When Charles woke up, he had a dopey grin on his face, having dreamt of being on Erik's arms. And he had been.
Erik had held him tight against his body while he kissed Charles like he was something precious and worth being cherished. He had smelled so good and felt so warm under Charles' palm that all he wanted was to have that again.
But there was just the slight problem about the way the evening had ended. Charles hadn't minded the cold the least and if he were honest, while yes, he had been freezing, Erik's touches were so warm and addictive he had barely noticed his state. To him, that was perfect. That was freedom.
Erik was carefree around him, didn't treat him like a child or an invalid. And God, he had kissed Charles so good. If it weren't for Raven interrupting them, he was sure he would have ended up pulling Erik to his lap and growing one of his rare boners.
He had a lot of mixed feelings for his sister right now. Charles was annoyed she had walked in on them. He was angry beyond words because of the way she had treated Erik probably ruining Charles' chances with him, or worse, making Erik worry and fuss over him all the time, not ever wanting to do something fun again. And he was thankful she had noticed him shivering because when he had been away from Erik's warmth he had finally noticed how cold he was actually feeling.
Settling for thanking her and then getting angry, he sat up in bed and transferred himself onto the chair, wheeling around the room and doing his normal routine.
Charles carefully slipped the catheter inside his penis and let it do it's work of emptying his bladder. He blushed to think how Erik or any future lover would react to this awful thing he always had to carry around to pee and shut those thoughts away, not even knowing anymore if Erik still wanted something with him.
When he left the bathroom, Raven was still asleep and he decided to let her be, not wanting any confrontations with her right now. The one he was about to have was already enough.
Charles wanted to ambush Erik when the other man left his room, but that idea had to be discarded since he didn't know which one it was. He wheeled to the restaurant where breakfast was served and a quick look inside told him the tall man wasn't there yet.
Stopping at the door and pulling the brakes of his chair, he settled to wait for Erik and apologise to him as much as he had to, to get those lips glued to his once again.
Erik only went to breakfast because he was expecting to bump into Charles there and hopefully find the words to apologise. It was the right choice, he realised, as soon as he spotted the other man waiting there.
Walking towards him, Erik's palms were sweaty and he cleaned them on his shorts trying to look calm. But when he reached the other man, he started babbling "I'm so sorry for what happened Charles. I didn't know, I… Didn't think! Are you alright?".
Charles gave him a rather sad smile and looked down for a moment, cheeks turning red. Erik's heart was beating wildly inside his chest and when the other man looked up, it stopped altogether.
"I'm fine", he dismissed Erik's concern and bit on his bottom lip, not breaking eye contact. Nothing seemed fine to Erik and he wished he knew what to do or how to act.
"Raven really over reacted last night", Charles started again. "I'm very sorry she treated you like that, my friend. It was nothing to be worried about and while yes, what she said about me being cold and about my legs was true, I haven't felt that good in a long time Erik, and I can only hope she didn't ruin it", he said.
Erik gaped at the beautiful man in front of him, not quite processing what Charles meant by that, which of course, the other man took as a cue to fill the silence with more words.
"I felt… alive and worth it. You made me feel really good Erik, I wanted to tell you this last night; I very much enjoyed our date and would like to do it again, especially with more kisses". The words made his stomach flutter, happy that he hadn't hurt the other man or missed his chance.
The only reaction he could have, was to lean down to press a soft kiss to Charles' red lips, the other man's hands coming up to hold him in place, fingers carding through Erik's soft hair. Charles let out a needy moan when their tongues tangled together and he got a grip on Erik's shirt, pulling him forward and forward until he was almost climbing on the man's lap.
He pulled away feeling dizzy, eyes hooded and lips plush, looking at Charles with fondness. "I thought you would be mad at me", he murmured still so very close, hands finding balance on the wheelchair.
"And I thought you would be mad. What happened was really rude and unfair", was the answer but Erik just shook his head and kissed him again, very gently and chastely.
"I really enjoyed our date too, Charles", he revealed, thinking of how amazing it was to have the other man's entire attention turned towards him, drinking each one of his words like they were precious and important. "Can we do it again tonight?", he invited.
