Moving On Up

Charlene POV

“This is crazy.” I breathed, taking in the huge crowd at the football stadium, the thousands and thousands of Saints fan already chanting and cheering. This was the first NFL game I had ever been to so I had no clue of what to expect.

I was surprised to find out that not all of the wives and girlfriends of the players had even shown their faces for the opening game which disgusted me. These men gave everything to them and they couldn’t even be bothered to come?

My relationship with Nick really was rare in this industry.

“This is so exciting.” My dad smiled, his arm around my shoulder which he squeezed, knowing how nervous I was.

“It’s strange; I’ve never seen him play live since becoming professional.” I let out a shaky laugh and looked up at him; my daddy.

He smiled down at me and my heart warmed with happiness. It had been 3 months since he and Nick had had their talk and though neither of them would discuss what was said, they had patched up their differences and I could not have been happier.

Nick knew it would still be awkward initially so he’d invited my parents down to our home and the two had spent every day for a week on the golf course which seemed to do the trick. Nick had gone to so much trouble to make things work and to gain my families acceptance again when I know most men would have just given up.

Nick had gotten shirts personalised for the whole family, with my parents wearing Saints jerseys with ‘Howard’ written on the back, though I’d asked Nick for one with Jonas instead. The smile on his face when I’d asked was so big it almost looked painful.

“Thank you for being here for Nick.” I smiled at both of my parents, not being able to express how much their support truly meant. But the booth was also full of Nick’s closest friends and family, all of which had become extremely good friends of mine too. Sara stood beside me and squeezed my hand tightly, both of us squealing as we turned to face the field.

Nick had some pretty amazing people around him.

I felt someone tap my shoulder and I turned around and then looked down to see Denise who was also wearing her Jonas shirt, smiling up at me.

My dad moved over slightly and allowed Denise to nudge her way next to me, gripping my other hand.

“Everything is so different this time.” She said quietly, staring onto the field. “For the first time, we will be watching our Nick play, the man we all know and love. Every other year he was a different person. He had become so reserved and isolated from life. It feels like we’re watching his first game.” She chuckled and gripped my hand once more, bringing her gaze up to mine. “And it’s all because of you, Charlene. You brought Nick back.”

“Don’t, you’re going to make me cry.” I laughed weakly, fanning my eyes. She laughed and hugged me, taking my hand once more.

Loud anthem music then started playing around the stadium and the overpowering roars of support from the crowd followed. I watched as the opponents ran onto the field and then so did the Saints, the crowd getting even louder which I didn’t think was possible.

I cheered loudly and scanned the men, all of which had their helmets on, making it difficult to spot my favourite player.

The announcer ran through the names of all of the players, cheers following each one.

“And introducing, America’s golden boy...number 16; Nicholas Jonas.”

The crowd erupted and I felt tears of pride filling my eyes. I looked down to see Denise was exactly the same. We were useless.

Though I doubted he could clearly see us all, he faced our way and brought his hand up and blew a kiss in our direction. A soppy smile flourished on my face and I felt my heart melt with affection for him; as well as the tight trousers he had to wear on his legs which only emphasised his toned and down right gorgeous legs.

I had a feeling most of the women who watched this sport, focused more on the men than the game at hand and there was absolutely nothing wrong about that.

...

At the end of the game, all of our family and friends headed back to the house where a celebration had already been planned since we knew that regardless of the score, Nick would blow everyone away and he had. He’d proved why he was America’s golden boy.

Even the Jonas family had gone back to the house, with Denise saying that it should be our moment; mine and Nicks, when he first emerged from the changing room. They’d shared this with him before, they all had, but I hadn’t.

The club was very strict about letting people behind the scenes before, after or during games, meaning it was close to impossible to get through security. Hundreds of football ‘bunnies’ as the men called them, would try relentless to reach the players with only one intention in mind; to bed them. You could spot them a mile off.

The crowds piled out of the arena, all heading in different directions yet with one objective in mind; to get drunk of their faces.

