Charlie slid his tinted shades off of his face and instead neatly tucked them on the top of his head. His dark curls nearly consumed the glasses entirely, but he didn't mind.

After spending a full day at school, dodging his baseball coach to effectively skip practice, and working a—nearly endless—shift at the diner, the teenager finally made his way to the Sullivan residence where the girl that increasingly occupied his thoughts awaited.

He gripped a white paper bag that had the diner's logo printed on it. It was still warm, the white material successfully trapping the food's heat. His other set of fingers wrapped around a milkshake that—in contrast—chilled his digits to the bone. Before frostbite could claim his fingers, Charlie rang the doorbell. It was Ava who greeted him wearing a small grin on her lips.

"Hey, kid."

Charlie matched her expression. Ever since he heard that the woman temporarily began to call the Sullivan residence her own, the boy found it nearly impossible to hide his enthusiasm. Now that the four of them began spending time together again, it really started to feel like old times. It was a feeling he was sure the others shared too.

"What's the secret password?" Ava teased.

Charlie playfully rolled his eyes then trapped the bag beneath his arm and grabbed a couple of burgers for himself and Quinn before handing Ava the remaining contents.

"Correct!" The woman smirked and welcomed him inside.

At the sight of the boy, Paloma wore an inviting smile. Even though it had already been a couple weeks since her sister had returned home, the days seemed to tread by much slower. Between working full time and—unsuccessfully—helping with Quinn's recovery, the woman was completely drained.

She was incredibly thankful for Ava's assistance because the long days did nothing more than prove to the brunette that she'd fail at getting anything done without the help of her best friend. Nevertheless, even with the other woman's help, things were still far from easy. Although Paloma was run ragged, it wasn't her own health that she was worried about.

No matter how many endless hours the doctors spent working with her sister, progress was unbelievably slow. Paloma was grateful for the improvement nonetheless, but she had to admit, her concern was growing quite rapidly.

Even though she feared greatly for her sister, Quinn, on the other hand, had given up hope entirely. It was like pulling teeth to get her to do much of anything lately. When Paloma relayed her concerns to one of Quinn's doctors, they assured her that the girl's borderline depressed state was quite common following a major injury. But still, knowing it was a typical symptom didn't aid the pain she felt each day as she watched her once lively little sister slip away into nothingness.

Nowadays, the only thing that seemed to make the girl smile was Charlie's presence, so as much as Paloma hated that she wasn't the one who could help the girl, she was grateful that Charlie could.

Charlie granted Paloma a simple nod in greeting before finally entering Quinn's bedroom. He giggled once Siberia began playfully nipping at his feet, her tail wagging ferociously.

He looked at the girl who wore a dull expression. Her gaze was fixed on her cellphone that served as one of her only two sources of entertainment—the other being television which, Quinn found, had gotten boring fairly early on. However, once her gaze met Charlie's, a beaming smile claimed her lips. She tossed her phone on the bed and readjusted her glasses to get a better look at the boy.

She sat up, welcoming her newfound mobility. The sling that once kept her injured shoulder in place was finally removed and although the freedom didn't come without some occasional soreness, she didn't mind. Quinn longed for the day that the rest of her ailments healed but for now, she counted her unrestricted arms as a win.

Once Siberia's excitement finally died down, Charlie squeezed past the husky and planted a kiss on top of Quinn's forehead. Even though the boy was going for a chaste kiss, Quinn stole his lips with her own, effectively engaging them both in an elongated lip lock.

Although the deep affection wasn't anticipated, Charlie was pleasantly surprised. As instinctive as it was to tangle his fingers in his girlfriend's hair, the food that occupied his grip prevented him from doing so. After a few more moments, he reluctantly ended the heated affection and handed the girl the milkshake that accompanied the burger.

Quinn smirked. "Mint chocolate chip?"

