19. Charlie

CHAPTER 19

CHARLIE

Charlie was still aching all over when he woke up. It was time for more painkillers, which were by the bed with a bottle of water. Sebastian had been so attentive and it would be sweet if he wasn't treating Charlie like a china doll. What had happened to his big, strong gladiator?

He was feeling hungry, so thought he would get something from the kitchen. Once Sebastian saw him, he'd jump up and start fussing. Hopefully, he'd be in his office. Charlie padded into the kitchen and squealed in surprise at the strange man in the kitchen, before realising it was Deacon.

"Fucking hell," said Deacon, looking up and down Charlie's body.

He immediately covered his crotch.

"Relax, Charlie, I was referring to your bruises. I'd end up with my own if I went anywhere near you."

"Where's Sebastian?"

"He had to go out for something. Asked me to keep an eye on you."

"For fuck's sake, I'm not a child."

"Why don't you get dressed? I'll make you a grilled cheese. Then we can talk."

Charlie growled in irritation, but a grilled cheese sounded utterly amazing right now. If there was one thing he loved about being in New York, besides Sebastian, it was the belief that there was no such thing as too much cheese.

He went back into the bedroom and pulled on some sweats and a loose T-shirt. He needed a shower, but that could wait until later. Maybe Sebastian would run him a bath again. Scrap that, he could run his own bath. There were already smells of melting cheese as he walked back into the kitchen. Deacon had put on an apron, which was adorable and bizarre at the same time. Charlie was going to sit at the breakfast bar, but it was painful to get up on the stool, so he opted for the dining table.

A few minutes later, he was tucking into the best grilled cheese he'd ever had. Deacon started cleaning up.

"Leave that. Sit down. I have questions."

Deacon smiled, clearly humouring him. He took a seat.

"Where has Sebastian gone?"

"Police station. They needed his statement."

"On a Sunday?"

Deacon shrugged. There was more to it, or maybe things worked differently to how they did at home.

"What about Hunter?"

"I dropped him at a friend's place last night. He seemed okay."

Charlie sat up quickly and winced. Hunter had been clear with Charlie that if he left Brandon he wouldn't have anywhere to go. He told Deacon as much.

"I watched him go in, and there was someone else there. A woman."

"Did you get his number?"

"No, was I supposed to?"

"Yes, it would have been helpful. Do you remember where you dropped him?"

"Of course I do."

"Great. Speak to him. Check he's okay. And get his number. Ask if you can give it to me."

"I'll go round when Sebastian gets back."

"He could be ages yet. You need to go now before it gets dark."

"I told Sebastian I'd stay with you until he got back."

"We can go together."

He stood up. The pain was excruciating, but he wasn't leaving Hunter. It was likely Brandon was already back on the streets and might go after him.

"Charlie, sit down. Let me call Sebastian."

Charlie relented. Deacon tried to call Sebastian twice but wasn't getting through.

"I'm sorry, but I can't leave you, Charlie. Sebastian's my boss and he asked me to look after you."

"I'm here in the apartment, safe. Where the hell is Hunter? Back with Brandon, probably. Do you want that for him?"

Deacon shook his head. He wanted to go, and Charlie knew why. Deacon was like Sebastian, in that he had the protective streak. He'd also seen him comforting Hunter the night before when they thought Charlie had left. It was only Deacon putting his arm around him, but there was a spark there. Charlie had seen it. He knew it would be easy to convince Deacon.

It ended up taking twenty minutes. God, the guy was stubborn, but the agreement was Deacon would look for Hunter, on his own. They exchanged numbers and Charlie promised to let him know when Sebastian got home. He locked the front door, so only someone with a key could get in. As far as Charlie knew, that only applied to Sebastian, Bex, and the cleaner.

He made up a bath, although he couldn't get the bubbles the same as Sebastian had. It didn't matter so much when he sank into the warm water. He never had a bath at home. There was only one in Gregory's master suite. He said anyone could use it as long as he wasn't working, which was never, and besides, the shower was quicker.

Charlie was enjoying a soak when he heard the front door open and close.

"Charlie," shouted Sebastian.

"In the bath."

A few seconds later, Sebastian appeared, frowning.

"Where's Deacon?"

"Went looking for Hunter."

"What?"

"Hunter. You know, from last night."

"I know who Hunter is. What I don't understand is why Deacon defied my orders and left you here."

"I'm sorry, did you just say defied my orders? Are you a mafia boss or something?"

"I told him to stay here and look after you, and he just left. I need to call him."

Charlie stood up and grabbed a towel. Pulling the plug out, he winced. Sebastian rushed forward.

"Leave it. I can do it myself."

It was agony stepping out of the bath, but his pride was on the line here, so he did his best to hide any pain on his face. He'd clearly failed miserably as Sebastian looked like he wanted to rush over and wrap him in cotton wool.

