When bass woke the next morning Charlie was no where to be found. He had rolled over expecting to see either a sleeping face or one with shock and panic, neither were true. Dragging himself from bed he wandered into the space that looked over both the kitchen and the living room, and found nothing, and he knew she wasn't in the bathroom becuase the door was wide open and the lights were off.

He immedately started to panic, should he have refused her plea to stay last night? nothing had happened he made sure of it, but now she was gone and all he could think was that she freaked and took off to her parents as soon as she got up and realized.

Bass stopped and put his hands on his hips. "I am a grown ass man, i need to chill the hell out." He decided he would give her some time, see if she texted him or showed back up. in the mean time he was going to make himself a bowl of cereal and watch tv, he needed to relax, freaking out about Charlie's mind set when he knew nothing other than she wasn't in the tiny apartment was not going to help matters.

He was sitting on the couch flipping through Miles' PVR when Charlie stumbled into the apartment. "Hey!" she announced from the front door, making her way down the small hallway she emerged with a bright smile and two coffee cups in hand. "I'm back! sorry i didnt want to wake you and i got up so early, decided some coffees and baked goods would do for breakfast. Don't worry i mobile ordered, guy left the drinks on the curb."

She plopped down on the couch next to Bass and handed him a paper cup and a small paper bag. "I wasn't sure what kind of bakery stuff you like so i grabbed a few things."

Bass peaked in the bag and took note of an apple fritter, a chocolate chip cookie, banana bread and what looked like a cheese danish. "Welcome back, i got worried you decided to skip out when i kept kicking your butt at Mario Kart last night." He smiled at her around his coffee.

Charlie leaned back on the couch her own coffee raising to her lips, "And give up the apartment, no way. I seem to recall day one you mentioning i had dibs, you can go stay with my mother if your wanting your own space."

Barking laugheter erupted from Bass."Perish the thought, sorry Charlie but your mom is crazy. Holidays is enough time spent for me, and thats only a couple hours at a time." He put his coffee on the table turned face her, one leg brought up on the couch.

"You don't need to tell me, i lived with her for 18 years, i'm well aware, why do you think i'm here and not there." Charlie also turned to face him, her coffee still in hand. "Listen, about last night, I hope i didnt make you uncomfortable. I had a lot to drink and i can be really pushy when i'm drunk. I didn't mean to make you feel like you had to stay."

Bass leaned back and threw an arm over teh back of the couch. "I don't do anything i don't want to, even if pretty girls are being pushy." He smirked and winked. "besides you weren't pushy at all, I was happy to stay. I also wanted to apologize, I wasn't trying to pry."

Charlie waved her hand back and forth, "You weren't prying, we were having a conversation that i started and decided i didnt want to have." Charlie sighed and brought both feet up and under herself. "I was dating some guy at school, he was nice enough. His family hated me though. I decided to break it off a couple weeks for final exams. I guess i was just feeling content for the first time last night in awhile, I'm not sure why i asked if you had a girlfriend." She sipped her coffee. "Maybe i was hoping you'd tell me you'd broken up with someone too and we could pity party together."

Bass listened intently as she explained, he was sure there was more to her question than she let on, but he was not about to push the issue. He could wait, and he would wait, until this confinement was over and he can maybe ask her on a proper date.

"I haven't had a girlfriend in a long time, almost got married once, but that obviously didnt work out. You might remember Shelley, i spent so much time away. When we got engaged i ended up getting shipped out right after, i was gone for almost a year. She decided she couldn't wait." He tilted his head slightly as he finished, and endering movement that set Charlies heart fluttering. "It's for the best though, we hadn't been together long before we decided to get married, and i wasn't going to leave the military. Which ended up being what she wanted."

"and you havent dated anyone since her?"

Bass shook his head. "I've dated, but no one seriously. I've never really been in one place long enough or found someone interesting enough to really concider settling down."

Charlie set down her drink and looked at him thoughtfully. "I know we have almost two full weeks still left stuck in this apartment, but i want to say something. and it may make things weird, it may not i don't know."

Bass' eyebrows raised in question. "Okay?" He suddenly felt nervous, but tried to play it cool.

"If i don't say something i may just combust and that wouldn't be good for either of us. You might know already i had a huge crush on you in high school." She laughed seeing the grin spread across Bass' face. "I do know that yes."