"Of course," Charlie scoffed as if it was so obvious. He, along with Siberia, joined the girl on the bed. Ketchup stained Charlie's teeth as he mimicked Quinn by tearing into his burger. They both welcomed the comfortable quiet as they ate soundlessly. Eventually, it was Quinn who broke through the stillness.

"How was school?"

"Boring without you," came Charlie's immediate response.

The redhead couldn't prevent the corners of her lips from turning up at this.

Charlie smiled and reached into his bag. "That reminds me."

Quinn looked on inquisitively once he pulled out a large card.

"It's from a lot of your friends, some of mine, and a bunch of other kids from school. They all signed it." It wasn't until he watched Quinn's smile dwindle away that he realized his mistake. He scooted closer to the other teenager and sighed, "Sorry. It says 'Get Well Soon'." He gritted his teeth and kicked himself for being yet another reminder of the girl's unforgiving situation.

Against his better judgment, he voiced the question that had been gnawing at him for days. "How's the recovery program going?" He winced once Quinn emitted a heavy sigh that was obviously laced in frustration. The redhead took a long sip of her milkshake and, to Charlie's surprise, acknowledged his inquiry.

"...It's not," was her simple response.

"What do you mean?"

Charlie looked at her pensively as he waited for further explanation. Quinn merely toyed with the wrapper that encompassed her cheeseburger in attempts to waive off her rising anger. She knew that the boy meant well but the question alone made her blood boil. But then again, that seemed to be the case with just about anything lately.

Quinn found it increasingly difficult to control her emotions, anger being the most arduous. But this time, instead of feeding into her anger, she followed one of the many coping mechanisms her doctors suggested by taking in a deep breath.

She could practically feel the concern radiating off of him and had it been a few months prior, the girl would've showed great appreciation for it, she would've welcomed it even because the query alone illuminated her boyfriend's sweet and caring nature. But now, whenever Charlie looked at her with his intense, forest green eyes, she could see nothing more than pity...and she hated it.

The look was one that she was all too familiar with. Between Paloma, Ava, Ross, and everyone else that knew of her situation, she was beginning to drown in their sea of pity. Ever since she awoke from her comatose state, she hoped that Charlie wouldn't look at her like everyone else did but it didn't take long for her to realize that her optimism was completely and utterly futile.

She pinched the bridge of her nose once the deep breath failed to alleviate her irritation. It wasn't until Charlie nudged her gently that she was torn from her own—increasingly suffocating—thoughts. To her relief, the commiseration that was once present in the boy's eyes finally evolved into something else entirely, something that truly granted her a much-needed sense of calmness. The sight alone gave her the comfort she needed to voice her solicitudes.

"Things aren't any different," Quinn croaked with the shrug of her shoulders. "I work at relearning everything that I lost in the wreck but it's pointless. It's gone...all of it. I still can't read, I can't solve basic math problems, my memory's inconsistent," she rambled. "I feel like I don't even have a thought process anymore, I just draw blanks. All the time. The doctors are going in constant circles and I feel like I'm the only one being realistic about this."

Quinn bit her lip. "At rehab, there's a bunch of people of all ages who were in accidents, who damaged their brain like me but they ended up a hell of a lot worse. They can't move, or talk, or think. They're a drooling mess and if I ended up like that..."

She shook her head, the thought alone sending a chill down her spine. "Let's just say I'd hope that someone would be merciful enough to put me outta my misery."

Charlie tensed his jaw, he hated hearing the girl talk like that, nevertheless, he knew that she needed the rant. "What's your point?" he whispered.

Quinn looked at him. "My point? There are people there that can't be helped, people that are too far gone, people that aren't even people anymore. But still...the doctors are trying to help. The only thing is...they can't. You know why? Because, as much as their families hate to admit it, nothing will fix it, nothing will make it better. That's my point. And if the doctors are doing that, if they're lying to them, giving them false hope, why the hell wouldn't they be lying to me?"

The other teenager expunged a low sigh and settled his gaze on Siberia when the conviction apparent in Quinn's assertion grew to be too much.

