Charlie

Chapter Three: Home

This time I followed Charlie to a cute bungalow just outside of campus. Of course, it had a huge porch that went across the whole front of the house. It had a red painted door that had a bunch of smaller windows on it. It was a cute three bedrooms two bath home. I was very surprised that he got such a good home right before the semester was going to start.

When I got out of my car, Charlie said as we were in the driveway. "were home", I rolled my eyes at him. I went up to the house and I said: "you had to get a house with a porch, didn't you?" "you know it!" I walked in and I looked around it was already fully furnished. I was kind of glad it was because after finding out that I had no place to live the thought of living in a motel scared me beyond belief.

I found the biggest room and I made my way to claim it. Charlie walked into the room after me and said "I see you found my bedroom" "Uhmm... No, you barter me as if I was a cow, I get to choose the room I want" "for you baby girl anything" Uhhhggg... Why did he have to always do that, he knew he was wearing me down with all that baby girl crap. I knew deep down I loved it but I didn't want to admit it to him or to anyone EVER!

I made myself at home reluctantly but I had no choice I had nowhere else to live. I was still mad at my parents, but I knew they had my best intentions in mind. I settled into life living with Charlie, it had its moments of temptation especially when he walked around the house without a shirt just about every day. I'm sure he was doing it on purpose.

It was already my third week into school and I sat down in the living room with my laptop in hand and I asked Charlie "why do you almost never wear a shirt!?" "Does it bother you?" "uhmm...its distracting" Charlie smiled his beautiful smile, "So I'm a distraction?" uhhgggg... WHY DEAR LORD, why can't I resist his charm? He knew that it was working and that one day I'd let him take me to places I'd only dreamt of. I just rolled my eyes and told him.

"If I have a study group come over I can't have you half naked!" "Why can't I be dressed or not dressed in my home?" "Because Charlie the girls in my group will never pay attention to our work." "It will be like high school all over again, you'd end up fucking some random girl they will think I'm your new chick and the vicious cycle will repeat and repeat.

"Damn baby girl you think I'm a whore!?" "Uhmm... Yeah" "You know I haven't actually been with a lot of women Re-Ann." "And there we go again with the lying" You could tell this hurt his feelings a bit. "Re-Ann I'm not lying to you" I don't know if I felt hurt or weird because he didn't call me a pet name. Wait I'm I getting used to his crap? I'm I catching feelings? What is happening to me! Ugghhh... I can't, I can't I need to focus on school work. My parents are paying a lot of money for me to be here. Yet the sold me off! ARRRGGGG... I was still so mad, I couldn't see straight!

"Baby girl, to be honest with you, I've only been with a handful of women" "Did I mess around with a lot of women, yes, but not many that I actually had sex with." Was this statement supposed to make me feel better? "Baby girl if it means that much to you, I'll wear clothes when your friends come over and I'll stay in my room" "thank you" I gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. I felt that he was truly being honest and sincere.

My first study group came over about a week later. The ladies (Stephanie, Ashley, Naomi, and Greg) came over to study for our first exam. They all had partners far away from us and every now and then they would bring them up. (Ashley) "Re-Ann, are you dating anyone?" "uhhmm... no, I'm not" "I heard a rumor that you live with this extremely hot guy" omg, I can't believe it, it's going to be high school all over again!

Just as I thought I could get away, nope it follows me everywhere I go. Charlie follows me everywhere I go! I blew out a puff of air as if I was going to explain a really long story. Well, technically I was. "Yes, I live with a really hot guy." "So, who is he?" I then felt a magnetic pull in the room, "I'm her boyfriend." All I heard and saw next were gasps and jaw droppings.

"Everyone, this is Charlie, Charlie these are the ladies," I said ladies even though we have a guy in the group, he was queer as a three-dollar bill. So, he was a lady. He only dressed as a guy for classes since this was a very proper institute. Any other time he dressed very feminine. He dressed better than any of us in the group.

"Re-Ann, I thought you said you were single?" "Hi, I'm Ashley", "Hello Ashley" Charlie's deep voice repeated. It looks as if she was going to melt into a puddle on our carpet. "Ladies this is Charlie, Charlie is my roommate, not my boyfriend", as I looked back at him. "Well do you want to go out sometime, Charlie (Stephanie asked) "Thank you ladies, but I'm not interested in going out with anyone but Re-Ann" and yet again the chorus of gasps fill the room.

"Ladies I'm heading out, I will see you all later" "BYE CHARLIE" as they said in unison. As soon as Charlie left the front door Naomi hit me on my leg and said: "OMG the rumors are true, you do live with a hottie." "Ladies, Charlie is not my boyfriend, Charlie is the neighbor that I've known since I was probably born."

"My parents trust him with all of their being" "they didn't want me to live alone, so they convinced Charlie to find a house for us to live in." "So, your parents played match maker with the neighbor's kid?" I rolled my eyes and said "Yes essentially" "Charlie likes to tell everyone he is my boyfriend so that nobody takes advantage of me." "But do you want him to be your boyfriend" (Ashley stated) I honestly didn't know how to answer that. I sat there puzzled not knowing how to answer Ashley's question. Was I enjoying spending time with my new best-friend? Actually, yes, I was.

A week and a half after I moved in with Charlie, Mattie called to see how I was doing, and Charlie answered my phone. (Mattie) "Oh hey...? Charlie? is Re-Anne available?" "No, she's in the shower" I actually was in the shower when she called. "Charlie, I didn't know you answered Re-Anne's phone. I didn't even know you were actually home already." Charlie stated I'm not home I'm living in Rhode Island. "Wait how to do you have Re-Ann's phone?" "Are you visiting Re-Anne? "Uhhmm...No, we live together." The line went dead.

When I got out of the shower and got dressed Charlie let me know who called me and what was said. "Charlie how could you tell Mattie we live together!!??" "It's the truth, isn't it?" "Damnit Charlie, it is but now she's going to think we're fucking." "Is that a bad thing?" I threw the wet towel I had my hair wrapped up in. "Damnit Charlie, it is!!" He did it to one surprise her and two to rub it in her face that I no longer needed her as my best-friend. To truly show me who she was.

Believe me, I was super pissed at him when he did that. He had not right to one answer my phone and two he had no right to try and weed out my friends. What was his problem? I wasn't married to him! He wanted to prove to me and to everyone that she wasn't doing a good job as a best-friend. He wanted to show me that she wasn't a true friend. He wanted to let her know that she had replaced.

At this point, my friendship with Mattie was pretty much over. She wrote me a long email explaining how she couldn't trust me anymore and that how dare I am living with the man of her dreams and not tell her. I was so sad and upset at the whole email. Reading and re-reading that e-mail I cried and cried, knowing I lost my best-friend or thinking that I lost my best-friend. I think I knew she wasn't my best-friend but knowing that she lashed out at me over something as petty as her perception.

She didn't give me a chance to explain my side of the story. The side of the story that I was basically homeless if it were not for Charlie. He was a lifesaver, my shinning knight in a tight t-shirt. Don't get me wrong I was still super mad at him for doing what he did. However, it was Charlie who was there for me, it was he who I used his T-shirt as a snot rag, and it was he who held me tight that night when I cried myself to sleep.

It had been Charlie all along that was truly there for me. He was my home, he was where I wanted to belong.  He was my Charlie. Why didn't I see that before? Why did I not let us try?