I stayed in the booth and took everything in, the atmosphere still taking my breath away. How Nick ever had the confidence to perform in front of so many people was something I would never understand.

“Charlene Howard?”

I spun around and came face to face with a huge security guard who looked like he could knock you out with one flick of his pinky. I nodded in response, his presence more than a little intimidating.

“Come with me.”

I followed him down endless corridors and stairs until we stood outside what I assumed was the locker room. I stopped in my tracks, expecting to wait for Nick to come out but instead the huge man pushed open the door and pulled me inside.

The room smelt of sweat, beer and men; all of which were wearing nothing but loose fitting shorts. I gulped and stood frozen by the door. I’d met some of the men, but it was very overwhelming being the only woman in a room full of dozens of huge and powerful males.

I looked to my left and finally spotted Nick sitting on the bench, pulling on some sneakers. He too was shirtless, my name on full display on the left side of his chest. Nick laughed at something his team mate John said and took a gulp of water.

“Jonas!” The security guard yelled over the noise of the room, causing the men to quieten down a little when they noticed me in their territory. All of their heads spun towards me and I had to gulp to avoid completely drying out my throat. I watched as they all ran their eyes up and down me as if they had never seen a woman in the locker room before.

“Hey Charlene.” Some of Nick’s friends called from different sides of the room, calming my embarrassment a little.

I looked up just as Nick was a few steps away, his smile loving and handsome as always. As soon as he hugged me tightly all of the men looked away and turned back to their conversations, clearly putting two and two together for those who I hadn’t met.

“How did I do?” He whispered into my ear and pressed his soft lips there.

“Amazing.” I whispered back, nuzzling my face into his warm neck. “I’m so proud of you.”

I felt him smile against my cheek and then pull back to look down at me. He bent his head as if he meant to kiss me but he must have noticed how self conscious I was in a room full of testosterone filled men. He squeezed my hand and smiled supportively before pulling away from me.

He jogged back to his bench and pulled on a shirt, throwing his bag over his shoulder, his curls slightly out of control which my hands itched to smooth down.

“Later, guys.” Nick said loudly to the room as he headed back, being high fived and fist pumped by his team mates on the way. My heart fluttered at the sight. He was such an icon in this sport that I had never really seen first hand but now I had and the respect I had for Nick made my heart tighten.

As soon as he reached me I lifted my hand and ran my hand through his soft hair, chuckling as that one curl at the front sprung out from my fingers to fall down his forehead. I tried to push it back into place but as usual, it had its own mind. I chuckled and he brought me close, wrapping his arm around my back.

“Let’s go.” Nick muttered onto my temple before kissing me there and pushing open the door with one hand.

I lay one hand on his chest as we walked together and brought my other hand up to his face, bringing his head down slightly to press my lips to his. I let out a content sigh and snuggled close as we headed out through a private exit to an underground car park to avoid the crazed fans and paparazzi.

“Can I get a season ticket?” I smiled, pressing gentle kisses to his broad neck. He squeezed me tight and pulled out the keys from his back pocket.

“This right here...” He circled his finger around my face, “...is your season ticket.”

I chuckled and walked around to the boot of the car with him where he dumped his bag. “So, I can come to every game?”

He looked over his shoulder at me, his eyebrows furrowed. “You want to?”

“Of course I do; why wouldn’t I, Nick?”

He closed the boot of the car and walked towards me, looping his arms around my lower back. “Most girlfriends don’t bother coming.” He sighed. “I’ve never understood why but I don’t understand women; no man does.”

I laughed and wrapped my arms around his neck, standing on my tiptoes and gazing into his brown eyes. “Well I’m not like most of their girlfriends and I love you, so of course I want to go.”

He stared back at me and a slow smile curved on his lips which he brushed against my own. “And this is why you are every man’s dream woman.”

“And why you love me very much?”

He chuckled and smoothed his hands down to my behind, sliding his hand beneath the waistband. “And why I love you very much.” He confirmed before pressing a strong kiss to my lips in the shadows of the underground car park.