"Paloma and Ava? They're living in a fantasy land," came Quinn's low contention. "They think things will get better, that I can't be fixed but I can't."

At this, Charlie's eyes darted to the girl who in contrast mindlessly settled her gaze on the wall. He swallowed thickly at the contention that lingered through the air. It created a heavy, unsettling atmosphere that choked out every ounce of placidity in the room.

Although he longed to offer a counter, one that would blow her assertion out of the water and destroy it entirely...he simply couldn't summon one. And that fact alone somehow managed to make the situation even worse.

In fear of enticing the girl even further, he offered her something he was certain she desperately needed, something that, unlike everything else since what happened, he could provide. He carefully wrapped his arms around Quinn and pulled her closer, urging her to rest her head on his chest. To his relief, the redhead took the bait and assumed their signature position.

For the first time that evening, a feeling of true serenity made its presence known. Charlie grinned once Quinn's soft hair began to tickle his chin. The feeling alone somehow managed to stir up old memories within him, memories that he'd cherish forever.

"Do you remember when you first tried that milkshake? At the diner?"

Quinn lifted herself up momentarily, being careful not to hurt her healing rib cage. She was surprised that the conversation steered in that direction, but she was grateful for the lighthearted tone the boy created.

She settled back down on his chest then let out a small laugh, "Of course not."

"Well, I do."

"No way," she countered.

Charlie grinned. "Way."

"I didn't even know you when I first ordered it."

"Yeah, well, I knew you," was his simple response.

Quinn perked up at this. "Is that so?" She giggled at the smug smile that made its way onto his lips. "Well, Charles," she teased, "I'm always up for story time. Enlighten me."

Charlie let out a deep chuckle that Quinn could feel vibrate through his chest as she rested on top of him. He toyed with the black hair tie that clung snugly to her wrist while he spoke, "It was the first time you walked into the diner. My grandpa told me to take your order, but I don't know...I was nervous."

"Nervous? Why?"

He shrugged. "Because it was you...and you made me nervous."

Quinn giggled, "I hadn't said two words to you, how could I have made you nervous?"

"Because I'd see you around school all the time. At lunch, in the library, by your locker...and you would always stand there with this serious look on your face like you were thinking about something really important and you'd kill anyone who'd dare to disturb you," he explained.

"Seriously? That's how I came across?"

"From the outside looking in...yep. That's pretty much what it looked like."

Quinn shook her head, still in disbelief. "No way."

"Hey, I'm the storyteller, I'm telling the story."

The playful assertion elicited a smile from the girl who raised her hands up in surrender.

"Anyway," Charlie continued, "so about fifteen minutes after you came in, I finally got the courage to go up to you."

"Fifteen minutes?" Quinn's scoff transformed into a gasp as the memory danced its way into her thoughts. "That's right, I remember that! Wait, that's why the service took so long? Because you were too nervous to go up to me? Oh my God, I I waited so long that I was planning to leave."

"But I finally walked up to you," Charlie added on.

Quinn's teeth readily made its presence known as she let out a hysterical laugh, "I swore I'd never go back there. I legit was gonna go trash talk the diner on Yelp but then—"

"—you fell in love with the milkshakes," the boy finished.

Quinn nodded with a beaming smile.

"My voice was trembling so badly I could barely read you the specials. So instead—"

"—you recommended the mint chip shake."

Charlie glanced down at the girl who furrowed deeper into his chest, his cheeks dimpled in the process. "So you do know this story."

"Just that part," Quinn assured. "Continue."

"I could barely get you to look at me, you were so infatuated with your phone."

"That sounds like me," Quinn chortled.

"After about ten more visits, I finally got the courage to say something else."

"Baby steps," she contended with a smile.

Charlie matched her expression and nodded. "Of course. I finally got the guts to say something else to you. You know, something more than just 'coming right up' after you'd bark your order at me," he chuckled.

The redhead scoffed, "I never barked it at you!"

