Fading to Light Read online

  This past week has been the longest week ever, and all I want to do is get home, shower off the gym sweat, and curl up on the couch with takeout and Netflix. My nightmares have started again with a vengeance. I had a brief reprieve on vacation, and it was glorious, I’m fairly certain they are triggered by stress, so here I am destressing… in traffic. Yeah, OK, so I’m not destressing.

  I crank up the music and roll the windows down letting the cool fall breeze flow in my windows, the smells and sounds of the city surrounding me, and the heavy metal sounds and rhythms calming the storm of thoughts in my head. I feel eyes on me so I look to my left to see a polished and pressed middle aged man in a suit staring at me out his car window. I try to ignore him and just listen to my music, but he is still staring at me like a weirdo.

  I decide to give him a show and bang on my invisible drum set like a mad woman on a mission. I turn with a smile to see he is indeed still staring with a confused and somewhat disgusted expression. So then I decide to up the ante and shout out my window at him, “What man? You’ve never seen a lady shred a steering wheel drum before? Those beats though!” He shakes his head and rolls up his window. Haha, Success!

  Finally, traffic begins moving again, but my car is pulling super hard to the left. I quickly click through the diagnostic settings on my dash, only to see a warning for my front driver’s side tire. “Fuuuuck! Come on baby, don’t be like that.” I shout at my car. According to the pressure warning my tire is as flat as a pancake. Thank goodness my Dad taught his girls how to change a tire.

  Turning on my hazards, I try to find a parking space on the side of the street. Just let me say that trying to Parallel Park a car with a flat tire on a busy street is not on my fun list, and I know that trying to change this without getting hit by a car will be a small miracle. Popping my trunk release, I get out and open it up to fish out the spare and jack kit.

  As I bend forward, I hear cat calls and whistling from a group of city workers. I’m instantly uncomfortable and very aware that I am only in a pair of tight shorts and a sports bra. Fuck my life. Of course I would have to have forgotten my sweatshirt in my gym locker. I play it off and wave and bow to them, just trying to keep my cool and get this done as quickly as possible, hoping humor will diffuse the situation.

  I finally get the car jacked up and ready to move on to the next step, wiping sweat off my face with my extremely dirty hands when I feel someone to my back. I grip the tire iron tightly and turn to see a big hairy man in a reflective construction vest standing way too close for comfort.

  “Hey sweet thing. Looks like you need a man to show you how it’s done.” He slurs, reeking of body odor and asphalt tar.

  “No thank you. I’ve got it covered.” I say trying to assert myself which is hard to do when you’re half the size of the person you are trying to intimidate and only wearing a neon pink sports bra.

  “Come on honey, let me take care of you.” he says reaching out to touch my shoulder. I pull away just as a car roars up to a screeching stop. Well, not just any car, my freaking dream car- a graphite colored Nissan GT-R. The man I will now refer to as ‘The Troll’ thankfully takes a step back to turn and look at the car.

  Just he’s turning back to me the driver of the beautiful machine launches himself out of the car, and my heart skips a beat… Andrew.

  “Charlie, sweetheart, you ok?” he runs around the car and steps between me and the troll, staring him down.

  “I am now.” I say, grabbing onto his tattooed arm, I know I have to be digging my nails in but at this moment I am so thankful that I just want to hold him as tightly as I can.

  “Sir, you best mind your manners, and leave my girl here alone.” He says, his jaw tensing and I can feel his muscles coiled ready to strike if necessary.

  The Troll just shakes his head and shuffles back to the group of workers down the sidewalk.

  Andrew:

  I am home, finally, and I cannot wait to call Charlie and see if she’s free tonight. I wasn’t supposed to be home until after midnight, but I was able to get an earlier flight, and now I’m chomping at the bit to see my girl and get her in my arms. One thing I never miss about Chicago is the fucking traffic. It feels like I’ve been sitting here forever.

