Chapter 9

It took Charlotte a few days to tell Sam that she was getting back with James. Before she had the chance to come clean, she found herself in an awkward situation.

“I talked to Mike on the phone last night.” Sam cooed. She was bouncing up and down on the front step. Charlotte motioned for her to come inside.

“And? Did you ask him out?” She pried. Sam was quiet as they went up to her bedroom.

“Well, kind of.” She mumbled. Charlotte sat down and raised her eyebrow.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” She questioned. Sam sat down in the inflatable chair.

“He said he’d go out with me if you go out with Kyle.” She sighed. Charlotte shook her head.

“No way. I have a boyfriend.” She quickly dismissed. Sam nodded.

“I’ll make sure Robert doesn’t find out. Don’t worry!” She assured. Right, Robert. That was who Charlotte was supposed to be with. She kept forgetting she still needed to break up with Robert.

“Fuck.” Charlotte let slip. Sam looked up, raising her eyebrow.

“What?” She squeaked. Charlotte dropped down on her bed and covered her face.

“I told James we could try again.” She exhaled. Sam jumped up, quickly grabbing a pillow. She began to repeatedly hit Charlotte with the pillow. Charlotte held her arms over her head to shield herself.

“I know. I know.” She groaned. Sam stopped for a second.

“How could you do that to Robert?” She screeched. Charlotte shook her head.

“I just don’t know how to tell him.” She sighed. Sam hit her again.

“Still.” She threw the pillow across the room. Charlotte sat up, watching her pace around the room.

“You have to tell him. He still thinks you’re his girlfriend.” Sam insisted. Charlotte nodded.

“I know.” She repeated. Sam motioned towards the phone.

“Do it now.” She demanded, crossing her arms over her chest. Charlotte rolled her eyes.

“Fine.” She groaned as she reached for the phone. She dialed Robert’s number and held her breath.

“Hello.” His voice greeted on the other end. He sounded so, chipper.

“Hey.” Charlotte identified herself.

“Oh, hey babe. How’s it going?” His voice got higher. She could hear his smile. She looked at Sam, now tapping her foot. Charlotte took another deep breath.

“Robert, we need to talk.” She started. Robert laughed.

“I know that tone of voice. Is it because of James?” He asked softly.

“Yeah.” Charlotte confessed. Robert was quiet for a second, but it felt like an eternity.

“It’s okay. I understand.” He assured. Charlotte sighed.

“No. Please be mad at me.” She groaned. He let out another laugh.

“I’m sorry Charlotte, but, I do wish you the best of luck.” His understanding was frustrating.

“Thanks.” She exhaled. Robert hung up the phone. Charlotte listened to the dial tone for a few seconds.

“Okay. So that’s done.” Sam exclaimed, clapping her hands together. Charlotte nodded as she put the phone down. She threw herself back down on the bed.

“Now I feel even worse.” Charlotte whined. Sam nodded.

“It was the right thing to do.” She insisted.

“I know.” Charlotte agreed, staring up at the ceiling.

“I still need you to go out with Kyle.” Sam insisted after a few minutes of silence. Charlotte sat up.

“You’re kidding me.” She argued. Sam shook her head.

“Please? I really like Mike and this is the only way he’ll go out with me.” She plead. Charlotte sighed.

“Is it really a victory then?” She questioned. Sam shook her head.

“Of course not. But I think if I just had the one date I could make him interested in me. I mean, he doesn’t really know me yet. I think we’d get along.” Sam rambled. Charlotte was quiet. She wasn’t wrong. Her and Mike had a lot in common, and Sam had been interested in him for a while.

“Okay.” Charlotte finally agreed. Sam ran over and threw herself on top of Charlotte.

“Thank you!” She screeched. She sat up and started bouncing on the bed. Charlotte laughed.

“I just hope it works out for you.” She sighed. Sam shrugged.

“It can’t hurt to try.” She insisted. Charlotte half-laughed.

“Well, it can’t hurt you. I have a boyfriend.” She reminded. Sam was quiet again.

“Go to a movie tomorrow. You can say you already had the plans and you felt obligated. James probably won’t find out anyway.” She continued trying to scheme. Charlotte nodded along with her.

“If he does, I’m going to tell him you bullied me into doing this.”

