Bathroom Light - Mt Joy "So, come on, baby, let's do this right,I think I like falling in love in the bar bathroom light."

"I feel like we should talk."

Not my favorite thing she's said to me, if we're being honest. Charlotte's leant against the doorframe to my office, her hands are busy playing with the dainty rings she has on.

"Okay," I say, "you can come all the way into the room though." She scurried in, shutting the door quietly behind her.

"I don't know how to say this," she starts, sounding timid, which is unusual for her.

I can't stop myself from speaking up, "Did I overstep?"

"Oh my god, no. No, not at all," she spits out. "I actually.. um." She looks back down at her hands, a small grin grows on her face.

My eyebrow pops up, waiting for her, "What?" Comes out with a slight laugh.

"Maybe we could be friends who, like.." her face turning red as she whispers, "maybe hook up sometimes.."

We're friends? She wants to - with me? I- oh my god.

"Oh," I can hardly form words with the speed my brain is moving at, "Oh, uh, we can. Yes. I would be okay with that." My eyes finally met hers, knowing full well that I probably look far too excited.

"Really?"

I watch her chew the inside of her lip and see her hands shake slightly, which honestly makes me feel a bit better. At least I'm not the only one who gets nervous. I reach out, grabbing one of her hands with both of mine, which gets her to look back at me.

"Really," I say quietly, "Whatever you're comfortable with." Finally standing up from my desk, she just looks at me, and I can't quite tell what's going on inside that pretty little head of hers.

Suddenly her arms are wrapped around my neck in a hug, catching me off guard. I let my arms sit around her waist as she lets out the sweetest little laugh next to my ear.

"You're sure about this?" she asks, leaning back to look at me. I get to spend more time with her and possibly get laid once in a while? YEAH, I THINK I'M SURE.

"You can be the Captain of this ship," I tell her, choking back a laugh as hard as I can.

She does not; she drops her head, leaning against me as she barks out a laugh. Her small frame just shook against me, but at least this time, it was happy.

Still laughing, she looks back up at me, "You're so dumb," she manages to get out before leaning forward to press a sweet kiss on my lips. I could get used to that. 

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I didn't anticipate the torture that I would endure after that conversation, having to be around her in the bar and stay normal about it. She already made me feel on edge, in a good way, before the last twenty-four hours, but now it's ungodly how tense my body feels.

I try to spend as much time cleaning and talking to the regulars that have come in, but I continuously find myself looking at her. I just want to talk to her.

I pull out my phone, quickly type out a message, and slide it under the bar in front of me.

Me: so.. does this mean I can just.. kiss you if we're not around people?

My hands sweat at the thought, but god, what I'd give to kiss her again right now. I glance over as she picks her phone up, seeing the smirk creep onto her face. Looking around the bar to see if anybody might need something until my phone lights up.

Charlotte: I'd like that. 🤭

Charlotte: You have a pretty mouth, so I think we should.

Feeling warm at the compliment. A pretty mouth? I had been told on a multitude of occasions that I'm a bit more feminine, but given that my counterpart is Josh, who keeps his hair short and has facial hair, I don't think I had much of a fighting chance. But I've never been complimented like that before, and I think I liked it.

Me: play along

I walk over to where she's sitting, and her eyebrows pull in for a second looking at me. Sliding carefully behind Mel and Josh, I lean against the bar facing her.

"Can you come with me? I need your opinion on if something is up to code," I tell her, my voice at a normal volume but giving her a slow wink.

"Oh, absolutely," she replies, "Mel, I'll be right back."

I meet her at the end of the bar, gesturing toward the hallway and leading her to our cooler. Once we're out of sight, sticking my hand out behind me for her which she immediately grabs. We round the corner into the back room, and I turn to face her, pulling her into me. Tilting her chin up with my free hand, seeing her smile as I do.

"Hi," she mumbles, pressing a kiss against my lips.

