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Toward the end of the month, Jess had enough in her account to pay next month’s rent plus some, which released some of the long-held tension in her shoulders. She hated living month-to-month like this, but maybe if she started saving small pockets at a time, she wouldn’t feel so strained when a new month rolled along. She decided she would transfer some of that money into savings as she drove home after working a double at Post Road.
She stepped into the apartment, fully expecting a dark room and for Charlie to be in bed, but when she stepped in, she was greeted by the sight of candles, takeout boxes, a bottle of wine, and a smiling Charlie on the couch. He was already in his sweats, his hair a little disheveled, but his expression was bright.
Jess dropped her purse to the floor with a defeated thud. “What’s this?”
Charlie flipped open the boxes of food. “Dinner for my Jessie.”
She smirked. “You bought me Chinese?”
“And wine,” Charlie said, already pouring her a glass as she took a seat next to him. “And don’t worry, I paid for it.”
She rolled her eyes, but any fighting words left her body at the smell of vegetable lo mein and kung pao chicken. She moaned. “Thank you.”
He smirked, reaching in to kiss the corner of her mouth. “That was a fun sound.”
She swatted him away. “Food first.”
Charlie chuckled. “How was work?”
“Brutal,” she grumbled as she took a bite of noodles. “Cory kept me at the register the whole time.”
He frowned. “What happened to the bakery?”
Jess paused. “Did I not tell you he closed it down?”
“No, you did not,” he replied. He shifted closer to her and reached an arm around her shoulder, kissing her cheek. “I’m sorry, babe, you must be upset.”
Babe? Jess took a gulp of her wine, trying to think back to the last time he called her that. Weeks? Months? “Yeah,” she responded with a huff. “It’s fine, whatever.”
He kissed her again slowly, then started dropping a trail of kisses down her neck. He curled a finger at the collar of her polo, pulling it down as he continued his path.
She took another sip of wine. “My, are we desperate.”
“Come on, Jessie,” he said into her neck, his breath warm. “It’s been so long.”
“I know,” she sighed, placing her glass down.
She gave in, peeling his T-shirt off his body and running a hand along the side of his abs like she always did, because she knew it made him shiver. She knew exactly what Charlie liked; at this point, it was well practiced. And it was the same for him—he was an expert at extracting her soft moans and frantic touches, shifting her into the positions that were familiar and easy.
Charlie lifted her and carried her up the stairs, stripping off her uniform and laying her down on the bed. It was always good with Charlie, but for the first time, she wondered if there was more. If there was something else they could do to spice things up.
She let him cuddle her after, holding her close underneath their duvet as he planted a lazy kiss at the back of her neck. She let her body go slack, releasing the stiffness that came with standing at the same register and craning her neck back and forth as she mindlessly scanned items on the belt. Charlie traced circles on her stomach with his thumb as she drifted off to sleep.
The sound of pots and pans and a few curse words in the kitchen woke her up the following morning. She bolted upright and checked the clock, realizing that Charlie was already out of bed and doing something in the kitchen before seven in the morning.
She tied her robe tightly around her waist and padded downstairs. She peered into the kitchen and caught Charlie trying to flip a pancake, cursing when it hit the side and folded over.
“Are you…making breakfast?” she asked, flabbergasted.
“Trying to,” he grumbled, pointing to the plate next to him. “But they’re coming out a little burnt.”
She stepped up next to him, letting him curl an arm around her waist. “It’s okay, I like them crispy.”
“Liar,” he mumbled, sliding another pancake on the plate.
“Is there a special occasion I’m missing or something?” she asked, picking up the plate.
“No, just—” Charlie started. “Sit, I’ll be there in a minute.”
