A Chance Encounter Read online

  She quirks an eyebrow and I shake my head. “Not that, your actual gift.”

  I move over to my bag, take out the gift and hand it over to her. She sits down beside me and opens her gift. She takes out the chain and her mouth opens. “Oh my god, it’s beautiful.”

  “There’s another part, dig a little deeper.”

  She gets to the next part and her eyes grow wide as she sees the matching bracelet. “Charlie, this is too much.”

  I smile at her. “Do you like it?”

  She nods. “Of course, I do.”

  “Well, that is all that matters. Do you want me to put it on you?”

  She turns around. “Yes please.”

  I put the chain on her and then I help her with the bracelet. “There you go, even more beautiful now.”

  She turns around and kisses me. “Come on, mom and dad are waiting for us.”

  I squirm a little. “Waiting for us?”

  She laughs. “Yes, apparently we are going to have the talk.”

  “The talk?”

  She laughs. “Don’t worry, it won’t be that bad and I will be beside you and save you from any awkward questions.”

  We go back to the living room. Adam and Gwen are sitting together and smile as we take a seat opposite them. I can feel the nerves building inside and Em senses it. She takes my hand and rubs her thumb over the back of it. I look at her and smile.

  Adam is the first to speak. “This is important for us Charlie, you are the first woman that our baby girl has brought home…don’t roll your eyes sweetie, we did this with your brothers too.”

  “I understand it is a big deal, what do you want to know?”

  He smiles. “All we want to know is a little more about you and what your intentions are towards our daughter.”

  “I’m a couple of years older than Em, I do security at the local nightclub and I have a black belt in Aikido. My dad was in the forces and my grandfather before him. It is something that I am considering too. I want to follow in their footsteps and make them proud of that fact. My mom is an artist and a writer, she has quite the talent. Meeting Em was a chance encounter but I’m glad I have. She has brightened my day and makes me smile even on the days that are not great. Em and I are just starting out but any decision I make will involve her every step. If I enlist it won’t be easy especially if I go on tour but we are strong together and we will survive it if Em wants me.”

  Em is surprised by how open I am with her dad, but she smiles at me. Adam clears his throat and we bring our attention back to him. “I appreciate your honesty with us. I think enlisting is very honourable but that is very dangerous. When are you thinking of doing that?”

  “It’s a way of life, every day you take a risk crossing the road. This is something I believe in and it’s something that I have lived throughout my childhood. It means a lot to me and it is a part of me. It’s not a decision I make lightly but I will discuss it all with Em as I said.”

  “Yes, you did and whatever is decided we will support you. We have seen how you look at Em and the way she looks at you. It is clear to see that you both are besotted with one another. It’s good to see Em so bright and I think this is the best birthday she has ever had here.”

  Gwen nods in agreement. “You are a very sweet girl and I am happy we got to meet you Charlie and you are welcome in our home anytime. It is as you say, early days, but I believe you will both be happy for a very long time.”

  I grin as Em blushes and I put my arm around her. “Thank you, that means a lot. I care a great deal for Em and I am thrilled to be here and share Em’s birthday and I hope it’s the first of many more to come.”

  We crawl into bed together, Em rests her head on my chest and runs lazy circles on my stomach. “Thank you for being here and going through the question and answer session with mom and dad.”

  “It wasn’t as bad as it could have been. Your parents are sweet, and I really like them. They love you very much. It went well, and I look forward to the next meet.”

  She raises her head, smiles, and kisses me sweetly. “This has been the best birthday and I can’t wait to get back home so I can do what I want with you since you won’t indulge me now.”

  I laugh and kiss her again, she settles down and we both fall into a peaceful sleep.

  Chapter 8

  The smell of coffee, pancakes, and bacon awake us. Em stirs and kisses me. “Mom has made breakfast, be prepared for a feast. She doesn’t know the meaning of too much.”

  I smile. “If dinner is anything to go by I will have to spend the next week in the gym to work it off.”