"God, yes", Charles said twisting his fingers tighter around Erik's shirt and looking at him with soft eyes.
Charles was high above the clouds happy with the fact things had been cleared up and that Erik hadn't been offended by the end of the night. He suggested they should start their date with breakfast and the other man readily agreed, putting a warm hand on his shoulder and entering the restaurant proudly by his side.
Spending the whole day with the other man was amazing and Charles found that he was truly enjoying himself like he hadn't in awhile. Erik was indeed quiet even after he had revealed he could speak english but that didn't come as a problem because Charles would fill the other man's silence with his babble and Erik, surprisingly enough, would pay close attention and make smart comments, keeping up with the conversation and not looking bored or bothered by Charles, something even his exes had seemed sometimes.
They sat by the pool, put sunscreen on each other's back and talked some more. Erik didn't go in the water maybe in sympathy for him, maybe not, but Charles appreciated it immensely. Then, they had lunch together and even ventured into the game room where they found a chess board and played several matches until dinner time.
Charles felt himself getting sad with each minute that passed by because he didn't want the day to come to an end and say goodbye to Erik, which was why when they were done with their meal, he asked to walk Erik to his room this time around.
The warm hand on his shoulder made him feel secure and not lonely, Charles' insides getting all warm and fuzzy with the thought of having that hand in other places. So far, he knew Erik was interested and that he enjoyed kissing Charles even though they hadn't done that at all during the day, but he wasn't sure the other man would want to take things to the next level with him. Maybe he just couldn't see Charles in a sexual way.
Nevertheless, he had to try. Tomorrow was his last day at paradise and he didn't want to waste an amazing chance like this. If things went downhill then he would just have to hide from Erik the last day and never see him again, if they went okay, they could keep doing it until he had to go.
They reached the door to the other man's room and Charles turned his chair around to face him. He smiled in a way he hoped was charming and prayed that he still got it.
"Would you like to show me your room?", he asked sooner than he had planned to and not as smoothly, but then he bit down on his bottom lip and looked up at Erik wanting to see his reaction. The other man's expression was soft and there was a slight smile on his face. "I would like that very much", Erik answered and picked his card, swiping it on the door and pushing it open.
Charles rolled in, a nervous feeling on the pit of his stomach as he studied the room around him. It was the same as Charles' and he couldn't tell if Erik was messy or organized from it because the maids had clearly already been through there. His palms were sweating and he cleaned them on his shorts, not feeling the pressure they did there.
"Please, feel at home", Erik told him and Charles nodded, coming closer to the bed and touching the sheets softly, pushing the mattress down to test it.
There was this slight tension in the air and Charles was scared of turning around when he started talking "Tomorrow is my last day", he said almost sadly. "Raven's friend offered her this trip, I'm really glad I came along".
Erik chuckled and walked around Charles, sitting in bed right in front of him so they could look at each other. "My boss made me come here. Said I needed vacations after I made two people cry at work", he said and Charles' eyes widened.
"You? I can't see that", he shook his head, making Erik grin showing all his beautiful teeth, like a tiny shark. "I'm only this nice on vacations and with beautiful blue-eyed strangers", he answered, gaze falling to Charles' lips so suddenly, making the air between them shift from tense to electric.
Charles didn't want to talk anymore. He grabbed two fistfulls of Erik's shirt and pulled the other man towards him slowly, giving him the chance to stop this. But Erik was pliant and he was leaning in towards Charles, licking his own lips to make them wet and turning Charles on.
When they met in between it was like sparks shot through his damaged spine and Charles let out a needy moan, blushing furiously from it but not being able to stop what they were doing or the sounds that kept escaping him.
He kissed Erik avidly, lips sliding together and tongues wetting and licking into each other's mouth and teeth clashing because of the heated kiss they couldn't properly coordinate, being too lost in it's intensity.
Charles kept tugging at Erik's shirt, wanting more of him, wanting to get him closer. It did come as a surprise, - a really nice one - when Erik got up from bed and climbed on his lap. Charles didn't know how the other man made it work but he was too lost to care about that, having Erik sitting on his lap and kissing him like their lives depended on this.
