Over and Over

Moulding herself around his naked form, Charlotte gazed up into Matt's hazel eyes. A tired, yet satisfied smile appeared on his handsome face, showing off the dimples Charlotte never grew tired of seeing. Kissing the tip of her nose, Matt's hold on Charlotte tightened enough to let her know that this was how he wanted them to stay.Resting her head on the sculpted tattooed chest of the man she had long given up hope of ever sharing such a moment as this with, Charlotte let out a soft contented sigh.

"I guess you're going to have to leave soon" Matt stated quietly, the unmistakable sadness in his voice telling Charlotte that he didn't want this to end so abruptly.

"What? And ruin what has been without doubt the most incredible night I've ever had?" Charlotte questioned, raising her head so her emerald green eyes could feast once more on the man beside her. 

"Not a chance Sanders, I'm expecting breakfast in bed in the morning" she assured him, a playful sparkle to her eyes.

"I'll cook anything you want if it keeps you here" Matt told her.

"It can be a bowl of Lucky Charms for all I care....just as long as you're naked when you fetch them" Charlotte informed him with a smirk.

Chuckling at her suggestion, Matt brushed his fingers lightly over Charlotte's slightly flushed cheek, his expression softening.

"Charlie.....I..well, you know" he murmured.

"I know" Charlotte replied, knowing that if he said it, it would open up a bigger can of worms than they possibly already had.

Matt pressed his lips to her forehead, Charlotte moving closer into him once more, her eyes growing heavy. She didn't want to sleep, because that would require having to wake up, which would mean facing the harsh reality that their night was over, that she would have to go home.

"Goodnight Charlie...and thank you" Matt whispered as she slowly drifted off..............

*Strength of the world is on my shoulders, strength of the......*

Charlotte groaned at the intrusion of the alarm, especially when the choice of song was one she had believed she wouldn't have to hear that morning. Running her nails along the heavily tattooed arm that encircled her waist, Charlotte began to turn over.

"I can't believe you an......actually still use that as your alarm call" Charlotte corrected herself quickly as she came face to face with a pair of deep chocolate brown eyes, which she knew most definitely did not belong to Matt.

"Morning baby" Brian greeted with a sleepy, yet undeniabley sexy smile, his voice gruff with sleep still. "Are you still coming to the studio with me today?" he asked.

Charlotte closed her green eyes for a moment, confusion clouding her mind as she tried to figure out just how she had ended up in her own bed, and why Brian was behaving as though everything was normal between them. Did he not recall the fight they had had the previous evening? Or driving off and leaving her at the restaurant, no doubt to find solace in the arms of the one person he believed Charlotte remained clueless about. Until last night of course.

"Er, Bri....I went with you yesterday, and don't you think we have...."

Brian chuckled, kissing her softly.

"You feeling ok Charlie? Yesterday was Sunday, we spent the day at home" he told her, amusement written all over his chiselled features. "How about we make ourselves late and carry on where we left off yesterday?" Brian suggested, his voice barely audible as his lips trailed along her neck to her collarbone.

Any other given time, Charlotte would have wasted no time in responding to Brian's touch. He had always known how to make her weaken, from the moment they had begun dating four years ago. And inspite of her knowledge of the little affair he had been indulging in for the past two years, Charlotte had discovered that she was never able to resist him. However, the overwhelming sense of de ja vu she was experiencing seemed to render her unable to do no more than allow Brian to continue.

Everything about the scenario, from the way his fingers ran along the contours of her body, to the words of love and desire he whispered screamed at Charlotte that she was reliving yesterday morning. Or was she? Surely she couldn't have dreamt all that taken place? It had all felt so real, the memories of what had passed between her and Matt engrained in her memory.

Charlotte placed her hands lightly on Brian's well defined chest, allowing her finger to trace along the blueblood tattoo as she smiled sweetly at him.

"Babe, you know the guys will be pissed if you're late" she reminded him "but we will most definitely pick this up later" she added, her arms slipping round his neck, kissing him with as much conviction as she could muster.

Brian groaned into the kiss, the all too familiar smirk forming.

"We'll make a night of it, I'll book us a table somewhere, we can have dinner, walk along the beach.....then home" Brian suggested.

Charlotte just nodded, remembering those exact words from her 'dream'. Brian kissed her lightly.

