Closing the door, I stand before her and notice how much of an adult she looks like now. I also notice the sadness and fear in her eyes. The overwhelming feeling to hold her and comfort her pushes through. Quickly, I bury those feelings and keep a neutral expression on my face.
Needing to say something, I ask her the first thing that comes to my mind. "Are you hungry?" Her head pops up and she slowly smiles, giving me a nod. Leading her to my kitchen, I pull out a chair for her and take out containers of food. "I have chicken, if that's okay?"
"Sure, that's fine."
I smile, nod, and prepare her a plate. Staring at the leftovers from dinner, I assume she'll like it, not necessarily caring what she likes or doesn't like. Turning to look at her, I see her eyes on me and the emotions on her face. It's pulling on my conscience, so I push it away. I'm not letting my guard down when it comes to Charlotte.
Pulling out my phone, I'm about to text Will until I hear her telling me to stop.
"Please don't tell my brother," she asks me.
"Why? He needs to know you're here."
"I just," she pauses, covering her face and running her fingers through her long hair. "I just need a few days to let everything sink in. I know I'm here out of the blue, but I need a few days and I didn't know where else to go."
"You're fine, Charlotte," I pause and turn around to face her. "I'm not going to kick you out of my house, but I can't let you stay here and keep this from Will. He should know. He's your brother. You can't come to Rochester without an explanation."
"I know," she sighs. Getting up from the chair, she paces the kitchen. "All I can say is that I'm okay and I'm going to be living here now. A lot has been going on and I've missed you guys."
"Not good enough. The last I heard was that you landed a good job in Michigan."
I study her body language and the way she's staring at me. She looks surprised I knew that little fact about her. Seeing her here, in my house, in my kitchen, is fucking with my head. This isn't a random situation. She's here for a reason and it's a reason I need to find out.
The promise we made to each other creeps into my head. I remembered her words and how she felt in my arms.
"We can't tell Will."
"I know," I assure her, rubbing her arms and pulling her to my body. "I'm not going to pressure you. I'm so proud of you, sweetheart. You're going to be a star on the field and kill each class. I'm going to wait for you and the day you're ready to tell Will about us then that's the day I'll kiss you and love you forever."
"I'll be thinking about that kiss until the time's right. I promise as soon as I'm done with school we'll tell him together. He'll have to see how happy you make me." She lifts her head from my chest and leans to kiss the tip of my nose. "I love you so much."
"I love you too."
She was my world until it came shattering down and I was left without her. The broken promise fell through my fingers and there was nothing. That day I vowed never to allow love to be near me. I was going to be happier on my own without her. I knew it was wrong. She was my best friend's baby sister. I teased her when she was younger, made her cry, and then fell in love. Our friendship took its own course and I never saw it coming-the day we admitted our feelings.
Will had no idea and to this day still doesn't know the feelings I hold for her. Our relationship ended before it began. It had to be that way, even if she took a piece of my heart with her, I had to forget her and move on.
"Once upon a time you used to care and take care of me. Remember?"
"Once upon a time I would have done anything for you. Things change, Charlotte."
"I guess so." She crosses her arms over her chest and her breasts slightly rise, the swells catching my attention.
"So how did you know where to find me?"
"Will sent me your address one Christmas so I could send you a card."
"I never got a card from you."
"I know," she responds, still holding her eyes on me. "I didn't get a chance to send you the cards or letters."
"Why's that?"
She shrugs and doesn't respond right away. Her mind is reeling, trying to come up with an excuse, and I can't figure out what she'll say.
"Honestly, I didn't think it would matter."
"I'm not sure why you would have thought that. It would have been nice to hear from you and know how you're doing. It's been four years, Charlotte. You can't pop back into my life and expect me to be okay with this. What happened with Shawn?"
"I broke up with him."
A look of shock plasters on my face. From what I've heard, they were on the way to getting married. "I thought you were happy and in love."
"Things changed. I never really loved him. I did it for Will . . . to make him happy."
"You can't always do everything for your brother."
"He gave up his life for me. He could have been playing soccer in Europe and made a career out of it. I held him back."
The ding goes off and I take the plate of food over to her. "Wine?" She nods and I grab an open bottle of red wine and pour her a glass. I need to figure out a plan for Charlotte, and fast. Making her leave with nowhere to go isn't an option. If Will finds out Charlotte came to me and I dismissed her, he'll kick my ass. I have respect for him, so I'll treat her nicely.
"I get it," I mutter and sit down at the kitchen table with her.
"I need to lay low for a few days. Unless you want to go tell on me to my big bad brother."
"No need to get smart, little one. Just answer a few questions." She nods. "Are you hurt? Did someone hurt you?" She shakes her head. "Okay. You can stay here for a few days and then you're telling Will."
I don't push her to tell me more. I'm not usually this big of an asshole around people I care about. The problem with Charlotte is too many years have passed by and I don't know who she is anymore. I don't want her thinking she can count on me or expect a shoulder to cry on. She needs to stay far away because I'm not someone that can be trusted with her. Even though she was someone I loved and cared about before, seeing her now is only causing the feeling of betrayal and regret to reignite.
Watching her eat, I notice she's free of makeup and still looks beautiful, but I can see the creases on her forehead from worry and the dark circles under her eyes from the lack of sleep. Her shoulders are sagging and the tight grip she has on the fork and knife leaves me to think she's holding a secret, possibly several secrets.
Charlotte doesn't pick up and leave without a reason or plan. Regardless of what's going on, it doesn't involve me and I can't get mixed up with her.
I drink the glass of wine I poured and sit back watching her. It seems like my looks are being unanswered or she's staying away and not pushing me. Good girl. Even so, seeing her before me is making my dick twitch again and my heart is beating too damn fast. As much as she's changed and grown up, she's still my Charlotte. The girl I first knew is now a sexy and beautiful woman waiting for me to make my move.
Only I won't.
I can't.
I have to stay away.
I've known Charlotte her whole life. Her brother, Will, and I have been friends since we were babies, and when she came into the world, she became part of both of us. The years went on and my feelings evolved from annoyance to lust to love. Falling in love at eighteen was something I didn't expect. We had a strong friendship and she invaded my fantasy every night. My hand and cock became best friends. Thinking about her, her naked body underneath me, brought on a hard and fast orgasm. She was everything I wanted, until the day she left and never looked back.
When her parents died, Will took on the caregiver role and gave up his opportunity to play soccer in Europe. He continued to play for U of M, but I knew he regretted the decision. Will and Charlotte were left with enough money to be comfortable for nearly the rest of their lives. With the money, Will took care of the everyday bills, bought Charlotte a reliable car, and held down a job working for my dad with a modified schedule. He worked from home most of the time and went into the office when he didn't have class or a game. He was eighteen and Charlotte was sixteen, both lost and afraid. A knee injury my senior year of high school prevented me from playing soccer again. While Will worked or had soccer, I stayed with Charlotte and made sure she was okay. I drove her to practice and went to her soccer games. I became her best friend and was there whenever she needed me. My love for her grew and she never knew it. I respected my best friend and we lived by the bro code. She was untouchable and too good for me . . . for any of us. Charlotte was supposed to follow her dreams, play soccer in college, and major in business. She was going to make something of herself, and no one was going to hold her back. Not even me.