  Up ahead I see a petite woman changing a tire in next to nothing. God, I’m going crazy because she reminds me so much of my Charlie. I see the man approach her and as I get closer I realize two things, his attention is definitely unwanted and that is most definitely Charlie and that fucking man is trying to put his hands on her. Hell no, not happening. My blood is boiling. I rev my engine to distract him momentarily and slam on my brakes to put the car in park. Yes, I’m blocking traffic, but no, I don’t care.

  “Charlie, sweetheart, you ok?” I practically fly out of the car, just wanting to get myself in between them. I see shock register in her features when she realizes who I am before her eyes soften.

  “I am now.” She says looking up at me with a smile, grabbing my arm with her small hands. She has a death grip on me, proving just how uncomfortable she is with this situation. My heart is pounding because all I can think about is her hands on me and her proximity. I can smell her sweat and her sweet scent and shit, if that doesn’t make my cock spring to life, but I need to get this douche away from her.

  “Sir, you best mind your manners, and leave my girl here alone.” I say ready to take a swing if I need to. Luckily he just shakes his head and walks away realizing this isn’t a fight he’d win. I’d fight to the death for this woman. That thought alone scares the shit out of me considering I’ve only known her for a couple weeks.

  Turning to Charlie, I take her in. Sweaty, dirt streaked face, shiny dark hair in a falling ponytail, and Jesus, her body in those shorts and a sports bra. She’s the hottest fucking thing I’ve ever seen, but why in the hell is she practically naked?

  “Babe, stay put. I’m going to get my car out of the street and I’ll be right back.” I say giving her a peck on the forehead. I want to do so much more than that. I run back to my car, people yelling at me, honking and giving me the finger. Got to love city life. I shift my car into gear, spotting an empty space just up ahead and quickly park.

  I run back to Charlie who is standing on the side walk with her arms wrapped around her body self-consciously just staring at me. I pull her into my arms and a sense of calm washes over me from having her back with me.

  “As much as I love this, you probably don’t want to do that. I am super dirty and disgusting right now. I just got done with the gym, then I got stuck in traffic, and then the flat tire happened.” She says trying to pull away. I just squeeze her tighter and she lets out a squeal.

  “I don’t care one bit. This is all I have been able to think about for a week. Do you know how fucking hot it is that you are changing that tire by yourself?” I say smiling down at her.

  A blush creeps across her bronzed cheeks. “My Dad taught us well. His hobby was always working on cars and restoring them, so I suppose I have been doing this kind of thing as long as I can remember.” She shrugs like it is no big deal.

  “What on earth are you doing here? I thought you weren’t supposed to be back until super late?” she eyes me skeptically.

  “I was able to wrap things up more quickly than scheduled and caught an early flight back. I was going to call you as soon as I got back home to see if you were free, but here we are.” I laugh.

  “I actually have a date tonight.” She replies casually, and I immediately want to puke. It seriously feels like I got a sucker punch to the gut. Then when I look at her, I can see the corners of her mouth twitching trying to hide a smile and a flood of relief washes through me.

  “And who do you have a date with Miss Adams?” I ask, playing along.

  “Well, Dr. Montgomery, my couch and Netflix. I mean it’s a pretty exclusive relationship we have going on, but I’m sure we could make room for one more.” She says laughing.

  “That sounds amazing. Let me help y
ou finish up this tire, and we can get going.” I say starting to walk around her white Audi.

  “Andrew, I got this. You’re in nice clothes and I’m already dirty. Let me do it. You can just hand me the lug nuts.” She teases, and I’ll be damned if it’s not the sexiest thing ever. She’s so different from any woman I’ve ever known. Any other woman I’ve dated would be calling triple A, bitching and whining, but Charlie’s so incredibly strong, smart and self-sufficient. Yet, at the same time, she’s soft, elegant and compassionate.

  “If you insist, but I’ll be right here standing guard. Jeeze these guys are breaking their necks trying to get a better look at you. It’s driving me insane.” I say.