When they parted for breath, Erik nuzzled his cheek adoringly, making Charles' heart flutter when he really shouldn't be falling for the stranger who had lied to him, but he was too gone for it now. Erik was perfection and Charles wanted to have and to love him.
"Is this okay?", the other man murmured huskily against his damp skin and Charles nodded yes, turning his head and starting to place kisses on his neck, letting his hand slip underneath Erik's shirt and feel the body he had ogled at for the whole week.
He touched the taunt stomach and nibbled on the curve between neck and shoulder, making his own purple mark there. Erik moaned on top of him, making Charles melt with that delicious sound and the other man's fingers threatened through his hair holding it tight.
"Wait", Erik whispered when Charles grabbed the hem of his shirt and was about to pull it off of him so he could have more skin to explore and maybe spread more hickeys there.
"What?", he asked, fear creeping up on him that he was right about Erik not seeing him in a sexual way. It would be just his luck. "How… I'm sorry, I wish I knew more but… How does it work for you?", he asked awkwardly and seemed a little scared of upsetting Charles. His eyes were looking at the floor and something bloomed inside of Charles.
Erik was caring and he wanted to make sure it would be okay and good for Charles too. He was planning on going for more, even though Charles was sure Erik would change his mind once he heard the answer, it made him happy to have landed such an amazing and gorgeous man.
"I… I only know from what I have experienced myself", he started and came closer to Erik, burying his head on the crook of the other man's neck so it would feel less embarrassing. "I still retain sensation on my uh, penis. I can feel the touch of a hand for example, but the hand would have to be rougher so I could feel it like before. It takes me a lot longer to reach my orgasm, sometimes… Sometimes it makes my hand cramp", he said, eyes filling with tears because of the shame, but Erik's fingers massaging his scalp were soothing him at the same time.
"Sometimes I don't get hard at all, no matter how much I try, so it wouldn't be your fault if it didn't happen. It's mostly tiring, some days not even worth it. I haven't figured out everything yet", Charles finished, clinging to Erik's shirt to enjoy the man's company for as long as he could get away with.
Who would still want to sleep with him after knowing that? He was disgusted and embarrassed of himself for not being able to have a normal sex life. Would he feel a blowjob? Would the other person eventually get tired since he seemed to never come? God, he was useless and worthless.
But the next words coming out of Erik's gorgeous lips made something loosen up inside his chest and he grinned widely. "It's more than worth it", the other man purred in his ears and pulled away so they could look at each other. Erik's long fingers threatened through his hair, Charles humming and leaning into the touch as they locked eyes.
Erik started moving his hips in circles, his spine curving beautifully as he grinded down on Charles, eyes never darting away. The pressure on his cock was barely there like this, but watching Erik move on top of him was a rush itself. The way the other man was staring at him, eyes still hooded with lust and desire was setting Charles' skin on fire, making him feel arousal course through his veins even though he wasn't feeling it on his dick.
Was this one of the times he wouldn't get hard? His body couldn't fail him like this! Not here, not with this greek God willing to touch and to kiss him, he couldn't bare another disappointment.
"I'll make you feel good", Erik murmured, thumb caressing across Charles' lips and spreading his saliva, making them moist. "What about you?", he asked, voice shaking and scared he couldn't make this decent for Erik.
"I'm already feeling amazing", Erik answered huskily, making all hairs on Charles' body stand. Charles looked away then, hands exploring Erik's back underneath his shirt and nails scratching the skin strongly enough to leave red marks. The smallest of moans escaped Erik's lips and it was like fuel for Charles. He could do this.
"Let's move to bed", Erik offered and Charles nodded as an answer but before they moved, Erik smoothed his hands down Charles' arms, feeling him up and humming his approval before going towards the hem of his shirt and tugging it up to remove it.
Charles lifted his arms, this part being easy since Erik had already seen him shirtless. The other man's breath hitched as if he had never seen it before though, and he used his fingertips to trail down Charles' chest, the pad of his thumb brushing against a nipple and making Charles moan.
Biting down on his bottom lip, he looked up and said "It's become a lot more sensitive ever since…", explaining that his whole upper body was quite erogenous when his penis decided not to work.
