Warning: I know this fic is M-rated, but still… Slight steamy stuff ahead! As they say, forewarned is forearmed :p

FOURTEEN

Charlie dragged himself bitterly along the silent corridor, occasionally dotted with last-minute loitering students. He was quite resentful, although used to that kind of stuff. It was normal for him to get detentions; what was not normal was the idea of a punishment for any stupid reason, or no reason at all. Fucking rotten system. He'd had to copy down tons of bullshit for Hager and then clean his private bathroom. No need to let the teacher know he had used the man's toothbrush to scrub the toilet out.

When he reached his door, he stopped dead in his tracks and frowned at the sight of a note, taped on the wood, in Cameron's handwriting.

It's just polite to knock.

He angrily snorted.

"Kiss my fucking ass, Cameron" he grumbled tearing the scrap off, then threw the door open, even more vexed than before. But any negative feeling – from that moment to the next six months, in all likelihood – melted away when he spotted the beautiful nymph on his bed, stretched out on a side, tenuously gilded by the sole lamp on the opposite desk, smiling at him with her slender legs crossed, her head rested on a hand supported by her elbow.

"Can't you read?" she teased him in a low voice. "It's so impolite not to knock."

He just stared at her with parted lips, completely dumbstruck, his organs shuffled in random positions, his brain short-circuited, his heart pounding wildly, his lungs basically on vacation. Why worry about some trifles like breathing? Was it even useful?

She patted the bed cover, inviting him with just one of her melting stares above her glasses. He gawked at her for a little while yet, then shook his head and – no need for a second bidding – kicked the door closed with his heel. He plopped his bag carelessly on the floor and headed towards her, landing with a knee on the soft mattress. October welcomed him by stroking his shoulders and neck with feathery fingers.

"Hi" she greeted in an alluring fashion.

"What… How did you…" he stuttered.

"Your beloved friends thought it could be a good idea to raise your spirits after your showdown with the boogeyman" she whispered, earning a dazed chuckle. "They really care about you, don't they?"

"Remind me to get detentions more often" he murmured closing his eyes, as she placed a trail of barely-there kisses along his jaw and neck. She giggled against his skin, sending a quiver down his spine.

He shifted a bit, lowering his body on hers, and something bulky brushed against her thigh.

"Hmm… Someone is happy to see me" she joked, pleased. Charlie abruptly pulled back, feeling guilty.

"I'm sorry, I…"

"Why should you?" she shushed him, placing a soft kiss on his lips. She went on with her tender loving care, biting his chin and kissing his Adam's apple. When she reached the throbbing hollow at the base of his neck, she stroked it with her whole tongue, and a hiss escaped from his gritted teeth. He squeezed the thigh where he had unconsciously placed his hand on.

"Sibyl…"

"Hmm?"

He opened his darkened eyes, still lost in his trance, and locked them with her. Her expression was priceless, a mixture of lust and something indefinable, which possibly turned him on even more. Something snapped in his brain and, with a low growl, he plunged his hands in her hair and searched for her mouth, their tongues teasingly chasing each other. She pushed him towards the wall and he fell on his rear, bewildered. She climbed on his lap, a leg on each side, gently pulled his hair to throw his head back, and deepened the kiss. His hands slid under her blouse, slowly caressing the soft skin of her hips. She took one of his hands in hers and led it to her chest. She heard his breathing quicken when he found her bare skin, and felt his hand slightly shake while cupping her breast. She smiled against his lips, but gasped in turn when he timidly brushed his thumb on her nipple. She broke the kiss to allow the two of them to catch their breaths.

"We should stop, Darlie" she whispered. He didn't open his eyes and just nodded, his chest heaving restlessly. She kept on smiling, lost in his blissful features, waiting for him to come back to his senses.

Charlie's eyelids fluttered and he focused back on her dreamlike figure. They stared at each other in silence, smiling. Wondering what he had done in his previous life to deserve that, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her in a never-ever-let-me-go hug.

Later that evening, Charlie was sitting in the same position, with his back against the wall, his feet on the bed and his knees bent. The difference was that he had the wool blanket on his shoulders and arms, wrapped around the two of them, as October was snuggled between his thighs, her back against his chest, basking in his warmth and scent, and thinking that was one of those perfect moments in which you don't need to talk because no words are required and senses are speaking for themselves. A moment such as she hadn't had in a long time. She had her head resting on his left shoulder, while he was lazily caressing her hair, kissing her cheek every now and then, both chatting about nonsense.

Little by little, she began to clearly perceive a sort of inquietude radiating from his fidgeting body, as if his train of thought was heading towards a specific direction, but he was reluctant to vent.

"There's something you want to tell or ask" she murmured. It was not a question.

Charlie didn't feel judged; quite the contrary, he smiled.

"How do you know?" he just asked, pecking her temple. She turned her head to look into his eyes.

"I feel you" she simply said, her irides brighter than he had ever seen. He followed the outline of her cheekbone before kissing her lips ever so softly. She got back to her position to avoid eye contact, in order to make it easier for him, just in case.

"I was wondering about your parents" he confessed. She tensed up. In all honesty, she had been expecting something regarding the two of them. "But you don't have to tell me, I don't want you to relive something wrenching."

She sighed and let her mind wander for so long, he was sure she would never answer. He went on stroking her hair, both to ease her mind and make her aware it wasn't important, really, for him to know. He just wanted her to trust him, and understand her better as well. But if he could stay just like that, with her nestled against him, even speechless, it would be enough.

"My father died in a car accident when I was fifteen" she suddenly revealed. "Nothing extraordinary, you see. My mother endured eight months, then she took her own life because she couldn't live without him. She couldn't take a step without him. She was completely lost without him. It didn't matter that she had a daughter to take care of. That's it. Then you have social services, orphanages, breakouts, and again from the top. But I don't want you to think I've been beaten, or rejected, or left to starve and freeze. They were all so nice. But I didn't need them. I needed my mom. And given that she was gone, I began to consider myself as the only person I truly needed."

Charlie heard her out in silence. He felt his heart clench for all she was omitting – the grief, the loneliness, the struggle – but a wave of pride as well. For her strength, her resilience, her courage. And everything became clear.

"This is the reason why you're so independent" he deduced. "And that's why you stopped writing and never got married."

October just smiled, the sorrow long gone, happy with her life and the boy behind her. She intertwined their fingers together and closed her eyes.

"Are you mad at her?" he asked quietly.

October took a resigned breath.

"You cannot be mad at a dead body, can you?"

Charlie didn't reply right away, mulling her words over instead.

"Sibyl?" he called but a moment later.

"Hmm?"

"I'd never want you to walk in my steps."

A warm smile broadened on her lips. She kept her eyes closed, as if to prevent her contentment from slipping away.

"And what would you want?"

Charlie took his time, thinking about how to voice what he had in mind.

"For you to choose day by day to walk alongside of me."