I pulled back from his lips and held my bottom lip between my teeth, smiling up at him as I tugged my hands away from his, moving to open the door to the drivers seat, knowing Nick would be far too exhausted too drive.

He walked around the car and I couldn’t help but take in his entire appearance which deserved to be admired. My Nicky had grown from a boy to a man; all man.

He climbed in beside me and pulled his seatbelt around and into the buckle, picking up my hand and bringing it into his lap. He pressed a kiss to my knuckles and then intertwined our fingers, rubbing his thumb softly back and forth.

“What?” He chuckled, having noticed me staring at him.

I shook my head and smiled warmly at him, bringing my other hand up and ruffling his hair. “My little superstar.”

He looked back at me with an overwhelming love in his eyes and he held that look as he pulled my hand down and kissed my wrist. He closed his eyes and pressed another kiss there, causing me to hold my breath and release it steadily.

“You’re more than I could ever ask for.” He whispered, pressing a kiss to my wrist and bringing his eyes up to mine.

Maybe the hotel detour wasn’t such a bad idea after all...

...

“Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit.” Sara repeated over and over, holding onto my shoulders tightly, her eyes full of fear and vulnerability.

“Sara, I know you’re nervous, but saying holy shit whilst you’re in a church isn’t ideal.” I laughed.

She looked at me for a moment and then shook her head, finally smiling and laughing. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me; I’m never nervous!”

“You’re getting married, it’s only natural that you’re nervous.”

Sara’s wedding planner popped her head into the room and gave us the thumbs up meaning it was show time.

“Oh no, oh no, I can’t do this. Charlene, I can’t do this.”

Her bridesmaids were waiting outside as Sara had only wanted me in her dressing room with her just before the big event.

“Sara, you look beautiful and Henry is the luckiest man to be marrying you. You deserve your happy ending, Sara. I love you so much and I am so excited for both of you. You can do this woman!”

She let out a deep breath and then without warning tackled me into a hug, careful of not to mess up either of our hair. “This is why you’re my maid of honour. You’re my best friend and you always know what to say and I love you dearly.”

I pulled back from her when I felt her beginning to sob. “Don’t you dare.” I warned, fanning her face.

“You’ve just always been there for me. I know it was hard being around me and Henry when you should have had Nick sitting by your side all lovey dovey too, but you still put up with us both. You will always be my best friend, Charlene.”

“And you mine.” I whispered, feeling a pinch in the back of my eyes.

“No! You can’t cry!” Sara laughed.

“I know, I know. Let’s just leave now or we will never leave this bloody room.” I chuckled, linking my hand through hers and heading out of the room to the nervous group of bridesmaids. Weddings caused havoc with people’s emotions.

We all walked down in silence, Sara holding mine and her fathers hands in a death grip. I saw Sara chuckle as everyone took their positions outside of the chapel’s large wooden doors without needing to be told. She’d made sure during the run through that there were to be no mistakes.

I kissed her cheek and stood in front of her, praying I didn’t trip during my walk down the aisle.

Henry was waiting inside with his groomsmen by his side since Henry refused to have to wait up there alone, with nerves racking through his body. Nick was one of the groomsmen and I couldn’t wait to see him in his suit since we hadn’t seen each other since the previous day. It had been the longest night ever without Nick.

The doors opened and I smiled as I heard Sara intake sharply and her dad’s soothing voice soon followed.

As we walked into the church I smiled at how beautiful everything looked. Everything had come together and I could not have been happier for Sara. She deserved nothing but the best.

I smiled at the familiar faces I passed in the crowd and then looked over to the front of the alter. Henry was already crying and I knew he and Sara would last the distance. Their love was unbreakable. My eyes passed over the groomsmen until they landed on Nick who was staring at me, his wide and handsome smile taking my breath away. He winked at me and I smiled, taking my place on the other side. Despite the fact that he was in the middle of NFL season, he’d flown out to Chicago purely to attend the wedding, even though he was missing valuable training time.

Despite his high flying status, friends and family were his number one priority and I could not have been more grateful to him for being at the wedding. He knew how much it meant for him to be there and he was beyond thrilled when Henry asked him to be a groomsman.

