Serenia

Gold and Silver [Serenia/Melbourne]

It was obvious, even to Charlie, that she was fucking up, but his touch was addictive.

A small part of her told her to quit, like they had every time before. The truth was, there was always something to keep them from touching further; they were cognizant of what they felt and actively tried to avoid expressing it any shape, form, or fashion. But Luke had been omnipresent for weeks, a steady force that had been patient with her but had pushed her when she needed it. He wasn’t Sam, and she knew that in every fiber of her being when she felt his dirty hands slide beneath her shirt.

Charlie wasn’t quite sure how, exactly, she felt about Luke. He’d told her that he was in love with her, but she hadn’t asked if those feelings still lingered after his stint away. Maybe she was a fool for assuming there was a possibility that he’d moved past whatever he thought he felt for her. Maybe she was the fool for trying to repress her own thoughts on the matter. Of course she loved him; he’d been a steadfast part of her life for years.

But she knew with certainty that she wanted him, particularly after he grabbed her roughly. She was done fighting whatever was between them. They both needed someone, and there wasn’t anyone else that could possibly understand what they were going through. His words hit her like a ton of bricks, her lower stomach tightening in a way she hadn’t felt in three years. Fuck.

It turned out they were both selfish. She’d always prided herself on being the opposite, letting Sam pursue his dreams of a farm even if that meant days away from her, conferences nearly every month to figure out what he could do to improve the land and the livestock… and everything but her. She’d told herself that she could handle a few years, until the farm was up and running, but she hadn’t known what that had entailed.

She loved Sam, but they’d had their own problems. Somehow they seemed more complicated now as she felt Luke flush against her, talking to her like Sam never had. A jolt ran through her as his thumb grazed her lip.

“Do it,” Charlie said, unable to break eye contact with him. She lifted herself onto the carefully, pulling at his clothes so that he’d step forward. Her legs dangled on either side of him, and her hands began to travel up the length of that stained t-shirt from stomach to chest. “I fucking dare you.”

But she didn’t want to wait any more, lest one of them come to their senses, and a hand snaked up to rest at the base of his neck. She lengthened her spine as she pulled him down, her lips meeting his hungrily. There wasn’t any tenderness in the kiss, but she hadn’t expected there to be. When she pulled away, she tried to put some distance between them.

“Take everything.” Charlie’s voice was low, her eyes meeting his again. “I’ll give you anything.” She'd put the ball in his court after taking her chance, and whatever happened now would be on both of them.

Gold and Silver [Serenia/Melbourne]

The community.

Charlie scoffed at the word, even though she knew Anna had been right. They weren’t doing any favors to themselves, sequestering themselves away while they tried to deal with the loss of Sam. Luke’s next words made Charlie snort, mentioning that he was a little closed off. There weren’t enough adjectives to describe the lengths he would go to in order to be left alone, keep his peace. She took another drink of beer when she realized Luke was staring at her.

“What?”

She would look back on this moment and realize how easy it was for her to take those few steps towards him. She knew she would try to convince herself that was simply because she was drunk and wanted to be near someone… while that wasn’t completely untrue, it wasn’t the whole truth. Charlie could barely breathe, for there was no space between them now. She had to crane her neck up to look him in the eyes. “I can cause you a whole lotta trouble, if you like.” Her gaze roamed over his face hungrily, the same as he had done minutes prior.

The hand that held her bottle turned slightly, now letting her fingers rest against his chest.

But they were interrupted, something that she should have been thankful for. In that moment, she wished they’d never picked Jake up from the breeder.

“Hi, baby,” Charlie cooed, lowering as she balanced on the balls of her feet in order to pet the dog. “You’re such a good boy. I love you so — hey!” He was off to get more water, making the second male to leave her without warning.

She groaned as she stood, looking in confusion at Luke and the butter. “Lard? Oh!” She slapped gently at his hands and raised a finger to poke at his arm. “Don’t you dare put that butter in there, Luke McCormick. Swear to god, I’ll fuck you up if you even think about it.” With another glare, Charlie moved quickly towards the lard then pulled open a drawer to grab the biscuit cutter. “You gotta use lard instead of butter. It’s the secret.”