"Ok, I'm going to grab a shower" he stated, throwing the covers back and heading for their adjoining bathroom.

Laying on her back, running a hand through her naturally light blonde hair, Charlotte let out a deep sigh. There was no possible way she could have dreamt an entire day, right down to every last word....was there? Desperately wanting there to be another plausible explaination, Charlotte suspected she was clutching at straws in the faint hope that she wasn't going completely crazy. With a sense of dread, Charlotte dragged herself out of bed not quite sure she was ready to face what may lie ahead.

Sitting on one of the couches in the corner of the studio, Charlotte skimmed the pencil over a page of her sketchbook. Listening to Brian coax the most incredible sounds from his guitar always got her own creative juices flowing, and the riff he was currently recording was no exception. She glanced quickly at her watch, before returning her concentration to the room design that was beginning to take shape on the crisp white paper.Charlotte was awaiting a phone call to find out whether the designs she had submitted for a complete renovation of the Malibu home of an anonymous, yet no doubt well known Hollywood actor had been accepted. If so, it would be a huge coup for the small independent interior design business Charlotte had set up two years ago. Of course, if her hunch was correct, in about ten minutes she would recieve the news she had been waiting for.

"If Gates catches Matt looking at you the way he has been ever since you guys arrived, I'd lay good money on your boyfriend reminding Sanders just who won the girl."

Charlotte looked up from her sketch to find Jimmy Sullivan's girlfriend, Leana now seated next to her. Unfortunately, she knew Leana spoke the truth. Before Charlotte and Brian had become an item, there had been a brief time when everyone believed Matt was going to be the one who won her heart. However, after months of Matt procrastinating over the issue, Charlotte had allowed herself to give up hope of having the relationship she desired with the man who had been her best friend for many years. Brian, who had never been slow in letting Charlotte know that he liked her, seized an oppurtunity and quite literally swept Charlotte off her feet. And for the first two years, she had truly believed she had made the right choice. Now of course, Charlotte knew that for Brian, the challenge was over. Ensuring that he actually suceeded in keeping her was no longer his main priority. Not that the small matter of his affair prevented him from letting Matt know that Charlotte chose him every so often.

Charlotte glanced over at Matt, who nodded his head towards the kitchen area of the studio. Placing her pad and pencil on the couch and ignoring the look she was recieving from Leana, Charlotte followed him at a distance. Matt paced the small room, appearing as though he was unsure of what to say. He finally stopped to look at her.

"I'm gonna tell you something that will quite possibly sound like the craziest bullshit you've ever heard...but I had a dream last night that so was so fucking real it blew my mind."

Matt paused as Charlotte's eyes widened a little.

"Go on" she encouraged, her voice shaky.

"You and Brian got into a fight over a job offer, the one you're waiting to hear from today. It got out of control, with you finally telling him you know all about him and Tara. He left you at some restaurant, and you ended up on my doorstep. You weren't even upset, just relieved that it was all out in the open. Well....not to put too finer point on it, we were sitting in my lounge talking and my heart overruled my head and I...."

"....you kissed me. I didn't stop you, and before we knew it we were in your bed having the most amazing sex ever" Charlotte finished for him. "I said I was staying for breakfast, but when I woke up this morning, I was in my own bed, with Brian next to me."

Matt stared at Charlotte in stunned silence, trying to digest what she had said. 

"And when I woke up, I also discover that apparently it's Monday, and not Tuesday as I believed it would be" she added as an after thought.

"But that's...you're joking right? I mean there's no fucking way we both had the same dream....is there?" Matt questioned.

"I was wearing the dress I bought when I dragged you shopping last week" Charlotte whispered.

"Fuck."

Matt ran a hand over his face as the word slipped almost inaudibly from his lips. Crossing his arms over his chest, Matt studied Charlotte as though looking for some kind of sign that this was all a joke.

"If it helps, I was mighty impressed Sanders....three times....I thought it was christmas!" 

The grin that appeared was all Charlotte needed to know that he finally believed her.

"And haven't you noticed anything about today? Everyone is doing exactly what they were doing yesterday, we're the only two that are different."

Matt gave the matter some thought, realising that Charlotte was right. Brian was recording the same solo, Jimmy was locked away practising the same song, and Larry their manager had arrived to tell them about a meeting they had with Warner Bros, just like he had the day before.