The awesome foursome had come back together.

...

The wedding and reception was nothing short spectacular and the beams on Sara and Henry faces were the cherries on top. They were surrounded by people that loved them on the best day of their lives and I felt a pinch of jealously nip against my heart.

Sara and Henry made their way to the dance floor for their first dance as husband and wife and to the surprise of absolutely everyone, Sara started to sob with happiness. Sara was the last person you ever expected to see crying, but the overwhelming emotions of the day had clearly had their effect.

A pair of arms slipped around my front and warm palms were pressed to my stomach followed by a kiss to my neck.

“This is pretty much the first wedding I have actually enjoyed attending.” Nick mumbled against the side of my throat causing involuntary shivers and goosebumps to rise over my skin.

“It’s because you’ve got a hot date.” I grinned and he laughed, pulling my back tight against his chest.

“Got that right.” He said in a low and down right seductive voice, making me hate the fact that he would be leaving soon.

We fell into a comfortable silence as we watched the newlyweds dance in a warm and soft glow, the whole thing just oozing fairytale romance. Nick’s arm remained tightly around my front, swaying us gently from side to side as I snuggled close.

The song came to an end and everyone clapped whereas a few men, including Nick, hollered. I laughed and took his hand, leading him to the dance floor where others had now gathered. Nick smirked and gathered me into his chest, his amazing scent filling all of my senses.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and looked into his face that was dark on the shaded dance floor. My fingers tangled in his curls and I stared up at him, trying to ignore the fact that he should have already left; trying to ignore the fact that he had to leave at all.

“I don’t want you to leave.” I whispered, snuggling deep into his chest, his arms keeping me nice and warm.

“I don’t want to leave either.” He replied, swaying us softly to the music. “But you’re here with your friends and family for a week and then you’ll only be home alone for a week. Plus, you’ll be having friends over for most of the time anyway. You’ll be surrounded by people.”

“Not you though.” I sighed and looked up into his eyes. “I know it’s only two weeks, but I’m going to miss our cuddles and kisses.”

“Yeah, those you can’t get from anyone else!” He warned, grinning down at me.

“I wouldn’t dream of it. I love my cuddles and kisses with you.”

“And the extras?” He chuckled, nuzzling my neck. I laughed and held onto the back of his head, pressing kisses to his ear.

We stayed like that for a while, gently swaying from side to side to the slow music, completely wrapped up in one another. It was for that reason that we got quite a fright when Sara and Henry both tapped our shoulders at the same time, causing me to jump out of my skin.

“Sorry to disturb you two.” Sara chuckled, looking beyond gorgeous as she smiled at us both. “But I think it’s only right the awesome foursome exchange partners.” She grinned.

“Of course madam.” Nick smiled and then bowed, causing all of us to laugh. He was such a goon around us.

I smiled up at Henry as he took my hand and spun me around as a slightly faster song came on.

“I’m so happy for you guys.” I sighed contently, looking over his shoulder at Nick and Sara who were laughing at something he was saying.

“Well it’s thanks to you that we’re even together. You did this.” He smiled, holding me close and rubbing my back.

Though we’d all changed so much in five years, we were still the same crazy kids who went through so much together during school, with a love for one another that would never fade.

They meant everything to me.

“This will be you soon.” He whispered into my ear.

“Soon?” I laughed nervously. “I doubt it. We don’t have time.”

“You’ll make time. You’ll be engaged in the next year; I put money on it.”

I looked up at him and smiled before chuckling softly to myself, leaning my head back on his chest and swaying to the music.

“What are you laughing at?” He asked, leaning back to look at me.

“I just find this whole moment so surreal. I mean here I am at yours and Sara’s wedding, with Nick as my date who you’re predicting I will be engaged to in the not so distant future. It’s just funny that five years on this is still happening for all of us.”

He beamed down at me and then kissed my forehead as the song came to an end, squeezing me tightly. “Maybe all of your fate mumbo jumbo, wasn’t so mumbo jumbo after all.”

