Charlie

by Eden Elsworth

  He stopped dead in the hallway.

  “Charlotte, let me in!” A female demanded from up the stairs.

  Mark ran inside the flat and grabbed hold of Paul’s arm. “Come here,” he said urgently, almost dragging his son away from his work.

  Confused, Paul let his father pull him to the door. “What’s going on?”

  “Listen,” Mark told him, holding the door open enough for them to hear what was happening on the next floor.

  “Charlotte Teasley, open this door at once!”

  All the air rushed from Paul’s lungs and he slipped down to the floor in shock. “It’s her,” he whispered, unable to speak any louder.

  As Mark heard footsteps coming back down the stairs, he quickly shut the door, then rushed to the window to see who it was leaving. “Christ, she looks a mess,” he commented to himself. Paul wasn’t listening.

  Looking round, Mark saw Paul was leaning against the wall, his head in his hands as his shoulders shook. Having no other idea what he should do, Mark pulled out his phone and rang Kelly.

  “Are you busy?” he asked her the second she answered.

  “Not really. What’s up?”

  “You need to get over to where we’re working as quick as you can. Paul’s in a mess. I just saw Lisa, Charlie’s mother.”

  “I’m on my way,” Kelly said and hung up immediately.

  Mark crossed the room to kneel beside his son, putting a hand on his shoulder. “It was Lisa,” he said gently.

  Paul wiped his sleeve over his face and nodded. He knew that. How many times had he heard that voice and panicked for Charlie, knowing she was getting shouted at, or worse, yet again. He had always felt a deep need to protect her from her mother, and that need was still embedded in the core of his being.

  Then what it all meant hit him square in the chest. In a flat just up the stairs, Charlie was living with a young boy Paul assumed was her son. Was she with someone? Did she and some unknown man share that small dwelling in a domestic bliss?

  All these years, he had just wanted her to be happy. Now, selfishly, he sincerely hoped there wasn’t a man in her life. He wasn’t sure he could bear to be this close to her and still have her out of his reach. He wanted his Charlie back at his side, just as she been all those years ago. Only she knew how to make every breath, every heartbeat, the most exciting thing in the whole world.

  Paul didn’t even notice when his mother tapped on the window. All he could think of was Charlie. His Charlie; the one he had loved from the day she had put that revolting toad in his hands.

  Mark pulled himself up and went to let Kelly in. “He’s hardly said a word since I called you,” he told her quietly, worry lacing every syllable.

  “What happened?”

  “I heard someone calling Charlotte and went to get him. I wasn’t sure if it was Lisa’s voice, not for certain. Then she shouted Charlotte Teasley. He hasn’t even moved since.”

  Kelly followed him into the flat and saw the wreck that had been her son earlier in the day. She had seen him like that once before: when Charlie had left, Paul had shut everyone out. It was if he didn’t know how to live without her. Kelly was starting to think he still didn’t.

  “Which flat was it?”

  “I’m not sure. There’s only two on each floor though, so it’s not going to be difficult to find out which,” Mark replied. He had no idea what to do. Emotions were Kelly’s domain.

  Settling on the floor beside Paul, Kelly stroked back his hair. “I’ll find out for you,” she told him softly. She had to do this for him, put right the one thing she now realised she had got completely wrong.

  After going up to see if she could find out which flat was Charlie’s, Kelly spoke to the older man that lived in the other one on that floor, and found out Charlie didn’t get home until after six most days. Just to be sure, she rang Charlie’s doorbell and called her name, but got no answer.

  They had to wait.

  While they did, Mark got on with clearing up all their work gear so the flat keys could be returned to the landlord on the way home.

  They finally heard the main door open. Kelly was on her feet in an instant. Paul finally looked up as his mother opened the door.

  Kelly looked at him and put her fingers on her lips. She didn’t want to accost Charlie in the hallway. She would let the younger woman get in her home first, then go and see her.

  Watching the fair haired woman and the young boy running up the stairs together, Kelly was sure it was Charlie.

  “Race you!” the woman said with a laugh and the boy suddenly shot ahead of her.

  Closing the door behind her, Kelly followed cautiously. Her son’s entire future seemed to be hanging on what she found out in the next few minutes.

  “I won! I won!” Paul crowed in delight as he turned to look at his mother and gloat.