  Em’s eyes glint. “We could always do extra exercise between the two of us.”

  I hear the undercurrent in her voice and I laugh. “That is definitely something we can add into my regime.”

  Her fingers trail over my stomach making its way between my legs. I moan as she strokes over my boxers and then remembers where we are, making me reluctantly stop those teasing fingers. “That will have to wait until we get home.”

  She groans in frustration. “Charlie, I can feel how turned on you are, I want to take care of that.”

  In a voice hoarse, with the strain. “Em, we can’t, not here…”

  “Yes, we can, you just have to be quiet.”

  I bite my lip as she sits up. She removes her t-shirt and boxers before relieving me of my own. She makes her way on top of me and starts to grind her hips against me. I feel her clit hit mine and I moan with the feel of her. Her mouth latches onto my nipple and my back arches. My hands go to her ass and I push her in against me more. I can feel my orgasm building and she moves her head and looks into my eyes. “I’m close, so close.”

  “Me too, cum on me Em.”

  We move into the rhythm quicker and I pull her head to me. I capture her lips in a kiss that swallows our moans as we orgasm together. We ride out the orgasm and pull apart as the need to breathe supersedes what we are feeling. As my breathing starts to regulate, I see a grinning Em and I can’t help but smile. “I knew you were dangerous the first time I met you, now only proves it.”

  She laughs, leans in, and kisses me. “Can I interest you in sharing the shower with me?”

  I laugh. “No, you are going in there alone and I will go in after.”

  She grins, then kisses my lips before bouncing up and making her way to the shower. I lay back in the bed and smile as I close my eyes.

  I must have dozed off since I am awoken again with Em’s lips on mine. She pulls back and grins. “Go jump in the shower sleepyhead.”

  I grin, get into the shower and it refreshes me. I come out, get dried, dressed, and meet Em downstairs. I grin as I see her with a plate full of delightful food. She looks up at me and points to her plate. Gwen notices me. “Good morning Charlie, sit down and I will fix you a plate.”

  I sit down beside Em and as my plate is set in front of me, my eyes widen. I look up at Gwen who smiles sweetly. “Did you sleep well, Charlie?”

  She sits down with a cup of coffee. Her plate has pancakes and maple syrup only on it and I laugh to myself as she reminds me of my own mother.

  “I slept great, thank you. This looks amazing.”

  She grins pleased with the compliment. We all tuck into the breakfast and the conversation is flowing so easily that I become so comfortable with Em’s family. The living room door opens and in comes a racing Ray who skids to a stop at the table. He looks at me and grins. “Charlie is here daddy, look!”

  Daniel comes in and grins. “I see that buddy, she is here, and I hope she didn’t eat all the pancakes.”

  Ray’s eyes widen, and he spins to look at me. “I love pancakes, did you eat them all?”

  I laugh and look at the table where there are enough pancakes to feed the entire neighbourhood. “I kept you some Ray, what do you like on your pancakes?”

  He clambers up on my knee and he starts to clap his hands. “Look at how many there are. I want chocolate and strawberries, that’s my favouri
te. Do you like that Charlie?”

  I grin. “I do, I like maple syrup too.”

  He makes a funny face and I laugh. “I don’t like maple syrup, you better not get them mixed up.”

  The child happily sits in my lap having his pancakes and having an animated conversation with me, much to Em’s annoyance. She is being ignored by Ray and every time she tries to join our conversation, he gives her a look that stops her in her tracks making her pout. I smile at her, squeeze her hand, and receive a smile back.

  I look at Ray and I want Em to have some time with him before we have to leave again. “Ray, Em was talking to me before you came in about maybe taking you to Banana Fun today. Would you like that?”

  Em frowns at me and I wink at her as we watch Ray’s eyes widen in excitement. “I want to go there, it’s so much fun. Can I go?”

  He looks at his mom and dad. They both nod yes and he squeals with excitement. He clambers off my lap and goes over to his mom. “Hurry mom, they will leave without me.”