Nick and Sara approached us, both of them smiling and laughing. I still couldn’t get over how stunning Sara looked. I don’t think I’d ever seen a bride look so naturally beautiful and composed on their wedding day, even though she had been far from composed before the ceremony.

“Nick has to go now.” Sara sighed, standing next to Henry.

“So soon?” Henry said, not even attempting to hide his disappointment.

“Yeah, I should have left half an hour ago but this little one,” Nick grinned down at me, “convinced me to stay for a little longer.”

Nick and Henry shared a strong manly hug, causing me and Sara to smile. Nick then hugged Sara before moving back to wrap his arm around me, glancing down at me before averting his attention back to the bride and groom.

They thanked him again for making so much effort to be there and then vanished back onto the dance floor, letting me and Nick say our goodbyes. I wrapped my arm around his back as we walked to the exit in silence. We were met with a cool autumn breeze which caused goosebumps to form all over my skin. Nick immediately noticed and took off his jacket, hanging it over my shoulders before bringing me into his chest.

“I’m gonna miss you.” He mumbled against my hair which was surprisingly still in place from this morning.

“This sucks.” I pouted, placing my hands on his chest and pouting up at him.

“I know.” He let out a deep sigh and brushed a small piece of hair back behind my ear, rubbing his thumb along my jaw.

His cab pulled up and I clung onto him tighter as if he wouldn’t be able to leave if I held on strong enough.

“This is me.” He sighed once more, holding his finger up to the driver to hold on a minute.

“Don’t go.” I pouted, sliding my fingers up to the sides of his broad neck.

“I have to.” Nick wrapped his fingers around mine and walked me towards the cab with him. He leant against the closed door and pulled me to him, his arms wrapping around my back. “I’ll see you soon. Try not to miss me and my body too much.” He smirked.

The laugh that left my mouth was much quieter than I had expected as I realised how much I really would miss him. I knew it was pathetic considering it was only two weeks apart, but Nick was my other half and all I seemed to do was mope around when he wasn’t there.

“Call me as soon as you land.”

“I’ll text you. I don’t want to wake you up.”

“No, call me.” I whispered, burying my face into his neck. “I’ll want to hear your husky, testosterone drenched voice.”

He chuckled and pressed a kiss to my cheek before moving over to my lips. “I love you, Charlene.”

“I love you too, Nick.” I pressed my lips against his before pulling away and stepping back.

He climbed into the cab and instructed the driver of the way to my parents home where we had spent the night and where his suitcase was waiting.

He blew me a kiss and I reached out and pulled it to my heart which brought a smile to his face. The car pulled away from the curb and Nick gave me soft smile before he vanished around the corner.

I let out a deep breath and headed back into the huge wedding party, stopping dead in my tracks when I saw the bride by the front door with her arms wide open. I chuckled and walked towards her; the best friend a girl could ask for.

“All of my favourite people are leaving me.” I whined.

“Well...you are welcome to join me and Henry on our honeymoon but; you know...”

She giggled and so did I like we were young girls again.

“Don’t worry, Sara, I’d rather not hear you and Henry doing the dirty twenty four hours a day.”

“Good.” She linked her arm through mine and together we walked back through to the huge reception. I saw her ‘unique’ aunty Sandra approach and Sara’s grip on my arm tighten. “Don’t you dare leave me with her.” She spoke through gritted teeth, staring at her approaching aunty.

I chuckled softly and squeezed her arm, standing by her side as Sandra went on to describe how dashing Henry’s uncles looked and asking how many were available. The shiver down Sara’s back was very visible and I had to bite on the inside of my mouth hard to stop myself from laughing.

The rest of the evening was surprisingly enjoyable thanks to a little bit of alcohol but when the dance floor turned to couples heaven I moved to the bar for a glass of water to clear my head a little.

I looked over my shoulder when I heard someone clear their throat and there stood Henry’s young nephew George who was only nine years old. He had silky blonde hair and the thickest glasses I had ever seen. He looked like the milky bar kid and was the most adorable little boy I had ever seen.

