19. Charlie

Even before I open my eyes, I’m smiling.

Marissa’s scent is all around me, her shoulder warm against my chest, her hair tickling my neck. It might be, hands down, the best morning of my life.

Blinking my eyes open, I take in her sleeping face. She’s even more beautiful than yesterday, if that’s even possible.

Realizing I’m having the thought, I chuckle to myself. If the guys on the Thunderhawks could see me now, they’d be slack-jawed. The Charlie they know never falls for a woman like this. He’s moving on nearly as soon as he finds a girl.

But I’m not that Charlie anymore. I’m a new Charlie.

Or maybe I’ve really been this guy all along, and he’s just now coming to the surface.

Marissa stirs in my arms and opens her eyes, squinting against the light.

“Morning,” I murmur, brushing a strand of hair from her face. She blinks up at me, just as dazed as I am happy.

“Charlie,” she murmurs back, a sleepy smile gracing her lips. A warmth spreads through me, starting from my chest and radiating out to the tips of my fingers, and then down to my toes.

Something shifts between us then — something I can’t quite put my finger on. But it’s not unwelcome. It’s like we’re no longer two separate entities but parts of one whole, like two pieces of a puzzle fitting perfectly together.

“Were you just lying there watching me?” she murmurs.

“Would I get in trouble if I said yes?”

A soft laugh escapes her. “Depends on what you were thinking.”

A grin pulls at my lips. “No dirty thoughts if that’s what you’re implying. Just… happy ones.”

Her eyebrows arch in surprise. She pushes herself up on an elbow to look at me, her hair cascading around her face like sunlight. “Happy thoughts?” she echoes, voice soft and full of curiosity.

“Yeah,” I reply simply. My thumb caresses the back of her hand absently, tracing the lines and creases etched on her soft skin. “Like… how beautiful you are in the morning light. How right it feels to wake up with you by my side. How I’d like this to be every morning.”

The surprise on Marissa’s face slowly turns into something softer, more vulnerable. Her eyes grow bright, lips parting slightly as she processes my words.

“You… you mean that?” she whispers, sounding as shocked as I feel for saying all that out loud.

With a nod, I confirm it. I’m not sure where this sudden urge to open up is coming from, but there’s no denying it now. And seeing the light in Marissa’s eyes only solidifies my feelings.

“I do,” I say firmly, entwining our fingers together. She stares at me for a moment longer before leaning in, bringing our lips together in a gentle kiss.

Arousal stirs in me, but at the same time, my stomach growls. Breaking the kiss, I look down at her. “How about I order some room service?”

She laughs, a melodic sound that makes me want to capture it, hold on to it like a precious gem. “Yeah, I guess we should eat something,” she murmurs, nuzzling her face into my chest and wrapping an arm around me.

I grab my phone from the bedside table, scrolling through the room service menu, one hand playing with Marissa’s hair. I read out some of the options and we make our choices before I place the order.

While waiting for our breakfast to arrive, we lay there in contented silence. With every breath I take, I can smell her shampoo — cherry blossom and something else I can’t quite put a finger on. Her nails draw lazy patterns on my bare chest sending waves of comfort through me.

Just when I begin to drift off again, there’s a knock on the door.

“I’ll get it,” I say, disentangling myself from Marissa and pulling on a pair of jeans that lie discarded on the floor from last night.

I open the door, and a polite room service guy enters with a cart loaded with food.

After he sets down the sumptuous breakfast on the table by the window, I tip him, and then he wishes us a pleasant meal and leaves.

By now, Marissa has slipped on one of my shirts that hangs loose on her petite frame, making her look even more endearing.

She pours coffee into two cups and hands me one. “Thanks.” I let my gaze linger on her.

“What?” She sips her coffee.

“When we get back to Chicago, I’d like you to come over to my place. Hang out there with me as… not my agent.”

She blinks, and I don’t miss the hesitation that flashes across her face. “That would be good.”

“Yeah?” I study her. What was the look for, then?

“Of course.” She pushes onto her tiptoes to give me a kiss. “I’m gonna dig into these croissants.”

She turns to the breakfast tray, and I shake away my worry. Maybe I was just imagining that look.

It’s weird — really fucking weird — worrying about what a woman thinks about me, what she thinks about us. Is this part of being crazy for a girl? Being constantly worried that something will go wrong between us?

Doing my best to push down the anxiety, I dig into the eggs that I ordered. Having breakfast with Marissa might be my favorite thing — next to everything we did in bed last night — and it’s over way too soon.

“I need to take a shower.” She starts to collect her dress.

“Take it here.” I wrap my arm around her, not wanting her to leave for even a few minutes.

Her lips curve into a smile. “I don’t have my toiletries.”

“I have things here. Soap. Shampoos. Conditioner.” I kiss her neck. “What more do you need?”

She rolls her eyes, but her smile has only gotten bigger. “Okay. I’ll take it here.”

“Good.” As she turns around and heads for the bathroom, I lightly smack her butt.

She closes the door behind herself, and a moment later, I hear the shower turn on. Sitting in front of the remains of breakfast, I consider stripping my clothes and joining her.

And I’m about to do exactly that — until my phone rings.

Seeing a video call from Tim, I almost hit the ignore button. But though I’m eager to join Marissa, I haven’t talked to Tim in a while. He’s been by my side through this whole journey — if it weren’t for him, I would have never even met Marissa — and I don’t want to keep him hanging.