Charlotte never looked at Kyle as anything more than a friend. They had only hung out in a group setting and never really had a conversation. Charlotte didn’t understand why he wanted to go on a date with her. She took Sam’s advice and suggested a movie the next night. Kyle was thrilled she called him, so he agreed before she even told him what her idea was. She thought his eagerness was actually cute. They met outside the movie theatre on the sidewalk. After an awkward introduction conversation, Kyle put his hand on her lower back to usher her into the theatre. He seemed to roam a little low, but Charlotte ignored it. The movie he chose was an action movie. There were a lot of explosions, car crashes, screaming, and loud music. Kyle didn’t seem to be watching the movie. He was watching Charlotte. Midway through the movie, Kyle put his hand on her thigh. He slowly ran it along the inner seam of her jeans, trailing up her leg. She shifted away from him. He tightened his grip on her thigh. She gasped, but no one could have heard her. Kyle leaned in and kissed her neck.

“It’s okay.” He whispered in her ear. A shiver went down her spine, but it wasn’t a good one. His other hand came up to softly caress her cheek. She let out a whimper as his hand got close to her core. She turned to face him and was met with his lips. He kissed her deeply as his hand cupped her through her jeans. He pressed his fingers into the fabric. A moan might have escaped her lips, but it was into his mouth. He continued like to for a few minutes, moving his lips between her neck and her lips. She couldn’t focus enough to check if anyone was watching them. Her eyes were half shut. Finally, someone leaned forward and tapped Kyle’s shoulder.

“Dude, save it for after.” The guy suggested. Kyle took his hand from between her legs and nodded at the guy behind him. He kissed Charlotte’s neck again before distracting himself with the movie. Charlotte couldn’t wait for the movie to be over. She crossed her legs tightly for the rest of the movie. When it was, she waited for Kyle to walk past first before she stood up. Once they were in the aisle, Kyle put his hand right on her ass cheek and squeezed. Charlotte walked ahead and made a straight line to the exit. Kyle was close behind. Once they got outside, Charlotte turned to face Kyle.

“I’m sorry, I needed to get out of there.” She apologized. Kyle nodded.

“It felt a little crowded.” He confessed. Charlotte stepped to the side to get out of the way.

“I can give you a ride home.” He offered, motioning to an old car parked across the street.

“It’s Teds.” He added. Charlotte didn’t know how to say she’d rather take the bus. So, she agreed to the ride. It was more convenient and it would end the night sooner. Or so she had hoped. Kyle insisted on walking her up to her doorway, like he was trying to press his luck.

“No one is allowed inside the house.” She scolded. Kyle smirked.

“Not even in the doorway.” He cooed, leaning in more. Charlotte shook her head.

“No. Not when my parents’ aren’t home.” She asserted. She could see something flicker across Kyle’s blue eyes. He pushed his way past her and into the house. He closed the door and locked it behind him. He quickly took off his shoes and stepped towards her.

“What are you doing?” Charlotte asked. He grabbed her face, pulling her lips to his.

“Picking up where we left off.” He grunted, pushing into her. She shook her head.

“I’m not ready.” She stumbled out. Kyle nodded as he kissed her again. This time, his hand shot to her jeans. He grabbed her tightly, holding her in place. He squeezed his hand around her, backing her towards the stairs. Her calf hit the stair and she went down on her back. Kyle took it as his invitation. He dropped down beside her and undid her jeans, pulling them down. His hand replaced the fabric. Charlotte squirmed. Kyle pressed his arm across her chest, holding her in place. She let out a panicked whimper as he started kissing her neck. He let his other hand roam over her body while he slowly exposed her further by pulling her shirt up and her bra to the side. Charlotte closed her eyes as Kyle’s mouth moved to her middle section. She kept them closed tightly as he started kissing down her torso. She could feel his breath as he got close to her core. He moaned, pulling himself back. He grabbed her jeans and pulled them off completely, leaving her in her underwear. Charlotte felt suddenly exposed and vulnerable, quickly closing her legs together. Kyle moved between them and forced her to open to him. He started kissing between her legs, first over the fabric of her underwear, then against her bare skin. He only stopped when she finally let go. He happily licked his lips as he stood up and fixed his clothes. He looked up and down at her, smiling wider.

