Unlucky One

“The guys need me to do Charlie work today.” Charlie groaned, sounding like a child dreading his day at middle school. His hair was haphazardly pointing in every direction, and you couldn’t help but compare him to a troll doll in your mind. Suppressing a soft chuckle, your feet absentmindedly made their way over to Charlie, hand gently reaching up to smooth his hair. You were accustomed to his unkempt look; you even found it endearing in many ways. Charlie was the only person whom you believed could make the homeless look attractive. However, this was also one of the reasons you were initially hesitant to introduce Charlie to your slightly judgmental friends. Thankfully, you didn’t see them much anymore as you’ve slowly been implemented more and more into The Gang’s antics. To an outsider, this may sound like a downgrade, but truly, it was for the best.

“Really? I can’t wait a few more hours?” You lazily rub his arm in comfort, watching how his eyes slowly open and close, Charlie still clearly half asleep. “Charlie, you look like shit.”

“Nah, Frank is throwing some kind of gambling event and needs the place cleaned for his Vietnamese friends or something.” Charlie quickly lowers his head to kiss you in a small apology. One perk of dating Charlie was that, given his nature, you never needed to be self-conscious about your morning breath. 

“That should’ve been my first guess.” You roll your eyes, used to the ridiculous hobbies of The Gang and how it typically resulted in your boyfriend getting the short end of the stick. This lament quickly struck an idea in your mind, “Charlie, could I help you today? Y’know, maybe make the work go by faster?” 

It didn’t take more than five seconds for Charlie to be snapped out of his sleepy coma and get a burst of energy, “Wait that’s an awesome idea! Do you really wanna?” He looked like a child on Christmas; you didn’t even need to bat your eyelashes for him to immediately indulge in your suggestion. Yet another endearing characteristic of his.

“Yeah, sure. I mean, if you do this ‘Charlie Work’ almost every day, it can’t be that bad, right?” How ignorant and stupid you were. You would very soon regret sparking the idea of helping entirely. 

Now here you were, standing outside of Paddy’s restrooms with Charlie, preparing for battle. Before entering the bathroom, Charlie made you ‘gear up’, which was essentially just a trash bag he cut holes into so you could wear it like a tunic, a bandana to keep your hair back, and a pair of worn rubber gloves. 

“Charlie, I feel like I’m getting ready to go to Chernobyl.”

“Yeah, that’s basically the idea.” Charlie, unlike you, was just completely raw dogging this mission; the only ‘gear’ he was using was gloves. You asked why you were so bundled, and all he said was that it was ‘for your protection’. His reason was sweet, but unnerving. 

“Okay, rules before we go in. If you need to plug your nose, just start mouth breathing. Do not use your hands with the gloves, it only makes it worse. Personal experience.” He shivers slightly with a forlorn look in his eye before shaking out of it and continuing. “Don’t get too into the whole ‘cleaning aspect’ of it, it will be dirty again in 2 days. Fix and leave. Also, stay AWAY from the splash zone, the splash zone is bad.” Charlie listed all of these rules as if he were sorting through a preconceived mental list. 

“Splash zone?”

“Just stay behind me. You’ll be fine, probably.” All of this made it seem like Charlie was preparing you for torrential warfare rather than a simple plumbing issue. After five more minutes of Charlie rambling and you half-listening while staring at his surprisingly serious face, you move in. 

Immediately, you were hit with a giant whiff of God knows what. The stench was so foul you didn’t even know how to describe it. “Oh my God! Charlie, this is absolutely disgusting.” You complain, staring dreadfully at the clogged urinal. Charlie approaches the mess. 

“A plunger is a man’s best friend, babe!”

“Who the hell shits in a urinal?!” 

“It’s a bar bathroom, we keep questions to the minimum.” With a disgruntled look on your face, you stay a solid five feet away from the warzone, hazily watching Charlie approach the mess. After ten minutes of Charlie’s fruitless plunging, nothing happens. 

“Shit, alright. Guess we gotta go inside.” 

