A Thousand Spotlights

299 Words

I wish I was in love

Charlotte's body went rigid for a moment as he moved, but when she realized he wasn't pulling away, she relaxed immediately and found a smile tracing her lips the smallest bit. It was stupid of her to believe that he was doing it for any other reason than that he just wanted her to get off his back about everything or maybe because he just wanted her to stop being so whiny. She didn't actually think it could be more than that. He was so rigid to begin with, and although he'd thawed considerably, he was still working for Will. To protect her.

With their hands against his chest, she looked at them and let out a soft sigh. Hunter was so warm and their hands seemed to naturally fit together. She craved his presence and she lived for his sense of humor. It was just a friendship, barely, but she knew that he was affecting her in more ways than just that. That it was his job to protect her was one thing, but that he actually looked out for her in more than just the physical aspect of harm was something else entirely.

Charlotte swayed to the new song that played, considering everything that she wanted to say. She felt like she should thank him or at least give him some idea of how happy she was that he'd been the one to save her and look out for her. However, she worried that it would disrupt the moment and she was reluctant to end it. "I wish we'd met somewhere else. In a different situation so that we could actually be friends."

But I don't wanna cause any pain

239 Words

I wish I was in love

His teasing remark wasn't what she'd wanted to hear, but she knew he was playing it off as a joke because they couldn't have the serious version of this conversation without it hurting her. Charlotte was so annoyed by her brother's hand in everything that had to do with her. He controlled it all but couldn't be bothered to spend any time with her to see how she was doing. And the one person that could make her feel seen was someone that wasn't allowed to see her as anything more than a job.

She turned her face into his chest and tried to laugh because she knew it was all she could do. Her hand tightened around his and she glanced up at him, "You know, I have to wonder the same thing. How crazy would it be if you were dancing with a snobby brat? Gawd, I can only imagine the way you'd feel." She rolled her eyes before settling her cheek against his chest again.

Charlotte's hand around his neck itched to slip into his hair, to stroke the back of his neck, or something affectionate like that. So instead she dropped it back to his shoulder and squeezed lightly, "I can't believe I want to be friends with such a dork."

But I don't wanna cause any pain

583 Words

I wish I was in love

He poked at her side and Charlotte swatted at him with a laugh. She mirrored his stance, a little more sassily with her weight shifted onto on leg. Before she could say anything, her whole body froze and she jumped at Hunter's quick movement to attention. Her arms wrapped around her body and kept her eyes away from both of them, settling on the floor instead. It made her nervous to think how long she'd been standing there, watching them. If it got back to her brother, she wondered what he would do. Could he even get mad at her? At him? It wasn't as though he'd decided to show up. She was ready to fight with her brother for Hunter's sake if it came down to it.

Her eyes lifted once she walked away and she turned to look up at Hunter, a frown settled on her lips. Even as he smiled, she couldn't quite bring herself to reciprocate it. The intrusion just went to show that she couldn't have her own life without Will and his people lingering around and watching every move that she made. "Yeah, I'll uh...see you. Thanks," She said with the quirk of her lips as he turned to walk off.

Charlotte went to the table and grabbed the cake that she'd asked the staff to leave before going upstairs to her bedroom. She heard movement from William's room and she frowned, setting one piece down in front of his door. She knocked lightly before going to her own room and shutting the door behind her. A few minutes later she heard his door open and she wondered if he took her offer or if he was just going to throw it away.

She picked at her cake, thinking back on the night that she'd had and sighed. Admittedly, she hadn't expected such a good night, but it was tainted by the problems she had with her brother in the room a few doors down. He'd had business to tend to, but was in his room much sooner than he usually was. It didn't make any sense. Once she finished off her cake, she set the empty plate on her bedside and stripped off the dress, tossing it over the chair to her vanity. After she changed, she curled up in bed and dozed off almost immediately. It was a few hours later that she was woken up with a startle. Her whole body was shaking and she took a few deep breaths to try and calm herself.

After a while, she realized that she wasn't going to be able to sleep so she got up and slipped out of her bedroom. Her first stop was down the hall to her brother's room, she tried the door and noticed that it was still locked but that the cake was gone. Sighing and shaking her head, she leaned agains the wall considering her other options. She knew she could just go watch tv for a while or read, but she was so exhausted. A moment of hesitation later and she tiptoed her way downstairs and towards Hunter's room. She had to wonder if he was still awake, his comment about never sleeping replayed in her head. She tapped on the door lightly, opening it after a moment to peek her head in, "H-Hunter?"

