by Chloe Gunter
We took a second then, both of us standing in comfortable silence looking over the practice field. I understood what Ramsey was saying, I knew that he had made valid points. I just hoped to one day find a group of people I could trust unequivocally and would be above all the silly mind games.
“So what’s with you using my full name?” I looked to Ramsey as I bumped him with my shoulder. He proceeded to pretend to brush off the black fatigues he was wearing before he gave me a sardonic grin.
“Charlotte DeWitt. That was the name I had on my roster wasn’t it? I find I rather like it. Much more suitable for you than some man’s name like Charlie. And let’s be honest Charlotte, there’s nothing manly about you.” He finished with a blatant up and down assessment of me, that had my cheeks turning pink. And just like that, the witty and sarcastic man I had met in my apartment was back.
I decided to stop by the mart on my way home to grab a few groceries for dinner. Reed had cooked the past three nights and I wanted to make sure to reciprocate. I settled on grabbing the ingredients for a salmon Caesar salad, making sure to grab enough salmon to cover his voracious appetite. I finished the trip off, grabbing a loaf of crusty garlic bread and a bottle of white wine.
Since class had finished a little bit early, dinner was mostly ready by the time Reed had come home. He walked through the door with his duffle slung over his shoulder and did a double take when he saw me in the kitchen.
“Hey Char, what’s cooking?” He gave me a big grin as he walked into the kitchen. He saw the plates that were almost finished and made a groan of delight.
“I figured it’s the least I could do since you’ve been taking care of things this past week and helping me out. It’ll be done in five, so scoot.” I tried to hip check him to get him to move but of course he didn’t budge. He easily had one hundred pounds on me, most of which was pure muscle. He looked down at me and I could tell from the twitch of his lips that he was trying not to laugh.
“Don’t get so cocky muscle man, just because my talents aren’t physical doesn’t mean I can’t fuck you up.” I stood on my toes and brought my lips as close to his ear as I could. “Just remember that I know where you sleep, Reed. I’ve picked terrible men apart with nothing more than a few carefully placed words and some sleep deprivation. I’m someone you want on your side.” He let out an involuntary shiver before leaning down to match my position.
“Just remember Char, I know where you sleep too,” he said, parroting my words. “As for being on your side,” he rested his hands on my hips, “you’re not the only one who can make someone beg for mercy.”
He hoisted me over his shoulder before tossing me on the couch and unleashing a tickle fest on my sides. I was laughing so hard I couldn’t breathe and I had tears leaking out the sides of my eyes as I tried to squirm away from him.
“Mercy! Damn it, Reed, you win! Let me go unless you want me to burn the salmon.” He squeezed me once more before ruffling my hair. He was laughing hard himself and took a second to catch his breath before shooting me a wink and grabbing his duffle that had been dropped on the floor.
We ate dinner at the table that night, falling into a conversation about our day. Reed had spent the afternoon working with some senior GRAVITAS agents going over knife work. I told him about my afternoon with Ramsey and what had happened with Trisha.
“That’s a tough spot to be in but he does have a point. Speaking of which, I know we haven’t really talked about it, but Ramsey usually comes over on the weekends and a couple nights a week. I wanted to double check with you to see if that was something you’re okay with. I was thinking we could all have dinner together tomorrow?”
“That’s totally fine, I don’t mind him coming over whenever you want. He’s been nothing but helpful to me and you guys seem cute together. Actually, would you mind if I invited someone to dinner as well?” I asked thinking of Gavin and our plans for this weekend.
“Making friends already?” Reed asked, wiggling his eyebrows. It was times like these that I couldn’t help but think he was adorable. He looked like a hardcore biker with his muscles, full sleeve and short beard, yet he was a complete goof.
“As a matter of fact I have. I met Gavin in my Italian seminar and we’ve been hanging out during lunch. We talked about doing something this weekend, so why not start with this?” Reed nodded his head as he finished his bite.
“I know him actually, whip smart with a knack for languages. He consulted for an assignment I was on, really helpful with pointing out the cultural nuisances we needed to know.”
“Yeah, I’ve really enjoyed getting to know him so far. There’s just something about him.” I shrugged, not knowing how to explain how right it felt to be with Gavin. Even though I did have an odd appreciation for Reed and Ramsey.
“It’s those ocean blue eyes Char, I’d be a sucker for them too. Luckily I have Ramsey, and that man lacks for nothing.” He got a small smile on his face, probably thinking about his man.
“Well, our place definitely won’t lack for eye candy tomorrow night,” I said raising my glass to cheers with him. If I only knew what the night would bring.
I woke the next morning with a renewed sense of determination. Maybe it was my friendship with Reed or my new relationship with Gavin, most likely it was Ramsey calling me out, but either way I was going to do whatever it would take to not only stay here, but also to succeed.
I pumped through my morning workout with Reed, for once not dragging my feet and making it down to the gym. Just this past week I had improved some of my upper body strength and muscle tone. I was dead set on making it through that obstacle course under time.
My psychology seminar went great, and it was announced that we would be starting a hands-on project the following week. I was intrigued as to what they had in mind, no doubt profiling or finally getting to read another person and demonstrate our capabilities. It had been a while since I had played at being a human lie detector and I was excited at the prospect of using the skills that had gotten me here in the first place.