Letting out a small 'mmm' as my arms rest around her waist, "Let me just—" Leaning in, noticing the way she doesn't actually close her eyes. She just watches my mouth. Feeling her hands find their place on my stomach as I take her bottom lip between mine, making my heart shake. I wonder what makes her feel like this. Pulling my arms back slightly, letting my hands hold her waist, lightly squeezing her when I feel her hands grab my shirt. That must be something.

"So, about that opinion," I whisper into her, making her giggle. She reaches up, wiping the smudge of lipstick she left on me, and my stomach turns at how gentle she is.

Her eyes slowly look up, meeting my stare as she lets out a quiet, "I think that exceeds the standard, for sure."

We both hear footsteps in the hall; backing away from her quickly and folding my arms across my chest as she nods when Mel rounds the corner into the cooler.

"Jake, the POS is living up to its name.. Can you help?" she rolls her eyes, clearly frustrated.

"Shit, yeah, I'll be right there."

We both watch as Mel quickly turns, leaving the room looking fairly defeated. Standing there in silence for a matter of a few seconds before we both let out a quiet laugh.

"I guess I need to do my job," I whisper to her, making her smile. She turns to face me, fixing my shirt for me and moving a rogue hair back into place. Her hands linger on my chest as she looks at me, which only makes the butterflies in my stomach go wild.

The smirk on her face is killing me when she says, "Go save them, boss man."

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The bar continued to get busier, making it harder and harder for me to not actually do my job. Almost as if flirting with pretty girls isn't in my job description or something. Stealing little glances at her any chance I could while we quietly texted each other random things.

Charlotte: You have to stop looking at me like that

I grab the empty glasses from a table, walking back towards the bar but sneaking up behind her.

"Like what?" I whisper next to her ear, setting the glasses on the bar top in front of her. Giggling as she jumps slightly, scowling at me, but that doesn't stop my stare. It would be easier if she wasn't gorgeous. My eyes fell between her lips and holding eye contact.

"That," she whispers back, "whatever that is." She leans into her hand while the other falls into her lap.

"You don't like it?" I ask, forcing myself to stay focused on her eyes. Leaning onto the bar next to her, letting my hand hang over the edge.

She smiled softly, "No, it's terrible," oozing with sarcasm fell from her lips, feeling her hand graze mine.

My head tilts slightly as my eyebrows raise, "and why is that, honey?" I whisper, pulling my bottom lip in with my teeth, watching as her face flushes.

Forcing myself to back up, grabbing the glasses as I go, what I wouldn't give to just spend the night with her instead?

Me: do you like being called honey?

I set my phone under the bar, pouring a few drinks for the regulars sitting there, trying not to look over at her, but it's impossible. Glancing out of the corner of my eye, I see her pulling up her phone. What if she hates it?

Charlotte: Mmmm I might 🤭

I'll never be sure what possessed me to call her that the first time. I've always just used 'sweetheart' or 'dear' because they feel safe and really can't be taken too out of context. Also, to be entirely honest, I typically don't get far enough with a girl to give her a cuter pet name than those. It just sort of came out when I saw her start to melt down, and it's stuck.

Charlotte: Do you like that I use your full name?

Her sweet voice calling me 'Jacob' plays in my head on a loop, so it's safe to say I don't mind it. Although, the way she called me 'baby' made me want to crawl out of my skin. She had me wrapped around her finger in that moment.

Me: you can call me whatever your heart desires

I looked over at her, saw her smile at the response, and quickly started to type. This game of twenty questions is definitely making tonight go by a little faster.

Charlotte: That doesn't really roll off the tongue nicely- I think I'll stick with calling you by name or baby 😉

I audibly laugh at her text, unprepared for her to get me with a classic dad joke. It was almost enough to distract me from the last part, but no such luck as my heart fluttered at the pet name. I could go for hearing that a little more often. Wandering over towards her, I lean down as I grab the glass from in front of her and whisper, "You're more than welcome to slip a 'Captain' in the mix as well, yknow?"