"What's going on Charlie?" he asked softly, still confused as was she.

"Well, either we've discovered we can make a fortune at predicting the future, or we've ended up in our very own yet kinda warped Groundhog day" Charlotte stated.

"Just without that little furry Punxsutawney Phil dude."

"Johnny's grown a beard."

"That should cover it!" Matt decided with a chuckle. "Of course, there's every chance that either one of us could wake up in a minute and discover we've been having the craziest fucking dream ever."

"I know, although I kind of hope not" Charlotte admitted quietly. "There were some parts I really wouldn't mind reliving."

Matt stepped close enough to her that there was barely room to breathe between them.

"I like the sound of that" Matt murmured, tipping her chin, his lips barely on Charlotte's as the undeniable sound of her phone ringing interupted him.

Charlotte retrieved her phone from her pocket, a hint of a smile gracing her lips.

"I guess we'll just have to wait to find out" she whispered.

*********************************************************************************

Brian sat opposite Charlotte, his face animated with excitement as he explained something that had happened after she had left the studio to stop by her office, blissfully unaware that she already knew, and was actually just willing for the conversation to drift onto the catalyst that had led to them fighting. The waiter brought over their desserts, Charlotte trying to surpress the smile that threatened to break out.

"So, you said there was something you wanted for us to talk about regarding the Malibu job" Brian began, putting down his fork so he could take hold of Charlotte's hand across the table.

"Well, apparently the client was more than impressed with my ideas, so he wants to hire me to work on two more of his properties" Charlie stated casually.

"Baby, that's amazing! I'm so proud of you!" Brian exclaimed, genuine pride radiating from him as he grinned. "So, what do we need to discuss, take the jobs!"

"Well, one of them is not going to be a problem, as the house is in Bel Air, but the other one will mean I may have to travel further afield."

Brian's expression changed to one that Charlotte already knew meant he wasn't going to like what he was about to hear.

"Just how far afield?" Brian asked quietly.

"It's in London."

Brian's hold on her hand loosened, returning to toy with the fork that rested on the edge of his plate. Concentrating his gaze on the half eaten dessert that sat in front of him, Brian remained silent for a while, almost as if he were trying to work out just how this could affect them as a couple.

"And just how long do you think you'd be gone for?" he finally asked, still refusing to bring his gaze to meet hers.

"I have no idea right now, not until I've been out there to see just how large a job it will be. But if he approves and decides to go ahead, I'll have to be out there until everything is completed. You know what I'm like, I have to be there every step of the way with my work, just to ensure that everything is done exactly to my specifications."

Brian raised his hand, beckoning the waiter over.

"I'd like the check please" he stated lowly. 

"Brian..."

"We'll talk about it outside" Brian told her.

Charlotte could do no more than sit and watch as Brian signed the credit card slip and stood up, letting her know he was ready to leave. The way he took her hand and pulled her through the maze of tables was no shock to her this time. Once outside, Brian dropped her hand, pacing the parking lot.

"I don't know if I like the idea of you working so far away for what could be months...especially in a country you're not familiar with. I don't know if I can let you do this" he admitted.

Charlotte raised an eyebrow at him.

"Don't know if you can let me? Brian, I support everything you do in your career...which includes you being away for weeks, months on end, yet it doesn't bother me."

"But I'm not alone! I have the guys with me!" he cried. "The thoguht of you being somewhere alone, I don't like it.....anyone could take advantage of you."

"Then I'll take Natasha with me if that makes you feel better" Charlotte suggested.

"Your sister? Fuck no! If anything she'll encourage you to do some crazy shit! She's always hated me, even more so of late!"

"Maybe she has a valid reason" Charlotte murmured.

Brian looked at her, his dark orbs narrowing.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" he questioned.

"She's not blind Brian, none of us are. I'm actually surprised you're reacting this way, because I would have thought me being away for a few months would have made your little situation with Tara so much easier."

Brian's tanned complexion paled beyond recognition as Charlotte's words sunk in, his eyes flitting nervously as the realisation that his affair wasn't the well kept secret he had believed it to be. Without a word, Brian headed for the car. Before he had even left the lot, Charlotte pulled out her phone, hitting the number she needed.

"You've got about fifteen minutes to get naked and be waiting for me" she stated with a grin.