Charlie smiled and ignored her contention entirely. "Do you remember what I said?"

"I can't say that I do, but then again, that's why you're the storyteller."

"Come on, it was five words. You really don't remember?"

Quinn shrugged and waited impatiently for the words to fall from his lips.

"'Do you wanna work here?'"he reminded.

"...That's right," the words came out a mere whispered as the warm memories flooded her thoughts.

"At first I felt really, really stupid but hey, it worked," Charlie smirked. "My grandpa was pretty pissed since he's never let anyone outside of the family work there but—"

"What? But you said there was another waitress who quit and you guys were shorthanded."

The boy merely shrugged his shoulders. "I lied."

"Oh my God, Charlie!"

"Hey, it worked out for everyone," he maintained. "Now that you set a good example, my grandpa's not afraid to hire outside of the family. Well...as long as I'm not dating them," Charlie chuckled.

"I can't believe you did all of that just to talk to me. I don't even get how someone like you could be so nervous, you're the most confident guy I've ever met. Honestly, it's almost intimidating."

Charlie's smile broadened at this. "Trust me I'm not that confident, the only reason I got the guts to say anything is because I found out you were shy too. Somehow shyer than me which I didn't even think was possible." He let a giggle when Quinn playfully nudged him. "It made things easier."

"So, essentially, you're saying that we can attribute our relationship to a three dollar milkshake?"

"Essentially," Charlie smirked.

After a moment, Quinn created a few inches of space between them and looked down, meeting Charlie's gaze. "Great story."

It was only a second after the words fell from her tongue that she crashed her lips into his. This time, the boy wasn't too caught off guard. He mimicked her actions by allowing his fingers to tangle in her hair. He was relieved when the girl didn't scold him for the action, not letting her insecurities surrounding her hair to get her better of her.

As much as he longed to swiftly switch their positions, he knew that the recovering girl simply couldn't take the action so he carefully pulled Quinn down on the bed, allowing her to rest on her back, before hovering above her.

He continued the elongated affection, ensuring that not one of their kisses lacked even an inkling passion. Although the couple had exchanged many kisses since rekindling their relationship, none of the kisses had been quite like these.

These kisses were desperate, hungry, wanting. Wanting for something more. It only took a moment for both teens to realize they were both thinking the same thing.

With Charlie's assistance, Quinn hastily pulled her light-gray sweatpants down her thighs as quickly as her injuries would allow.
Charlie then undid the waistband of his beige joggers but not before pressing his lips to Quinn's once more as if he feared that the lack of contact would scare away the intimacy of the moment.

The boy nearly had his pants down halfway when a quick knock sounded from the bedroom door. Before either teen could react, the door swung open, Paloma standing in the doorway.

The brunette grimaced and averted her gaze while Charlie and her sister gathered themselves as quickly as possible. Charlie lifted himself from the girl entirely and instead occupied the space next to her. His inflamed cheeks were hot to the touch as he ran his hands over his face.

However, in contrast, Quinn failed to avert her gaze, instead, the coffee brown eyes hardened because this wasn't the first time that week the woman barged in unannounced, but it was the most inconvenient.

Paloma wore a heavy frown that lacked any amusement. "It's getting late. You should probably head home, Charlie."

"It's only eight-thirty," Quinn growled. "He can stay for a little while longer."

"You need your rest," Paloma maintained. Quinn's intense gaze failed to falter, but so did Paloma's. The brunette leaned against the frame of the door as she waited to accompany the boy out of the home.

Quinn rolled her eyes at this. "Well, can you give us a minute?"

Paloma looked between the two before finally granting her sister a small nod. "...Just a minute," the elder Sullivan reiterated. Eventually, Paloma left the teens alone, ensuring that she left the door ajar.

"God," Quinn hissed. "Sorry, since everything's happened she's been hovering way more than usual."

Charlie nodded his head in understanding. "It's okay, I get it."