Of course, Charlie didn’t remember that she’d went to do the same thing when they’d started mixing. “I don’t wanna wait for the butter to cool anyway. If it’s meltin’ that quick, it ain’t worth shit.” She checked him with a hip gently, fighting a smile as she began to mix the lard in. “Fuck you talkin’ about, a fuckin’ mold.”

She worked quickly, careful not to overwork the dough, before spreading it out and placing the cutter into it over and over. Rolled it again, rinse, wash, and repeat until it totaled 10 large biscuits. “You know, if I weren’t drunk, I’d use a cast iron.” She shooed Luke away from the over before opening the door and feeling the heat rush into her face.

“‘I know plenty’,” she mocked in a deepened voice before her tone returned to normal, “’part from what lards for in biscuits. Imagine.” The woman closed the door, grabbing the hand-towel on the handle and ridding her hands of any leftover biscuit particles. It was quickly tossed to the side and she stood there, eyes raking over Luke from head to toe, back to head again.

It only took half a second for her hand to hook her finger around the neck of his beer in a mirror to his previous actions. The alcohol had very clearly lifted any inhibitions she would have had sober as she took a few steps forward, not wanting to try and pull a man so much bigger than her anywhere. “You better mind yourself,” Charlie continued quietly, her eyes moving between his eyes and mouth.

Gold and Silver [Serenia/Melbourne]

Jake swarmed her, rubbing himself up against her leg and pushing her slightly off balance, causing her to grasp the doorframe. He didn’t wait around to be pet, simply ran off to do whatever dogs did at ten in the evening.

Charlie trudged in after Luke, making her way to the kitchen island as per usual. She was too drunk to care about the dirty plate Luke left behind; without alcohol, she probably would have said something or simply taken care of it, but in her current state she couldn’t bring herself to care. Her hands attempted to collect the papers in front of her into a semi-straight pile, then began looking through them idly.

But then Luke grabbed the plate. Charlie’s eyes followed his movements, then blinked rapidly as she looked up at him. Had she said something? She didn’t think she’d allowed any of her thoughts to be voiced. She grabbed the beer and raised it in the air like a mock toast before taking a long sip. She could already feel the hangover coming, and she was sure that in the morning she would swear off alcohol for at least a decade.

“Help?” Charlie guffawed, shaking her head. “When did ‘I’ll make you anything’ turn into ‘we’?” Nonetheless, she pulled at the tie around her wrist and gathered her hair, forming a messy bun on the top of her head that would keep stray hairs from the food. “I wouldn’t have agreed to leave if I’m known this was what was waiting for me.” She reached into a cabinet, pulling at the container of lard she kept - a tradition, courtesy of her grandmother - before going to the fridge for buttermilk and sausage patties.

“Do you even know how to do these?” She asked skeptically, raising a brow to mirror the look he’d given her moments earlier. No matter how inebriated she was, Charlie was sure that she could make the dish in her sleep. The package of meat slipped from her fingers onto the counter, though she was a bit more careful with buttermilk.

“Did you meet anyone at the bonfire?” The question left her lips before she was able to think of it, and all she could do now was act innocently. Like it didn’t matter if he’d made a connection. Like she’d be happy for him if he had made conversation with a pretty girl that he wanted to take out on a date, now that Anna was off the table.

Charlie grabbed the flour and a bowl, beginning to make the mixture with no haste. “Mawmaw always said that you had to make these with love,” she said, giggling and wiping a hand over her face to remove stray hair from her eyes. “Can’t rush ‘em.” Her accent was a bit more prominent now, thanks to the alcohol.

In her daze, she hadn’t realized that the butter hadn’t even been added. She looked around for the sticks, though none were to be found, and washed her hands. It was only after she’d attempted to place another few sticks in the freeze when she realized Luke had already done that. She felt heat rush her face before she shut the door and turned to find her beer.

“You gonna take care of me in the morning, too?” Charlie asked, the bottle opening lingering near her smile. "Or is that another we problem?"

Gold and Silver [Serenia/Melbourne]

Why was he looking at her like that?

Charlie couldn’t put many thoughts together at once, so she just beamed at him, oblivious of the onlookers. Had she been sober, she would have told them to fuck off, ask what they were looking at, mind their business… a litany of questions that now escaped her.

Anything she wanted?

What she wanted, she couldn’t have.