  “Yeah, not exactly my first choice in public attire, but I didn’t plan on walking the street after the gym, and I forgot my pullover in my locker.” She laughs, making quick work of changing the tire. I stand there in awe of her. Her cute little face scrunched up in concentration, her cute little biceps and abs flexing as she tightens everything into place. I have to adjust myself more than once due to my growing discomfort.

  “Done!” she shouts hopping up with a proud look on her face, raising her dirt and grease caked hand for a high five. All I can do is high five her and laugh. Her giddiness is contagious.

  “Tell me where I’m going, and I’ll follow you there.” I say. She tells me her address and I commit it to memory. She smiles and starts to walk away, but I grab her hand and pull her close. I grab the back of her neck and look her in her bright green eyes.

  “You Charlotte, are amazing.” I say and bend down to kiss her softly. Her lips part and I let myself explore her mouth with my tongue, her tongue tentatively meeting mine in a passionate dance. We are lost in each other until a car horn honking startles us back to reality. Her cheeks are flushed and we are both breathing heavily.

  “Ok, well follow me and we can figure out dinner later. There should be street parking available for you.” She smiles and turns to her car as I open her door and help her in.

  “And they say chivalry is dead.” She laughs.

  “I’m from the south, and my Mama would beat my ass if I didn’t treat my girl right.” I say with a shit eating grin. My cheeks already ache, but damnit I can’t help but to smile around her.

  Chapter 6

  Charlie:

  My girl. That sentiment stayed with me the fifteen blocks back to my apartment, leaving a warm feeling in my chest and butterflies in my stomach. We have yet to put a label on what we are, but it might be too soon for that anyways. I mean, it’s only been a little over a week, but to call Andrew my boyfriend almost seems a bit juvenile for what we have. The connection we have is unlike anything I have ever experienced before; it is like we are drawn together at a cellular level. It is almost as if part of me belongs with part of him and vice versa.

  Pulling into my designated parking spot, I look into my rear-view mirror to see those sexy as hell headlights pull off behind me. Damn, I’m going to have to ask to drive that thing, or sit in it, or something. I get out of my car yanking my purse, gym bag, and briefcase from my backseat. I feel a shiver run down my spine and when I turn I find Andrew behind me staring at me with a heated gaze holding a carry on in his hand. I arch my eyebrow at him smirking.

  “I hope it is alright if I bring some stuff to freshen up. I haven’t been home yet.” He said slightly lifting the arm with the bag. It was really innocent and his dimpled smile made me melt into a Charlie puddle.

  “Yeah, come on stud muffin.” I say trying to hide the giddiness he makes me feel.

  “Laney was going to work late, then meet with some of her blogger friends for a dinner. So lucky you, you get to avoid the Laney Inquisition.” I laugh.

  “Nah, she’s not that bad. I grew up with a sister, remember?” he shakes his head with a smile.

  “Believe me, I did too, but Laney was an only child. It’s like she saved up all of her irritating tactics to be used on me as a roommate.” Keying in the building code, I push open the door and head to the mailboxes.

  “Sorry, let me just grab the mail real fast. I haven’t been home all day.”

  Pulling out the stack of mail, I thumb through it as I start up the wooden staircase that leads to my apartment. I stop dead in my tracks when I run across an envelope addressed to me from the Cook County correctional facility. I know immediately what this is, and I don’t think I can handle it, not right now. My attorney told me this could potentially happen. It is more than likely a meeting request from the drunk driver that caused the accident that night…the accident that killed my best friend and another innocent man, injured several others, nearly killed me, and stole a part of my soul.

  My attorney, also my former boss, told me that in cases like this where the driver is charged with manslaughter sentence and has time to serve, they will reach out to the victims to meet and apologize to them. It makes them more sympathetic to a jury in the event the case should be revised. It is one of the best chances to receive a reduced sentence. No way do I want to listen to some half assed, forced apology that is just for show. When you get behind the wheel of a vehicle and have been drinking, you run the risk of not only injuring yourself, but others. You can’t do that and not understand the consequences. It is beyond me how people continue to do this kind of shit repeatedly.

  “Charlie… are you ok?” Andrew’s voice startles me and I shove the envelope into the middle of the stack.