“Inside?! Dear God, you are not referring to the sewers, Charlie, because that is the one place I will not follow you, and you know that.” You were aware of your darling boyfriend's hobbies, and as much as you loved him and supported his interests, you stayed away from the sewage.

“Nah, we just gotta like get in the pipes.” Charlie moved in closer, staring at the pipes around the urinal. “Yeah, okay, you know this like curvy one right here? Yeah, that’s probably important for this… situation… probably.” You were almost positive he was just trying to impress you and had absolutely no idea what he was looking at. As Charlie moved around the pipes, you could tell he was trying to flex his muscles, attempting to make fixing a urinal sexy. It was cute. Suddenly, Charlie stood up straight and cracked his knuckles like a true professional. “Alright! Grab the wrench, babe!” 

Hesitantly, you fulfill Charlie’s request and gingerly hand over the tool. “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” 

“Yeah, how hard could it be? I think if a guy who purposely jumps and hits his head on mystery boxes can do it, I can.”

“Charlie, are you seriously referencing Mario? The Italian fictional plumber who, may I remind you, is fictional?” Your question goes unanswered as Charlie begins to loosen random screws and pipes. Unsurprisingly, after he loosens a rather important-looking pipe, water begins shooting around the entire room. 

Charlie quickly pulls you away from the stream of water erupting from the now more broken urinal. “Oh SHIT!” His hands rest on your waist above the trash bag, holding you close to him. “OK, IF YOU SEE ANY GOOMBAS DON’T PANIC.”

“Charlie, what THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!” You yell, trying to put as much distance between you and the shit water as possible in such a small space. Charlie was clearly on edge, but obviously not that concerned with the situation at hand, considering he was now attempting to grab a handful of your ass above the trash bag. “Charlie?! Now is not the time!” You scream, alerting your boyfriend once again of his existence, springing him into action.

“OK! I’m going to need your hand.” Charlie turns to you, dead serious. Trusting your boyfriend, you raise your hand out to him, which he grabs and swiftly uses to ‘plug’ the hole.

“GOD DAMN IT, CHARLIE THIS IS DISGUSTING.” You try to take your hand back, but Charlie keeps it over the hole, unsuccessfully limiting the water spewing out. 

“Look, you stay here and I’ll grab duct tape, it’ll take like two seconds, I promise!” Charlie is slowly backing out of the room, making sure you won’t move from your spot. 

“Fine! Go! Jesus, you’re lucky I love you...” You grimace at the water slowly drenching your arm.

“You’re my Princess Peach, babe!” Charlie yells, running out of the bathroom in search of tape. 

“And stop with the Goddamn Mario analogy!” You scream back, not sure if he could even hear you. It took only a few minutes for Charlie to come back, appearing all frazzled and dazed. 

“Okay, so, no duct tape, I think Frank and Artemis used the last of it, BUT I have these!” Charlie holds up a small roll of scotch tape and gorilla glue. “I think if I like think really hard and use my brain, I could fix this.”

“That’s great, babe. I’m very proud of you, but how the hell are you going to use those to fix this?” You gesture to the pipe that is still actively spraying water everywhere, something you’ve given up on caring about. 

“Leave it to me, Princess.” Charlie gives you a wink with a giant cheesy smile, something you rolled your eyes at, but not without the accompaniment of a genuine smile. He was a stupid idiot, but he was your stupid idiot. 

It took half an hour of trial and error, but by luck, the two of you were able to fix the leak, and in the process, also fix the plumbing. So now here you sit at a high-top table, drenched and disgusting, and just a tiny bit accomplished. You sipped your beer, “Well Charlie, I didn’t think we’d ever do it, but we did. Cheers.” Your bottles make a satisfying clink before you take another swig. 

“Yup! You were a great help back there, babe! It’s nice to have someone around to do the work with me.” A goofy grin is on his face, and you smile back, pleased. 