"Well the crush stuck around awhile, i just got better at dealing with it, better at hiding it." That caused Bass' smile to slip a little. "I knew as a teenager there would be nothing you'd be interested obviously. I decided to wait until i was in collage to say anything, maybe you'd notice me. I decided against that when you started seeing Shelly, we all knew it was serious. The way you looked at her, i wanted that, but i knew it would never happen. i dated a few guys here and there when i went off to school. but none of them were you." She sighed dropping her head. "Then i met Jason, he was a good guy, he looked at me like i was his world. Sure his family hated me, thought i wasn't good enough for their son, but we stayed together for almost two years. Turns out they were right."

"I'm sure thats not true..." Bass reached over and took her hand. She was dumping a confession of love on him and all he could focus on was how she thought she wasn't good enough for someone.

"It's not that i was a bad influence or anything. But i would never love him the way he loved me. He needed someone who could give their whole heart to him. Something i could never do." She looked down at the hand that was being cradled in his. "Bass, we haven't seen each other in two years, I thought I'd gotten over you. That hasn't happened. the last two days with you have only made me realize that it's still here and I can't sit around an pine for someone who may or may not feel the same." she pulled her hand out of his and locked her blue eyes onto his. "It's okay if you don't, nothing needs to change. We can carry on like we were before and pretend this never happened. But i've been waiting 10 years to say something and i'm not waiting anymore."

Bass stared back before he got up without saying anything and went to his duffle bag that was sitting across the room. She watched as he rifled through his bag and pulled out a book. Returning to his seat he handed her the book and leaned back. She took the book and turned it over in her hands. She recognized the book, it was one she had given him for his birthday three years ago. He had clearly read it a few times, the pages were worn, this is a book she would have described as well loved to another reader. "Open it." He prodded gently. She did as she was told and flipped the book open, it landed to a page with a small card inside.

Charlie's head snapped up and locked eyes with Bass. "That book, and the card inside it goes with me everywhere. It's been overseas, every posting and every away training camp." Bass pulled the card out from the books open pages. holding it up he showed her the picture. it was a photo of her, Miles and Bass. Bass had his arms wrapped around her shoulders and Miles had his arm thrown over Bass'. The three of them had large goofy grins on their faces. "I'm not one to get too sappy, but this was one of my favourite days." He turned the card to look at the photo, looking back at Charlie.

"So i was planning on asking you on a date after our lock down was over. If i were to do ask would you be at all interested in that?"

"I think i could be persuaded." Charlie leaned back in her seat and smiled wide. "until then, lets go socially distance at the park? its beautiful outside and i could use some fresh air outside this apartment."

"Deal."

They walked through the park enjoying the sunshine and light breeze, making sure they kept a very long distance from everyone around them. Bass regaled her with stories from his first posting with Miles, Charlie shared what her life had been like the last few years of schooling and how releived she was that it was over.

"i'm not going to lie, i'm a little disappointed that after all these years, you two never opened that bar you said you would. I was hoping that when i came back to Chicago when my schooling was through i could work there for awhile." She stretched her arms out wide as she flopped down into the grass enojying the sun. "you know numb my brain for a little while before i throw my self into the field r."

Bass had settled into the grass beside her. "we've been talking about it again, now that i'm back and offically out of the military, I'm going to need something to do, and after spending the majority of my life taking orders, i feel like it would be a nice change to give the orders, and i know that Miles has been looking for a side project, he's hoping to start phasing himself out of the police force anyways." lying down beside her he rested his hands on his stomach. "I've always been kind of jealous that he decided to get out so much earlier than me. he got to live this whole civialian life, try different things, live by his own rules. I was way more of a wild child than he was though, i don't think i could have handled it as well as him."

He saw her look at him questioningly and knew she was going to suggest he could have left earlier, everyone he had ever mentioned his regret to not retiring when Miles did, they all say the same thing.

Charlie rolled onto her side and rested her head o

n her tucked up arm. "Well if you decide to open the bar, i'd be more than happy to help, i did a year in business management courses before i switched." She smiled at the thought of working so closely with her uncle and Bass, "its not a degree or anything but i learned a lot, and i can do editing on the side."

"I think i'm going to do it. With or without Miles." Bass smiled and closed his eyes as he imagined his life owning his own business and being his own boss.

"Can't wait." Charlie rolled back onto her back and also closed her eyes enjoying the sun.