So she bit her lip and nodded. She really wanted some sweet tea, greens, and mashed potatoes with a roast but that wasn’t happening right now, either. In the recesses of her mind, she knew that it likely wasn’t fair for her to ask him to make anything at all. But the space between her name slipping from Luke’s mouth made her think twice about saying anything else.

“We’ll be fine,” Charlie offered, returning Anna’s squeeze. She’d never been close to the woman, particularly because of her relationship with Luke, but maybe this was the time to make real friends in Hingham Valley. God knew she needed it. Maybe it was just the fog of alcohol that made her want to be friendlier and to make more connections, but she knew that somewhere she’d craved any interaction she could have since Sam died. “It was so good to see you. Thank you,” she added, “for making him bring me.”

“No one can make Luke do anything. You know that,” Anna responded, shooting her a look somewhere between compassion and sadness.

“Right.” She stood, a bit too suddenly, and reached out to steady herself with a hand on Luke’s shoulder. “We should do this more often.”

“We’ll see what we can do,” the police chief shot back. “Make sure to drink some water and take a couple ibuprofen.”

Charlie gave her a salute before turning towards where the truck was, staying as close to Luke as she could managed. She didn’t want to explain to anyone how she’d sprained her ankle when she’d gotten drunk for the first time in years. The woman threaded an arm through his, though it didn’t keep her from clumsily bumping into him.

She climbed into the truck in the most ungraceful fashion, then moved into the middle of the bucket seat when Luke joined her in the cabin. There was something poking into her ass, so she reached into her pocket to fumble for her phone. A text that simply said u okay from Noah stayed on her home screen, and she put the device aside.

“Are you good to drive?” Though she wasn’t getting any more drunk, she was still hazy. “I’d rather sit here all night with you than risk losing you to drink.” The words escaped her easily, her tone sincere without much sadness. And it was true; it hadn’t been the first time she’d worried about Luke getting home safe. She couldn’t have cared less about her, but Luke? Didn’t she owe Sam that, to look after him when she could?

Gold and Silver [Serenia/Melbourne]

“Give me your phone,” Noah said as they walked through the party, to which Charlie did without thought. Somehow it was less cloying away from the table, where they wanted to talk about Sam and Luke and her. He quickly pulled her contacts, dismissed an incoming call, and tapped his number into the phone before handing it back. “Just in case you want to talk to me again when you sober up.”

“I’m not that drunk,” Charlie said, looking up at him with a grin.

“I think most would beg to differ.”

Thankfully the bonfire wasn’t very huge. Many of the people with children had left when the sun went down, but that didn’t mean there weren’t at least 50 people meandering around. When Luke came into her view, a bright smile lit her face. “We’ve been looking for you!”

“You’ve been looking for him,” Noah muttered under his breath, apply just a bit of pressure to keep her upright as her pace quickened. “She’s plastered. You better watch her.”

“We’re cops, Noah, nothing is going to happen to her.”

Noah leaned towards her, offering a few words before he let her go. “Call me if you need anything. And I mean anything.”

She didn’t need to be careful with Luke. “Hi!” Charlie moved towards the other man quickly, wrapping her arms over his shoulders in a hug. She was a little too gone to recognize the emotions that Luke couldn’t conceal. She swatted his proffered hand away and plopped onto the bench, looking around until a cold can landed in her hand somehow. Her eyes lingered on the way his rough fingers gripped her knee, with a pressure that seemed to beg her to stay seated.

“I’m sorry,” she said as she turned to Anna and Mack. “I think I had a liiiittle too much to drink.”

“I’d say you’ve earned it,” Mack said with a laugh, taking another drink. That didn’t mean his eyes left Luke, almost as if he was expecting something to happen.

“I’d say I have, too,” she replied, blissfully more chipper around the people she felt more comfortable around. She took a drink and grimaced, her nose scrunching. “But I don’t want this.” Charlie attempted to give it back to Luke, her arm resting against his chest until he did. “Wouldn’t hate another beer.”

“Don’t think you need another drink, darlin’,” Anna said, looking between Luke and Charlie with concern. Why did everyone look at them like that?

