Demi cornered her against the way.
“You can push me about a lot of things. Don’t play with me about that. You’re wrong, Bird. I understand you’re disappointed. I understand what DJ messed up, but he’s a kid. He ain’t supposed to know how to express his feelings. What’syour fucking excuse, Bird? You’re supposed to be the adult. You lost your shit on my son. You think that shit cool?”
Charlie’s eyes misted, because of course, she didn’t think it was okay. “I didn’t mean to yell at him, Demi.” She was crying before she could stop herself. She had been overly emotional since it had happened. Not knowing what to say and feeling justified yet wrong at the same time made Charlie a madwoman. She wanted to whoop DJ’s little ass, but she also understood why he looked at her the way he did. It was the way everyone looked at her, and if she dug deep enough inside her heart, she would admit that it was the way she looked at herself. That’s why it stung so badly. “I’m sorry.”
Every part of him that was mad was hers, so he had no wins against her tears. The fact that he knew Charlie wasn’t like most women, she didn’t rely on tears to gain leverage, so each one that slid down her face was a reflection of real pain.
“Say, man,” Demi said. “What these tears for?”
Charlie shook her head, avoiding his touch as he tried to manipulate her face.
“Stop, Demi.”
“What you mean, stop, Bird? Huh?” He asked, kissing her.
“I’m a mess,” she whispered. “You hate tears and snot.”
“Cuz the shit is trifling,” he said, chuckling. “I love you, though.”
His profession made her cry harder. “You do, don’t you?”
“You fucking know already.”
He removed his shirt and wiped her face with it before tossing it to the floor.
“You’re going to throw that away, aren’t you?” She asked, laughing and crying at the same time.
“Absolutely.” No point in lying.
“You’re insane.” She smiled sadly. “And I’m crazy for signing up for this shit.”
“I don’t doubt none of that,” he said.
He picked her up like she weighed nothing at all and carried her to the bathroom. Shower sex. Rounds of it. It was an apology in the form of body language. They never misunderstood one another in this room. It was the world that dirtied them up. This love they made under these cleansing waters was pure. Even if no one else understood.
They didn’t finish until the water ran cold, then he took her from the shower to the clawfoot tub. She sat on one end of the tub, and he sat on the other, massaging one of her feet as she rested it on his chest.
“I’m so sorry about yelling at DJ. It hurts my feelings that he thinks of me that way. It’s not his fault, though. I promise I’ll do better with him.”
Demi kissed her big toe, and she beamed because this man, with his OCD and rigid rules of what could and couldn’t be touched, had no reservations about touching her anywhere. They had come a long way.
“You are a gentle giant, Demi Sky,” Charlie said, smiling.
“Fuck you talking about, Bird?” Demi asked, chuckling. Charlie stood from the water and wet the entire floor as she went to the vanity. She retrieved her vape and climbed back into the water.
“Now you got all the fucking shit that was on the bottom of your feet in the tub.” Demi grimaced.
“I swear I forget how fucking anal and weird you are,” Charlie said, tipping her head back and inhaling the THC. She blew it out toward the ceiling and then handed it to him. “Smoke, then fuck. That’s all you need to worry about tonight.”
It was shit like that. This wild shit. This vibe. This young shit. Charlie made Demi feel like every breath he took was worth the moment. Every minute they spent together ended up being a memory he reflected on. Charlie’s smile. Charlie’s laughter. Hersnore. Her fucking farts. Literally, everything she did and said imprinted on his brain like she was pressing save to a hard drive. If he died tomorrow, he could say he had lived well because of his time with her. She was an experience.
“I’ma fix this shit with the media, Bird. I’ma clear it up,” Demi said. “We’ll release a statement. Sit down, do an interview with Breakfast or some shit. I ain’t letting this shit burn your name.”
She nodded but she didn’t really want to talk about it because she knew that no statement would make the world unhear the pained words of Demi’s son.
“This interview is important,” Day said.
Charlie sat in the back of the Sprinter. She was worried. “Maybe I shouldn’t say anything. Is this a good idea? Like, maybe just letting it die down is the thing to do.”
