Chapter 1.11: Romance
The throbbing ache in her head told her that she probably... drank to much. The flash of memories that came flooding back definitely told her that she drank too much...
Last thing she remembered what Francine Spencer dropping to the floor in the middle of the lounge.
"Heyyy Buddyyy!" Charley greeted basically flinging her arms limply around his neck. "Long time, no seeee! How have you been?" She didn't let go right away, and Akira didn't seem to mind.
"I mean... I'm good. Uhh, a little worried about you though... Are you okay?" He questioned hesitantly as he reached up to peel her arms from around him, but was afraid he pulled her off him that she wouldn't be able to hold herself up anymore.This much contact with her was causing him to go beet red in the face and he did he best not to meet her gaze. "How did your date go earlier..."
"Did you know... did you know..." She said loudly at first before dropping her voice to a whisper. "Minato is married and he tried to take me on a date!" She stated laughing at how silly that even sounded. "You know what Penny said. Penny said that you had a crush on me. I told her that you didn't, there's no way a guy like you would be interested in little ol' me."
Akira turned away, "what do you mean I wouldn't like you. You're pretty great, any guy would be lucky to be with you. Myself included." He gathered enough confident to look down at her.
She was staring up at him with big eyes. "You mean that?"
Akira was almost surprised by her response. He knew she had been drinking and didn't want to take advantage of her situation. But damn, she was looking super cute right now. He swallowed the lump in his throat as he pulled at his collar. "Of course. I figured you just didn't like me which is why you didn't take my calls or anything."
Charley straightened herself up some, as it she just had some sort of clarity. "I just thought you only ever saw me as a friend or a kid sister. Perhaps I am just blind to everything around me. After all, I did try to pursue a married man..." She almost laughed at herself, reaching up to touch Akira's cheek. Turns out Penny was right all along.
"I mean as much as I liked you, I valued our friendship more." He replied leaning into her hand. Her hands felt soft against his cheek. "But I guess the cat is out of the bag now... I like you, Char. I like you... a lot." He told her, feeling his cheeks warm up again.
Charley smiled happily up at him, stroking his cheek. But then paused. "You're feeling awfully warm..." She commented as she moved her hand to his forehead. "You're very warm, you know you might have a fever... I better bring you home and take care of you."
And well, the rest of the night sort escalated in a sense, but Charley will blame it on juice followed by the onslaught of feelings the bubbled over in a short period of time. But for being unplanned and mostly spur of the moment, Akira was a great house tent guest. He watered the plants and painted her a thoughtful painting for her to wake up to. He definitely deserves more than to be just the rebound guy.
The next day at work, Charley was feeling a little under the weather. Perhaps she was a little reckless last night, this was the last thing she needed before she could figure things out on her own. Luckily a few hours later, she was hit with a fever and her worries evaporated with it. Though perhaps it was something she needed to discuss with Akira later.
After work, Charley decided she needed to call up Akira and talk things over. She invited him to the Stargazer Lounge for no specific reason other than the pleasant view.
"We should probably discuss last night. I took advantage of you in a moment of weakness. You poured your heart out, and while I couldn't fully return those feelings I used them for my own gain." Charley began. "I'm not saying it was a mistake, but it's certainly not fair to either of us. So let's start again from the beginning of sorts."
"I appreciate your honesty. Truth be told, I haven't told you the entire truth either. I actually have two children, that I fathered in the days before I met you. I was a wild and lose soul who couldn't be tethered, and I was so far up in the clouds that I didn't know what I wanted. But then when I saw you, belting your heart out at Karaoke, the clouds cleared away and I found myself firmly on the ground. And as much as I wanted to ask you out then and there, I respected you wanted to be friends first. So I didn't push the matter. I was lying to you and myself that I was content with being your friend. Cause I wanted more. I tried asking you out but it went to voicemail and I panicked. And since you never called back I figured that was my answer." Akira went onto explain. "But then I noticed that you were getting closer and closer to Minato, and I couldn't fight the jealousy inside of me. Which is why I sorta disappeared."
Charley frowned, feeling a slight pang of guilt that she didn't even acknowledge his feelings until last night. She hardly was aware at the time. But after reflecting on it all day, she wasn't sure how she even missed it.
"The funny thing is, I had finally accepted your feelings for him. But I still didn't want to lose you as a friend. That's how much you mean to me, Char. But then by some miracle when I saw you yesterday and you told me that things weren't going to work out with you two. I knew that I couldn't let this second chance slip away from me." He said staring deep into her eyes.
A flush crept over her cheeks as she stared back at him. "But what about us? I want to be a doctor and do more for the community and then when the time is right, I want children of my own. Plus there so many unknowns that I still need to learn and face on my own."
"I may not be a rich man, but wealth can also be defined by the amount of love that surrounds you. So if it means I get to wake up by your side every morning, I'm willing to follow you on whatever excursions you go on. So long as we can go on this adventure of life together."
Perhaps it was her romantic side, or the appeal of his words, or the combination of it all. She wanted what he had to offer, and with that Charley was pressing her lips up against his.
The remainder of the night was spent talking about his kids and her career goals while watch staring up at the stars. He told her about his goals and she mentioned her unknown family history. She even mentioned she wanted 2 kids and he joked that if it was with her, he would have 7. He wasn't scared off by any of it, and neither was she.
By the end of the night, they were more than friends. Akira Kibo was officially her boyfriend. And to celebrate, she brought him back to show off her new place. She didn't have to live in a tent forever.
~~~~~
It was about time to update from the tent situation. Here's a first look at the "house":
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