Her eyes moved up again to meet Luke’s. Was she hungry? Not necessarily but it felt like she was almost craving something. “Sausage and biscuits.” It was almost impossible to get a good biscuit in Montana, but maybe homemade would be better, even if they weren’t her mom’s. “I’m tired.”

Gold and Silver [Serenia/Melbourne]

Are you still here?

She looked down at her phone and narrowed her eyes as she tried to focus on the text, her vision slightly blurred from more than a few beers. Where the fuck else would she be? “He doesn’t really leave you alone, huh?”

A laugh bubbled out of Charlie as she sat at a table with Eliza, Micah, Sloane, and Noah. Noah’s arm had, at some point, drifted around her shoulders and pulled her closer. She’d allowed it, because she was shitfaced. She forgot how quickly alcohol could hinder her without any food on her stomach. A plate of barbecue sat on the table, barely picked at and now cold. Her head was swimming and she was well past tipsy, a warmth throughout her body that she hadn’t felt since she was in Nashville.

“He’s just worried about me,” she said, looking up at Noah. He was an attractive man, tall and broad-shouldered with sandy hair and coffee brown eyes. Unfortunately he knew it, so much so that she could sense it in her drunken state.

The group was a mix of friends that were her age, give or take a few years. She’d seen some of them around, particularly when she and Sam had went into town. They’d even gone to lunch with Micah and Sloane a handful of times, so when Charlie had seen them, she immediately gravitated towards them. Luke had seemed dead set on sending her out on her own, which had pissed her off enough to drink beer like it was water.

“You know, you could get other people to worry about you,” Sloane said, pulling her dark red hair from her face. “I didn’t know how to reach out after everything.”

Charlie wasn’t close enough with any of them to reach out and vice versa. She didn’t fault them for it, but she could see the sincerity in not only Sloane’s eyes, but all of them. “I know. I’m sorry. It’s hard, when you’re treated like a leper.” The words didn’t come with sadness, only with a matter-of-fact tone that she could thank alcohol for.

“Well, I think that’s over now,” Noah said with a grin, squeezing her shoulders. “You’re here now.” They all clinked their bottles together and easy conversation continued, full of laughter and no tears. While her conversation was easier with Luke, for the first time in three months, returning to some semblance of normal brought her happiness. It wasn’t that the month with Luke had been terrible, but sometimes it had just felt like he was replacing Sam.

She’d caught herself watching him more, found herself late at night with her hand between her thighs thinking of how she’d wanted him then overcome with crushing guilt that she’d chosen the older brother to get off to and not the younger.

Just let me know.

It had been an equally long time since she’d had enough alcohol to consider drunk texting someone. That someone had been Sam for a while, but that had been six or seven years ago. Now… “Goddamn,” she heard Noah mutter from beside her. “I guess the rumors are true that he’s into you.”

Fucking rumors. “Noah,” she heard Micah chide, almost a warning.

“What? It’s not like it wasn’t his fucking brother.”

Doesn’t change the fact that I’m not going to cross that line. “There’s nothing there,” Charlie said with a shrug. “We’re just close. He’d always come here and stay with us. We got close.”

“Just because you’re trying to get with her doesn’t mean everyone else is,” Eliza said bluntly. Is that what this was? Over the past half hour, his arm had moved to her waist and a few fingers in the belt loop of her shorts. She was almost too drunk to care “If we’re airing dirty laundry, we might as well address how a third of the town was interested in Sam, a third Luke, and the other third that wasn’t wanted —”

Charlie waved the rest of the thought away, not wanting to hear it. She knew that Sam and Luke had been desirable for as long as they’d lived here. The boys had grown up on one of the biggest pieces of land within 50 miles; Sam had been a fortunate looking man, with a build trimmer than Noah’s and the personality best described as a social butterfly, and Luke… The conversation, however, was the last straw of her resolve to not text.

Charlie [21:37]: I’m fine. Here still.

“People were loyal to Sam, and they respected him. Anyone that was interested before you came, and even after, would have never done that to either one of you.”

“Yeah, if you don’t count Sutton,” Noah said darkly. Charlies brow’s furrowed, having heard only whispers of that name before.

Charlie [21.39]: I’m drunk.

Charlie [21.40]: Are you ready?

“Where are you going?” She had realized she’d stood from the table until she wobbled slightly and felt Noah’s hand steady her.