“Well I must say, it was definitely interesting to take a glimpse into the Charlie work world.” You stretch your arms up, hearing a satisfying pop from your back. “I gotta be honest though, I don’t know how you do it, you’re a real champ. I can’t wait to go back home and shower.”

“Ahh yeah, that’ll feel great for you after all the sawdust and asbestos and stuff, that shit gets everywhere.” Charlie casually replies. 

You do a double-take on your boyfriend, who has and will not elaborate. “I’m sorry, what?”

“Oh yeah, we’re not done yet! We still gotta get the rats inside the walls.”

“...How?”

“By going inside the walls, duh.” He laughs a little bit, clearly not understanding your disbelief. “How else are you supposed to get the little critters from in there?” You can only muster a stare. Charlie work sucks. 

—

You finally made it home, somehow surviving the day. You applaud your boyfriend for being such a trooper about these jobs, but personally, if you were him, you would now realize you’d quit on the spot. It amazed you how such high spirits he had after such a long day, skipping next to you on your walk back to your apartment while he happily rants about something on not understanding fruit. Typical Charlie banter. 

The stairs leading to your apartment took the last of your energy out of you. All you wanted to do was crash on your bed, but there was no way in hell you were ruining your sheets with your dirtiness. Charlie, ever the doting boyfriend, could sense this instantly. “You gonna shower before bed?” He tilts his head in a dog-like manner. 

“Yeah, I feel like I could pass out on the spot, but it’s kinda necessary at this point.” He nods as you start towards the bathroom. Before entering the tiled room, you call out, “You have to shower too if you want bed privileges tonight!” 

“Aww…” You hear him pout. As you walk into the bathroom, you then hear Charlie call out after a quick pause, “Shower together?” You simply stopped and poked your arm out of the bathroom to gesture him over. You weren’t looking at Charlie at the time, but you understand him well enough to know he was doing his little victory dance. The shower was intimate, but not sexual. Sure, there were plenty of times where it had developed into something explicit, but this time you were simply taking in each other's presence. 

Charlie worked his fingers through your hair, lathering the shampoo through it. Sometimes he’d like to style your hair with the suds in fun ways, but more often than not, this only results in knots forming. A small price to pay for Charlie’s silliness. You hum as he preens you and soothingly massages your head. Your favorite part of Charlie was his ability to be so eccentric at times, but also so soft and sweet. 

It was now your turn to wash him, despite some small complaints from his end. You wet a washcloth in the warm stream of water and pour some of your favorite body wash. You knew Charlie loved the smell of it, which was part of why it was your favorite. The soap was now foaming up as you drag the cloth up and down his arms, working away at the cumulative dirt on his skin. As you work away, Charlie begins his usual rambles. 

“Maybe that should be our Halloween costume.”

“What costumes, dear?”

“Mario and Peach.” Of course he was still going on about that. You giggle, motioning for him to turn around so you can rub his back. 

“Hmm, I dunno, babe.” You tease, noticing how tense his muscles were, likely from work. 

“You don’t know?” Charlie seems confused for a second, which delves into bliss when you abandon the cloth to lovingly massage the knots in his back. 

“I mean, sure, Mario and Peach are iconic, but I think she and Bowser are the real power duo there. Plus, they’re definitely smashing on the downlow.” Charlie’s back visibly relaxes under your touch. 

“I guess that’d make sense why she’s always letting him kidnap her…” Charlie pretended to ponder for a second before turning back around to you. “Alright, Bowser and Peach it is.” You gently smile, rinsing off the remainder of the suds before grabbing a fluffy towel to dry your boy off. 

After what seemed like a grueling day, you were finally back in your soft bed, eyes fighting sleep. Charlie instantly got comfortable, bear-hugging you from the side, head resting almost directly on your tits. “Thanks for the help today, babe.” He yawns, “It was nice having a partner in crime for my chores.”

“Dennis I’m telling you, we gotta go to this new bar! Scope out our competition.”

“Mac it’s a gay bar, I don’t wanna be seen there.”