  I laugh as Ray keeps looking at Em and me in case we move from the table without him. “I will get our jackets Em and then we can leave.”

  I get up, go to our room, and look around for my car keys. I frowned trying to remember where I had left them. I mutter under my breath. I hear a chuckle from behind me making me yelp and spin around. “Jesus, you scared me.”

  Em grins. “Let me guess you are trying to remember where you left your keys?”

  I blush and nod my head. I watch as she crosses the room and lifts the keys from her bedside locker. She turns and jiggles them at me grinning. I hold out my hand, she leans in, kisses me and instead of taking the keys, I pull her tighter into my body. I get lost in the kiss as our tongues sensually move against each other. I hear Em moaning and there is nothing more I would like to do than to make love to her here and now, but I reluctantly pull away. I lean my forehead against hers holding her in my arms. “We need to go before Ray barges in here and then we will have some serious explaining to do.”

  Em grins at me and snuggles tighter into me. “Just one more minute.”

  I put my arms around her, breathing in the scent of her shampoo and smile softly. We hear small footsteps running and a voice that makes us both laugh. “Charlie, I’m ready to go and have fun, are you ready yet?”

  Em growls and I quickly kiss her lips. “He will be with the both of us, I’m just new, he will get bored of me soon enough.”

  “Hmm, he adores you, you won’t get away from him that easy.”

  I take the keys from her and hand her jacket to her. As soon as I turn around, Ray jumps into my arms. I just about catch him without falling over and I laugh at the biggest grin on the child’s face. “We are ready now, Em was helping me find my keys, so we could go.”

  He looks at Em and grins. “You found Charlie’s keys?”

  Em smiles at him. “I sure did buddy. Let’s go have some fun.”

  The next two hours are spent watching the whirlwind, which is Ray running around, sliding down slides, and throwing balls in the ball pit. Em and I are sitting at the nearby table with our coffees watching him. He calls my name to go closer to watch and Em pouts, but I quickly kiss that away. He comes beside us for a rest and leans his head on Em’s lap making her grin.

  “Are you tired buddy?”

  He nods his head and it’s no wonder he is tired since he has been running around so much. We leave Banana Fun and buckle Ray into the car seat. Within five minutes of driving, he falls asleep. As I look back in the rear-view mirror, I smile. “We will have to come and visit your family more. I was nervous before coming here but I have really enjoyed myself. You have a great family Em.”

  Em grins at me. “They really like you, Charlie, Ray has just surprised me so much how quickly he has taken to you, so the fact that you have won him over speaks volumes.”

  I reach for Em’s hand and hold it on top of my thigh. “He is very cute, takes after his aunt.”

  Em laughs. “Smooth Charlie, very smooth.”

  We get home and I take Ray out of the back of the car. He opens his eyes and grins at me. “I had fun.”

  I grin at him. “Em and I had fun too.”

  I carry him inside, lay him down on the sofa and Em gives him his favourite teddy. He smiles up at Em. “Love you Em.”

  “Love you too buddy.”

  He curls into a ball and is off to sleep again within seconds. Em and I go out to the kitchen where her mom, brother and sister in law are sitting. They look at us and frown. “Where’s Ray?”

  Em points into the living room. “He’s in there having a nap. He had a wonderful time with us.”

  Em grabs us a cup of coffee. We sit and chat at the table for a while before it’s time for us to get back on the road again and head home. Ray isn’t happy that we are leaving and there are tears which upset Em. I try to make him smile by promising we would be back to visit him very soon. It appeases him somewhat, he gives us both bear hugs and kisses before we drive off. Em is quiet on the drive home and I know she is finding it tough leaving her family. The music is playing softly, and she is watching out the window. I hear her sighing and it hits my heart hard.

  “Em, we will come back and visit your family again very soon.”

  She looks over at me and smiles softly. “I know we will, it’s just tough when Ray cries like that and every time I leave, he gets so big by the time I see him again. I miss them all, but he is the best little guy.”