Grabbing the phone, I hit the answer button and lean back in my chair. “Hey, man.”

“Hey.” He walks around his kitchen as he talks, no doubt making his morning smoothie. “How are the meetings going?”

I grin big. “Amazing. Things are looking good.”

“Oh, yeah?” He laughs. “Dude, that’s great!”

“It sure is. Marissa is an amazing agent. She knows how to talk to people.”

“I’m sure she is, but it’s you as well. You’re Charlie Elwood. People want you to make a comeback, even if they’re afraid to say it out loud.”

That both sobers me and touches my heart. I’m not sure I deserve a comeback after my shitty behavior, but I’m willing to do whatever I need in order to change that.

“You two work well together, too, I assume,” Tim adds. “And the whole fake relationship thing can’t hurt.”

“Yeah. That’s true.”

I’m hesitant to tell him about what’s actually happening between me and Marissa.

Before I can think of anything else to say, though, the bathroom door opens behind me. In the corner of my phone, I see Marissa emerge, a towel loosely wrapped around her body.

“Do you know if there are any razors?” she asks.

A second later, she notices I’m on the phone. Her eyes go wide, and her mouth drops open. She turns around and scurries back into the bathroom, closing the door behind herself.

“Shit,” I hiss.

Ignoring Tim for the time being, I go and knock on the bathroom door. “I’m sorry!”

“It’s okay,” her muffled voice says through the wood. “You finish your call. All good!”

I can tell how embarrassed she is, though, and I feel like an idiot for not being more careful.

“Charlie?” Tim is saying. “You there?”

“Yeah, I’m here.” Sighing, I take a seat again — this time, with the phone facing away from the bathroom.

“Was that…” Tim stares at me through the screen. “That was Marissa, wasn’t it? Wait, are you actually…”

I don’t know how to answer him. It’s complicated and beautiful and terrifying.

“Yeah,” I finally admit, my voice a bare whisper. “We are.”

Tim’s eyebrows bounce up so high they almost disappear into his hairline. “No shit?” he exclaims. I can’t tell if he’s surprised or impressed. Probably both.

I roll my eyes at him, but there’s a smile tugging at the corners of my mouth. The secret is out, but somehow it feels good not to hide anymore.

“And I really like her,” I say. “She’s not like the other women. This time… I dunno, it’s just different.”

“Different how?”

I struggle to put it into words. How is it different? It’s like asking why the sky is blue or why the grass is green. It just… is.

“She… she gets me, you know?” I rub my forehead, feeling a headache coming on from the intensity of my emotions. “She understands what it’s like to work in this industry. She’s not just hanging around for the fame or money. And we laugh together. A lot.”

“What are you saying?” he asks. “That she’s not a fling?”

“No.” My chest tightens at the thought. “She’s not.”

“Charlie…” His face turns serious. “That’s… Be careful.”

“Huh?” What does he mean, be careful?

“You know she’s your agent.” Tim looks at me like I’m an idiot. “Do you really want to shit where you eat?”

My face burns. “Of course I know that she’s my agent.”

“Exactly. The only agent who was willing to work with you. What if things go south between the two of you?”

“Well, they won’t,” I snap. A defensive edge creeps into my voice that I’m not particularly fond of.

Tim’s mouth forms a thin line, a clear signal that he thinks I’m being reckless. My heart pounds like crazy; he’s getting on my nerves.

“Dude, you’re not exactly known for your stable relationships.” His words sting, but they’re not untrue.

“I know how to handle myself,” I reply tersely. “And besides, it’s different with Marissa. You’ll see.”

My words hang heavy in the silence between us. I can see Tim swallow, his gaze darting off-screen for a moment before returning to me.

“Just… try not to blow this one up too,” he finally says, his tone softer than before. “You’ve got a good thing going here.”

“I know. And I don’t plan on messing it up.” I exhale, rubbing my forehead with my free hand. “What makes you care so much, anyway?”

“Because if you do mess up,” Tim says slowly, leaning closer to the camera as if to underscore his point, “you’ll be dragging Marissa down with you.”

His words hit me like a punch in the gut. The last thing I want is to hurt Marissa. She means too much to me already.

“I won’t let that happen,” I say, my voice low and determined.

Tim sighs, rubbing his eyes with the heel of his hand. “All right, Charlie.”

There’s a resignation in his voice, like he knows he can’t change my mind. For a moment it feels like he wants to say more, but instead he just nods.

“Just be smart about this,” he adds.

I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. “I am.”

“I need to get to practice. I look forward to having you home.”

I can only nod in response; my throat is too tight to answer.

He hangs up and I’m left alone, with the sound of Marissa’s shower still filling the hotel room.

Closing my eyes, I lean back, my heart thumping in my chest. I can still hear Tim’s words echoing in my head. Is he right? Am I only going to bring trouble to my and Marissa’s doors by dating her for real?

The shower cuts off and I sit up straighter, suddenly aware of the silence. A sense of anticipation fills the air — electric, heavy.

The bathroom door creaks open and Marissa steps out, wrapped in a cloud of steam and the hotel’s plush towel. Water droplets still glisten on her skin, catching the soft glow of the bathroom light.

She’s like an angel come down to earth. One look at her is all the answer that I need.

I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life, but I won’t mess this up with her. Not now.

Not ever.