AN: thank you for all the lovely reviews. They have been such a boost! This next chapter is a little burst of Charles POV.
Charles watched Molly's taxi drive away, disappointment making his shoulders slump. When Elvis suggested they share the taxi, his excitement piqued. This girl he'd barely met had never been far from his mind all afternoon and now he might get a chance to get to know her a little, but her face said it all when she thought she might have to travel into town with them.
He couldn't blame her. Elvis was doing his usual which was bad enough without the fact he'd knocked her to the ground and it's not like Charles was charming her with his witty banter. When he'd run to help her he hadn't known what to say. He was instantly struck by her beauty. Fresh faced, no make-up, hair scraped back beauty and all he could do was look at her. When he found out how close she lived, he hoped he'd bump into her, but although she was polite she was obviously keen to get away.
He thought of her for the rest of the day, finding it difficult to focus on unpacking which he was mostly doing by himself. Elvis had insisted on coming with him on Friday when he moved, to help him "get sorted", but he hadn't been a massive help. He'd unpacked a couple of boxes on Friday afternoon before raiding the limited fridge supplies and playing Sam's X-box.
On Saturday morning he helped again for a bit, but then suggested they go for a run. Although Charles' rehab at Headley Court was now finished, he still wasn't back to full fitness. Elvis knew he needed to push him a bit so they'd set off. Charles enjoyed the first mile, but his leg started to ache and although Scottish sunshine was far from the Afghan climate, the temperature soared until he struggled to make it back despite Elvis's taunting.
He was considering how he could murder Elvis and make it look like an accident when the idiot had crashed into poor Molly. Charles was mortified, especially when Elvis started chatting her up too.
Once they were inside and Elvis had gone for a nap, Charles found himself staring out of his kitchen window at her house. There was no sign of her and after a while he worried that he was bordering on creepy.
As they'd left the flat to go out, his eyes again went to her front door and within a few moments he was greeted by the welcome sight of her walking down the path. She looked stunning. Her dark hair tumbled round her shoulders in soft waves and her body was snug in a purple dress that hugged her curves and tantalisingly hinted at what was underneath. She strode purposefully across the road and he held his breath. She was beautiful.
When she greeted him, he had to resist the urge to scoop her up into a hug. He was vaguely aware of her speaking to Elvis before the suggestion that they share the taxi, but his senses clicked online when she lifted her dress a little to show one of her injuries. The fabric inched up her smooth, tanned thigh and he found himself imagining running his fingers over the skin there. He had to touch her.
Suddenly he moved towards her, helping her into the taxi just so he could hold her hand for a moment. What was wrong with him? He didn't do this kind of thing. He didn't get involved. Emotions clouded things, made his job more dangerous than it already was so he shut down on a regular basis. This spilled into his real life so that he'd found it hard to connect with anyone for a good few years, especially since the divorce.
He'd found it hard to connect with Rebecca as well, for different reasons and he admitted to himself that he never would have married her if it wasn't for Sam.
"At last!" Elvis broke his reverie as he pointed to the approaching taxi. "Come on Charlie, let's see what delights Edinburgh has to offer us."
Charles climbed in after Elvis, desperately hoping one of those delights might be Molly, but Edinburgh was a big city and chances were she wouldn't be so eager to see him. He slumped back in his seat. It was unlikely that a girl that gorgeous was single anyway. No he'd be better off just putting her out of his mind and getting on with things the way they were.