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“I can’t manage to save up because I’m spending all my money keeping the lights on. So how about you pay the utilities and help me keep up on repairs?”
It was a good offer. The best she had, even. She was so close to her school. Plus, Charlie had Roo, who she had come to love. She knew where everything in his house was, and she liked looking at him every day.
“How much are the utilities?”
“Six hundred a month.”
Wow. That was high.
“Okay, I can pay that. I’d like to.”
Violet expected him to look resigned when she agreed. But instead, he looked relieved. Maybe he needed more help than she thought.
“So, you’re staying?”
“I guess I am," Violet replied. “I hope you’re prepared.”
“We can make it work.” His hands on her shoulders squeezed, and Violet noticed how he was still touching her. She didn’t mind it.
“We should … get back. I’d like to see this room. Is it the one with the door always closed?”
“Yeah,” Charlie said. “Let’s go get your car. Then I’ll show it to you.”
Violet nodded and got back into his car. She was brimming with excitement when they got back. She was still nervous, but the idea that she got to stay in this beautiful home was overruling her nerves.
Charlie took her right to the empty room, as promised. It was the room on the right, the one he had told her not to go into. When he opened the door, she wondered if it was going to be somehow grander than the rest of the room, but it was simply empty. It had a nice pink and green floral wallpaper, and the beautiful wooden floors that were throughout the house, but it was simply a room.
“I’m not gonna lie, I expected a body,” she joked.
“No, it’s a room… it’s the one I would stay in.”
“Oh,” she looked at him, panic clawing its way to her throat. “You don’t have to give me this room, not if it’s special to you.”
“I think it should be lived in,” he said. “Not hidden away.”
“Are you sure?” She asked once more.
“I am,” he said, turning to her with a small smile on his face. “Feel free to get your own furniture. Do whatever you want.”
Violet looked between the room, and Charlie, honored that he trusted her. When he went to turn away, she pulled him into a tight hug. It was hard to because he was so much bigger than her, but her arms wound around his middle, and his warm weight pressed into her. She could feel herself melting into him.
“Thanks for offering this, Charlie," Violet said, her voice muffled by his shirt.
“It’s no problem," Charlie said, his voice sounding hesitant. Violet pulled away, realizing this was the first time she had hugged him. Usually, she kept her distance, but this seemed like a good first hug occasion. He nodded at her, face red, and went back down to his room. Violet’s eyes followed him the whole way down.
~
Charlie
It took two days for Violet to get a bed delivered. Charlie came home from work on a Thursday, and there it was. She had somehow gotten it up the stairs without help. The next day, she had a dresser, which she attempted to move herself, but Charlie helped her before she could even try it.
Violet only complained a few times.
The items matched the aesthetic of her room, and Charlie thought it looked nice when it was put together. Violet had been beaming when she showed him her bed, and any worries about her moving into his favorite room vanished when he saw her smile.
Charlie wasn’t stupid, he knew what this was. He had known for a long time that Violet teetered between two dangerous options, but he couldn’t let either one of them become reality. He didn’t want everything to fall apart.
Sometimes not giving it a name was easier.
