Chapter 29

Charlie put his hand to his head and sighed.

Megan had stood at the end of the corridor and had seen Charlie comforting Duffy in the bedroom. With her arms folded, she tilted her head at him, as she saw how troubled he was by everything too. She slowly began to realise that what was happening between them wasn't just lust at all, but, they had a deep affection for each other. Maybe she was overreacting, a bit.

"She ok?" Megan asked softly.

"No, no she isn't." Charlie said, a little abruptly.

"Come on. Let's leave her to rest." Megan said, as she gestured into the kitchen, and walked in there herself.

Charlie just sighed again, he wasn't ready for her questions, not right now.

He walked down the corridor and into the kitchen to join her.

Megan just stood filling the kettle, switched it on, and didn't say a thing.

He sat down at the table, confused.

"You don't have to tell me Charlie." Megan said, as she turned around, stood with folded arms, and her back against the counter.

"Oh?" Charlie asked surprised.

"You already know what I'm going to say." Megan said, as she folded her arms at him.

"Look Megan." Charlie began.

"She's just a girl Charlie, what were you thinking." Megan interrupted.

"It's not like that!" Charlie said abruptly.

"Oh, really?!" Megan spat back at him.

Charlie just sighed at her in frustration.

"How can you go from being a married man with a young son, to having a fling with a girl nearly ten years younger than you!" Megan added.

"Megan!" Charlie reacted.

"Well, *tut* that's how it looks to me." Megan said, as she tutted at him.

"It didn't start out to be a fling Megan." Charlie said, as he looked up at her angrily.

"Pfft, give me strength." Megan said, as she shook her head at him.

"Whilst Baz is working away, with your son, you take advantage of Duffy because you're alone, and she's still hurting from all of Andrew's cheating." Megan snapped at him.

"On come on Megan. That's not..." Charlie said furiously.

"Liar." Megan said, and she scowled at him.

Charlie shook his head at her in annoyance.

"Don't like it do you?" Megan said, as she pointed her finger at him.

"The truth." Megan added.

Charlie just looked away from her.

"You think all this, is just so I could get my leg over. Pfft." Charlie said angrily.

"Well isn't it?" Megan replied sternly.

"No." Charlie said, as he turned to look at her.

"Pfft." Megan reacted.

They were silent for a few moments as Megan stood and made them a cup of tea. She handed him his cup, whilst she stood up with hers. Unable to sit down and look at him for the time being.

"And now there's this thing with Andrew, kinda thrown a spanner in the works for you?" Megan said, as she frowned at him.

"Megan." Charlie said, as he looked up at her frustrated.

"Well?" Megan said, waiting for him to tell her.

Charlie sighed, as he began to explain.

"I had no idea she'd caught him, Duffy didn't tell me when I saw her at the park."

"The park?" Megan asked, confused.

"I was on my way over to Duffy's, just to check on her, to make sure she was ok, and to talk about things. That's when I bumped into her at the park." Charlie added.

"Oh, I see." Megan replied.

"We ended up kissing, and Andrew caught us, and gave me these." Charlie said, as he gestured to his eye and nose.

"Andrew caught you two?" Megan said, confused.

"I think he must have gone looking for her, after she'd caught him in bed with, well, his bit on the side. The git! I manage to smack him one though, in case you were wondering." Charlie said, as he smiled a little bit at her.

"Good. What she ever saw in him I'll never know." Megan said, as she smiled back at him, pleased at least Andrew got he what deserved.

"And Baz, what happened with Baz, to make her hit Duffy like that?" Megan asked.

"We ended up at the E.D. I thought Andrew had broken my nose, and I couldn't stop it bleeding. I had to come up with some excuse that I'd been mugged. I assume one of the staff must have phoned Baz. Amy, probably. And Baz walked in on us in my office." Charlie explained.

"In your office, Charlie Fairhead!" Megan exclaimed.

"Oh for God sake, we just kissed, Jesus Megan!" Charlie retorted.

"Oh, right, um." Megan replied, slightly flustered.

"So you then came here?" Megan added.

"We've got no where else to go." Charlie said, as he looked up at her sorrowfully.

