With Closed Eyes, I See You (Sample)

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

"Charlie? Charlie! Get up!"

Charlie groaned as the roughened voice of her roommate, Angela, pierced the lovely dream she had been having. It involved black curls and blue-green eyes.

"What do you want, Angie?" Glancing at her bedside clock, her eyes narrowed. "It's two in the morning!"

She heard the girl grumble through her door. "I'm doing you a favour, you git. You told me to wake you every two hours. For your concussion, remember?"

Charlie groaned again as her head hit the pillow. The concussion. Of course.

"Right, yes thanks for waking me. Sorry for snapping at you. I'm fine. You can go sleep now."

She grumbled again. "Yeah, I'll be back at four. Night."

"Night."

She closed her eyes again, eager to return to her dream, but sleep wouldn't come. She hated when this happened. It seemed that whenever she wasn't allowed to sleep, her body would surrender itself to the beckoning arms of unconsciousness, but when it actually had the chance to rest itself, it went and did things like this.

Huffing in frustration, Charlie closed her eyes, imagining sheep jumping over a low fence. She counted them as one by one they escaped their confinement, curious if this actually worked for people. When she reached one hundred and four she gave up.

Growling at her inability to sleep, she sat up and rubbed her eyes, flicking away the tendrils of hair that had escaped her ponytail and had gotten into her face. This was going to be a long night. At least Benedict would be happy to know, if she ever got the chance to see him again, that she wasn't slipping into a coma. God, quite the opposite.

She groaned out loud. Words weren't necessary, as no one was around to listen. She flopped back onto her pillows, sighing as a slight pain whistled through her brain. The headache hadn't disappeared, despite the heavy painkillers. Benedict had insisted that she take two as soon as she reached her flat.

Benedict Williams.

Now that had been an interesting addition to her life. Not an actual physical addition per se, but an interesting memory to have. Closing her eyes, she thought that she could smell the scent of the innocent baby if she concentrated just enough.

# # #

Earlier that day

"Where did you say, again?" Benedict asked, confirming her residence.

"Barking, if you don't mind," Charlie said, cringing at what he must think. Of course she would be living in Barking out of all places. Yes, it was better than other parts of the city, but it wasn't Mayfair or Hyde Park. Not that she could even dream of staying in such posh parts—the rent would cripple her.

Speaking of rent, Charlie now had no job. No job equalled no money to pay, and how she loved her apartment.

Renting it had been a decision full of desperation and a cry for independence in her I-have-successfully-reached-proper-adulthood phase almost two years ago. Turning twenty-one had seemed so fun then.

The two-bedroom flat had been miraculously available at a reasonable price, if she could get someone to room with her. Lucky for her, Angela, with whom she had schooled, had also decided to fly the coop, so to speak. There had been no looking back after that.

Benedict leaned forward to confirm the address with the driver and waited for him to start the car before leaning back. The movement snapped her out of her thoughts and she sighed at the way the car purred under her making her sigh in contentment. It was such a luxury compared to the tube that she normally took.