I wrapped my arms around Jarrid’s thick, muscular body in a tight hug as his hands pressed to the small of my back.
A cough sounded out behind me. “Sorry, am I interrupting?” I turned to find Charlie wearing just his dress pants looking… well, furious.
“No. I was just thanking Jarrid for coming all this way with our stuff.”
“Right,” he huffed.
Jarrid walked back to the front door. “Fox asked me to tell you that he put something that might help on the top of your stuff in your case. You know where I’ll be if you need me.” And with that, he vanished.
Charlie vanished too, storming into the living room.
“Myth Maker, what’s going on?” I shouted after him as I wheeled the cases into the bedroom, lifting them both onto the bed and opening them.
“Nothing. I mean, I can’t blame you for moving on.”
Taking off Charlie’s shirt, I pulled on some fleece lined leggings, thick socks, and a hoodie, I sighed at the warmth that engulfed me before I looked for clothes for Charlie as well, almost letting out a yelp as I found the gift Fox had left for him.
I walked back into the living room, finding Charlie sitting on the small sofa with his face in his hands. I sat next to him, trying to not let my body touch his.
“I’ve spent months trying to get back together with you. There’s no one else. I love you.”
His shoulders rounded as he seemed to curl into his self. “I don’t know why. I let her take what she wanted… again.”
I tried to hide the reaction in my voice. “You mean she touched you?”
He shook his head and I let out an audible sigh of relief.
“No, but you saw the texts she’d been sending me. Reminding me how weak I was around her and then you, in that room, in that dress… God, you looked stunning and I got hard even though I didn’t want to. Even though I was hurt and angry with you.”
“Charlie—”
“I’m a joke. All she did was remind me that she can take anything anytime she wants.”
“But she didn’t.”
He huffed. “Only because you saved me. How weak does that make me?”
I twisted in my seat, so I faced him. “Fox packed you this.” I opened my hand, showing him the metal cage I knew he loved.
He looked at it longingly. “I haven’t used it since we broke up.”
“Do you want to use it? Will it help?”
Rolling his bottom lip between his teeth, he nodded.
“Go put it on along with these clothes. Let’s eat and then we can talk some more.”
Over the next two days, Charlie and I talked endlessly. We started talking about Jennifer and how she’d been tormenting him for weeks and then what she’d said to him before I found them. I was no therapist, but it was as if all that childhood trauma had resurfaced, leaving him feeling powerless. He kept his cage on and it seemed to settle him and I didn’t try to be anything but his friend.
On day three, Charlie was cooking us lunch when a knock sounded at the door. His eyes widened as he stared at me. “It’s Jarrid. He just texted to say he needed to talk to us.”
Charlie let out an audible breath as I walked the short distance to the door.
“Hey, sorry. Thomas asked me to come talk to you. Can we sit?”
Charlie put down the knife and turned off the stove, walking toward the living room where we all sat.
“So first of all, I want you to know I have no idea what’s going on, Charlie. I feel like it’s important to tell you that before I say what I need to say. No one knows except Thomas and Sean.”