  “Yeah. Fine. Just got sidetracked for a minute.” I say trying to plaster a smile on my face, even though I feel like throwing up.

  “You sure? You look like you’re going to be sick…” he trails off placing a steadying hand on my back as we finish climbing the stairs. Damn observant doctors.

  “Yeah. Here we are! Home sweet home!” I sing unlocking the heavy wooden door.

  “Wow. This is really nice.” He says taking in his surroundings. All I can think about is if I picked up all of the embarrassing shit we have. Thank goodness Laney and I both clean when we are stressed. This place is pretty much spotless.

  “Thanks, we really like it. A family friend owns the building so we get a really awesome deal on rent.”

  “It smells so good too. Clean.” He says.

  “Thanks? I love candles, and Laney is obsessed with those little wall plug things.” I say, laughing.

  “Luckily we have two bathrooms. I’m going to go ahead and go shower in my bathroom. The main bathroom is right around the corner there. There are clean towels under the sink. There’s beer and drinks in the fridge. Also there’s cut up fruit in there and the snack cabinet is the one to the right of the fridge. Feel free to help yourself to anything. I shouldn’t be too long at all. Do you mind if I turn on some music?” Now I know I’m rambling on like a loon, but I’m so nervous to have this beautiful, perfect man in my home. Aaaand he is just smiling at me as if I’m not crazy at all. Weird.

  “Thanks babe. Yeah music is good. Is this place wired?” he asks looking around, eyeing the speakers in the wall.

  “Yep, sure is, there are built in speakers in pretty much all the rooms. It is one of the main reasons Ab-” I stop myself before I can finish that. “Yeah, one of the many reasons I love this place.” I say, knowing he probably thinks I’m legit crazy at this point.

  I turn on my heel and practically run back to my room, grabbing the tablet off my bedside table I scroll through to find my favorite playlist and set it to play through the speaker system. The funky metal core beat to Coma by Issues starts pumping through the speakers. I hop into the shower and let the warm water wash away the all of the Andrew anxiety, and dirt and sweat. Shit, Andrew! What if tonight is ya know, the night. I have to shave! Everything. Leave no man behind!

  Andrew:

  After making quick work of a shower, I find myself back in the living room waiting on Charlie to finish up. Her apartment is nothing like what I would expect from two girls living together, but then again, this is Charlie. She is nothing like anyone I’ve ever met. She
has impeccable taste, nothing is girly per say, but there are slight feminine touches. The living area is spacious with a large Turkish rug and a large white sectional with a shit ton of throw pillows. I seriously never understood throw pillows or my mother and sister’s obsession with them, but these are put together they look nice and homey.

  Everything looks professionally put together, but not sterile. Leather club chair and ottoman with a chunky knit throw casually tossed over the arm, coffee table neatly styled with gray and white coffee table books, accessories and a blue glass candle all sitting in a wooden tray. A beautiful Martin acoustic guitar and electric drum pads are in the corner on stands, along with a shiny white piano. Simple water color paintings and personal photos create a gallery wall on the exposed brick, and the white built in bookcases are lined with hundreds of books, photos in frames, CD’s, vinyl, and baubles like drumsticks in a vase.

  I can’t help but to snoop a little and look at the pictures, wanting to get a little more insight into her life. A young Charlie behind a set of drums, Charlie singing playing guitar, Charlie and a group of tattooed guys on a stage, Charlie and her sister sitting on the bench of a baby grand with an elderly lady. Jesus, how many instruments can this girl play? I pick up a photo of Charlie and blonde girl at what looks like is their college graduation. They are laughing, and Charlie looks so carefree smiling at her friend, and her friend is looking at the camera. I can’t place her but she seems familiar. It’s her eyes, they are hauntingly familiar.

  “Snooping, I see!” Charlie startles me walking into the room. She takes my breath away. She’s dressed in a pair of cotton pajama pants and a super faded Warped Tour t-shirt. Wet hair and fresh faced, she is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.