Away from Home by Sienna Waters

Author:Sienna Waters
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2019-06-19T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

Light streamed in through the curtains, and Avery blinked her eyes open. She’d fallen asleep sometime in the dead of night, when all had been still and quiet. She’d lain awake long after the lights had been turned out. Had listened to the sounds of Charlotte breathing, the rustling of sheets as she moved.

She should never have asked. No, that wasn’t entirely true. She had asked. She should have been more able to accept the no that Charlotte had given her. She didn’t understand it, not really. The more she studied the logic of what had occurred, the less she understood. But she should be able to be turned down without it making her feel like she was being torn up inside.

Not believing that she’d actually slept, she turned over, studying Charlotte. Her face was relaxed in sleep, gentler, softer. She smiled a little, shuffling just an inch closer, feeling the heat emanating from the woman. She should wake her, they should get down to breakfast. But for just a minute she wanted this. Wanted the pleasure of waking up next to someone, the privacy of watching someone sleep.

Charlotte stirred. And before Avery knew what was happening, she was being encircled by an arm, was being held, pulled in closer to Charlotte’s body. The touch of Charlotte’s skin on her bare arm took her breath away, and she froze. Charlotte’s eyes flickered open.

“Sorry!”

She pulled away, clutching the sheet around her, and Avery didn’t move, lying on the pillow where she’d been left.

“Nothing to apologize for.”

“I just... um. I’m sorry. I was half asleep.”

“And you thought I was someone else,” Avery finished.

Perhaps Charlotte wasn’t as divorced as she thought. Perhaps there were still feelings there. It made her feel a little sick, a little like crying.

“No, no, I didn’t think, I didn’t think of anyone, I just...” Charlotte took a deep breath. “It was just instinct.”

She flopped back down on the bed, her hair spraying out on the pillow, her face inches from Avery’s.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered again.

“Stop apologizing,” said Avery, willing herself not to cry.

But Charlotte was raising a hand, was already stroking her cheek and the tears came whether she liked it or not. Hot and bitter, the tears ran down her face and she sniffed, trying to control herself. And then she was being pulled back into Charlotte’s arms, was being held again, and that made the crying even worse.

“I’ve really fucked this up, haven’t I?” Charlotte said, stroking her hair.

“No, no. I’m not exactly emotionally stable at the moment,” gulped Avery. “And now I’m sorry. Sorry for crying all over you.”

There was silence for a minute or so, and Avery could hear Charlotte’s heart beating, could smell her.

“Trying to take feelings out of the equation doesn’t really seem to be working, does it?” Charlotte said, finally.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean trying to pretend that there’s no feelings between us just ends up with one of us feeling bad, or hurting. And that’s the opposite of what we’re trying to achieve.

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