"Baz took Louis to back to ours and she's threatened she'll stop me from seeing him." Charlie added, as he put his hand to his head in torment.

"She can't do that Charlie, you're his father." Megan said, as she folded her arms at his statement.

"You know Baz, she'll get her own way eventually." Charlie said, as he sighed.

"I could lose him Megan, forever." Charlie added, as tears filled his eyes.

"Oh, Charlie, no you won't, you're a good man and once she's calmed down, she'll realise Louis can't grow up not knowing his father." Megan explained.

"Yeah, I'd love to believe you, but she already tried to take full custody of him before we go married." Charlie said, as he looked at her.

"What? Why?" Megan asked, shocked.

"Because things weren't working between us for a while, and we split up. Well, I cheated on her with someone else, if you can call it that." Charlie explained.

"You what!?" Megan said, furiously.

"Someone showed an interest in me. It was a stupid mistake. But, I did it all the same. She spoke to her solicitor trying to get full custody, and well, you know the rest." Charlie told her.

"So, cheat on her, she then tried to take Louis away from you. You saved her life, from a that madman, and then you proposed?" Megan said, reeling off it all frustratingly.

"Yeah, that's about the size of it." Charlie said, as he looked at her remorsefully.

"And you wondered why I didn't think Duffy and you were just a fling! You've got a nerve Charlie Fairhead." Megan said to him.

"Oh, Megan it's not like between us at all." Charlie barked back at her.

"Oh grow up Charlie. She's got two young children to worry about, as well as cheating husband. The last thing she needs is you messing with her head." Megan said at him furiously.

"It doesn't matter what I say to you now, you'll not believe me anyway." Charlie said, as he put his hand to his forehead, and winced with the pain in his eye, and nose.

"Go on then, explain yourself. How can a fully grown married man take advantage for a young married woman, nine years younger than him, if it isn't just about sex then? Hmm, hmm?" Megan said, as she stared at him, waiting for his pitiful excuse.

"I love her Megan, that's it, nothing more than that." Charlie said, unable to look at her, waiting for her to bite back at him.

"You love her, oh, really, and what about Baz? Hmm? Do you not love her? You've only been married five minutes. Vows are to be taken seriously Charlie. They aren't there to just be broken so easily." Megan sternly told him.

"I love Baz, but not enough. I've been in love with Duffy for years. I just never thought she'd feel the same." Charlie said, as he put his hand to neck, and turned to look at her finally.

"You're telling me, you've secretly been in love with Duffy all this time?" Megan said, shock evident on her face.

Charlie just nodded gently.

"I don't believe I'm hearing this." Megan said, as she put her hand to her head.

"You never told me!" Megan said, as she looked at him, now annoyed.

"How could I? I knew you'd react like this." Charlie said, as he turned and gave her a knowing look.

"Too right I'd act like this!" Megan said, in disbelief.

"Megan." Charlie said, as he tilted his head at her.

"I knew you were protective of her, and close, but." Megan replied, shaking her head at him.

"Don't seem too surprised Megan, it doesn't just happen over night you know." Charlie said, as he frowned at her, and winced due to his injured eye.

"Oh, no, no, I know it doesn't. I knew Duffy had a school girl crush on you. But, I didn't think you'd feel the same." Megan replied, as she stood in shock.

"Well, it just sort of caught up with me, you know. We just got closer, and closer. Then, I couldn't bring myself to ruin our friendship, so..." Charlie explained to her.

"You hid it from her instead?" Megan interrupted.

Charlie nodded.

"Oh, Charlie. All this time." Megan said, as she looked at him a bit more sympathetically.

Charlie just looked at her with a rueful smile, then nodded.

"So, if you love her, were you planning on leaving Baz?" Megan asked, trying to understand a bit more.

"It's only just happened the passed few days. I knew if Duffy wanted this as much as I did, I knew it wouldn't be right if I continued things with Baz. I was just thinking of ways I could tell Baz, and then she just showed up this morning...*sigh*...I can't walk away from Duffy, not now, and I don't want to either." Charlie said, as he then clasped his hands together in front of him, on the table.

"Oh Charlie." Megan said, as she folded her arms at him, and sighed.

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