By the time I went to the last Italian seminar this semester I had a smile on my face and a spring in my step. Gavin kept throwing small glances my way throughout class. We spent the majority of the class essentially flirting in Italian. Yeah, there's a reason its classified as a romance language. So much so that when class was over he grabbed my hand and pulled me to our spot in the quad.
No space separated us on the bench as he turned to face me, one arm slung over the back of the bench, our knees touching. His other hand reached out to tuck my hair behind my ear.
“Whatever’s put this smile on your face, or that blaze in your eye, I never want it to stop. You’re breathtaking Charlie, I never expected to find someone like you here. And I sure as hell didn’t expect to feel this way about you after such a short amount of time.”
He gave me a slow and sweet kiss, full of passion and promise. He said more of how he felt in the way his lips caressed mine, like I was something precious, than he did with his words. I kissed him back, letting go of all my carefully conceived constructs of the past, and poured every ounce of what I felt for him into it. How quickly this spark had developed between us defied logic or reason.
“Come over tonight?”
“There’s nowhere I’d rather be.”
After what was arguably the most passionate makeout session of my life, we finalized plans for him to come over and join us for dinner. My afternoon was another seminar in weapons training, utilizing some of the skills Ramsey had taught us yesterday but this time with a different instructor and much closer targets. My ability to analyze situations had made me a great spotter, but I was still way better with a handgun then I ever would be with a sniper rifle, which was perfectly fine with me. I’d rather be a master of few and play to my strengths.
As I opened the door to my apartment I was greeted by my half-dressed mountain of a roommate unpacking groceries, placing various things in the fridge and making a pile of ingr
edients on the counter. Reed stood in the kitchen, clad in only loose grey joggers, his hair still damp from a shower. His dog tags hung low around his neck between his well defined pecs and I had to pick my mouth up off the floor. Thank you lord, for blessing me with not only a funny and down to earth roommate, but also platonic eye candy to subtly ogle. Reed looked up at me, no doubt having caught me staring.
“Come on Char, don’t be intimidated by all this,” he gestured to his well-defined abs, then flexed his arms like he was some type of professional wrestler. I broke out laughing as he cupped one ear waving the imaginary crowd to cheer him on before he moved to the other ear and hyped the pretend crowd again.
“Okay, okay,” I breathed out clutching my sides. “It’s not my fault you look like a fucking Nordic God. My ovaries were thrown off guard again. They didn’t expect to be enticed ‘til Gavin comes over tonight.” I threw my bag on the couch and slid up to him in the kitchen giving him a little hip check before reaching over and grabbing more things from the bags that occupied the counter.
“So its like that then, my little girl is all grown up.” Reed wiped an imaginary tear from his eye before flinging it to the side.
“Don’t worry Reed, I have this kick ass roommate who's been giving me extra training lessons. If he doesn’t get fresh enough, I’ll have no problem kicking his ass,” I threw him a wink, placing a bottle of limeade in the fridge.
I turned around to find Reed giving me a soft smile, his hip leaned against the counter and perfectly at ease. He looked pleased, and genuinely happy. I guess Gavin wasn’t the only one who noticed my shift in demeanor.
“You kicked ass this morning by the way. If you continue with that grit I don’t see you having a problem making your niche here at all.”
“Yeah, you probably have your boyfriend to thank for that.”
“I thank him for a lot of things, sometimes repeatedly in one night. But what should I thank him for this time?”
“He told me what I needed to hear and he didn’t coat it in a sugary-sweet and delicate wrapping.” Noticing all the groceries were where they need to go, I took a second, looking back up to Reed, giving him my full attention. “This place, it’s harder to read then the agencies and the field work I’ve done in the past. Despite Assistant Director Ridley’s speech, I wasn’t sure whether or not to trust the dynamics of this place. Then some girl in my class had to go and pull some backhanded shit and, well, I just didn’t want to deal with all the continued bureaucracy and cut-throat mentality I’ve had to in the past, at a place that is supposed to be my home now and become my team.” I crossed my arms at this blatant show of vulnerability, even though I knew inside that Reed was trustworthy.
“So then what happened?”
“He didn’t tell you?” I asked, slightly confused.
“He usually only tells me things I need to be concerned about, we don’t usually just talk about my new roommate and her exploits in his class. Which means, whatever did happen, Ramsey thinks you can handle it.”
“He just told me some things that I needed to hear. To trust in myself more and not be afraid to step up and stand out.”
“Seems like that was what you needed,” he pulled me in for a quick hug, tucking my head under his chin. Pressed up against his naked chest, hands splayed on his back and wrapped up tight, I felt completely safe. I loved how comfortable Reed was at showing affection and being himself.
He squeezed me tighter for a second, giving me a kiss on the head before pulling me back at arm's length, his expression serious.
“You’re ready, Char.”
“What am I ready for?” His expression quickly changed to one of mischief before he gestured to the counter where beer, meat, and a variety of vegetables sat.
“TACO NIGHT!”