Charlie dried himself off before wrapping the towel round his waist and walking to the main bedroom. Sebastian was following him like a lost puppy. It would be cute if Charlie wasn't so irritated. He took his time getting dressed because it was so painful, but refused to let Sebastian help him. Once dressed, he went into the kitchen to get a glass of water. Sebastian followed him again. Charlie was close to losing his shit.

"What are you doing, Sebastian?"

"I just want to make sure you're okay."

"I'm fine. Just a bit sore. It'll heal in a few days. I had far worse than this from the bullies at school."

There was a flash of anger in Sebastian's eyes.

"Look, I know you love me. But I can't be smothered. It's too much. I gave Deacon an ultimatum to go after Hunter, or I was going with him. Hunter told me he had nowhere to go if he left Brandon. I'm safe here. He isn't. Do not take this out on Deacon. It took me ages to convince him to leave. And he assumed he was gonna lose his job. He's not, is he?"

"No, of course not. It's just, I told him to stay here. What if Brandon had come here?"

"The door was locked. And would he really be that stupid?"

"You don't know what he's like."

"No, I know that. And you don't have to tell me anything. I've worked out most of it, anyway."

"I want to tell you. It's just I don't want you to think less of me."

Well, now he couldn't be mad anymore. He walked over to Sebastian and pulled him into a hug. Sebastian squeezed him back, which caused Charlie to let out an involuntary groan. Sebastian leapt back.

"Charlie, I'm so sorry."

"It's fine. Stop fussing. Now tell me what the police wanted."

"They just needed a statement about what happened."

"Didn't they get that all last night?"

"They like to be thorough."

"Why didn't they want to see me again, then?"

"Not sure. Maybe they will in a couple of days."

It was Tuesday, and Charlie had still heard nothing from the police. He'd convinced Sebastian to go back to work, but he was still being a fusspot. They were sharing a bed at night, but Sebastian wouldn't touch him. Charlie had tried to initiate things a few times, but all that resulted in was Sebastian getting Charlie off and then cuddling him. It was frustrating. They'd been at it like bunnies the first week, and now he was in danger of becoming a virgin again. Okay, that was not possible, but he was frustrated.

Charlie was flying home on Sunday, and he had interviews lined up next week. He was fully prepped, so there was nothing else for him to do with his time. His friends were worried about him, but had promised not to say anything to his mum. There was no need for her to panic.

The only thing Charlie was worried about was Hunter. There was no sign of him anywhere. It appeared he hadn't gone back to Brandon, but Deacon hadn't been able to find him, although he wasn't giving up. He'd spoken with Jason earlier about getting back from the airport. He assumed Sebastian would arrange everything. They were supposed to be flying back together, but Jason had suggested he check with the police that he could leave, given he was the victim of a crime and it hadn't been to court yet.

He called Lieutenant Simmons, whose number he'd been given by the uniformed officers on the night of the charity event.

"Lieutenant Simmons, it's Charlie Davidson. Do you have a minute?"

"Of course, Mr Davidson. What can I do for you?"

"I'm flying back to the UK on Sunday and wanted to check that won't be a problem, given the case."

"No problem for you to go home. We have your contact details and can let you know about the trial date. The judge will probably let you testify by video conference."

"Oh, that's great. Thank you."

"Obviously, your boyfriend can't leave the country, but he knows that."

Charlie was stunned. Why wasn't Sebastian able to leave the country? Had he missed something? He asked the question.

"Because he's facing charges for his attack on Mr Fletcher. He isn't able to leave the country until the case is over, or dropped, but I assume because we haven't heard from you, you decided against the deal."

"What deal?"

"Mr Fletcher said he'd drop the charges against Mr Steele if you dropped your complaint against him."

Charlie was seething, but kept his cool.

"How would I go about withdrawing my complaint? I'm not sure how things work over here."

"You just need to come down to the station and make a statement."

"And how do we guarantee Mr Fletcher will withdraw his charges?"

"We'll cover all that. Have you changed your mind? Would you like to come down here?"

"I could be there in an hour if that works?"

Simmons agreed and provided details of where he needed to go. Charlie wanted to scream when he got off the phone. How dare Sebastian take that choice away from him? First, he needed to focus on speaking to the police. He would deal with Sebastian later.

It didn't take long for him to make his statement. Simmons said he'd call later to confirm Brandon had done the same. He left the station and decided to get a burger at a place he'd enjoyed the previous week. There were so many homeless people on the streets, more so than in London. He hated to see it, as so many of them were younger than him. Most people kept their head down and ignored them, but Charlie always liked to give some sort of acknowledgement, even if he couldn't give money most the time. He was looking at a group of young lads when he had to do a double-take.

"Hunter?"

He looked at Charlie, startled and was clearly getting ready to bolt.

"Can I buy you some lunch?"

Hunter hesitated. The other lads around him seemed interested in their conversation. He wasn't sure if they were friends of Hunter's, or just other homeless guys who were taking up the same patch.

