Stella and the Boxer

Chapter 21

I feel myself being pulled out of sleep by a soft, but distracting noise that sounds like shuffling across the wood floor. Cooper must have left his bed. The room is still dark, and I can tell that it’s not morning yet; I’m not near Charlie, either. I try scooting closer to him, my eyes still closed, and I quickly realize that he isn’t there.

“Are you sure you don’t need me? You know I can be there so fast. I don’t mind,” I hear Charlie’s whispers.

I open my eyes and sit up in bed, squinting towards the light that is coming from underneath the bathroom door.

“Get out of there until the cops show, please,” Charlie’s voice is still low, but he says this more loudly than before.

“They are? Go then. Call me as soon as anything is decided. You know you can come here, too, if you want to,”

I collect that he must be talking to Mark. I hear him say goodbye and the bathroom door opens as the light turns off.

Charlie looks down at the ground as he starts toward the bed again, running his hands through the front of his hair and then attempting to push it back in front. He doesn’t have much luck, since it’s extra messy from sleep.

“Charlie?” I ask, biting my lip and smiling. I can tell that his eyes haven’t adjusted to the darkness, and he’s fumbling a bit, trying to concentrate on his feet and where he is in the room.

“Hey, babe – OW!”

I start to laugh but cover my mouth with both hands and he bends down towards his foot, which has just collided with a bedpost, I assume.

“Are you okay? Here, just climb in on my side,” I crawl to the foot of the bed and guide him to sit on the edge. He stares down at his foot.

“That hurt,” he chuckles.

I just look sympathetically at him and kiss his cheek before scooting back to my pillow. Charlie follows and lies beside me. He puts his arm around me and I lean back into his shoulder, playing with the buttons on his denim shirt that I still wear.

“They broke into Mark’s house. Well, they tried, at least. Do you think I should wake Casey, or wait until morning?”

“Is he in any danger? Did they take anything?” I ask, wondering what time it even is.

“No, apparently a neighbor heard someone break a window, and he was quick enough to run outside that the men jumped back into their car and sped off. Mark wasn’t home, but his neighbor called him and the cops. Police can get involved, now that they’ve proved to be a threat.”

“Are you relieved about that at least?” I ask.

“Yes. Especially since Mason and Casey will be gone for a few days. Hopefully they can catch these guys before they’re back home. I tried to convince Mark to go with his family, but he won’t. He says Casey is angry with him and he doesn’t want to ruin her trip. He’s a selfish bastard though, he knows that she wants him with her, more than anything.”

“Do you think she would want to be woken up?”

He thinks for a while.

“Mark says let her sleep. If I wait until in the morning, then she’ll be certain that everything is okay. Whereas, if I tell her now, she will feel like she has to go to him, to try to help what can’t be helped. I think I should wait.”

I turn my head up to look at him, and he is already looking down at me, his eyes meet mine immediately.

I nod, “I think you’re right.”