noun ~ a social or romantic appointment or engagement

CHARLIE

Arms full of crap, I froze when I realised I had nowhere to put them. There were clean and dirty clothes all mixed together. Plus, various wrappers of what had been my lonesome nights and even a few... shall we say, crusty, towels that I couldn't help feel embarrassed for.

Cursing, I shoved them all in the bottom of my wardrobe before grabbing the next pile and doing the same.

I should've grabbed some bags whilst I was downstairs!

When the floor was clear, I checked the time to find I had two minutes left. Sniffing, the stale scent of food met my nose and I couldn't help grind my teeth when I realised I had no candles!

Like a lightbulb in my mind, I ran out of my room and across the hall towards Sean's. I barged in, keeping one hand on my eyes just in case he and Rose were doing something dirty.

"Charlie!" He spluttered.

Definitely doing something naughty.

I peeked one eye through the crack in my fingers, sighing with relief when I found them both dressed.

"I need something that smells good!" I rushed. "Fast!"

"What? What the fuck are you talking about?" He snapped. "You just barge in here-

"Calida has agreed to a date in my room watching a movie and now I don't have time, but I need something that smells good!" I glared at him.

He growled softly, but surprisingly, it was Rose who laughed and moved from the bed. She walked into the bathroom with a small 'hold on', and I followed her, standing in the doorway. She reappeared with an aerosol can and I beamed, kissing her cheek and running from the room without another thought.

Reaching my room, I realised I never said thank you and, with a groan, ran all the way back to shout it through a crack in the door. Rose shrieked with surprise and Sean growled again, but I didn't care. He was always grumpy. Betas were supposed to be fun. I know from experience!

I should fire him.

Drowning my room in the fresh scent, I was glad to find it was a cotton smell and nothing that would destroy my nose. I sprayed it on the bed, glad somebody changed my sheets. I will have to bow down to the maids. They were a godsend with bed linen.

I was just too lazy.

I would sleep on sheets for months if I didn't have the maids.

Staring at my room with triumph, I threw the aerosol onto the bed-side table. That was the bedroom done. It needed a vacuum and maybe a dust, but... Five minutes wasn't a lot of time. I heard footsteps coming up the stairs and paused to scent who it was.

My mate was humming a soft tune, a faint sound that told me she was at the bottom of my floor's stairs. Oh wait, the movie!

I grabbed the TV remote and quickly switched it onto Netflix. I smirked when I saw what Nova had changed my name to.

TV stealing bitch was today's name of the day.

Wasn't my fault they had more money than me. I may as well seek the benefits.

Gosh, I was excited. All of this giddiness made me feel like I needed to pee-

Pee! The toilet seat!

I gasped, running into the bathroom to lower the seat and flush, making sure there was nothing too alarming other than toiletry products.

Nope. No hairs! I was safe!

There was a faint knock on my door, and my eyes widened with alarm.

She was here!

I was about to rush toward the front door but staggered when I realised I wanted to look cool. Charlie was cool. Charlie wasn't over-excited like a child at Christmas time...

Clearing my throat, I opened the door. Calida stood with her hands behind her back, her eyes curious as she peered into my room.

"What took you so long?" She tutted.

I hesitated, concentrating on the racing beat of my heart. "I-uh, I was peeing."

The toilet finishing its flush supported my answer, and she rolled her eyes before taking a step closer. I sighed with relief when I got away with it. Peeing was a much better answer than panic-cleaning.

"I wasn't sure what movie type we were going for, so I thought I'd wait." I suggested, closing the door behind her.

She entered slowly, and I couldn't help but let my eyes wander over her body. She was wearing some soft furry looking pyjama bottoms and vest and I couldn't help but silently groan at how they hugged that amazing ass of hers.

"You alright?"

Her voice startled me, directing my eyes from her legs to her face. "Yeah, why?"

"You sounded like you were in pain."

I laughed awkwardly, waving it off. "No, I'm good."

"You sure?" She quirked an eyebrow.

"Yes, now get on the damn bed."

My hands pressed into the small of her back and I was happily pleased when she didn't jerk away. She giggled softly, climbing onto the right side and making herself comfortable in my pillows.

Oh Goddess, my bed was going to smell of my mate. I was in heaven.

Clearing my throat, I walked over to the fridge in the corner. "So... snacks? Drink?"

"What you got?" She cocked her head.

Oh no, don't give me that look, please. I was already head over heels with her scent and body and now she was looking so innocent...

Help me, Moon Goddess.

I had a hard time looking away from her slender throat, the wolf in me wanting nothing more than to just mark her right now. Sitting criss-cross on my bed, her back against the pillows... In figure-hugging pyjamas and her hair tied back...

Calida was killing me slowly.

"You okay there, wolf-boy?"