“I want to go home, I think. It was great to see y’all. Maybe we can — “ A hiccup interrupted her and she laughed. “We can get together.”

“I’ll text you,” Sloane promised.

So, with Noah at her side and his hand again fasted into her shorts, she sat off to find Luke.

Gold and Silver [Serenia/Melbourne]

Normal people stuff.

It seemed like it had been another life, the last time she’d gone to any social event. She and Sam opted to have a beer or two at the house, not to go to the bar and talk to people. They had everything they needed at home; coupled with Luke’s visits and with her frequent contact with Milly, it had been enough to keep her grounded. Now Charlie had none of that, and thinking about socializing at a fucking pig roast sounded like corporal punishment. She couldn’t say that to Anna, though, and instead shot her a small smile.

Guess asking her to dinner hadn’t panned out.

She sat in the truck, readjusting herself and waiting for Luke to cool off, or whatever the fuck he was doing. She’d seen intermittent outbursts over the few years she’d known him, but she wasn’t sure that she’d ever seen him go from 0 to 60 so quickly. She propped an elbow on the window, letting her head rest there until she felt Luke get into the driver’s seat.

“Don’t go into town,” Charlie replied simply, looking down at the business card Mack had given her. “Not much to do. I’m sure it’ll fade eventually.” She didn’t really know why he was asking her, like he hadn’t had to deal with it for decades of his life. “Then again, I think the more you act normal, the less bad they feel for you.” Acting normal had been hard, but maybe if she had someone pushing her to go to town or willing to cart her around, she could fake it a little better.

“I’m not going to ask what that was out there,” she said quietly, flipping the card over with her spare hand. “But you can talk to me, Luke. I can’t understand all of it, but I can understand some of it.” She released the card and tentatively reached out to grab his hand with hers. “It’ll get better. It has to.”

---

The first Saturday of the month was, in fact, three weeks away. She’d spent the time trying to get into a normal routine with Luke, and each day it became a little easier to not mistakenly say Sam’s name when she made coffee or called him in for dinner.

Charlie had gained a bit of life back, eating one full meal a day and attending to her chores more routinely. There were times where she barely saw Luke, apart from at dawn and dusk, and other times where she would go with him into town if not only to escape being in the house alone.

It seemed like it had taken a fortnight for the laundry to clear up, but she managed. When she ran into a separated sock from Sam, she’d just excuse herself for the rest of the day and lay in bed. She could see the concern in Luke’s eyes at times and chose to ignore it, though it seemed that experience went both ways. Each time she saw him lifting or moving something, she watched for the telltale signs that he had done too much. She’d ordered some Epsom salt from Amazon and made sure to put it somewhere he could see it.

The last thing she wanted was to offer help when he clearly didn’t want it.

When the night of the pig roast came, Charlie decided to get ready before she started having second thoughts. So she took a long shower, complete with shaving and exfoliating, followed by actually blow drying her hair straight. She hadn’t had anything flashy in her closet for years; not much reason to have impractical dresses or heels in Hingham Valley, so she did the best she could with a forest green and white flannel thrown over a tank top, coupled with a pair of cut off shorts and brown, knee high boots she hadn’t worn since she’d left Nashville.

She put on make-up; not much, but concealer, a layer of tint to level out her complexion, and mascara. They clunked down the stairs so loudly she swore they rang through the house. “Luke!” He wasn’t in the living room, but they never were. “I want to go out. Come with me to Anna’s party.”

There wouldn’t bet be any ifs, ands, or buts about it. Whatever grumbling or cussing Luke were to send her way wouldn’t be enough to dissuade her. For the first time in nearly three months, she felt… okay. While he got ready, she grabbed a beer from the fridge and drank one quickly, then nursed on the next. However, the more she drank, the more she just wanted to stay home.

So she let Jake out for the last time before they left then quickly rounded him up and moved to Luke’s truck, letting herself into the passenger seat.

The sun was starting to set by the time they made it to the roast. She could hear the music from inside the truck, blasting a country song that Charlie couldn’t place but seemed familiar. People milled around and it seemed like everyone in town that was under 45 had showed up. “Maybe this was a mistake,” she said, her fingers gingerly wrapped the bottle neck of a now empty beer.