Smirking at the giggle that escaped Charlotte, Matt continued to kiss along her tanned stomach, savouring how smooth her skin felt against his lips. After years of believing that he had forever lost the oppurtunity to be with her, Matt wanted to remember every moment they spent together, for fear of it being snatched away as quickly as it had arrived. He was still trying to fathom out just how their warped little situation had come about, despite the immense pleasure it brought him knowing that in some way they were getting one over on Brian. Matt wasn't a vindictive man, and had long conceeded that the best man had won when it came to Charlotte's affections, until he had discovered the little arrangement Brian had going with their manager's PA. 

Moving back up the bed, taking Charlotte in his arms as he had done the previous evening, Matt kissed the top of her blonde silky hair and sighed. As much as he hoped that tomorrow they would wake up and fate would take a hand in allowing them to relive this all over again, there was that small part of him that wished Charlotte would still be next to him when he woke. He looked down at her, her green eyes heavy with tiredness.

"Get some sleep sweetheart" he whispered. 

Charlotte gave a tired smile and nodded, happily accepting the gentle kiss on her lips. As her eyes drifted shut, her mind was filled with thoughts of just what lay ahead in the morning.

*Strength of the world is on my shoulders, strength of the......*

Charlotte's eyes shot open. 

"Morning baby, are you still coming to the studio with me today?" 

Charlotte sighed, realising that was the last thing she had wanted to hear.

**********************************************************************************

You can do this Charlie, it's four simple words.

For the fifth consecutive evening, Brian and Charlotte sat opposite each other, except tonight there was a change of plan. Tonight Charlotte was going to change the course of events, and pray that it had the desired effect. As fun as going to Matt each night was, waking up next to Brian the following morning was something she no longer wanted. Being with Matt had finally enabled Charlotte to realise that she had fallen out of love with the man opposite her a long time ago, she had just been in denial, inspite of knowing of his unfaithful ways. There had been a part of her that had believed she could make it work. Now though, Charlotte knew she no longer wanted that, it was a chapter of her life she longed to close. 

"So, you said there was something you wanted for us to talk about regarding the Malibu job" Brian began, putting down his fork so he could take hold of Charlotte's hand across the table.

Charlotte gazed at Brian for a while, her heart a little heavy with sadness. He really had been the most amazing man for a while, but obviously she wasn't everything he had wanted. Slowly, Charlotte pulled her hand away from Brian's grasp.

"Actually, there's something else I need to tell you" she told him quietly.

Brian sat up a little straighter in his seat, almost as if preparing himself for news he wasn't going to appreciate.

"I'm leaving you Brian" Charlotte announced clearly, her voice never waivering.

"I'm sorry?" he whispered, disbelief clouding his face.

"I'm not going to draw this out, but I'm going to be moving my belongings out of the house tomorrow and going to stay with a friend. I know all about Tara, and what you two have going on, and whilst at first I tried to convince myself that we could carry on like we have been, the simple fact is that I've fallen out of love. The Brian that swept me off my feet four years ago isn't there anymore, and I think it's best if we go our seperate ways."

Charlotte rose from her seat, picking up her purse from the table. Brian looked up at her, the sadness in his eyes, further darkened with unshed tears not affecting her like they once would have.

"Charlie...no...me and Tara, it's nothing..I love.."

Charlotte shook her head.

"It doesn't matter anymore Brian, at least this way, we may both stand a chance at being truly happy."

Bending beside his seat a little, Charlotte placed the briefest of kisses on his finely chiselled cheek.

"Goodbye Brian" she whispered, standing up and heading for the door, praying that this was finally the end.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, causing Charlotte to stir a little. Fear gripped her as an arm tightened around her waist a little. Knowing that she would have to face him eventually, Charlotte carefully opened her eyes, turning over with slight hesitation. Propped up on an elbow, hazel eyes sparkling playfully, Matt beamed at her.

"Morning baby, are you still coming to the studio with me today?" he teased, mimicking the words she had heard for the past six mornings. 

"Not funny dumbass" she scolded, not able to hide her smile as he chuckled.

Cupping her face in his large hand, Matt gazed at her for a moment.

"I love you Charlotte Campbell" he murmured, pressing his lips to hers, not waiting for an answer. She was there, and that was all he needed.