“Yeah! But-”

“Guys! Guys!” Charlie barges into Paddy’s breathless as if he had just run from his apartment to the bar. As usual, the rest of The Gang, minus Frank, was wasting the day away drinking at the counter. “This girl… we went out... I think I’m in love…” Charlie’s speech comes out in quick huffs as he tries to manage his breathing. 

“That’s great Charlie, but Dennis! I swear you won’t regret going to this bar with me!” Mac pointedly ignored Charlie, turning back to his roommate.

“Mac, it just sounds to me like you want an excuse to go to a gay bar.”

“What? No dude! It’s just-”

“Guys!” Charlie’s roar finally snapped the other guys out of their conversation. “Aren’t you proud of me? I finally got over the waitress just like you said I should! I found the love of my life!” The Gang only sent questioning looks to Charlie’s wide grin. He seemed genuinely happy about this girl, not hinting at ulterior motives for going out with her. 

“Charlie, what the hell are you talking about? What girl?” Dee chirped, wiping down some glasses on the bar.

“Look, I met this chick and oh my God she is beautiful.” Charlie gushed, his body language visibility getting giddier by the moment. “I asked her out and she said yes, it was awesome!” 

“Right, okay, and how much paint did you huff this morning?” Dennis lazily looked in Charlie’s direction, mocking him with his words and gaze. 

“What? Guys no, she’s like seriously totally real!” Charlie began rummaging around his pocket. He pulled out a small keychain, one that had a tacky-looking bear on the end of it with a bow. It was clearly cheap and on the verge of falling off the chain at any moment, but Charlie seemed proud of its appearance. “Look! She even won us matching keychains at the arcade yesterday!” Charlie beamed at his friends who appeared less than impressed at the display. 

“If she’s so real then you should bring her around the bar, Charlie,” Dee suggested, half smirking at the idea. In The Gang’s mind, there was no way a real woman would put up with Charlie’s idiocy. Unless she was equally as stupid. Or ugly, she could be hideous. 

At this suggestion Charlie began to avoid eye contact, looking anywhere but his friends, which amused them and only solidified their preconceived notion of this woman not being real. “Well, I don’t know…”

“What do you mean you don’t know?” Dennis taunted, clearly amused by how this conversation was unfolding. 

“Well, you guys are kind of always really mean to me, and also degrade me. I just don’t want her to think I’m some kind of punching bag.” Charlie’s foot absentmindedly scuffed the ground.

Mac piped up, “But you are a punching bag.” 

“I just want her to think I’m strong and cool okay?!” The Gang understands Charlie’s sediment, they weren’t exactly the kindest to him on any occasion. If he brought a girl in here they certainly would rip into him until they inevitably left a bad impression on her. 

“Look,” Dennis began, “If you don’t want us to meet this chick then why are you wasting our time by telling us about her?” 

This question caused Charlie to smile, eventually forming into a smug expression. “I just wanted to brag that good old Charlie got a hot girlfriend before any of you losers did.” The Gang seems unimpressed, clearly still not entirely buying her existence. 

“Look, if this chick is actually real I bet she’s hideous or stupid to be dating you, Charlie,” Dennis said in a dismissing way. 

This aggravated Charlie. Of course, The Gang doesn’t care, why did he even bother coming here to tell them? He had hoped that for once maybe they would have congratulated him on his feat. “Look, you can insult me all you want, but don’t insult her!” All Charlie got in response was a silent Dee and Mac paired with an eye roll from Dennis. “Fine, if you guys don’t care then I’m gonna go hang out with my girl. She at least appreciates me!” And with that, Charlie storms out of Paddy’s. 

It was quiet for a bit, Dee resuming her cleaning while Dennis and Mac picked up their conversation from before. “Hey guys, do you think Charlie actually has a girlfriend?” Dee asked while she was finishing up. 

“Who cares?” Dennis stated. “It’s probably some homeless girl he found under the bridge or in the sewers. If she’s dating Charlie she must be some sort of gross creature.” 

