The alarm blares at six in the morning and before he can shut it off, Charlie's hand smacks him in the face. He's just going to tell himself that she was reaching for the alarm. He rubs his stinging cheek with one hand and shuts the alarm off with the other.
"What did I tell you about that alarm?" her heavy lidded eyes glare at him.
"This is my room. You're the one who came in here at-"
"Shut up. Just go on your happy little run and lemme sleep," she buries her face in her pillow, ending the conversation.
"See you in six hours," Mike chuckles and grabs his iPod. He shuts the door gingerly and heads out to the beach.
After his drunk confession, it took him about a month before being able to tell Charlie how he felt about her, sober. She held out for a week before coming into his room saying that they were going on a date.
She ended up hating her food and eating from his plate which actually wasn't a surprise. She didn't say much, which was odd considering she was the first person he felt at ease with, besides Johnny, at Graceland. When they got back to the house, he finally asked if he did something wrong and she laughed and gave him a kiss. Her lips were as smooth as they looked and she tasted like the peppermint gum she'd been chewing on after eating so much garlic in his pasta.
They tried to keep it from the rest of the house because of Briggs' rule:no love in Graceland, but he amended it to no PDA in Graceland. Mike knew Charlie had something to do with that.
When Mike gets back from his run, Charlie, of course, is still asleep because it's Saturday. He knows if he goes back into his room, she'll throw the alarm clock at his face this time. He has to figure out someway to make it up to her.
"Charlie," Mike's voice whispers in her ear. She reaches up and he catches her wrist. He rubs her skin with his thumb and his voice softens. "Open your eyes."
Her dark eyes open and see the tray on the bed. There's pancakes, scrambled eggs, and a small plate of fruit. She raises her eyebrows. "You do all this, Mikey?"
"I had to make it up to my strong, sassy woman," he plants two kisses on her cheek.
Charlie smirks and stabs the melon with her fork. He knows that's her version of thank you. She picks up the strawberry and pops it into his mouth. She kisses his cheek. "Sorry, I smacked you, babe."
"I'll get used to it," he laughs and she shrugs.
She ends up giving him half of the breakfast and he knows she actually does feel bad about smacking him. He takes the tray from her and she grabs his arm as he gets off the bed. Her heavy lidded eyes at locked on him and she's playing with her dark hair. He almost drops the tray.
"You know, no one expects me to get up for another couple hours. Lock the door when you come back," her voice is even huskier than usual.
"Yes, ma'am," he nods.
Mike smiles to himself as he walks out. That smack was definitely worth it. He's not changing the alarm any time soon.