  I take her hand in mine. “Why don’t you organise a weekend where Ray can come and stay with you and we can show him around where you live? It will give your brother a weekend off and Ray would love it.”

  The smile that I gain is something I will never tire of.

  “You would want Ray to be with us for a weekend?”

  “Of course, if you didn’t notice, he and I are the best of buddies now. I miss him already too.”

  She leans across and kisses my cheek. “I will try to sort it out and see what Danny thinks.”

  The rest of the drive home, Em is either taking a nap or singing along to the music. I’m happy that I could make her feel better and to put that smile on her face is the best feeling in the world.

  Chapter 9

  Things between Em and I are going great. Her studies are going well, and her exams are coming up, so she is stressed a little more than usual. She is struggling to study at her place because of her flatmates. Their exams are completed, and they are in party mode. I have just finished my Aikido class and see a text from Em. From the text, I know she is struggling and I need to help her. I call Stacey and tell her what I am thinking. Thankfully she is understanding and agrees with my idea. “Thanks, Stace, I owe you. See you soon.”

  I grab my keys and send a text to Em to tell her I am on my way over to see her. I throw the phone on the passenger seat and start the ignition. The traffic is heavy, and a normal fifteen-minute drive takes me forty minutes. I finally make it to Em’s and she has the door open before I even get the car stopped. She comes over to the car and opens the door for me.

  “Charlie, I’m losing the plot, I’m so glad you came by.”

  I get out of the car and she buries her head in my neck as I held her close. “Baby, I’m here, come on inside. I want to talk to you about something.”

  I feel her stiffen in my arms and I kiss her softly. “It’s ok sweetheart, it’s not bad.”

  We go into the house and the first thing that hits me is the blare of the music. I can see her flatmates having a few drinks and understand that they are de-stressing after their exams, but they aren’t the only ones in the house. We go into Em’s bedroom, her study notes and books are strewn all around her bed. As I turn around, I can properly see how much this has affected Em. She looks tired and so down that it pulls at my heart.

  “Em, get your bag packed you are going to come and live with Stace and me until your exams are finished. You will have peace to study and you will get better rest.”

 
; I can see the tears in her eyes and smile softly at her. “You think I’m going to leave you here to struggle? You’re my girlfriend Em, I want you happy and I want you to get the marks you deserve and that’s not going to happen here.”

  She jumps into my arms. “Charlie, you are the best girlfriend ever…what about Stacey, won’t she mind?”

  She kisses me, and I grin into the kiss. “She is on board with it baby. She wants you to do well too.”

  Em gets her bag packed while I carefully pick up her study notes and books. I hear Em humming and it makes me smile. Such a small gesture lightens and lifts her. Once she has the bag packed, we leave, and I call in an Indian order for dinner.

  “I have to buy dinner for Stacey and then once you have eaten you can study in peace.”

  “Is that payment for letting me stay?”

  I laugh. “It’s my turn to cook and I really don’t want to.”

  I collect the food and we arrive back to a grinning Stacey. “Oh my god, you brought food, I’m starving. Hey Em, welcome home.”

  She gives Em a hug before going to get the plates. “Em, do you want a beer with the food or are you keeping your mind free to study after?”

  Em looks at me and I shrug. “It’s up to you baby, when is your exam?”

  “It’s in three days’ time.”

  “Why not have one and take an hour to chill out before you hit the books. You are wound up so tight at the minute.”

  “Yeah, you’re right, I’ll have one Stacey, thanks.”

  Stacey smiles, we dish out the food and Em starts to unwind as she laughs with Stacey. I can see the stress start to melt away and Stacey is so good at making her feel welcome. Em sits back on the sofa and curls into me resting her head on my chest. I stroke her arm and hear her sigh contentedly. Stacey’s phone rings and seeing the smile on her face, I already know who it is. She stands up and walks around while talking on the phone and in all the time I have known her, she has never been able to sit down while taking a call.

  “I have a date, so I will have to leave you both. Charlie, leave Em alone and give her space to study.”