“I hope we can do this again.” He offered. Charlotte couldn’t really think. Kyle let himself out and Charlotte dragged herself to the bathroom. She felt so dirty. She ran the water as hot as it would go, and threw in a scented bubble bath meant for her younger siblings. The whole bathroom smelled like strawberries. Charlotte took a relaxing bath to let go of the stress of the evening. The guilt was going to be another story, but it could be deal with another day. Charlotte just wanted to forget this night had ever happened. It wasn’t the first time, and it probably wasn’t going to be the last. But this time, someone else was going to get hurt unless Kyle was a gentleman. Charlotte didn’t know him well enough to make the call. She knew the better thing to do was call James and tell him what happened.

Instead of making him come to her neighborhood, Charlotte headed to his area of town. She met him at the community skate park that he hung out at. They had a few ramps and half pipes. Stuff to grind and stuff to jump off. The basics, but it was still better than nothing. Charlotte had told James they needed to talk about something serious. She could sense his anxiety as he approached. She didn’t even need to look at who sat down beside her.

“I’m a terrible girlfriend.” She blurted. James put his hand on her leg right away, gently squeezing.

“What happened?” He asked softly. She briefly looked over at him. He was staring ahead at the park.

“I made a date when we were still broken up and it was for last night. I should have told you. Or canceled it. I don’t know. I guess I felt obligated.” Charlotte started rambling. James moved his hand from her leg and grabbed her hand, wrapping his fingers around hers.

“Charlotte, you can tell me anything.” He assured her. She nodded.

“It was bad, and, something happened, and I completely understand if you don’t want to give this another chance. I feel like such an idiot.” Charlotte rambled, covering her face with her hands. James moved her hands from in front of her face and held them tightly.

“What’s going on?” He asked.

“I cheated on you.” Charlotte blurted, the tears finally released from her eyes. James pulled her head to his chest and ran his hand over her head.

“It’s okay. We all make mistakes.” He sighed. Charlotte shook her head.

“I keep doing this to you. I’m just a bad girlfriend. You deserve anyone else. I’m literally the worst, ever.” She repeated. James half-laughed.

“You’re not winning best girlfriend of the year, but you’re not bad.” He assured. Charlotte sighed.

“I’m so sorry this happened. I don’t know how I keep ending up in this uncomfortable situations.” She started rambling again. James squeezed her hand.

“I have to ask,” James paused, looking down at the concrete. Charlotte put her hand on his shoulder.

“Ask. Please.” She insisted. James nodded.

“What made you want it? I mean, am I not good enough? Is there something I should be doing more, less? I just want to know how I can improve.” He rambled. Charlotte’s mouth fell open.

“James, you are perfect. You do all the right things.” She assured. He shook his head.

“Then why did you want, I mean,” He paused, not sure how to phrase the question.

“I didn’t want it.” She exhaled. James raised his eyebrow.

“What?” He asked softly. Charlotte shrugged.

“I didn’t stop him, but I didn’t participate either. I just disappeared in my head, thinking of anything else.” Charlotte explained. James moved and pulled her into his arms. He pressed her head to his chest.

“He touched me in the theater too. I didn’t want that either. I didn’t want him anywhere near me. I just wanted the night to be over so I could forget about how violated I feel.” She rambled. James pulled back and forced her to make eye contact with him.

“Charlotte, that’s rape, not cheating.” He blurted. She shook her head.

“No. He didn’t even touch himself, just me.” She dismissed. James shook his head.

“It doesn’t matter.” He insisted.

“I also didn’t say no.” Charlotte continued arguing. James shook his head with more force.

“Did you say yes?” James asked. She shook her head.

“I said nothing.” She repeated herself. James nodded.

“If you didn’t give consent, it’s rape.” He insisted. Charlotte was quiet for a minute.

“And what if it was?” She asked under her breath. James stood up, crating a barrier between her and the outside world. He knelt down in front of her and took her hands.

“Whatever you want to do, I will back your play.” He assured with warmth and compassion. He slowly leaned forward and kissed her. For a split second, nothing else mattered but the two of them. Charlotte smiled as she rested her forehead against his. Her eyes fluttered shut. Safe. After a few seconds, reality broke through their veil as a group of obnoxious boys approached the park. James looked over his shoulder and waved. Charlotte laughed because of course James knew the kids. James stood up and held out his hand. Charlotte raised her eyebrow.