  Charlie chuckled. “You’re too fast for me!” It was a lie, of course, but he would never know it. She opened the door and leaned to kiss his head. “Go and get your PJs on.”

  When the doorbell rang, all the joy of playing a game with her son evaporated. Please, let it not be her mother again. Charlie didn’t know why Lisa still kept coming back when she hadn’t got any money for so long.

  Preparing and composing herself, Charlie opened the door.

  “Hello, Charlie. Long time no see.”

  “K-Kelly!” Charlie gasped, too stunned to do anything but stare at the older woman for several seconds. “What are you doing here?”

  “I came to see how you are,” Kelly replied with a gentle smile.

  Choking back tears, Charlie could only stare at the woman who had tried so hard to help her when she was a child. Why had she come though?

  “Come in,” Charlie finally managed to say, holding the door open a little more. She suddenly felt embarrassed to be found living in such a pokey little place.

  Kelly squeezed into the tiny hallway and studied the girl she hadn’t seen for fifteen years. Charlie had hardly changed, although she seemed to be weighted down, looking tired.

  “You still look the same,” she said quietly, reaching up a hand to move back an errant curl that had flopped over Charlie’s forehead.

  “How did you find me?”

  “Mark has been working on the flats downstairs. He saw Lisa.”

  Charlie sagged, suddenly feeling too exhausted to keep fighting her mother. There was only thing that would make her life easier: handing over money. “When?”

  “This afternoon.” Kelly’s heart went out to the girl, just as it always had. Was that dammed woman still making her daughter’s life a misery?

  “Why can’t she just leave me alone?!” Charlie exclaimed helplessly. Charlie had even started looking for somewhere to live. Maybe she could escape by moving.

  “What’s wrong?” the older woman asked worriedly, putting her arm around Charlie’s shoulders.

  “She’s after money. I won’t give her any.”

  “Mummy! I’m stuck!” the small boy called frantically from another room.

  Kelly watched as Charlie headed the call and forced herself upright to go and help her son.

  “What have you done?” Charlie asked with a forced laugh.

  “I got muddled,” he replied, his voice muffled by the cloth of his pyjama top.

  She quickly freed his head from where he had rammed it into the sleeve and helped him get the top on straight. “There you go.”

  Before leaving Paul’s bedroom, she took a deep, steadying breath.

  “Would you like a coffee?” she asked Kelly when she returned to the kitchen.

  “I’m fine, honey. “ Kelly stood out of the way by the doorway of the miniscule kitchen and watched as Charlie busied herself getting some fruit chopped for her son’s supper.

  “How are you?” Charlie finally ventured after several minutes of awkward silence.

  “I’m fine. Same as always.”

  Charlie held onto the counter as she made herself ask the question s
he desperately wanted the answer to. “And P-Paul?”

  Kelly watched her closely, seeing the colour draining from the younger woman’s face. It looked like she was bracing herself for the answer.

  “He’s fine,” Kelly replied hesitantly. Charlie looked a little wobbly.

  Although she wanted to ask so much if he was with anyone, Charlie couldn’t get the words out. She couldn’t bear to think of him settled with anyone else.

  “Actually, he’s not fine,” Kelly went on.

  Charlie’s head snapped up, her face ashen. “Why?”

  Panic filled her at the thought there might be something wrong with him. Was he ill? Hurt? She could barely breathe.

  “He’s had a bit of a shock. It’s rather knocked the stuffing out of him.”

  “What shock?” Charlie demanded urgently.

  Kelly reached out a hand to the other woman’s arm. “You, Charlie.”

  The little boy, now all ready for bed, wandered into the kitchen to go and hold onto his mother as he eyed the stranger in his home warily.

  “Go and watch telly for a bit, sweetheart,” Charlie told him gently, handing him the bowl of chopped fruit to take with him.

  “He’s a lovely little boy,” Kelly commented distractedly. Charlie’s child could so easily be Paul’s son. There was a striking similarity between him and how Kelly’s boy had looked at the same age. “What’s his name?”

  Charlie swallowed and said tightly, “Paul.”

  “You’re kidding me!” Kelly exclaimed.

  “No.” Charlie made herself stand straighter. “I never forgot him. I even came to your house a few months ago to see if you still lived there. I saw him.”