“Probably, but I’m still curious.” Dee imagined all the potentially horrible aspects of this girl. Images of a woman with missing teeth and tattered clothes came into her mind. She obviously hasn’t showered in weeks and smells horrid, much how like Charlie typically did. Then, an idea popped into her head. “Wait, Charlie said he was going out with this girl today, right? Maybe we could do some stalking to see what she’s really like.”

“If she’s even real,” Dennis adds. “But, that might not be a bad idea. I’d like to see this broad for myself.”

“Yeah! And then I can visually access her to see if she is a threat!” Mac seems excited about the idea. It was settled, The Gang would see if Charlie’s girlfriend was a suitable match for their eccentric and grotesque friend. 

—-----------------

Charlie nearly dents your door with how much force he knocks with. It was a pleasant surprise for him to come visit you, and he seems more than excited to see you again, even if it’s only been fifteen hours since you’ve last seen each other. 

“Hey, Charlie.” You smile, “What’s up?”

“Hey,” Adoration is dripping from his voice, he could hardly believe you were real. “I was just wondering if you wanted to go to the fair with me! I heard it was in town so…” Charlie’s voice trails off but he still looks at you expectantly. 

“Sure! I just have to change real quick. Wanna pop inside?” You move to the side to allow Charlie access to your apartment. A wide, cheesy smile takes over his face as he enters, quietly thanking you. He’s relieved in a way. He didn’t think that you would say no to his invitation, but some small part of him expected it. He’s used to rejection and teasing, not warmth and acceptance. It was new and something he was slowly learning, but certainly not unwelcome. He settled on your couch with perfect posture, obviously trying his hardest to seem proper. You only giggled at his attempts and told him he could make himself at home, which visibly made his shoulders relax a bit. 

While you were gone he scanned your small apartment. Charlie was a relatively talented stalker, but he hasn’t found a good way into your apartment yet. You lived in a decent building so getting past the security measures wasn’t easy, but he would eventually find a way. Most he’s seen was glimpses through your windows, getting a general layout. But now that he was inside, he could finally get a good look at your home. It wasn’t anything lavish, but it was certainly cleaner than his apartment. You had a small kitchen which you’ve mentioned you love baking in, something Charlie was looking forward to exploiting in the future. He loves his sweets, and yours probably tastes better than any he’s had before. There are a few photographs, but most are of your childhood pets or scenery. There is only one photo of what Charlie could guess was your family. It sat on the edge of a mantel, almost hidden from sight. Charlie examined the image, taking in all of the faces. Perhaps one day he would be fortunate to meet them. 

Before Charlie could snoop further, you step out of your bedroom wearing a cute sundress. It was a nice day out and you wanted to dress appropriately. You almost laughed at the way Charlie looked like a deer in headlights, clearly looking around and making himself at home like you had said. “You ready to go, tiger?” Charlie nodded absentmindedly, clearly staring at your body in the dress. You looked absolutely gorgeous to him, the color of your sundress bringing out the color of your eyes. It was strange, he typically didn’t notice these things about people, but it seemed you were changing him in all the right ways. Your bright smile of confusion knocked Charlie back into reality. 

“Yep! Let’s go!” Charlie exclaimed, his excitement shining through his demeanor. He grabs your hand and practically runs the two of you down the stairs. The walk on the way to the fair was long but sweet. Charlie would constantly stop to pick up the “treasures” on the ground, even gifting you the ones he considered to be real finds. In reality, it was just someone’s trash he was picking up and admiring, but you found it to be charming, how he could find the value in anything. He certainly had a creative mind and it was refreshing to see someone with such a positive outlook on things. You eventually made it, pockets now full of trinkets. 

The first thing Charlie sees when entering is the carnival games, particularly the game where you throw balls at bottles. “Oh! I’m so good at these things! I have lots of practice throwing rocks at people and trains and dogs.” He ushers you over to the game, a thrill oozing from his words. The last part of his statement mildly concerned you, but you followed nonetheless. You knew you were never in danger with Charlie around. Charlie hands the man at the booth a $5 bill, turning to you. “I’ll win you a prize! I’m the master at this game after all.”

