giggles, walking out, leaving me with the dog who seems to be enjoying the water, jumping up and then splashing back down. When he's finally clean I pick him up and set him on a towel, trying to dry him as much as possible.
"Shit, he's going to need a bed." I mutter to myself. I grab a sofa cushion and a blanket, trying to set up a temporary bed for the dog at the end of my own. After padding around my room for a while he finally settles down on the blanket and falls asleep so I head downstairs alone, settling down with a cup of coffee.
"Dan, can I ask you something?" Charlotte says, coming into the living room. I crane my neck over the back of the sofa to look at her.
"What do you think?" she does a quick turn, showing me the short red dress from all angles, a thick gold belt covering her stomach. Her nails and toe nails are painted a similar gold to match.
"Looks great." I answer her honestly with a smile. She comes and sits next to me, folding her legs up."Thank you. Oh and can I stay here again tonight? Grace has her sister over and they're already driving me up the wall. Plus I want to make sure the dog settles in okay." She gives a nervous smile. "Of course, you know you're always welcome here." I tell her. Her smile widens and suddenly she grabs me, kissing me. My eyes widen and I struggle to not pull away. She pulls back and her smile falters.
"Dan I'm sorry I just thought you-"
"No. No no no no no, it's not that, you just shocked me is all." I pull her closer to me and she lays her head on my chest.
"I should've asked you, I'm sorry." She whispers, tears falling from her eyes and onto my shirt. I put a finger under her chin, lifting her head up to look at me. I wipe away her tears and then carefully kiss her. She smiles sadly at me.
"Promise me you're not doing this because you feel you have to." She says solemnly.
"I love you, Charlotte Jackson." she smiles at me, her eyes glistening. She takes my hand in hers, pulling me up to the bedroom.
"And I love you too, Mr Smith." She giggles, kissing me again.
"You do? Why?"
"Because you're so sweet and adorable. How could I not." I smile down at her, wrapping my arms around her protectively, kissing her nose to make her giggle, pulling her towards the bed.