"If you don't go with him, I will. Free food with a cute guy. And that British accent. Sold!" said one lad.

He looked younger than Hunter. Charlie smiled at him, wondering what his story was. But right now, he was only interested in Hunter. He knew if he left and came back with Deacon, he'd be gone. If he didn't want any help, then Charlie could at least feed him.

Thankfully, Hunter nodded and followed Charlie, who waved at the other guys. They wolf-whistled, which was bizarre as it wasn't something which had ever happened to Charlie before. Given the brazen way the other guy had flirted with him, he wondered if they were all part of the queer community.

They didn't speak as they walked towards the burger place Charlie had been heading to. It had tables outside, so Hunter wouldn't feel self-conscious. They ordered at the window and took a seat, waiting for their ticket to be called.

"Thanks for this."

"It's okay. How have you been doing?"

"Well..." Hunter gestured to his attire, which differed from his clothes at the ball.

"I was asking more about whether you'd heard from Brandon."

"No. I haven't been back to his place. He cut my phone off, so I had to get a new one."

"Can you stay with your family?"

"Never knew my dad. Mom died a few years ago. And the rest of the family are Bible-bashers and want to send me to one of those camps."

Charlie shuddered; he'd heard enough stories about those places. They called their ticket, so Charlie went to get the order and used it as an opportunity to shoot a text to Deacon, letting him know where they were. It wasn't the best way to get Hunter to trust him, but Charlie wouldn't be here in a few days and Hunter needed someone in his corner.

He put the food down, and Hunter dived right in. Charlie wasn't sure when the guy had last eaten something. A few days ago, he guessed, at the way he inhaled the food. Charlie had barely taken a bite and Hunter was wiping his mouth and making a start on his fries.

"Do you want another burger?"

"I'll be good with this, thanks."

He ate his fries slower as Charlie tucked into his burger. Between eating, they chatted, staying off topics such as Brandon and homeless shelters. Charlie didn't dare look at his phone to see if Deacon was going to turn up. He was thinking of ways to get Hunter's belongings from Brandon when Deacon himself plonked down next to Hunter, making him jump.

"Relax, Hunter. I just wanted to chat to you."

Hunter glared at Charlie, who smiled apologetically. He then noticed another presence and looked up to see Sebastian, who looked furious. Charlie narrowed his eyes, letting his boyfriend know he was pissed off with him. He didn't seem to get the message.

"What's he doing here?" asked Charlie loudly, so Sebastian would hear it.

"He was with me when your text came through, and he pulled rank."

"Hmm."

"Oh dear. Looks like trouble in paradise, Hunter. Shall we get a coffee?"

Hunter was hesitant. He looked at all of them, and then nodded.

"Give me your number before you go," said Charlie.

They exchanged numbers, and Hunter left with Deacon. Sebastian took the seat opposite, and the mood shifted instantly.

"Why didn't you say you knew where Hunter was?"

"I didn't know. I just bumped into him."

"And what were you doing out on your own?"

"Are you serious? We've had this conversation. Do you want to know what I was doing? I was at the police station. Had a very interesting chat with Lieutenant Simmons."

Sebastian looked like he'd been slapped across the face.

"Yeah. Forgot to tell me something, didn't you?"

"I didn't want you to feel obligated."

"That wasn't your decision to make. So, I've dropped the charges. I should hear today that you're in the clear as well."

"You didn't have to do that."

"Of course I was going to do that. I love you, for fuck's sake."

Sebastian smiled.

"No. I said I love you, but I don't really like you right now."

"I was just trying to protect you. It was my fault what happened, and –"

"Sebastian. That's not protecting me. It's taking away my choices. The money thing is one issue, but I get it. If I was in your position, I'd probably do the same. But this... this is too much. I can't have my choices taken away from me."

"I love you, Charlie. I'm always going to want to keep you safe."

Charlie groaned in frustration. Why couldn't this brilliant, sexy man get it? There had to be a flaw. Nobody was perfect. But Charlie wasn't sure if this was something he could accept. He needed space to think. He stood up.

"I'm gonna go for a walk."

"Where?"

"No idea. I just need to think."

"Let me come with you."

"That kinda defeats the purpose."

"Okay, well can you add me to your Find My Friends, so I know where you are?"

Charlie looked at him in shock. Sebastian had a desperate look on his face. He was deadly serious, and Charlie wasn't sure what to do. He needed to get away, but he had a feeling Sebastian would follow him if he didn't let him.

"Fine, but don't come looking for me. I'll make my own way back. Deal?"

Sebastian nodded, and they set up the connection. Charlie couldn't believe this was happening. His instinct was to call Jason, or his mum, or one of the others. Could he really walk away from the best thing that had ever happened to him? Or could he stay with someone and lose his independence? He knew everyone who loved him would have advice, and he could even guess what they'd all say, but this was something he needed to work out for himself.