“I always watch from here.” She observed. James nodded.

“I need you closer.” He insisted. Charlotte took his hand. He grabbed his board and they walked across the park towards where the other kids had gathered. There was a table for skaters and a table for girlfriends. James insisted Charlotte sit at the table for skaters. He wasn’t met with much resistance. One person groaned, but no one said anything. Charlotte kept her legs crossed and tried to take up as little space as possible. Soon, everyone had disappeared from the table with the boards. Everyone except Nick. He was leaning back, looking down at his hands.

“Are you not skating?” Charlotte asked, simply trying to make conversation.

“Actually, I was hoping to talk to you.” He announced. Charlotte raised her eyebrow.

“About what?” She asked softly. He was quiet, then looked down.

“You’ve been asked out a few times, right?” He asked shyly. Charlotte had no idea where he was leading this conversation. She nodded cautiously.

“A couple.” She corrected. He nodded again.

“What works? What doesn’t?” He soon asked. Charlotte let out a sigh of relief.

“Oh, if you’re asking in general, my best advice is always to just be yourself. There is nothing more attractive than authenticity.” She gushed. Nick looked over at James.

“That’s why you love him?” He asked. Charlotte nodded as she looked over. James had taken his shirt off because of the hot summer sun. There were beads of sweat collecting on his chest, sliding down the defined torso and to the waistband of his shorts. Charlotte was most drawn to the smile on his face.

“It’s one of many reasons.” Charlotte clarified. Nick nodded.

“Hey, thanks.” He stood up from the table and headed to join his friends. Soon after, James walked over to the table and sat beside her, putting his hand on her lower back.

“What were you two talking about?” He asked sharply. Charlotte raised her eyebrow.

“I guess there’s a lady he wants to ask out.” She answered loosely. James nodded.

“Wendy. Yeah.” He mumbled. Charlotte looked over at him, watching his face. There were lines of tension around his eyes and his forehead. Charlotte put her hand on his cheek. He jumped.

“Is everything okay?” She asked softly. James looked around at his friends, then back at her.

“Let’s go to my place.” He announced. Charlotte raised her eyebrow, but agreed. James only lived a few blocks away. It was a short walk to his place. He took her hand in his and his board in the other. A few of his friends seemed to be calling to him, but he was ignoring everyone. Charlotte could tell something was on his mind. They walked in absolute silence until they got into James’s bedroom. She followed him into the room, standing just behind him. She watched as James striped down to his boxers, turning to face her. She could tell her cheeks were flushed. She took a step back as he stepped closer. He didn’t give her the time when his second step towards her closed the distance. He grabbed her face in both of his hands and kissed her deeply. He let his hands run up and down her arms. Lightly, he pushed her shoulders until she fell backwards onto his bed.

“James, what are you doing?” She asked in a breathy tone. He made eye contact with her as he pulled her shorts down. He dropped them on the floor while his other hand started stroking her. She twitched, but he other hand came down on her hip, holding her in place for him. He kept rubbing her until she started moaning. Then he dropped to his knees. Charlotte’s head was spinning before she could comprehend what he was doing. She moved one of her hands to the back of his head, wrapping into his hair. He let out a moan she pulled his hair. He did it again, jerking his mouth away. He smiled wildly as he dove back between her legs. Before long, she was seeing stars.

“Fuck, James!” Everything went white and she was overwhelmed with pleasure. He kept going until he had tasted her all. He moved up to the bed, adjusting to lie beside her. He put his head on her chest, listened to her heart racing. His hand moved to caress her breasts. He kept kissing and stroking all over her body. She moaned and writhed beneath him. Every touch drove her wild. Just when she thought she couldn’t take anymore, he was back between her legs. The stimulation was overwhelming and she couldn’t think straight. The only thing coming out of her mouth were gasps and his name.

“James, that was amazing.” Charlotte exhaled, struggling to gain her composure. James sat up on the bed bedside her, putting his hand on her bare stomach.

“I want to be the only one who makes you feel good.” He asserted. Charlotte put her hand on his.

“You are.” She assured. He leaned down and kissed her. The taste caught her off guard, but she didn’t care. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him down on top of her. He adjusted to lay behind her, pulling her close so there was no space between their bodies.

“I love you.” He whispered, brushing her hair behind her ear. She nodded.

“I love you too James.”