She leans into her hand, propped up on the bar, "So, you do like that, huh?"

"Felt a little different coming out of you," I tell her, shrugging as I back up a little and biting the inside of my lip as she watches me.

Her eyes rake down me before letting out a quiet, "I'll keep that in mind."

I help Josh for a few minutes, pouring a handful of drinks for some regulars and running to grab orders from a few of the new tables that just came in. Rounding back behind the bar, I slide my phone out of my pocket quickly.

Me: since we're doing this- do you have questions or shall I continue

Tossing my phone under the bar, turning to wash a handful of glasses for them. I try to just focus on what I'm doing. But I just want to pay attention to her. I turn around as I'm drying and putting away the glasses, doing my best to scan the room for anybody who may need anything. My eyes fixate on her as she sets her phone down and looks over at me. I pick up my pace drying, sliding the glasses onto their shelf quickly so I can grab my phone, needing to know what she said.

Charlotte: I'm assuming you're a physical touch person?

Me: you would be correct but I'd like to say I can cover all the bases if you like something else more.

I've always been a touch person, especially given that I've spent my whole life with Josh. He can't go two seconds without grabbing your arm if he's telling you something. So, it's definitely something I'd developed over time and also suffered from; the lack of physical touch I've had in the last couple of years is contributing to the urge to ask her every two minutes to meet me somewhere hidden. Even though I would do whatever she prefers, I just hope she enjoys physical touch because I don't know how I'm supposed to avoid it.

Charlotte: Oh, touch is near the top with words of affirmation for me, so I think you're doing just fine

Knowing she likes words of affirmation makes my stomach knot up, the amount of things I've held back because I don't want to overwhelm her. But I'll tell her that she's the most beautiful girl I've ever seen every day if she'll let me. Despite the fact she was just being open, I decided to test the waters on this situation we've put ourselves in.

Me: soo.. does that mean you like to be..reassured or no?

Hitting send, I immediately feel like I'm sweating. I pour a few beers waiting for her reply, hoping that she knows what I meant and that she doesn't take back everything she said in my office today.

Charlotte: A little praise never hurt anybody.

I whip my head over to her, and my hand wipes over my mouth as she smiles at me. The fact I'm blushing over the answer to the question I asked feels ridiculous. Why did I think this was a good idea? Making eye contact with someone at the bar who wants to order, I walk over to them. Taking their order and turning to grab all the bottles needed for it, I slide my phone from my pocket, setting it on the counter as she texts me again.

Charlotte: Do you always like to be the Captain? Or do you like to let others assist?

My eyes shut while I take a deeper breath; why is she doing this to me? Forcing myself to focus on mixing their drink, but my brain feels like it's short-circuiting. She did have a little dominant streak in her yesterday. I grab a napkin and bring the drink back over to them, nodding as they thank me.

'All for me, baby?' plays in my head, and I guess I had never thought about preferences like that before. Most girls I had been with at this point wanted nothing to do with being in control. I also was typically not the most sober in these instances, so it's debatable how dominant I even was. They just wanted me to do the work, which in the grand scheme, was fine.

The way that she wants to have control makes my body tingle. Something about the idea of her telling me what she wants me to do is kind of hot. She basically had me begging for her yesterday, so maybe I'm a bit more submissive than I thought. I get head one time, and I'm reflecting on my entire sex life. Jesus Christ, chill out.

Me: I'll gladly let you steer anyday, don't have to ask twice

I wipe down the back counter, reorganizing a bit, anything to keep my brain from spiraling out of control over her. I wash some glasses in painfully hot water in hopes that it'll prevent anything uncomfortable from happening to me while I'm just trying to get through this shift with her.

After a few minutes of torture, I pick up my phone again.

Charlotte: In that case, meet me in the bathroom?

I've never replied faster.

Me: 🫡 

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"Couldn't wait any longer?" Winking at her as I lock the door behind me.

