My Elizabethtown

Chapter Fifty-Six

Charlie just stood there frozen. At first I had to wonder why, then as I watched him turn a deep red and quickly explain he'd be right back, I broke into hysterics.

"Can I... assume... that isn't... Mrs. Kowalski?" I managed to get out between my loud hoots.

He shot me a look from hell as he dashed to the bedroom. Seconds later he returned, fastening his pants and carrying his wallet.

"Pizza?" I inquired.

For that simple word, I received another nasty look and a nod too. It put me right back to laughing so hard I was nearly curled into a ball on the floor.

I didn't get to find out the full story for several minutes, as I was too breathless to talk much.

He strode from the front door to the kitchen and stayed there, not saying a word to me when he passed. I decided to at least dress a lil for dinner and got a pair of boxers on before I ventured into the kitchen.

Charlie just sat at the table, his head hanging. I felt it was way more serious an ordeal than the laughing I'd done.

"Love, talk to me... I'm sorry for laughing at it, honest, I am," I stated.

He let out a long sigh, "baby, that delivery girl was my general manager's nineteen-year-old daughter."

My eyes went wide, "oh, shite!"

"And she's also the town slut. She's been after me for at least five years now. Tonight she thought for sure she was getting exactly what she'd been wanting."

"You mean to tell me, she's been chasing you since she was fourteen?"

"Yes... sometimes there's an advantage of being out. At least it would stopped her... maybe," he replied.

"I would have set her right if she'd needed it, love... you're my man, and I'm not about to share!" I stated.

"Well, she doesn't take kindly to rejection of any type, she thought she had the pizza in hand and I was her dessert."

"How did you explain it?"

"I told her I'd thought she was someone else... she replied, 'I can make you forget all about her'."

"That was after you'd slammed the door in her face?"

"Yes, baby... Penny doesn't give up until she's conquered a guy. Then she's on to the next one."

"Well, she best get it through her head, to keep her bloody hands off, Charlie!" I said rather loudly, my jealousy showing its ugly head.

"Whoa, baby... she's no competition to you, I promise. I'm just hoping against hope she doesn't tell anyone about this. It was as embarrassed as I can ever remember being," he replied.

I did my best to only smile and keep the giggles away, "the expression on your face was one for the books, my love."

"I'm just glad for the style of that screen door, she didn't get as full a look as she could have."

"Well I'm not much for the idea of sharing you, even just a peek at you like that."

He grinned, "oh, really? You had me fooled with your outburst a few seconds ago."

I grabbed the pizza box and pointed at the phone number on it, "don't get mouthy with me, Charlie... I can always get `miss hot-to-trot' back here to fix you up."

He scratched his head, "now where did I put that special foreskin glue?"

There was no holding back my feelings for this wonderful man, "I love you, my Charlie."

His expression totally changed, I knew he'd say those same words back, just from the look he gave me. The one that made me feel as though I was the most special person on the whole planet.

"I love you very much, baby," he replied.

My tummy growled at that moment. I'm sure if it hadn't, I would have had another of his wonderful kisses.

He let me assist him in preparing a nice lil salad to go with the pizza. I was a bit puzzled by him setting the table with knives in addition to the forks. When we sat, I tried not to stare as my Charlie prepared his plate.

Not only did he salt and pepper his salad, which I did as well... but he did it to his pizza too. It was when he took his knife and fork to the pizza and didn't pick it up in his hands that I was nearly bewildered. Bloody hell, as a Brit, I'm the one that's supposed to have fussy table manners!

"Charlie... even we English eat pizza without utensils. Do you have any idea how stuffy that looks?" I asked with a smirk.

He shrugged, "baby, you English weren't raised around the grandparents I had. If it went in your mouth, it had to be on the end of a fork. They didn't allow for a single exception to that."

My eyes went wide. "That's barbaric!" I cried as I covered my jewels with both hands.

Charlie stood and brandished his knife and fork both with a gleam in his eye as he looked toward my hands.

"Bloody bastard, you would, wouldn't you?" I giggled.

He grinned and set them down, "baby, I'm the one that decides on the exceptions."

"Thank fuck for small favours!" I replied.

Charlie bowed his head and said in a solemn voice, "thank you, fuck."

We both got a good laugh from that. Then I patted the chair next to me and he sat, one brow raised.

"We'll have to re-train you is all, love," I said as I lifted a slice of pizza to his mouth.

It started innocently enough, me feeding him, then him feeding me. I'm not sure which of us started the `great pizza war' that evening, but we were quite a mess after. What with him in jeans and me in nothing more than my boxers, we both slowly smeared the other with pizza most any place there was bare skin.

Charlie was the one that cheated and tried to insert a slice through my fly, the dirty sod! I did get my revenge when he thought it was over and done- I shoved salad down the back of his jeans. Lucky for me that they were just lose enough to accomplish the deed- unlucky for him!

We were out of breath from laughing and had to declare a truce.

"Baby... you have some sauce right..." he said as he began to lick at my ear. Bloody hell, I was goose bumps from head to toe in seconds. I'd have to keep several tins handy if it meant this sort of treatment.

"And I see some sauce on you right..." I responded and sucked on his Adam's apple.

Somehow we both ended up fully naked, and I couldn't remember how. Not that it really mattered.

It was erotic and tender at the same time. Even though we were both very aroused, we knew a shower was needed and some sleep too. But first we had the mess to clean up.

When we finished, it was shower time. With both of us pretty knackered by then, we went for just a basic cleaning and no extras. A part of me was disappointed, but my body was demanding some sleep.

We stood next to the bed when we embraced and shared a gentle kiss. It was loving without being sexual.

Once under the duvet, we lay on our sides, just smiling into each others eyes. All seemed so right with my world at that moment.

His hand gently stroked my hair, "I love you, baby."

I leaned a lil, and did a prolonged kiss on the spot where his heart lay beneath. My lips could feel the gentle beating of it.

"And I love you, my Charlie," I whispered.

After several more minutes passed, with us just smiling and staring, I moved his arm to his hip. Turning on my opposite side, I snuggled back against him and pulled his arm across my stomach.

It was as though we were custom made for the other, that was how well we fit.

I laced my fingers through his, as love and contentment filled my last waking moment. His soft puffs of breath were warm on my neck, but gave me a slight chill too.

Sleep came easily to us both. But, where I should have had wonderful dreams of my amazing man next to me, I had nightmares of Kate.

Thank you for reading!
Sincerely,
Jon Ryder