I spent the next half hour working alongside Reed, jamming out to tunes while we chopped and sliced our hearts out. Just as I finished making some kick ass guacamole, the front door opened and in waltzed Ramsey. Even off duty he still seemed to be put together, dressed in a black button down and dark jeans.
He walked up to Reed without a word and pulled him in for a kiss. His hand wrapped around Reed’s head, holding him tight against him, while his lips lay demanding quick kisses on his lips, chaste, but full of passion. Ramsey pulled Reed closer as his lips moved to caress the shell of his ear. As much as I was enjoying the show, I looked away busying myself with transferring the guacamole to a dish, not wanting to intrude on their moment.
I felt a firm hand on my shoulder and I looked back to see Ramsey behind me, his lips slightly flushed from his kiss. His green eyes swept my face, no doubt looking to assess how I was doing. Whatever he saw there seemed to satisfy him before he gave me a nod and my shoulder a slight squeeze and moved away, leaving me feeling a strange sense of pleasure at having pleased him.
He opened the fridge and grabbed a couple of cold beers, passing one to both Reed and me. He twisted his cap off and took a long pull from his bottle before leaning against the counter next to Reed. He looked exhausted, and there was a slight pinch between his eyebrows, as if he was still slightly on edge.
“Cheer up, Sarge,” I raised my beer up to him in a toast, “what’s done is done. Now you have a whole night to spend with your two favorite people in the world.”
“I see Reed, but I don’t see Trent Reznor? When is he showing up?” Ramsey asked in a completely serious face.
“Did Mr. Prim-and-Proper just make a joke? And who would have taken you for a Nine Inch Nails fan?” I exclaimed, throwing the dish towel in his direction before a smile slipped out from his shadowed jaw.
“Obviously you’ve never had sex to Nine Inch Nails, or you wouldn’t be asking me that question. Even someone like me has to pay respects where homage is due.” He lifted his bottle to Reed and they clinked bottles sharing a smile and laugh.
“Alright, before I start investigating whether or not you’ve been body snatched, I’m going to go freshen up.”
As I made my way to my room waves of contentment settled over me, sparked with anticipation of the night to come.
I had just finished brushing through my stick straight hair when I heard the tell tale signs of the front door opening and closing. I gave myself one last glance in my bathroom mirror and ran my hands over my emerald green cashmere sweater, luxuriating in the feel.
I opened my bedroom door and was greeted by the sight of Ramsey and Gavin, hands clasped and giving each other a quintessential bro pat. As Gavin turned to greet me, I could see the moment in his eyes when he caught sight of me.
The corners of his eyes crinkled and his grin stretched in a lopsided way that made my heart beat faster. His attention and reaction was so genuine that it started to fill the cracks my soul had battled over the years. All the times a partner had lied to my face had left me weathered and weary when it came to trusting someone with my heart. But maybe, just maybe, this time would be different.
Gavin walked toward me with sure and steady steps until he wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me in, lightly grasping my chin with his other hand and giving me a slow and sensual kiss that made my toes curl. We broke apart reluctantly, knowing that we had an audience. Gavin’s cheeks were tinged in a blush that went up to his ears, but he slipped his hand in mine as I led him toward the kitchen, catching the smirk that graced Reed’s face.
“Don’t give me that look, I had to watch you guys earlier,” I said to Reed before turning back to face Gavin. “Do you want a beer?” He nodded his head in the affirmative, taking the chilled bottle I had grabbed from the fridge.
“You didn’t have to, Charlotte, you wanted to. There’s a difference,” Ramsey interjected.
“You could have given us a moment too, but I didn’t see you minding your own business Sarge,” I said challenging him.
“Now where would be the fun in that,” Reed chimed in, “we’re practically family now. Think of it as roommates with benefits.”
I pushed his shoulde
r and he faked stumbled backwards into Ramsey.
“I can’t with you,” I laughed. “If we’re roommates with benefits then where is my dinner, mountain man? I can’t survive on kisses alone.”
Gavin pulled me back against him, probably feeling emboldened by my blatant claim of him.
“We can certainly try,” he whispered, his hot breath fanning my neck. My arms broke out in goosebumps and I tightly grabbed his hand that was at my waist.
Reed, oblivious to our exchange, grabbed a pot holder and pulled a cast iron pan of salted peppers, onions, and beef from the oven. Ramsey grabbed the tortilla holder and salsa, bringing them to the table. Gavin and I both jumped in to help gather the rest of the toppings and drinks before we all sat around our four person table, a drool worthy spread of food laid before us.
We dug in, passing dishes around to assemble our massive tacos. I took a bite and a sigh of contentment left my mouth. Damn, my roommate sure knew how to cook.
The conversation flowed easily between all of us, and another knot loosened in my chest. I knew Reed had said they had met Gavin before, and it's not like I needed his approval, but seeing them interact and catching up like old friends made me feel more at ease with the feelings that had blossomed in my chest so quickly.
Ramsey seemed to be content listening, only speaking up when he had something to add, or something was directed at him. Whatever had been plaguing him when he first arrived seemed to have taken a back seat, the crease between his eyebrows no longer as prominent.
I realized I’d zoned out when Reed nudged my foot from his side.