But I don't wanna cause any pain

282 Words

I wish I was in love

Charlotte felt sort of pathetic given her circumstances. Nightmares at twenty-two years old that were bad enough she was seeking someone to comfort her? She wasn't a little girl anymore and she knew she shouldn't have acted like one, but after the attack, she didn't feel quite as strong as she did before. She knew that she was easy to take and easy to hurt and having that replayed over and over again in her dreams was doing her no good. If Will's door had been open, she wouldn't have bothered Hunter, but seeing that her brother didn't want her anywhere near him, she only had Hunter to go to.

He stood in front of her and she lifted her eyes to his, noting that her fingers were trembling and that he didn't sound as though he'd been awake. Guilt flooded her and she looked down, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up. It's nothing, sorry." She lingered in the doorway for another moment and sighed, "Actually, uh, I just...I had a nightmare and...I can't sleep." It sounded pathetic coming out of her mouth, but she trusted Hunter not to make her feel worse than she did. They'd crossed a certain barrier, she felt, and it would be cruel for him to turn around and act like they hadn't.

Her fingers started fidgeting in front of her and she shook her head, "I just...can I...stay in here for a little while? I can't handle being alone and Will's door was still locked."

But I don't wanna cause any pain

350 Words

I wish I was in love

She was hit with a wave of relief when he opened the door for her to come inside. Charlotte would have rushed him if she wasn't so shaken up by his superior catching them earlier. Obviously slipping into his bedroom in the middle of the night wasn't much better, but at least she was keeping her distance. She'd defend him completely if anything got back to her brother and she had the ammo to throw in his face if he chose to cop an attitude.

She knew her way around the room, having spent most of her life in this house. Sitting on the edge of his bed, she wrapped her arms around her stomach and chewed on the inside of her cheek. She wasn't quite sure what to say to him, she'd just invaded all of his privacy by coming into his room and it was crossing a line. Although she knew she'd been in his room before, sleeping in his bed, this was different because she was completely sober and he hadn't brought her there.

Charlotte turned her head towards him when he asked if she wanted to talk or if she just wanted him to be quiet. Quiet wasn't going to help her, but she had a feeling he already knew what her nightmare was about. Pulling her legs up, she scooted back so that she was sitting in the middle of his bed, her arms wrapped around her legs and her chin resting on her knees. "I can't do quiet right now, but you already know what the nightmare was about I'm guessing. So, I don't know what more there is to talk about," She kept her voice low and her eyes had moved from him to the sheets that were beneath her.

Letting out a sigh, she looked back up at him, "I'm sorry if I got you in trouble. Do you think she told my brother about what she saw?"

But I don't wanna cause any pain

232 Words

I wish I was in love

Charlotte would make sure to find out one way or another. If nothing had been said to him, she had some small hope that nothing had been seen, but there was something about his superior that made her uncomfortable. She probably knew every small moment they had and was just collecting and waiting to turn it all into her brother. Will liked organized evidence and she seemed like that kind of person. Char was pretty sure she'd known after he did, and it wouldn't be because anyone told her. She'd find out by a random stranger taking over without a single word from anyone.

Her eyes lifted back to his when he asked if she wanted to play a game of getting to know each other. She couldn't help the way her eyes widened because she never expected to be allowed to ask him questions. She knew a bit about him, sure, but nothing below the surface. She wanted to know everything, she wanted to know him.

Charlotte crossed her legs on the bed and leaned onto her elbows that rested on them, "Are you sure you want to give me free reign on questions for you?" Because that gave her a lot of power that she hadn't had before.

But I don't wanna cause any pain

238 Words

I wish I was in love

Charlotte's hand clapped over her mouth to stop herself from laughing too loudly. Already her nightmare had faded to the back of her mind and she was fully engulfed in their conversation. Once she had composed herself, she took a few deep breaths and laughed again. It took her a few more minutes before she could actually talk and by that point he'd already brought out the alcohol. Who could blame him? She eagerly took the bottle and held it between her hands as she pressed her lips together to keep from laughing again.

"Aww, no sex life to talk about?" She gave a slight pout before rolling her eyes, "No, yeah, lets not go there. I'm still reeling over the fact that you talked about your shriveling balls okay?" She snorted softly and shook her head back and forth. If that wasn't a perfect birthday present, she didn't know what was.

Charlotte composed herself again and tapped her index finger to her lower lip, "Hmm, limits. Honestly I go with the sex life thing, too. I'm a pretty open book." At least, she had been with him so far. Honesty was her thing, she couldn't stand lying or fibbing or tiptoeing. "You start, I need to get my shit together first," She laughed.

But I don't wanna cause any pain