She could see Mack, who had come to see who the new arrival was and then waved. He made sure not to approach the truck this time.

Gold and Silver [Serenia/Melbourne]

“Be nice,” Charlie said with a scoff, her hand lifting to swat gently at Luke’s arm. Mack was about as harmless as they came.

“Hi, Anna.” Her lips pressed into a tight smile as she saw the cop approach the truck, tensing up slightly. The last time Charlie had seen Anna, she was trying to pull her away from Sam’s body. Or maybe it was the funeral. Despite not having occurred long ago, it seemed like a fog that she couldn’t remember clearly. Charlie thought she was at the funeral, though she supposed everyone had been. The whole town had turned up at one point or another… Sam had told her once that knowing everyone was a perk in the Valley, but she hadn’t really seen it that way. Particularly when everyone knew her business and was nosey as fuck.

“How’re you holding up?” Mack was a bit older than her, likely in his late 30’s, and had made very pointed visits to their farm every quarter. He and Sam had talked frequently, often sitting around the table talking about possible hydroponics and how many head of cattle they could sustain if he did x, y, and z.

“I’m alright, Mack.” She wasn’t sure that the concealer under her eyes did the job of hiding that she was, in fact, not doing alright.

“Listen, I’m sorry about Sam. He was a great guy, great farmer.” Another forced expression found its way onto Charlie’s face. “You plan on staying? I’ve got plenty of people that would be interested, if that’s what you want to do.”

“I think Luke is going to stay awhile, try to figure out if it’s doable to keep it running with the two of us.” She didn’t delve into her concerns about Luke’s stamina, or his ability to function in the full capacity he needed to for some of the work required on the farm. Her eyes flickered to Luke and Anna, watching the tension that never left his shoulders and her ever present smile. Then the touch to his chest.

She didn’t have the right to feel jealous. She’d told him that he needed to go out, date… hell, she’d even told him to ask Anna out on a date. “No problem, just wanted to offer it to you. I know it can’t be easy, going through what you have, and I can make it a little easier if you want to part with it.” Mack readjusted his stance, the clink of his gun touching against the truck’s panel.

“And if you need anything, you just let us know. Anyone. I’m sure I have a card here somewhere…” The man moved again, rooting around in one of his vest pockets for a card. “Not sure Sam kept any of these around, but here you go.” He put a hand on the door mirror, another reaching out with the card. “You just —“

Luke’s voice could have been heard across the whole valley. In a moment, Charlie put her knees in the seat and hung out the window, glaring at him. “He’s not doing anything, Luke. Chill the fuck out.” Her voice lowered and she relaxed a little bit, looking back at Mack with a roll of her eyes. “Acting like the fucking truck has feelings or something, goddamn.”

A smile landed on Mack’s bearded face, blue eyes brightening as he looked up at her. “He seems like quite the handful, as per usual.” If he didn’t take a few steps back from the truck on his own, Luke would make sure he managed to stop ‘assaulting’ the vehicle in one way or another. “Listen, Char, if you ever need a break, get out of the house for lunch or something, you’ve got my number.”

“Thanks.” I guess. His eyes lingered for only a moment before he stuck his arm back into his vest. He motioned again to the card, which Charlie took, before he held up his hands as if in surrender to the approaching vet. “You good, man?”

Gold and Silver [Serenia/Melbourne]

She was a truly terrible person.

Charlie hadn’t expected to feel the same way about Luke after Sam had died. She’d expected to remain as heartbroken as possible, but as with every time they were together, he seemed to pull her out of that grief. Unless they were actively talking about Sam, it was like he hadn’t died at all. Like he was still here. So when the surviving brother looked over her and moved toward her, she felt her heart skip a beat.

Despicable person.

“Sorry for wanting you to get your shit done?” She met his eyes, holding contact until he did. “You still stink.” When he finally left, Charlie felt like she could breathe again. So, with that, she began to clean a little bit in the kitchen, wiping down the countertop for the first time in six weeks. Her mom had told her that she could hire a maid and have her sent out, but Charlie had refuted the offer. She didn’t want anyone in her house that didn’t belong, reminding her of all the things that she’d neglected since Sam had died.