  A tear rolled down her cheek. For so many years, she had craved that connection she’d only ever had with Paul, only to find it simply wasn’t there with anyone else. Finally, she had accepted that fact and learned to live her life without it.

  Kelly was stunned. Could they really have been pining for each other all these years? It was like something out of a romance novel, not real life.

  “Do you want to see him?” Kelly ventured.

  Charlie shook her head. “I don’t think I can.” Her heart leapt at the prospect and stopped with her words.

  “Why?”

  “It’s been too long. He’s got his own life and I’ve got my son. We’re not the people we used to be, Kelly.”

  “He’s not with anyone. He never really has been.” Kelly smiled a little, knowing now why Paul had never been able to find what he wanted. All he needed was in front of her.

  Charlie closed her eyes on the tears. Of course she wanted to see Paul, but what would he think of her? She felt she had done so little with her life.

  “He’s downstairs, Kelly said carefully.

  NINE

  “What?!” All Charlie’s senses were suddenly on the alert.

  “Paul is downstairs. I know he wants to see you.”

  Charlie’s knees gave out from under her and she sank to the floor. She couldn’t speak, couldn’t even think.

  Thinking Charlie’s reaction had told her all she needed to know, Kelly turned and left the flat.

  Paul still couldn’t think straight. He had to see Charlie. He had to be sure she had the life she wanted. If she didn’t, he was going to give it to her. He would do whatever it took to make her happy.

  Standing watch over his son, Mark didn’t know what to say or do. When he heard Kelly on the stairs, he rushed out to find out what she had discovered. “Well?”

  “It’s Charlie,” she confirmed. Mark didn’t know if that was good or bad news.

  Paul suddenly jumped to his feet. “Where is she?!” he demanded of his mother.

  Putting her hand on his arm, Kelly gave him a slight smile. “I’ll take you up there.”

  Leading the way, she took her son into the flat and directed him to the tiny kitchen. Then she left them alone. Closing the door behind her. She had done as much as she could. It was down to Paul and Charlie to sort out what they would do next.

  Paul stepped hesitantly into the doorway his mother had pointed him to, his pulse racing in a way it hadn’t for years.

  Then he saw her. He was in the same room as Charlie. He said her name in a whisper.

  Her head shot up and she stared at him in disbelief.

  Paul moved hesitantly over to her, sliding down until they were sat side by side. He felt as if the whole world was suddenly much brighter than before. Charlie shifted over a bit and laid her head on his shoulder, breathing in the scent of him that she still knew so well.

  “Charlie,” he breathed and drew her into his arms, holding her tightly.

  “Paul,” she sighed, a sound of the deepest relief. He had been missing from her life for much too long.

  Looking up at him, studying the masculine lines of his face that she knew so well from the photo she had, Charlie felt like she had come home.

  Leaning his head closer to hers, he searched her eyes for the permission he craved. Her slight smile was enough to let him know he could go on.

  Their lips met.

  For a moment, Paul couldn’t even think of doing more. Then he realised who he was with, and he immediately started to deepen the kiss. Charlie’s hand went to the back of his neck, into his hair. She gripped him tightly, never wanting to let go.

  The old excitement of just being near her rose up in Paul, and his cock rose too. He finally had her back, and he wanted to claim her, all of her.

  Gripping Charlie tightly, he moved her round and stretched out next to her on the floor. It was over fifteen years since they had last laid next to each other. Now they were older, wiser.

  Sliding his hand around her waist, Paul pulled her close and leaned his head down. His lips trailed along her jaw and down her throat. All Charlie could do was gasp. No one had ever touched her like that, like she was the only one in the entire world that mattered, the centre of the universe. She couldn’t stop smiling.

  “Mummy!”

  Charlie froze. How could she tell Paul she had a child?

  “Your son?” he asked softly, kissing the end of her nose.

  She nodded.

  “I saw you a few weeks ago with him, only I didn’t know it was you. If I had, I would have run after you.” His arms tightened around her.

  “Mummy, there’s a spider!”

  Disentangling themselves, Charlie and Paul stood. She took his hand and led the way to the sitting room. Her grip was just as strong as he remembered.

  “Where is it?” Charlie asked her son and he pointed to the eight legged intruder as it sauntered across the carpet.

  Going to pick it up gently, Charlie wondered why her son was so scared of spiders when she had always shown him they were harmless.