Erik grinned and kissed Charles chastely before getting up from the chair and standing in front of him. He took off his own shirt and Charles eyed the trained body with a little envy and a lot of arousal. God, he was hot.
"Take me to bed", Charles said with a raspy voice, trying to make it sound more sexy and less of a request. This was the part where he would usually jump up and wrap his legs around the narrow waist, kiss him in a filthy way and grind his erection against the man's stomach but it was all out of his reach now, so he settled for looking up under his eyelashes and stretching his arms.
Erik's expression turned serious, his eyes getting a shade darker and his plush mouth going slack. Charles only had one second to worry until the other man breathed out "Fuck, you shouldn't be allowed to look like that", coming closer and putting his strong arms around Charles' body, carrying him just like he had done to get him out of the pool.
They kissed messily until they reached the bed and Erik put him in it gently, immediately climbing on top of Charles and not breaking the kiss once.
Their naked torsos were pressed together and Charles let himself enjoy the feeling of having someone in bed with him again, someone wanting him. He ran his hand up and down Erik's skin that felt warm after days under the punishing sun, felt his muscles shifting and the perfect valley before his ass. He asked himself if Erik was a top or a bottom and he wanted to do that question out loud but he couldn't do that yet.
The other man pulled away from his lips then, trailing his kisses down Charles' chin and towards his neck, kissing, sucking and lapping at it making Charles moan wantonly.
He didn't remember it feeling this intense, how it made his hairs stand, his fingers claw to Erik's back and his eyes roll upwards. He kept moaning and moaning, begging for more and many other requests escaping his lips. "Please, Erik… Hmmhm, Oh God, yes, more… Mark me", he groaned and the other man complied.
He gave Charles a harsh suck on the junction between shoulder and neck that made his back arch off the bed and his lips to fall open, his moans becoming more desperate and loud. "How do you like that?", Erik asked smiling against his skin for which Charles grabbed his hair and brought him over to his lips.
They kissed deep and thorough, Charles craving to wrap his legs around Erik and bring him down closer to him so they could dry hump against each other but since he couldn't, he made up with his hands, running them down Erik's back and cupping his ass, kneading the flesh and bringing him down towards him.
Erik panted into his mouth and when he pulled away, he didn't waste any time before attacking Charles' skin again, but he went down to his chest, licking his collarbones and then trailing kisses towards a nipple.
He kissed it softly and then licked around it, pulling the nub between his lips and then grazing his teeth against it. Pulling away, Erik blowed the abused flesh, making Charles cry out in pleasure. It had never been like this before, but he had become so sensitive up there that it felt heavenly, as if he was getting a really well done blowjob. He was left an incoherent mess by Erik's lips and he loved it.
He could feel the hardness inside Erik's pants pressing against his stomach and a wave of pride washed over him for being the cause of that. "You're hard", Charles commented dreamily, hands grabbing the hem of Erik's shorts to bring him just a little closer and then sliding down the front until he was cupping Erik's cock and massaging it inside his pants.
"Oh Gott… I am", Erik moaned, head lolling forward and resting on Charles' chest as he touched and felt what it truly seemed to be a large cock that made his mouth water. Fuck, what wouldn't he give to feel that inside of him, but he knew it was a little more complicated now and that was something he wouldn't have time to experiment with Erik before leaving; he wasn't ready to find out the difference yet, didn't want to ruin his memories of how good it had felt before.
Charles stopped cupping Erik in order to slip his hand inside the man's shorts and boxers at the same time, fingertips reaching trimmed pubic hair and dipping in it until he felt the hard, fat cock and held it in a strong grip. Charles gave it a long, experimental stroke reveling on the feeling of how warm and thick it was on his hand.
"Christ", Charles moaned because he was enjoying touching Erik so very much. He couldn't think of anything better at the moment. He kept the slow teasing of the big prick, feeling the pull of skin even though he could tell just by touch that Erik was cut.
Looking down, he peeked at it to see the flushed, pink head appear and disappear in his grip, precum leaking from it "You're beautiful", he breathed out and a moan escaped from Erik as he fucked himself into Charles' fist.
Erik was drowning in Charles, the perfect grip of the man's fist around his cock making him almost lose it. He hadn't gotten any in awhile, being too busy with work and being a anti-social grumpy guy. This felt so good and he didn't need to ask Charles for anything more, only this was perfect.