“Uncle Henry said I should ask a beautiful lady to dance.” He said matter of factly. “So...will you dance with me?”

I chuckled and looked over to the dance floor to see Henry and Sara looking at me with matching grins, clearly scheming together. I turned my head back down to George and stood, taking his small hand in mine.

“It would be my pleasure.”

...

12 long days later and I was tucked up in bed in Louisiana, gazing outside of our bedroom window into the pitch black night, wondering what Nick was doing. It was going on 3am and I knew it was midnight were he was but I couldn’t stop my selfish self from grabbing my phone and calling his number before I could think about what I was doing.

“Charlene?”

He’d answered on the third ring and I went to say something but then closed my mouth again, not really knowing why I’d called at all.

“Charlene? Baby, is everything ok?” Nick asked quickly into the phone, his panic evident.
“I can’t sleep.” I said quietly, inhaling the scent of his pillow and tucking into a ball even more. “I needed to hear your voice.”

He let out a deep breath and I wondered if he was mad I’d call him at this time. “I miss you.” He said softly and I guessed he wasn’t too mad. “I miss you so much.”

“This bed is so big and cold.” I said on a sigh.

“Are you on my side of the bed?” He asked and when he got no response but a giggle he laughed. “I smell good huh?”

I laughed in response but then went quiet as I decided to spill the beans on our new addition.

“Nick...”

“Yes...” He laughed and I heard him shut a door, his footsteps loud even through the phone.

“I bought a dog.”

He went quiet and I bit my lip in anticipation for his response.

“Why?”

I sat up in bed and looked over at the door that must have closed during the night. Bella was still snuggled at the end of the bed and I wondered where Winston had gone off to.

“Because I always feel really scared when I’m home alone.”

“But we’ve got Bella.”

I chuckled as I got out of bed and walked towards the door, my heart softening when I saw Winston sleeping outside, his eyes opening as the door creaked.

“Nick, Bella is the size of your hand and as much as I love her, she’s hardly a guard dog.”

“So, what kind of dog did you get? A chihuahua?” He asked dryly. I knew how he felt about those dogs and I doubted he was in the mood to be teased. “Because I refuse to go for runs with a tiny yorkshire terrier on one lead and a freaking rat on the other.”

I chuckled and bent down to rub Winston on the head. “I got an alaskan malamute.”

“What the hell is that?”

“It’s like a husky but cuddly; kind of like you.”

He laughed at that one and then sighed.

“So...can we keep him?”

He was quiet and I heard him fall down onto the bed and laugh but at what I did not know. “I can just picture your little pout, Charlene. But yes, we can keep him. As long as you feel safer with him around, then I’m happy. And I guess it will be nice to have a dog around that I can wrestle with, without thinking I’m going to squash him.”

“Thank you.” I grinned and looked down into the eyes of our new addition who was the fluffiest thing I had ever seen. “You’re going to absolutely love Winston.”

“Geezus, Charlene. You’ve called him Winston?”

“Yeah, like Winston Churchill.” I smiled, standing up and walking through to the bedroom with Winston right by my side.

“We’ll discuss names when I get back.”

“But I like it.” I pouted and climbed into bed, letting Winston jump up too.

“I’m not there to see the pout that is no doubt on your lips-” How did he do that? “But maybe we can settle on another name.” He laughed once more. “I love you, but when it comes to baby names, I thing we will have some disagreements.”

I couldn’t help the leaping of my heart and butterflies in my stomach at his mention of babies. Just knowing that he wanted a long future together made me melt every single time he brought it up.

“I have to get some sleep now since our wake up call is 4am.” He groaned. “But it’s one day closer to being back home with you and Bella...and the new dog.”

“His name is Winston.”

“The new dog.”

We were both equally as stubborn.

“I’ll call you tomorrow.” He promised.

“You better do.” I chuckled before hanging up and throwing my phone onto the other side of the bed and snuggling deep beneath the covers again, taking in a deep breath of his pillow and falling into a comfortable sleep with a smile on my face.