—-----------------

“What the shit?” Dee cursed, crammed behind a nearby bush with her brother and his idiot roommate. “That girl is not ugly at all.” 

“No, no she is not…” Dennis comments, trying to get a better look at your assets. “This chick is gorgeous, which makes it weirder that she would willingly want to hang out with Charlie.” Dennis leaned further out of the tiny bush. The three of them were not hidden, the bush was incredibly too small for them, but it was clear you and Charlie were too enamored in each other to notice.

“Maybe she’s getting paid to date him?” Mac suggested as fellow pedestrians stared at their ridiculous behavior. However, as per usual The Gang was shameless in their endeavors. 

“Yeah totally. I can almost smell Charlie from here.” Dee forged a face of disgust at the thought of Charlie’s hygiene, wondering how you could stand to be in such close proximity to the man. 

“Hey guys,” Dennis started, giving the other two the look he usually gives when he comes up with a ruthless plan. “Why don’t we go introduce ourselves? I mean, if Charlie is really serious about this chick then she should be introduced to his friends?” A jumble of agreements falls from Dee and Mac as they all exchange psychotic looks. They’re not going to be mean to the girl, just show her the kind of people Charlie surrounds himself with.

—-----------------

Charlie was now $20 poorer and still empty-handed from the ball toss game. You eventually had to usher him away from the game after he began cursing out the man operating the booth, consoling Charlie on his loss and assuring him it was definitely rigged. He seemed to appreciate your comforts and decided to put his small grudge on the carney on the backburner for now. Ruining this date was the last thing he wanted to do. 

The two of you walked hand in hand, Charlie’s palm getting increasingly sweatier as time passed. You chalked it up to nerves, but that could also just be how his body normally functions. It was nice being around Charlie, he had an amazing sense of humor and never judged you in any way. For the first time in a long history of dating you felt like you could finally be unapologetically yourself. Any insecurity or weird interest you had, Charlie made sure to make you feel adored and seen. He was quite honestly the most charming man you’ve ever talked to because of his quirks. Your friends disagreed after showing them a selfie you two had taken, but what did they know? 

Thinking further about Charlie you turn your head to smile at him, but he seems to be preoccupied with something he saw in the distance. You could have sworn you heard him curse under his breath before redirecting where the two of you were walking. “Charlie? I thought you wanted popcorn?” You question, actively walking away from the booth selling popcorn. 

“Yeah, I changed my mind. You like caramel apples, right?” He seemed timid, his wary smile not quite meeting his eyes. 

You nod at the comment, “I do, but I wanted to treat you to something you like! Since you spent all that money trying to win me a prize and all.” 

Charlie simply shrugged off your concern, finding it sweet that you wanted to do something for him, but more nervous about the situation at hand. “Candy apples, popcorn, they’re all good to me! I think you forgot I eat literal trash.” You giggle at the comment, then grimace a bit at the thought. You probably need to buy him a new toothbrush. Or a toothbrush period. 

Charlie kept tugging you along, seemingly avoiding something. After around five minutes of him dodging your comments and not slowing down for anything you dig your feet in the ground causing the two of you to stop. Charlie looks back at you with a nervous, questioning smile. “Okay Charlie, what is going on?”

“Haha, what’re you talking about?” Charlie asks, not bothering to hide the fact he is scanning the area around you two. 

“What am I talking about?” You parrot, “Maybe the fact you are acting like we’re on the run from the cops?” At his still anxious expression you consider your words for a second before adding on with a whisper, “Are we running from the cops?” Your face was close to his, close enough that you could feel his breath on yours. Charlie sighs in defeat before giving in. 

“No, it’s worse than cops. It’s my asshole friends trying to ruin the only good thing in my life yet again.” 

“How are they your friends if they ruin your life?” It seemed strange, but then again nothing you’ve learned about Charlie’s life sounded normal. His living conditions, his odd roommate that you learned may or may not be his biological father, and the bar he works at was definitely out of the ordinary. 

