We drop Raquel off and say our goodbyes. Then Charlie drives us back across town to his apartment. There’s no traffic at four-thirty in the morning.
The exhaustion is deep in my bones by the time we get out of the car. My legs feel like they have lead in them. He takes my hand and leads me through the entrance and up a staircase to his second-floor bachelor pad.
“Stay here,” he instructs me as I stand in his living room. I glance around the room. Framed photographs of his family line the mantle and adorn the coffee table. He returns a moment later with a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt for me.
“Towels and washcloths are in the bathroom closet. Sorry, but I don’t have any frilly-smelling shampoo or anything.”
I start to giggle. I don’t know if what he just said was actually funny or if I’mthattired.
“You can have the bed,” he says as he leads me toward the master bedroom.
“What about you?” I ask.
"I’m good on the couch.”
I open my mouth to protest but he’s already fighting me.
“Really, Beth Ann. Give me a blanket and a pillow and I’m fine.”
I don’t argue with him anymore; I just want to get out of this dress and these damn heels. I close the door to the bathroom and kick them off. My feet ache with relief at being on level ground again. I take the earrings out of my earlobes and lay them on the counter. After grabbing a towel and washcloth, I turn on the hot water and with some struggle, unzip my dress and strip it off. I leave my belongings in a pile on the floor and step into the shower.
The tension starts to leave my body as the hot water pounds my back. I wet my hair and reach down for the shampoo, laughing to myself over the names of men’s products. My options are Ocean, Mahogany Teakwood, and Noir…whatever the hell those are supposed to smell like. I sniff each of them and go for the one that smells the most like him.
I quickly finish my shower and get out, towel-drying my hair. I throw on the sweatpants and one of his old Driftbay Police Department shirts. I feel like a zombie as I head to the bed and collapse in it.
The mattress is like a marshmallow and I think I could fall asleep in seconds. I force my eyes open and stare at the ceiling fan for a moment before I get back up. Something is missing.
I march out to the living room where Charlie is making a cot on the couch, standing there in a gray T-shirt and boxers.
“Get in the bed,” I say.
“What?” he asks, looking up at me.
“Get in the bed,” I repeat. “We’ve both had a long night and deserve good rest.”
Charlie smiles.
“No funny stuff, though, I mean it.”
He holds up his fingers in a scout’s honor symbol. “Of course not,” he says.
He abandons his cot and follows me into his bedroom.
“I normally sleep on the left,” he says.
“Well, that’s great, because I normally take the right.” I smile. It’s nice to be in-sync with him for once.
I glance at the alarm clock as I lie down — I guess two and a half hours of sleep are better than none.
I take a deep breath in; everything smells like him. I am surrounded by the scent of Charlie and it’s overwhelming yet comforting at the same time.
He turns over and props himself up on his elbow and pillow.
“Is this okay?” he asks as he gently puts an arm around my waist and pulls me closer.
“Yeah,” I say, feeling his warmth wrap around me. “This is good. Though you should know, I don’t typically sleep with someone on the first date.”
I can hear the smile in his voice as I settle against this chest.