He was almost gone in his pleasure when a thought crossed his mind and he stilled his hips, letting only Charles' skilled fingers work on him twisting and tugging. He wanted to make Charles feel good before anything else. First things first.
Kissing the other man deeply, Erik started moving his hand all the way down his chest to his navel, feeling the thin hairs under it that lead towards his crotch. Erik hummed excited and pulled away smiling down at Charles and moving out of his reach, losing the stimulation on his cock.
He grinned at the other man and his hand wandered over his shorts to cup Charles' cock. It had never happened to him that another person wasn't at least half hard by this point, but Charles' prick felt soft underneath his fingers and his heart stuttered a bit, his hand stopping.
Of course he had completely understood this could happen, but a proud part of him had thought he could actually get Charles hard and leaking. He tried pushing all his doubts away that the other man wasn't enjoying this and telling himself it was only normal, but it must have taken him too long because Charles' breath hitched and his hand came over Erik's pulling it away from his dick.
Looking up, he saw that Charles was looking away and his bottom lip was trembling slightly, which made his heart clench. Erik placed a series of kisses through Charles' collarbone and whispered against his skin time and time again that it was okay and that he wasn't giving up on it yet.
He trailed his kisses down and opened Charles' pants, pushing them away along with his underwear and pulling himself up so he could get completely rid of the fabric. Erik went all the way down to Charles' feet to get them off and threw them on the ground, smiling up to the other man and crawling towards his crotch.
Charles' cock was lying on the midst of dark, curly hair, all soft and beautiful. It was quite a sight to see and he could only imagine how flushed and bigger it would be when hard. "You look gorgeous", he whispered looking up again to find Charles worrying his bottom lip and seeming nervous.
Erik kissed his thigh even though he knew it wouldn't be felt and winked at him trying to be reassuring, - he really wasn't good at this kind of thing, so he was trying all he could think of.
He nuzzled all the way up from Charles' balls to the head of his cock, breathing in the manly scent and feeling how his mouth was watering from the eroctic moment. He let his tongue dart out and swirl around the head, teasing it a little before he remembered Charles couldn't feel the light touches. Was it worth it to put on a show? He hoped so.
Watching Erik lap and lick at his cock was such an arousing thing Charles was sure he would be practically coming by now if he was still normal. As it was, his cock remained soft.
It didn't take long for the other man to hold it with a hand and then wrap his lips properly around it. He applied a lot of pressure for what Charles could see of his hollowed cheeks and he could finally feel the wetness and tightness around himself. There was a moan leaving his mouth at it, but for some reason, his prick wasn't perking up at the amazingness it was to get another blowjob.
Erik started to go down on him with energy, using his hands and lips, bobbing his head up and down in a incredible pace, applying a crazy amount of pressure but Charles just wouldn't get hard.
He could feel the embarrassment and shame taking over his body, making him tense and not prone to getting an erection anytime soon. His eyes were prickling with tears but he didn't stop Erik.
He didn't stop Erik on the full four minutes the persistent man went on and on. Erik didn't seem to be giving up yet as he had said, but Charles could see the tick on his jaw that showed him it was probably hurting terribly by now with the strength he was putting into it, he could see the spit running down his chin as Erik kept salivating around Charles' prick for no use at all.
It was then that Charles started crying. He was useless. The first and probably only man that would ever want him after his accident and he was ruining it. His cock wouldn't work properly anymore and Erik was being so kind, wasn't letting go when it was so painfully obvious Charles was just a crippled who could never please him.
The self loathe hit him hard then and he screwed his eyes shut, hearing the blowjob more than feeling it now that Erik was losing his perfect grip around it, his movements were starting to get more erratic and a bit desperate. There was no use, Charles was as good as dead on that department and the realisation made the tears keep coming in frustration, sadness, shame…
"Stop, stop, stop!", he almost screamed, hands reaching out to push Erik away from his useless dick. Why would such a beautiful, well functioning man want to keep touching him anyway?
His heart hurt when he looked down and saw the almost scared look on Erik's eyes. "You're crying", he stated, voice breaking. "Have I done something wrong? Please tell me what it is", he asked getting out of his position on top of Charles and sitting next to him with his legs crossed.
