Boundless

Over a span of three weeks Kelly and Charlotte spoke over the phone regularly, even going out for drinks on the weekends. On one particular outing, Charlotte had the pleasure of meeting one of Kelly's friends, his best friend she later found, Leslie Shay. As they entered the bar, Charlotte quickly noticed the svelte blonde attached to his arm, and for a split second felt jealousy course through her veins.

She rose to greet them, a pained smile on her face. Kelly gave her a small hug and kiss, then moved to stand beside her and placed his hand on her lower back.

"Charlie, this is Leslie Shay- my roommate."

Charlotte felt her eyes bulge at the admission, but forced herself to nod. "Nice to meet you, Leslie."

"Oh you too," the woman responded, "I've heard a lot about you from that one."

A tight lipped smile was all Charlotte could manage. "Good things I hope?"

"The best."

They sat at a table, Charlotte and Kelly on one side Shay on the other, talking lowly among the crowd of Molly's. Kelly and Shay downed shot after shot while Charlotte sipped on her strawberry daiquiri - she'd always been a lightweight when it came to drinking so she strayed away from the hard stuff.

"So Charlotte, Kelly here tells me you've really got him hooked," Leslie pursed her lips and glanced to her friend. "I say good for him- you seem like a nice girl. Just know that if you do something unforgivable I'll be the first to know, and you won't like me as an enemy."

"Noted," Charlotte smiled. "But you don't have to worry about anything like that. It seems I'm hooked as well."

Kelly nodded toward the entrance of the pub to a curly haired woman searching the room. Leslie smiled and moved to greet her, shocking Charlotte to the core as she planted a sloppy kiss on her lips.

A strained laugh passed her lips and she looked at Kelly with wide eyes. "You could've told me, you jerk."

"And miss the fun of this conversation?" He winked and leaned to give her a quick peck, "you're a riot, you know that?"

She hummed against his lips, her hand reaching for his. "I meant what I said, Severide."

"About what?"

Charlotte met his eyes with a grin. "I'm hooked."

"Glad to hear I'm not the only one," he said quietly.

The rest of the night was quiet, save for the barfight that broke out over the Bears vs. Packers game- apparently a lone Wisconsin native visited the bar that night with a green and yellow jersey on. Not only did he suffer a black eye, but he also got booed out into the street as well. Charlotte felt pity for the man, but Kelly assured her he'd be fine- and that he got what he deserved.

"What kind of jackass wears a Driver jersey in Chicago anyway?"



Charlotte blinked lightly, her vision coming back in blotches, before she raised from her bed. A yawn tore from her chest, leaving her body with a sigh, her arms raised high above her head. Her spine popped loudly, earning a groan from the woman as she stood from the bed. Her sheet fell to the floor and that's when she realized the shock that came along with it.

"Oh my God." She bent forward to grab the sheet at lightening speed and wrapped it around her nude body. "Oh my God," she repeated.

She walked to the sink to fill a glass with water, drinking to soothe her burning throat. Then, as if he knew she had awoke, her phone began to ring, Kelly's name sprawled across the screen. She clicked it on and waited to hear his voice.

"Morning, gorgeous."

Charlotte's heart raced as his husky voice filled her ears. "Morning to you, Kelly."

"How'd you sleep?"

"Like a baby," she admitted with a smile. "When'd you leave?"

"This morning, I wasn't supposed to work today but they called me in." He explained gently. "Last night was amazing."

"Yeah," Charlotte breathed dreamily. "What time is your shift over?"

"Two hours," he spoke. "Listen, I don't know if I can make it to dinner tonight."

"That's okay." Her mood deflated a bit.

He sighed, "It's not that I don't want to, it's just Shay's going through some stuff and I don't want to leave her alone-"

"Bring her," Charlotte said simply.

The line was quiet for a moment. "Really?"

Charlotte rolled her eyes before responding. "Of course, Kelly!"

"You're amazing."

She emptied the glass and sat it back onto the counter with a dull 'clink'. "No, you're just sweet."

"Listen, I have to go, but we'll definitely be over later. Is seven okay?"

"Seven sounds perfect, I'll see ya then."

After she showered and began to cook the day passed quickly, before she knew it the doorbell echoed throughout the house. Quickly she ran to her room and threw on her clothes- she'd been cooking in her robe- then ran to answer the door.

Kelly gave her a grin while Shay opted for a small wave, her fingers wiggling in the wind. "C'mon in guys, everything's ready."

They sat at her table, a dark wood with four black chairs surrounding it, and dug into the meal she prepared.

"Charlotte this is incredible," Shay commented after she swallowed a mouthful of food. "I'll have to steal the recipe from you."

"Oh it's so easy to make, you wouldn't believe it!"

Kelly leaned into the back of his chair, a his chest tightening as he watched two of the most important people in his life talking as if they'd been friends forever. Shay's throaty laugh echoed in the small room causing Charlotte's breathy one to follow.

So this is what true happiness feels like.



Back in their apartment Shay and Kelly sat nestled together on the small sofa, watching a rerun of a nineties television show. Neither spoke for what seemed like ages until Leslie finally broke the silence.

"Where do you think this is going to go?"

Kelly glanced to her, his eyebrows pulled down in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"You and Charlotte, Kelly. She's a sweetheart," Shay explained, "it'd be a shame to see her hurt."

"Shay," Kelly sighed, running his hand over his short hair. "I really like her. A lot."

"I can see that, but what happens when she finds out? About the bet, I mean."

"That doesn't have to happen," he said lightly. "Besides, it was just a push in the right direction, right?"

Shay grabbed his hand, intertwining her fingers with his. "Do you love her?"

"Yeah," his voice was soft as he nodded. "Yeah, I think I do."

I love her.