Insomniac

His Texts

Flipping the chicken breast over in the pan, Charlie hugged the phone tight to her ear. "How are things going around the house? You got that list made up for me yet?" 

Her grandfather laughed from the other end. "Nothing that Rider and I can't handle." 

"I don't want you handling anything." She turned placing the final chicken breast on the cutting board. Suddenly, there was a knock on her door. 

With quiet bare feet, Charlie walked to the door in her spandex and athletic tank pulling it open. There, Kaya, Dylan, Ki, Will, and Thomas all awaited to come inside. She waved them in silently as her grandfather continued talking. 

"So how was the flight?"

"It was great." Charlie began cutting up the chicken with Kaya as the boys went to the gaming system. "Nothing went wrong as far as I was concerned." 

"Good. I always hated flying." 

"Oh trust me, I know." 

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Don't talk about that. Look Charlie, I have to go here soon." 

"You have to go?" She smiled. "What, you going on a hot date old man?" 

He laughed from the other end again. "goodnight Charlie. Try and get some sleep. The letter from your cousin is on the way." 

"Wait, wait! You actually have a date!" She practically screamed. "Who is it?! Tell me! Oh my god is it-" The line suddenly went dead. Her grandfather hung up on her. Charlie immediately looked at the red dialer. "That stingy old basterd!" Slamming her phone onto the counter Kaya almost choked on the piece of chicken while laughing. 

"Everything okay?" 

"No! My grandfather is going on a damn date and wont tell me who!" 

Everyone in the room chuckled as the boys stayed focused on their game. 

Quietly settling down, Charlie let out a breath and continued cutting the chicken. "So what are we eating exactly?" Dylan called over his shoulder. 

"Pollo Feliz!" 

This time, Ki put down the controller and strolled over towards the counter. "And just what is Pollo Feliz?" 

Putting the last plate together, Charlie smiled and slid it towards him. "it means happy chicken. Back home we have a Spanish restaurant. It is my absolute favorite and the only place that serves it. And with my charming attitude, they gave me the recipe." 

Thomas walked around the counter taking her side to stare down at the plate before her. "What's in it? It smells good." 

"Chicken and Spanish rice all coated in a delicious cheese dip." 

Without another word Ki was stuffing the plate into his mouth causing everyone to laugh. As soon as he did though, his eyes lit up with enthusiasm. "Oh my god, this is great!" 

Dylan set down his controller and joined the others around the counter. "I will be the judge of that." 

Waiting patiently for Dylan to test the food, Charlie crossed her arms and smiled. Once it hit his taste buds, his reaction replicated something very similar to Ki's. "I'm in love!" 

After, the group ate their food rather quickly. Each seemed anxious to get back to their apartments and back to bed. So, as if on que, everyone slowly began gathering their things and filing out. Meanwhile, Charlie set the plates in the sink before turning to follow. "See you guys bright and early!" Kaya chuckled. 

All she got was a groan from Dylan. "Don't remind me." 

"Goodnight guys! Don't forget we are car pooling in the morning!" Charlie announced. 

Before Thomas was out the door, he turned slightly and leaned towards her. "You going to be alright tonight?"

Biting her lip, she nodded and smiled. "Yeah, I will. Thanks. Text me if you want." 

Taking in a deep breath, he gave her an approving nod before stepping out of the room with the others. Slowly, Charlie closed the door behind him. Before it was fully sealed though, she peeked through the crack watching him step down the hall. A slight tingling feeling rose in her stomach, but sucking it down she dropped her stare and gently closed the door. 

Telling him was impossible. Especially in the time of their career they were in now. If things went wrong, the entire work day would be thrown off kindle. But what would happen when their characters mixed? Could she hold it together when Newt and Rosanne finally kissed? 

Immediately upon the thought, her stomach dropped. She would have to kiss Thomas sooner or later. The script called for it. In no way shape or form was it a bad thing, but it was something that would surely decide her feelings and whether or not she could wait. 

Jennifer's words wrung through her mind. She needed to give it a chance when this was all over.

Charlie liked Thomas, she really did. But in the past she has never had the best of luck with dating. Men couldn't take her career. Being gone all the time; and then there were her sleeping patterns. A lot of times she was crabby, and they couldn't take the attitude. They never understood why. Mainly, because she never told them. Thomas was truly one of the first people other than her cousin, grandfather, and Jennifer that knew about the accident. 

Snid bits of it went to Chris and Norman, but Thomas got it all. 

Suddenly, her phone buzzed pulling her away from her thoughts. Seeing the collar ID, she immediately smiled. Thomas always had a way of pulling her away from her thoughts. It was something about him. His scent, his walk, his hugs, his words, and even in the simplest times like this, his text messages. Sure they both knew that she wasn't going to sleep, but glancing down at her phone she knew one thing for sure. Charlie was going to pass through the night with a smile on her face, all thanks to that British Bastard.

Thomas: Welcome Back Love