...

Rain was hammering down outside, threatening to shatter the windows late one Friday night whilst I was snuggled up on the couch with Bella on one side and Winston on the other.

As much as I loved csi, maybe it wasn’t the smartest idea to watch it on a night like this whilst I was home alone.

Winston was sleeping with his chin rested on my lap and I smiled at our new addition who I already loved with all of my heart. I looked to my right to see Bella just sitting there staring at me as she had been doing for the past half an hour.

“What are you doing?” I laughed, rubbing her tiny head. She barked and wagged her tail, still sitting and staring at me. “You’re starting to creep me out, madam.” I chuckled, leaning down to kiss her head.

The sound of tires against the gravel on the driveway turned my blood cold and I grabbed the remote and put the tv on mute, ironically as the young girl was being snatched up by an intruder. Lovely.

The sound of the car outside came to an abrupt stop and I started to panic. I rubbed Winston head and he instantly woke up, looking tiredly up at me.

“Now isn’t the time to be dosing off.”

I stood and walked towards the door of the living and poked my head out, trying to see if there was movement outside of the front door. Winston stood at my side, his ears perked up in alarm. I glanced over to see Bella lying casually on the couch just staring at me. Winston was a fine investment.

A huge figure came up to the door and I could see they were wearing a hoody. Another figure came up behind them, a hood also over his head.

“Shit.” I whispered, the backs of my eyes stinging with fear. My heart froze when I realised I had not bolted up the door and with one swipe the door was opened. Winston sprung into action and tore down the corridor, barking and growling loudly before jumping on the person leading. I whimpered and clutched my hand to my heart, not believing this was happening to me.

“Fucking hell!”

“Nick?” I whispered, stepping into the corridor and flicking on the lights to see Nick on the floor grabbing his hand whilst Winston went onto the jump at Nick’s good friend and team mate, John.

“Winston!” I yelled, running down the corridor and grabbing him by his collar as he continued to growl and yelp at them. I knew that if I let go of him he’d have them both on the floor again.

“What the hell, Charlene?!” Nick yelled, blood dripping from his left hand already.

“I’ll just go...” John said awkwardly, giving me a brief wave before turning and leaving. Nick didn’t even seem to notice because he was too busy staring at me with angry eyes.

“I come home to a freaking blood hungry wolf?” He snapped.

“You didn’t tell me you were coming home early!” I cried. “Imagine being in my situation; a female home alone on a scary night and two huge hooded men appear at your door. You’ve scared the shit out of me!”

“I wanted to surprise you!” He yelled back and this certainly wasn’t how I’d pictured our reunion.

“Well thanks, I really appreciated this surprise.” I growled back, walking through to the kitchen with Winston’s collar still in my grip. I slammed the door behind me and walked through to the pantry to get some dog food for him. When I walked back through to the kitchen Nick was leaning against a counter looking down at Winston who was growling aggressively at him.

“He’s lovely.” Nick said sarcastically, bringing his eyes up to mine.

“Winston.” I cooed and poured food into his bowl, ignoring Nick. He gave Nick one last glare before turning and walking towards me, leaning up to lick my cheek happily as I was bent still pouring the food. “Eww, Winston.” I laughed softly, rubbing his head and stepping back to let him scoff down the food.

Nick moved forward and Winston growled without even looking over at Nick. Nick took another step forward and Winston’s head flew around to Nick, his growl even deeper than before.

“Seriously?” Nick held out his arms in a tired manner, holding a staring contest with Winston. “There’s no way I’m wrestling with him again if earlier was anything to go by.”

“You scared us.” I whispered, turning my back on him and walking through to the pantry to place the food back. Tears then fell from my eyes as a delayed reaction to how petrified I had been. I sniffled as I walked through to the kitchen and I tried to avoid Nick’s gaze as I walked through to the living room to retrieve Bella and bring her to the food. She started barking happily when she saw Nick, her tiny body bounding in my arms.