I blinked, shifting my weight to hide my awkward arousal. "I am a man. So it is wolf-man, thank you very much."

She giggled as I grabbed an armful of snacks; popcorn, Pringles, Skittles, and cans of fizzy pop. I climbed onto the bed and sat beside her, dumping the contents between us before reaching for the remote. It wasn't until I realised how close we were, did I hesitate. She inhaled sharply, looking up at me with those deep brown eyes as my face ended up so close to her. I smiled sheepishly, retracting my hand from beside her leg with the remote in tow.

Clearing my throat, I switched on the TV and settled into a pillow. Time to act cool, Charlie.

"So, what movie would you like to watch?" I grinned.

***

How were you supposed to move when the most goddess-like creature had fallen onto you to sleep?

After watching some random cartoon llama movie, Calida had fallen asleep through the sequel. Left to my own devices, I had watched her curiously, but then her body rolled, she fell onto my chest, and I froze.

The way her lips parted as she snoozed mesmerised me. Her chest rose and fell softly, her eyelashes fluttering every so often with a dream. Even the little popcorn crumb on her cheek was as adorable as she was.

I wrapped my arm around her shoulder carefully, feeling the smoothness of her throat against my fingers. She stirred at the contact, but only nestled herself further into my chest.

Inhaling sharply, I planned my future.

Do I slide onto the floor? Do I jostle her and tell her she fell asleep? Or do I join her and take the moment of bliss?

What was I supposed to do?

If I slid onto the floor, would she notice or miss me?

If I woke her, would she bite my head off? Would my bedside lamp be my new pillow?

Or if I fell asleep with her, would she be upset in the morning? Would she think I took advantage of her?

Sighing, I switched off the TV and gently shook her. I would rather have her opinion than compromise the slight relationship build up we had progressed to. She grunted, shrugging my hand from her shoulder. I chuckled at her irritation, trying again.

She groaned, leaning out of my grip. "What time is it?"

"You fell asleep." I murmured. "I didn't want to wake you, but I didn't want you to regret your choices."

She smiled sleepily. "Thank you. I better go to bed."

"Of course." I nodded, although my heart sank with disappointment. "Want me to walk you?"

"I'll be okay." She yawned.

My jaw tightened at her admittance of capability, wanting nothing more than to walk her to her door.

"Are you sure?"

Rubbing her eyes, she blinked at me curiously. "It's only the pack house. I will be okay."

Rolling my arms. "I will at least walk you out of my door, then."

Giggling, she gathered her things and rose from the bed. I went ahead and reluctantly opened my bedroom before turning to her with uncertainty. Was this a date?

"So... uh, did you like the movie?" I asked, scratching the back of my neck.

"Yes, Charlie." She smiled, stopping beside me. "It was hilarious."

"Good." I grinned sheepishly. "Want to do it again sometime?"

Calida observed me, her eyes darting between both of mine. "Yeah, we should... we should make it a thing."

"A thing?" My heart race increased.

What was she saying? Was this my olive branch?

"Yeah, every week?"

"Really?"

I felt giddy, but I knew I had to hold my excitement back. The last thing I wanted to do was make her think I was an uncontrollable child.

"Yes, Charlie." She grinned. "Thank you for inviting me."

"I'm pretty sure you invited yourself." I snorted.

She dared to reach out and push me lightly, my body swaying from the unsuspecting impact. A laugh tumbled from my lips, and she giggled in return. When the laughter died down, I hesitated in raising my hand to push that damn loose hair from her face. She observed me quietly, and I took the stillness as a go-ahead and brushed it behind her ear. My skin tingled where we touched and she blinked, dipping her chin.

"Thank you for giving me this." I mumbled.

She had the right to look confused, her face crumbling. "Giving you what?"

"The best day of my life." I admitted.

Her body sagged, a soft sigh breathing her lips. "Oh, Charlie..."

Smiling, I dropped my hand back to my side. She was watching me with a small pout, eyes darting over my face before dropping to stare at her feet.

Clearing my throat, I shifted my weight. "I will see you in the morning?"

"Yeah, hopefully." She grinned.

"I look forward to it."

She blushed, dipping her head again. There was an awkward moment of her debating about leaving before she stepped out of my bedroom. Crossing the threshold, we exchanged soft goodbyes as I watched her walk down the hallway. I wonder if she would look back? Does she miss my proximity as much as I missed hers?

Just before she turned the corner, her cheek turned to face me, her lips curling into a smile as she met my gaze. I grinned, unable to control as I stepped inside my room and shut the door. I felt elated, as though I was on cloud nine. Falling into my bed, my face sank into the pillow she slept on. It smelt of her, so strong, and I groaned with happiness.

We had so much progress, so much contact...

I already couldn't wait for next Thursday.

Question of the Day:
Do you collect anything? Magnets, mugs, keyrings...