Her smile is devious as she runs her hands up my chest, "When you look like this? Not at all." Tugging me closer by my shirt, tilting her head back as I lean in to kiss her.

All I can think is how lucky I am that I'm in this weird little situation with her. The fact that she's communicating things to me, even if we're doing it in a kind of vague way, makes me feel a little more confident with anything that's potentially going to happen.

Pulling away from the kiss for a second, I gently move some hair away from her face, just taking her in. My other hand is holding her lower back, keeping her close. The way she's looking at me makes my heart pound.

"Can I ask you something while we're here?" I mumble, watching her eyebrows pull together.

"Obviously."

"I just want to hear your response to this one," I start. "Can you promise me that if I say or do something that you don't like, you'll tell me?"

Her eyes softened at the question. Her hands grabbed the sides of my face as she pressed a soft peck against my lips.

"Of course, I will. Promise."

"I never want to make you uncomfortable," I mumble against her, "okay?"

Her soft laugh against my lips before pressing a few sweet kisses into me, I swear this girl could get me to fold so easily.

"You really are something, Jacob."

My stomach flips as the sentence leaves her lips. My heartbeat felt stronger than before, and my mouth basically ran dry; what is she doing to me? The look in her eyes as we stared at each other in the subtle glow of the light, even after the past few days, I'd be lying if I said she didn't still make me nervous. Every kiss makes it feel like there are fireworks in my chest and a ton of excited butterflies in my stomach; my entire body gets warm, and I have to fight the slight tremor in my hands, so she doesn't know. But god, this girl has me stumbling over myself every day.

"What if we just stay in here for the rest of the night?" I whisper into her.

Her hands slid down onto my stomach, "I think they might notice we've disappeared."

"Unfortunate, innit?" the English accent sneaking out of me, making her laugh. If that's all it takes, I'll use it more. "Why don't you go back out there first? I'll go to the backroom first, so it's more convincing."

"Sounds like a plan, Captain," she winks as she pats my stomach and then quickly sneaks out the door. Leaving me there, speechless, staring at the door for a moment. I think I just tripped.

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I hid in the backroom for a few minutes, bringing out a handful of things to restock with. I try to wipe the smile off my face when I can feel her eyes on me. I have Mel run to the tables and get some drink orders taken care of; she's been trapped behind the bar all night, at least get her a few minutes of a new scenery.

It feels nice to make drinks mindlessly for customers sometimes. The muscle memory starts to kick in, and I can just go for a while. It's just a bonus having Charlotte sitting at the end of the bar, intently watching every move I make.

"Aren't you supposed to be watching Melody?" I tease, sliding a drink to her.

Her hands rake through her curls, softly laughing as she says, "Well, she isn't making drinks right now, is she?"

"So you're making sure I know what I'm doing then?"

"Something like that," she says, biting her lip subtly. The goosebumps erupt on my arms instantly when she does that.

Folding my arms across my chest, I look at her to ask, "Anything notable?"

She slides her paper out for a second, quickly tucking it away so I can't see what she's written down. Sneaky little thing.

"You seem good.. with your hands," she tilts her head slightly, slowly blinking at me. I can't stop myself from smirking at the comment. I had noticed before that she watched my hands, but nothing was more validating than that comment.

I step closer to the bar, leaning towards her a little so I can whisper, "Guess you'll have to find out." I watch her jaw slack at my comment, chuckling to myself. Seeing her flustered makes me feel less insane for being so antsy all night. The way she shifts in her seat as I look at her, I don't think someone has ever reacted to my stare like this before.

We spend the rest of Mel's shift making unbearably tense eye contact, which makes me want to get her alone even more. She stayed for a little longer after Melody left, but I practically begged her to get home before it was too late. Something about the thought of her trying to drive in the Old Port when all the late-night bargoers are out just makes me nervous.

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After what has seemingly become our nightly routine of walking her to her car, with the new bonus of getting to kiss her before she leaves, I'm