It was painfully obvious how Erik had managed to stay half hard during it all and Charles sobbed, pressing the heels of his hands against his eyes. How could he be turned on by Charles and his disgusting body? He was nothing more than a waste of space.
Erik heard the small, heartbreaking sob that came out of Charles' lips and immediately reached out to hold the man's wrists, trying to pry them away from his face so he could see him clearly.
"Hey, hey", he said softly "what can I do?" the question slipped as soon as Charles' scrunched up face came in view and he saw the wet other man shook his head and didn't say anything, his eyes still shut. It made Erik miss seeing those vibrant blue orbs and he instinctively leaned closer.
"Shhhh…", he made the sound and started kissing Charles' tears, catching them with his lips in an attempt to dry his face. "Shh.. Don't cry… It's alright, Charles. I'm so sorry, shhhh…", he murmured gently, sweet nothings escaping him as he kissed the young man's face and his hands still held both wrists, making soothing circles with his thumbs in them.
"I'm s-sorry", Charles stuttered and then finally, opened his eyes. Erik pulled away then, letting go with one hand to pull a sheet over their lower bodies offering some decency so they could talk. The other man was looking at the ceiling, stubbornly avoiding Erik's eyes.
"You have nothing to be sorry for. Please tell me where I've gone wrong", he asked gently, wanting to be better next time. "You d-did nothing wrong", Charles sobbed "I'm wrong. I'm all wrong, can't you see?", he asked then and it dawned on Erik how stupid he had been. He had pushed Charles into something he clearly wasn't ready for and it had broken him down to not be able to perform. The tint on his cheeks showed how embarrassed he was, and the tears proved his frustration but he wasn't wrong. No, nothing could be wrong about him.
"Don't say that. You're all right to me. I'm sorry I pushed you into this, we can just sleep, ok? Just sleep", he offered, hand reaching up to once again dry the man's face.
"God, no. You didn't- I want to so bad but I just can't- I'm useless", the last part was only a whisper that made Erik's whole body ache. "Charles, I don't know why you would ever think that, but nothing about you seem useless to me. You warned me this could happen and I was fully prepared for it, I wasn't bothered in the least".
"But I thought it would work! I w-wanted it to, I wanted to-", a hiccup cut the rest of the sentence off and then Charles fell silent. "Don't worry about it", Erik said carding his fingers through soft hair. "I don't like you because of sex. I want your company, so let's just stay in together, hm? We can watch a movie and order room service, how does that sound?", he asked once again, desperate to not let Charles leave like this, to not let their evening come to a terrible end.
Charles stared at the ceiling more and then shook his head. "No. I can't stay", he said finally making Erik incredibly sad. It must have been clear on his face his disappointment, - for the first time in the night - and when Charles looked at him, he noticed that.
"Don't make me explain why", the other man said and Erik nodded, pulling away. He let go of the hair and the hand he was holding and then got up from the bed, finding his boxers and pulling them on. This was a delicate situation and he truly had no place in being upset because Charles didn't want to stay.
It was obvious to him though, that the other man wouldn't want to see or speak to him the next day seeing how this went so if it was supposed to end, then let it end quickly. Charles would go back to his home in England and Erik to his own in New York.
He found the rest of his clothes and dressed himself up, not wanting to feel exposed. Then, he started picking up Charles' and walked towards the bed at the same side as the other man was now sitting.
He put the clothes in the bed and then went to the wheelchair, pushing it to stay next to Charles so he would have free space to maneuver himself into it and leave whenever he wanted to. The other man pulled his shirt on and then got rid of the sheets to put on the boxers and shorts.
Erik looked away and resisted offering help, knowing it wouldn't be welcome at all at this point. When Charles was ready, he cleared his throat and Erik turned back, seeing him already sitting on his wheelchair.
The other man opened his mouth but no sound came out of it, so Erik did the next best thing he could think of. He stepped closer and bent down, wrapping his arms around Charles. There was no response coming from him so Erik stood there for just a little longer, breathing in the scent of his vacations fling, feeling the softness of his skin and how perfectly he fit in the middle of his arms. Pressing one warm kiss to the curve where shoulder met neck, Erik pulled away and locked eyes with those blue oceans. Actually, they were prettier than the water he was seeing there, but that wasn't of importance at the moment.