"Really? Because I don't. You and I never get any time alone anymore. I feel like she and Ava are watching my every move, just waiting for me to break. It's so infuriating."

"They're probably just worried."

"Yeah, but they're suffocating me. I mean, I'll be the first to admit, Paloma's almost always been like this. Now more than usual? Sure. But Ava? She wasn't like this before. Before I could get her to help me get Paloma to back off but now she's just as bad as my sister is. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad she's here but between her and Paloma, I can't breathe."

Charlie frowned. "After a while, I'm sure it'll blow over. Eventually, things will settle down, go back to normal."

"Normal?" Quinn huffed. "I doubt it."

Once Paloma made her presence known yet again, Charlie sighed and pecked the girl on the lips.

"I'll call you later, okay?"

Quinn merely nodded her response, as a result, Charlie vacated the bedroom. He was almost to the front door when Paloma stopped him.

"Hey, before you head out, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Even though it was a question, Charlie sensed that Paloma left no room for objects. She led them further away from Quinn's bedroom, ensuring the girl was out of earshot of their conversation.

To Charlie's surprise, Paloma's hardened eyes had finally softened.

"First off," she began with a modest smile, "I just wanted to say that I'm so glad you're here and that you guys are back together because honestly, you're good for her and we all missed having you around."

Charlie was sure there was a 'but' coming. And he was right.

"But, as you can probably tell, Quinn's not exactly at one hundred percent, right now. She has to get lots of rest and she shouldn't be moving around too much if she can help it."

"Yeah, I get it. I mean..." He bit his lip. "Do you want me to stop coming around so often?"

To his relief, Paloma shook her head. "No, it's not that at all. As a matter of fact, you're just about the only person that has the ability to put a smile on her face right now. And I'm grateful for that, I really am. We're glad you're here, it's just..." Paloma let out a strained chuckle as she searched for the right words. "Quinn can't...do much physical activity if you get my gist."

Charlie failed to offer a response, he furrowed his eyebrows instead.

"She has to rest and not get too worked up. She shouldn't move around much," Paloma elaborated.

To the woman's dismay, Charlie maintained his silence. She groaned when she realized he still wasn't catching on.

"You two can't have sex," she blurted. "Not now, not for a while. She's just not healthy enough for that kinda thing. And it's not just physically but emotionally too after what happened and I just don't think she's ready to jump back into that sorta thing. She'd never admit it, she'd never tell you so I have to. Trust me, I wouldn't bring it up if it wasn't necessary, but—"

Never before had Charlie felt his face take on such an intense level of heat. "Oh yeah, I get it. Yeah, no, we won't, I wasn't thinking about that. Just then we weren't gonna...or actually yeah, we were, but I don't think—" He cleared his throat to cease his stammering. "Okay."

Paloma chuckled and patted the red-faced teen on the back.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he mustered out.

"Oh and Charlie?"

The teenager tore his eyes from the exit and forced himself to meet Paloma's gaze. The brunette tucked her hands into her pockets and sighed.

"If it comes up if you can help it...don't tell her it's because of me. She'd be really pissed and since everything's happened, things between her and I haven't exactly been the best," the small chuckle she released was no doubt strained and laced with worry. Paloma toyed with her fingers, her pleading eyes fixed on the boy.

Charlie simply rubbed the back of his neck, reluctance plastered on his face.

At this, the woman sighed, "I know I'm asking a lot. It's just, I'm trying to look out for her but still, if she finds out it was because of me—" She shook her head. "I just really cannot fight with her about this, you know? Just...please?"

"...Okay, yeah, I get it," he reluctantly agreed. Paloma's pensive and imploring expression was perhaps the only thing that made Charlie nod his head. "I won't tell her...I promise."

5k reads? Y'all really are the best. I hope you enjoyed the Charlie filled chapter, I know I did. Admittedly, this wasn't much of an eventful chapter but next week's update should make up for that. As always, thanks for reading! 🤗