The house is completely dark and still when Charles steps inside. Unwashed dishes in the sink, half empty glass of water on the countertop and a pair of pretty red sandals abandoned on the floor that he earlier saw on her in the morning when she left to work. He doesn't call out for her knowing well she wouldn't answer. He hasn't heard from her since noon, left his texts unanswered making him worried her all day.
Closing the front door he kicks his shoes off and on his way to the bedroom he takes his shirt off and gets rid of his pants leaving them on the floor in the hallway. Pushing the door open gently he sees her petite form under the blankets, her head is barely visible and she doesn't move at his arrival. His naked feet tap on the floor as he crosses the room and lays down next to her on the bed.
"Hey," he gently says knowing she is awake. Sleep doesn't come easy to her when her anxiety takes over her, keeping her up almost all night.
The touch of his hand on her hips makes her shiver as she turns her head to look at him in the dark, only seeing some of his features.
"Hi," she mumbles, voice barely audible.
His fingers trace her forehead, her cheekbone and the go down to her lips. Even in the dark he can see the pain and exhaustion in them, the usual bright shine is gone from her irises and it breaks his heart to see her like this. The person who is always so bubbly, the life of the party, the one who makes others happy. But no one can be always that high on energy, everyone has those days when they just want to hide from the world.
"How are you feeling?" he softly asks.
She turns around as he slides under the covers, his arms immediately wrapping around her body pulling her closer to him.
"Like shit," she mumbles nuzzling her head to his chest as she makes herself comfortable in his arms, the place where she always feels safe.
"Want to talk about it?"
His fingers gently start stroking her hair as she shakes her head no. He doesn't push it, maybe she had a bad day, maybe she had a fight with someone at work, it doesn't matter. He just wants to make her feel better.
"Can I do anything for you? You want a tea maybe?"
"No. Just... Hold me, please."
"I'm here, don't worry. Go to sleep baby," he murmurs kissing the crown of her head. His fingers doesn't stop stroking her hair and arm until he hears her breathing slow down as she falls asleep.
The morning Sun warms his face waking him up. His hand instantly reaching for her, but the bed is empty and his eyes snap open. Grabbing a t-shirt from the dresser he pulls it over his head as he makes his way out, hearing voices from the kitchen.
When he reaches the door he sees her small figure at the fridge, searching through the shelves, looking for ingredients for breakfast. When she closes the door with her hip balancing everything in her hands, keeping them down with her chin she finally sees him.
She looks tired, the dark circles under her eyes make it obvious for him that she didn't sleep that well, but part of the shine is back in her eyes. Not all of it, but it's enough to make him feel less worried for her.
"Hey, I'm making eggs. You want some too?" she asks as he steps to her, arms wrapping around her waist, pressing a kiss to the side of her head.
"Yeah, thanks. How are you feeling?"
A tired smile appears on her lips, his hands cup her face and she leans into his touch. The night was rough for her, she has woken up several times, but curling up to Charles's side helped her a lot every time, his peaceful breathing was like a lullaby as she tried to fall back asleep.
"Better," she simply says, hands wrapping around his wrist.
"What do you want to do today?" he asks with a smile, tugging her hair behind her ears before leaning down and pressing a soft kiss to her forehead.
"Don't you have to go to work?"
"No," he shakes his head. "I rescheduled it so we can spend the day together."
She stares up at him in total awe, not able to wrap her mind around how lucky she is to have such a caring, perfect guy in her life who she can call her boyfriend.
"Can we just... stay home, watch movies and order food?" she shyly asks.
"Anything you want, baby," he smirks at her, gently pecking her lips. "Now let's see those eggs," he sighs letting go of her and turning to the ingredients on the countertop.