He wished Charles had hugged him back so he would have felt what it was like to be held by him once again, but he pressed that thought away. Nodding, Erik lifted one of his hands to the back of his neck awkwardly, not sure of how he was supposed to act on such situation.
Luckily, Charles broke the silence first. "It was nice meeting you, Erik", he said but his eyes didn't shine like they usually did, his voice had no emotions; a lie. It was bluntly obvious to him how Charles didn't mean those words and it made his heart ache, a bitter taste filling his mouth. "Have a nice trip back home", he murmured wanting to have the last word, but after Charles turned his chair around and opened the door, he beat him to it "You too".
Needless to say, Charles could barely find his way back to his own room with so many tears in his eyes. He felt embarrassed and stupid for having ruining the night. When he finally pushed his door open and rolled inside the right room, he breathed out in relief, thinking he was at a safe place now.
Of course that safe place didn't exclude his little sister and the man in her bed, but luckily, they were asleep. He tried being silent and he cried under the blankets so no one would hear, having only himself as company.
He wished he had stayed in the room with Erik, had been cuddled by him and distracted by a movie but he couldn't have bared staying there another second, being reminded of his failure. Besides, it was impossible for him to follow his morning routine without his equipments so he would have ended up leaving at some point anyway. It had been a foolish idea all along.
The next day, he dodged the questions from Raven telling her that Erik didn't hurt him in any way and she should stay away from the other man. He didn't reveal any details though, not wanting to talk about it and not in the mood to hear anything from her no matter if it was supportive or not.
She had insisted a lot on getting him out of his hotel room but he stubbornly spent his whole day there, ordering room service and avoiding running into Erik completely. That chapter was over. Erik was just going to become a story he had to tell about the stranger in the resort and he would always make the story sound better than it had been. He would go back to his home in New York and Erik would go back to his in Germany. Gone.
It wasn't the relief he thought it would be when he climbed into the airplane. He somehow felt he was leaving something behind and his heart ached at that thought, but he couldn't quite tell what it was. The peace he had found there at the beginning? The tropical weather? The drinks? He wasn't sure.
Sitting next to Raven, she latched on her story about the man he had seen on her bed, happily telling him how he didn't fail in getting hard and she didn't fail in sleeping with him. It made Charles bitter, but he wasn't thinking about this anymore. Ever.
"I'm just so happy my friend got us this tickets!", she exclaimed with a huge grin and Charles held on to that opportunity to change the subject. "Yeah, you never quite told me how you got them", he commented trying to seem interested.
"Well, you know this company I'm working for? I'm just a small secretary right now but I am, of course, working my way to the top. Remember when I told you my friend Emma got me the job? Well, she is the one who got us the tickets", - "Why?", he asked faking to be intrigued.
"I'm not completely sure! She said she needed to buy one ticket for someone at the company but apparently there was a combo and she thought of me since I was, you know… sad about the breakup. She really is a good friend, so she bought me and you a ticket too", she explained "I just wish I knew why she bought that other person a ticket" - "Hmm…", Charles hummed not really listening anymore and hoping Raven would talk to herself for a little while.
As soon as Erik landed on his airport in New York three days after last seeing Charles, he turned his phone back on. There was a spam on messages from his boss and he rolled his eyes. She had been the one to give him the stupid ticket and now she was pressing him to come work? He didn't see how that was fair.
Emma was barely above him at the company, but she loved using his position to annoy Erik as much as she could, which was exactly what she was doing right then. It didn't come as a surprise to him when he picked up her next call and she said he should come straight to the company, that one week without him clearly taking a tool.
He was rather good at controlling their employees and sure enough, she wanted him to strike some fear into them and make them get their work done. Since he was already there, he went to his office and sat on his chair again. He could feel his relaxed persona from the resort slipping away and giving space to the seriousness he always had around work.
It would have probably worried his mama how he didn't seem happy at all, but he was, wasn't he? He loved his job. There wasn't anything else he needed.