“At least someone is pleased to see me.” He said and then looked into my eyes, his face falling when he saw my tears. “Charlene...”

I placed Bella on the ground and crossed my arms over my chest, looking into Nick’s deep brown eyes. “You scared me so m-much.” I whimpered, swiping violently at my tears.

He moved towards me but I took a step back and walked around the other side of the kitchen unit to pull out a bandage. He followed me around to the sink and he swore under his breath as the cold water hit his bitten hand.

“Is John ok?”

“Yeah, you grabbed Winston before his teeth got to him.”

I just nodded and held his hand beneath the water, not looking up into his eyes. As I was drying his hand I slowly gazed up into his eyes that were analysing me deeply, not even looking at what I was doing to his hand, just staring at my face. I wrapped the bandage gently around his hand, hoping I hadn’t hurt him further.

“How’s that?” I whispered.

Rather than answering, he grabbed onto my hips and pulled me to him, wrapping his arms firmly around me. I fell into his embrace and gripped onto his shirt, inhaling his scent which still remained despite the fact that his hoody was wet.

Winston let out a loud bark from the other side of the room at Nick’s movement. “Oh shut up.” Nick muttered which instantly turned Winston quiet. I buried my face into his chest and cherished being back with him again. I was back in the arms I had been longing to be in.

“I’m sorry. I just wanted to surprise you.” Nick whispered into my hair.

“I know.” I whispered in return. “We both overreacted but I just had such awful thoughts when I saw you standing outside of the door. I just wanted you to be with me more than ever to protect me from any danger.”

“I think your mate Winston did that for you.”

I chuckled and pulled back from his chest, sliding my hands up his torso. He smiled weakly down at me and pressed a kiss to my forehead.

“Let’s do this again.” He placed his hands over my eyes and then pulled them away. “Surprise.” He whispered.

I giggled and wrapped my arms tightly around him, standing on my tiptoes and pressing a firm kiss to his mouth.

“I’ve missed you so much. I hate it when the man of the house is away.”

“Well I’m back for the whole week and I’ve got tomorrow off.”

I pulled back from his lips and lay my forehead on his, not being able to hide my smile. “The whole day?”

He nodded and kissed my lips. “And I’m all yours.”

I pushed my chest into his, sliding my hands down the soft material of his hoody. “Lucky me.” I smiled against his lips shortly before they were captured by Nick’s, his tongue sliding into my mouth as his hands ploughed through my hair. His mouth tasted of lust, his movements full of urgency and desire. He leant down and tugged on my thighs which I quickly wrapped around his waist, my ankles locking together.

We stumbled out of the kitchen and down the corridor, Nick shutting the door with his foot as our hands continued all over each other, scrambling to remove our clothing. Within the blink of an eye Nick had my shirt off but was struggling to remove my bra as he tried to hold onto me at the same time.

Nick groaned deep within his chest and pushed us up against the wall which would have hurt if my body hadn’t been so numb from his touch.

“We’re not gonna make it to the bedroom.” He said through a raspy breath, sliding his hands up my back and releasing my bra. I felt him smile against my neck before he pressed some kisses there, drawing my skin into his mouth and marking his territory.

“Bloody hell.” I gasped. I’d missed this far too much. I untangled my legs from around his waist and looked up at him through hooded eyes as I pushed my hands beneath the waistband of his trousers and boxer shorts. He moaned my name as I grasped onto him, staring up at him the entire time. His eyes were black with lust, a burning fire that reached out and grabbed me.

He placed his hands on the wall on either side of my head for balance, his breathing shallow and irregular. I leant forward and sucked on his adam’s apple, his further moans showing his appreciation which almost tipped him over the edge.

“Fuck.”

He pulled my hand from his trousers and shoved them and his boxers down to the ground where my own underwear shortly joined them.

“These have been the longest two weeks of my life.” He groaned by my ear before he pressed a soft kiss there, pulling back to gaze at my eyes which were just as dark as his.

“Looks like we have a lot of time to make up for.” I whispered back, scraping my nails softly down his firm chest. “Starting now.”