Someone Like Me

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Well, Um, I Don't Know What To Say...

                  

Charlie confession left me speechless and unable to react. Everything left my mind; the news about me, my mother's insults, Dalton not answering. At this moment it was just Charlie and me standing in the kitchen. No emotion was on my face but Charlie was the opposite. There were different emotions running off of him. You could see the sadness, the guilt, and the frustration. He looked like he didn't know what to do anymore.

               Darling, I love you.

               He really said that. Charlie just confessed his feelings to me. I didn't know what to feel. I liked Charlie, but only as a best friend. I was with Dalton and I was in love with him. Now I had this. What if Dalton found out? What would happen to their friendship? The last thing I wanted to happen between them was for them to break apart as friends because of me.

               I watched Charlie's shoulders slump and he ran a hand through his hair.

               "I'm sorry," He stared at the floor. "I know you're with Dalton and I'm sorry. With everything that's going on with you, I didn't want to add that on top of it. You already have enough on your plate."

               "It's fine," I guess. I didn't know how to react.

               "No it's not," He paused. "I shouldn't have told you that."

               "It's fine," I repeated. I still didn't know how to react. I didn't even know what to say.

               "No it's not Darling! It's killing me, I can feel my insides twist themselves towards suicide. You don't understand how hard it is to watch you two be all lovey-dovey and I pretend that nothing is going on. Out of all the girls I have gotten to know or met, you were the most down-to-earth and realist girl I have come to know. All these other girls stare at their phones and want to be out and about. They don't want to sit around and be lazy for a day with the one they love. They don't want to cuddle, and talk on a deep level. They don't want to cherish moments. It's like they're mindless and unemotional."

               "Kinda like Peaches?" I asked quietly.

               "Yes, exactly like her! Hell, it's like your mother controls her, that's what I see. She might look all happy and excited about things on the outside but I can see it in her eyes. She's missing something. She controlling her life and pretty much living her life through Peaches. Your mother is terrible."

               "Wow, you don't think I know that?" I spoke sarcastically trying to lighten the mood but it didn't help.

               "Your mother has gone completely insane! It's almost like she doesn't want you alive and it kills me to think of that. It kills Dalton because he doesn't want anything to ever to happen to you. But for me, my protectiveness of the ones that I love, it's worse. I can't control myself when I get pissed off. I go berserk—"

               I stepped over to him and wrapped my arms around his torso. Even after the confession he was still my friend and I knew that if anything could calm him down it would be a hug; that always calmed me down. I was right because his muscles softened and his arms wrapped around my waist as he pulled me close.

               "I don't want anything to happen to you."

               "I know Charlie," I rested my forehead against his bare chest. He was very warm; like if you were to place your hand on the counter where a hot plate sat just a second ago. That was the kind of warmth that his body gave. It was something where you wouldn't need a blanket because he could keep you warm through the night.

               "Can you promise me something?"

               "Anything," I replied.

               "If this happens again, and I don't care if you can get ahold of Dalton or not, but please call or text me. Let me know that you are alright or if you need help. Because I promise you that I will be there as fast as I can. I don't want you hurt in any way...you've had that enough in your life."

               I nodded.

               "Thank you," He breathed out while holding me tighter. "That means a lot."

               "I can tell," I gave him a small smile.

               I turned my head up only to catch his eye sight. His eyes softened and filled was a happiness I couldn't figure out. You could see his lips turn up into a small smile as we continued to stare at each other. My ears were drowned and I couldn't speak. His green eyes caught me and I couldn't look away. It was almost like my head was taped to a board and I could move it while he gazed at me.

               He broke it finally by leaning in, I went to jump away but he pulled me back. I felt his lips against my forehead. I sighed softly thinking that he was going to kiss my lips. His lips lingered for a moment before they were gone. I could still sense where they were and it felt weird; like little shocks of electricity running around the spot.

               I stayed with Charlie for the rest of the day waiting for Dalton to get off from working and come over. Charlie and I ended up sitting on the couch watching a couple movies while eating some snacks. He was a bit of a weirdo because you would expect a bunch of junk food lying around in the kitchen but it was a different story for him. Instead he pulled out things like cheese, apples, grapes, crackers, pretzels, and then make a cream cheese dip. I watched him throw the cream cheese, a little marshmallow fluff, vanilla, cinnamon, and sugar into a bowl then mix it up.

I didn't understand what he was making until he took a pretzel from the bag, dips it in, then gave it to me. It actually tasted really good, it had a different spin to the sweet and salty thing. He also made me try it was apple slices and grapes. The only thing closes to junk food was the soda we were drinking. Once Charlie placed everything on a plate he brought it out to the living room and that's where we spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon.

There was still a tension between us but we ignored it.

Charlie seem to relax as the hours passed and halfway through the third movie I could hear him snoring softly next to me. His head was back against the couch, his arm was laying across his defined stomach, his other arm around my shoulders like always, and the brown fluffy blanket laid across his lap.  It was almost like the picture Dalton had shown me yesterday but just without the long hair and an awakened friend.

I turned back to the movie and continued to watch it. The last thing I needed was for Dalton to walk in and find us asleep on the couch. I know he wouldn't care about it, though it bothered me. Charlie likes me and it just didn't feel right to be found asleep next to him. I sounded lame but that was just me.

My mind remembered what had happened earlier this morning and last night. Dalton revealed who I was to the world and my mother flipped out about the post and the news talking about it. She really did not like that. She insulted me. I left. I came to Charlie. Charlie told me that he was in love with me. Dalton has yet to answer our calls.

But I was sitting here not effected about what had happened over the last twenty-four hours. Hell, I was sitting next to a sleeping Charlie, who confessed his feelings even though I am with someone else.

Why wasn't I freaking out? Why was I being like everything was normal and this kind of stuff usually happened in my life? I was so confused at myself. Could it be because I don't feel the attention being on me? Was it because there was no one following me and my mother hasn't bothered to get ahold of me? It felt like nothing right now, yet there was a lot of big problems going on with my life.

Wouldn't anyone else be freaking out like an elephant on a rampage? Probably, but here I was sitting calmly staring at the TV that played a movie. It felt like a normal day, only Dalton was missing. My mother and sister were ignoring me like always too. But today was different with them, especially with what my mother said to me.

You're not even pretty enough to be with a man like that!