It wasn’t a deep clean by any means, but at least the sink was devoid of stains and there wasn’t a film on the unused appliances. She wiped her forehead and put her hands on her hips, looking over her work with some semblance of approval. She could do this. Charlie’s head turned as Luke traipsed down the stairs, ignoring the way she wanted to approach him immediately.

I like it when you wear my things.. What the fuck? Her mouth went dry as he collected his belongings, trying not to gawk. It makes me— Tried not to think of the way he’d grabbed at the shirt not but a few minutes earlier.

”Massively down bad.”

“Huh?” Charlie’s brows scrunched in confusion at Milly’s words, watching the blonde sip her coffee. It wasn’t often that she visited, but when she did, Charlie tried to make the most of it. Sam had all but shooed her from the house when they’d mentioned going to Bozeman for the weekend.

“You.”

“Okay, should I not be? I’m married to him.”

“That’s not who you just got a text from, so let’s stop pretending.” Milly’s hands clasped under her chin, continuing to survey Charlie. “You have to stop.”

“We aren’t doing anything,” the brunette replied, taking a drink as if that would stop this line of conversation. “We’ve never done anything.”

Milly rolled her eyes. “It doesn’t mean you haven’t wanted to. I’ve seen the way you look at him.”

“He’s my brother-in-law, and he literally gets shot at every time he leaves Montana. Forgive me for caring, even though I thought it was only natural.”

“Ain’t nothing natural about how y’all act, and you know it.” Milly’s accent was a bit thicker than Charlie’s, having grown up about two hours away from Nashville. “Sam’s a fucking saint, ‘cause if I had a woman looking at my man like that, I’d fucking kill her.”

“I didn’t think you were being an asshole,” Charlie said with a shrug before a quick smile flashed across her face. “This time, anyway.” Her head tilted slightly as she moved back towards the front door, locking it when they were outside. She hadn’t chosen the shirts completely on purpose, but she was too embarrassed that most of her other shirts littered the floor of the laundry room and desperately needed to be washed. She started towards his truck. “If it bothers you, I won’t do it anymore. It just never had, so I didn’t think about it.”

Gold and Silver [Serenia/Melbourne]

Charlie took what she was handed, grimacing as she wrapped her fingers around the pencil that looked like it was made for someone who had hands twice her size. She hadn’t noticed how close she’d gotten to Luke when she’d leaned over to look at the pictures but she absolutely noticed the contact to her knee. They were too comfortable together, but that wasn’t anything new. Why did it now seem so much more heavy? Was it just Sam’s death, or their admissions last night?

“I fucking hate the winters here,” she said softly, pulling her legs up onto the seat and towards her chest, wrapping her arms around them. Sam had ensured that they had a working fireplace the first year they’d been here, and he hadn’t touched another thing on the farm until he was sure they would be safe if the snow drifts or winds knocked out their power. Of course, there was a generator that came later, but there hadn’t been anything like curling up with him on the couch and listening to the wood burn.

She went about her usual tasks in the most mind-numbing way, attempting to pet the animals every now and then when she felt herself reminded of their present reality. Charlie didn’t talk much while they worked, though she did steal glances towards Luke as he moved around. Recalling the episode of pain he’d experienced last night, her worry grew. Was he going to be able to help? Would he be able to handle it if he was too limited to do what was needed?

But soon enough, the two piled back into the truck and moved back to the house. Sweat pooled in her hair, between her breasts, the small of her back… she needed a fucking shower. There was even a sheen over her arm as she reached out for the proffered water. A smirk appeared on her lips when Luke spoke. “Just being a bitch.” Her eyes lingered on his face for a moment too long before taking a swig. “You stink. You need to shower, and so do I.”

Her door popped open and she quickly moved, not willing to be in a confined space with Luke for more time than she needed to be. She didn’t bother waiting for him to tell her it was something he was willing to wait for and entered the house, immediately going upstairs. It was a quick shower but she could now feel confident she wouldn’t cause people to stay outside of a five foot radius from her.

She dabbed some concealer under her eyes, which ended up being a stark contrast to her still red cheeks, and slid on another Army shirt before parading downstairs. When she saw him again, Charlie crossed her arms. “Where do you want to go first? I imagine you want to see Anna first, get whatever ‘personal effects’ you have.” It didn’t go without a little roll of her eyes, but it was the first time since Sam died she had felt a little bit more normal.