“It’s complicated, just don’t think about it too much.” Charlie looks down at your still intertwined hands, contemplating what to do next. “I just don't want them to make you see how weird or gross I am.”

“Charlie I’m sure-” Your sweet words were cut off by three breathless people chanting Charlie’s name, running up to you two. 

“Charlie!”

“Charlie there you are!”

“Hey, buddy! Funny running into you here!”

They were all equally loud and crazy-eyed. There were two men and one woman, you assumed these were the asshole friends Charlie had referred to. They all shamelessly eyed you up and down in an almost judging manner, to which you only replied with a hesitant smile. 

“Oh, hey! You must be the girl Charlie was talking about.” The girl addressed you first. She was tall and blonde, staring at you with intimidating bird-like eyes. 

You began, “Yeah, I’m-”

The brown-haired man next to her interrupted your introduction, “Wow, Charlie. What a catch. You’re certainly easy on the eyes.” He was clearly checking you out, purring his words with a flirtatious tone. It was mocking in a way. “How did you land such a catch? You know, with your disgusting hygiene habits. You know he goes into sewers naked?” The man stared at you with wide eyes, more than likely expecting a large reaction out of you, to which you only blinked in his direction. 

“Right, well-”

Another man cut you off, this time with slick black hair. God damn these people did not allow anyone but themselves to get a word in. “Hey! If you guys are done at this stupid boring fair you should definitely come back to Paddy’s!” His words were now solely directed towards you, “That’s our bar, y’know. We own it. Charlie does too but he’s basically just our janitor. We call it the Charlie work, it’s very gross.” You only half-heartedly nod. No wonder Charlie was so anxious, these guys are dickheads. Speaking of your scraggly boyfriend, you turn your head to see him practically fuming next to you. You knew if you didn’t intervene now things would turn a whole lot uglier. 

“Ok, well, it was um, wonderful meeting you three, but,” You discreetly take Charlie’s hand in yours, taking a few steps back. “We actually have dinner reservations so we have to leave now.” It was a lame excuse, but anything to get out of here. 

“Oh perfect! I’m starved,” The blonde began. “Where are we eating?”

“Actually it’s only a table for two, sorry! Maybe I’ll see you guys again! Bye!” You half-yell as you actively usher Charlie away from the scene back to your apartment. 

“What a bitch.” Dee casually said as the other two agreed. 

—-----------------

The walk home was quiet, which was strange as Charlie always found one thing or another to talk about. He was still silently mortified next to you, deep into his own mind. He was convinced you would never want to hang out with him again after hearing how his friends spoke about him today. Charlie knew you were aware of most of those things, but what if hearing them from another person changed your mind about things? He felt light-headed thinking of how you’d never talk to him again after this. 

Eventually, you made it into your apartment building and to your door. Charlie was about to admit defeat and simply walk away before you take hold of his arm. “Charlie?” For the first time since his friends showed up, he looked into your eyes. In them, you only found anxiety and sorrow. 

“I’m sorry about today, it was supposed to be nice.”

“Oh Charlie, it was still an amazing day, don’t worry about what your stupid friends said.” You cooed, but it didn’t seem to change much in his mind. 

“I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t wanna go out anymore. I am pretty gross.” 

“That’s stupid,” You began, “I mean, you may have some non-hygienic habits, but it’s just a part of who you are! It makes you stand out from the crowd.” You move closer to your boyfriend, hands now cupping both of his cheeks. Charlie learned into your palms, drinking up every moment of physical touch between you two. “Charlie you’re such a unique soul and you’re so kind to me. I wouldn’t change a single thing about you because then you wouldn’t be my Charlie anymore, you would be someone else.” You could see Charlie’s eyes slowly light up at your words, almost as if he’d never heard a kind word to or about him in his life. 

“You mean it? You really wanna keep seeing me?” Your hands leave his face, which makes Charlie think the worst, but your lips quickly take their place on his cheek.