Read Online All She Wanted (2) by Nicole Deese - Free Book Online

this
really a good idea—Charlie and I alone together in my apartment?
    I swallowed hard and reassured myself
that it was fine. We were just friends .
    Friends
watched movies together all the time, right?
    “Hey, Manny.” She walked past me,
placing a bowl of popcorn on the coffee table. But it wasn’t the fragrance of
popcorn that overpowered my senses. It was the smell of fresh peaches—coming
from her wet hair.
    Charlie—recently showered—was clad in
flannel pj’s and slippers.    
    Get a
grip, Briggs.
    Why does
she have to look so good in flannel? I mean, who looks that good in flannel?
    As my inner-dialogue progressed, I
suddenly realized she was talking to me .
    “What?” I shook my head slightly.
    “I asked if you wanted the recliner?”
    “Uh no, go ahead. I’ll sit over here,”
I replied, not-so-smoothly.
    “Okay.” She shrugged.
    Just put
the movie on, Briggs.
    … although , I doubt even Harrison Ford could smell that good
after a shower.
    She curled up on the recliner, pulling
her legs beneath her like she was some sort of carnival pretzel.
    “When was this movie even made?” she
asked snottily as I made my way over to the couch.
    “I don’t know—the 80’s I think?”
    “Awesome.” She rolled her eyes.
    I picked up a handful of popcorn and
threw it at her. She laughed.
    That laugh was my favorite. I had learned that Charlie had many
laughs—at least a dozen. Some were soft and airy, some were strong and
showy…but this one, this one was completely unabashed. When she laughed like
that, her defenses were down. Her pride was gone, and it was just her—raw and
open.
    I sat on the far end of the couch—the end
farthest from the recliner. I grabbed the remote and put my feet up on the
table.
    I pressed play.
    “So where does your sister live?”
    I pressed pause.
    “About an hour north.”
    I pressed play.
    “Do you get to see her much?”
    I pressed pause.
    “About once a month, sometimes more.”
    I pressed play.
    “What’s your nephew like?”
    I pressed pause.
    “Charlie…we will be here till three in
the morning if you don’t shut it,” I said.
    “Oops, sorry,” she shrugged, “I’m not a
very good movie watcher.”
    “Gee, I couldn’t tell.”
    She laughed.
    I smiled.

 
    **********

 
    For the next two hours Charlie stayed
relatively quiet, except for her snarky remarks about fashion or special
effects. To which I told her to shove it. To which she would hurl more insults
my way. It went on like that till the end credits rolled.
    When she stood and stretched, it was
difficult to find something equally distracting anywhere else in the room. Her
hair was a wild mess of waves as it had dried while being pressed against the
back of the recliner. Yet somehow, it still looked amazing.
    I swallowed hard.
    She walked over to the sink to get a
glass of water, stopping in front of the fridge.
    “Cute—is this from Cody?” She asked , looking at the picture I had put on the freezer door.
    She remembered
his name?
    It was a drawing of a fireman that he
had done last year after I spoke to his class during safety week. It was one of
the few things I treasured. I had brought it over with me when I picked up the
poker paraphernalia from my apartment last week.
    “Well, I can tell it’s you,” she said,
her words dipped in mockery.
    “How’s that?” I asked, too curious to
let it slide.
    “Toothy grin, broad shoulders—but what
really tipped me off was how he nailed your big,
fat head .” With that, she flashed me a smile and laughed heartily.
    I made a beeline for her as she
shrieked, running to the other side of the kitchen. She realized a second too
late that she had nowhere to go. She had boxed herself into a corner. I put my
hands on either side of her, gripping the counter.
    “Take it back,” I said.
    “Never.”
    I inhaled. She smells so good.
    I was so close—closer than I’d ever
been to her.
    Her laughing eyes changed then, our
smiles fading-out at the