Hazel had only seen houses like Charlie’s in magazines and online articles with headlines like “Take a look inside So & So’s Beverly Hills mansion now on the market for Such & Such million dollars.” He always stressed that he wanted to be as normal as possible so his house was more modest than those outrageous articles, but it was still bigger than anything she’d ever seen. It was nestled in the hills of LA, overlooking the breathtaking views of the city while maintaining it’s privacy is the gated community, surrounded by the rich and famous.
“How you doin’ babe?” Charlie asked over facetime.
Hazel looked down at her phone then at the movers unloading a few more boxes. “Pretty good. I think these are the last few.” She replied. “Are you sure I can put things anywhere? I don’t want to mess with anything.”
He chuckled, “Well it’s your place now too so put things wherever you want.”
He looked at something off screen for a moment before looking back at her. “Duty calls. I’ll be home around 6. I love you.”
“Love you too.” She replied, biting the smile that was on her face.
She shoved her phone back into her pocket and walked towards a closed door next to the upstairs bedroom. Charlie had left a handwritten note on the door saying “Beauty Room/Closet.” Opening it she walked into a massive empty rooms aligned with mirrors and shelves and hangers – the works. Was this all for her?
“Mine?” She texted him with a picture of the room.
“Yours.” He replied back almost instantly.
Holy shit.
In all the times she’d envisioned best case scenarios of how her life would turn out – this wasn’t one of them.
“Knock knock.” A feminine came behind her and Hazel turned to see a woman dressed in all black holding two cell phones and an iPad in her arms.
“Hey,” the woman smiled, “I’m Sophia, Charlie’s assistant. He sent me over here to see if you needed help unpacking.”
Charlie had mentioned her a couple of times. She usually booked his flights and took care of things when he was in New York with her. Sophia was around the same height as Hazel. Her dark hair was tied up neatly in a bun and her dark attire consisted of a black t-shirt, tucked into a pair of skinny jeans, accompanied by a pair of black and white Vans and round glasses covered her freckled face. She looked younger than her as well.
“Oh I don’t want to bother you,” Hazel smiled nervously. “I can take care of this if you have other things to do.”
“Nope! You’re the only thing on my calendar today. I’m just sorry I got here so late. He had me run a few errands beforehand. It’s so nice to finally meet you by the way! He talks about you all the time.” The younger girl smiled, offering her hand to shake Hazel’s.
Hazel felt a blush rushing to her cheeks and smiled, shaking the girls hand. Charlie spoke about her to everyone and it offered a sense of security she needed. Jumping into a relationship with Charlie had it’s doubts. For example, if a superstar could be faithful or if he was taking it seriously. Obviously meeting his family was a huge step followed by an even bigger one of her uprooting her life to be with him. All of those nagging thoughts she still had since her encounter with Morgana were still there, but not as loud as before.
“Then I would absolutely love the help. I have no idea where to start!”
It had only been a week since her trip to London. In that time, things had moved faster than she could ever have imagined. She’d quit her job, she’d transferred schools mid-semester, picked up her entire apartment, and flew out to LA. It was a lot for anybody.
But it was also a leap of faith. A giant, adventurous, leap of faith. Hazel wasn’t adventurous by any means. She just kinda went with the current and tried to make it through one day at a time. This was something way outside her comfort zone but she was more excited than scared.
There would be no more separation from Charlie unless he was working. He’d come home to her every night and wake up beside her every morning. There would leave no room for ex’s to put things in her head.
“So.” She said, looking over at Sophie who was unpacking t-shirts and hanging them up in the closet. “How long have you been working for Charlie?”
“A little over two years.” Sophie replied. “It never gets old, though. Let me tell you.”
“I can imagine.” Hazel smiled, before biting the corner of her lip. “So did you have to do this when Morgana moved out…?”
She hated how much it mattered to her. She wasn’t usually a jealous person but she had to know.
“Not for Morgana.” Sophie answered, not paying any mind to the undertones of Hazel’s question. “He left her the old house, so I helped purchase and move in here.”
Well that made her feel better.
Closer to 6pm, Sophia had ordered them Sushi for dinner based on Charlie’s requests and, after finishing unpacking, Hazel’s things, left.
Hazel stepped out of the shower, wrapping herself up in a towel and drying off her hair before walking down to her new closet, still amazed at how it looked. Throwing on a robe, she walked through the now finished house, looking at all the little things she’d brought with her, settled into their new places. It wasn’t much, but it matched his style so well.
She walked out into the back yard, looking over the view of the city below.
How had this become her life?
“Enjoying the view of your new home?” She heard behind her, turning her head to see Charlie walking out through the doors.
“It still feels funny every time you say that.” She replied, a small smile on her lips. “It just feels surreal.”
“What does?” He asked, coming up behind to rest his hands on the railing on either side of her. He lowered his head to press a kiss on her cheek.
“This.” She said, pressing her body back against him. “It’s a lot to get used to.”
He chuckled, placing one hand on her waist to hold her closer. “New York to LA is a big change, but I think you’ll like it. Besides, you’ll have me here.”
Smiling wider, she lifted her head to meet his lips. “You do know how to make a girl feel better.” She smirked, brushing her ass back against his groin.
“I can think of a few ways to make you think great actually.” He smirked, running his hands down her sides to slide them up her robe.
Something dark flashed in his eyes when he felt nothing there and he let out a low growl from his throat. He ran his hand around the front of her, sliding it down between her legs and Hazel felt herself melt as his fingers brushed her clit.
“Fuck.” He groaned, under his breath. “This is exactly what I want to come home to every night.”
She felt a blush creep into her cheeks as he whispered against the skin of her neck, his hardening member starting to press against her.
“Looks like you’re in luck, Mr. Hunnam.” She replied, closing her eyes to take in the feeling.
It was faint, but she heard the doorbell and sighed, not wanting anything to take his hand away. It rang again and she sighed.
“Charlie.” She whispered. “The door.”
“They can fuck off.” He said, sliding one of his fingers inside of her.
The feeling caught her by surprise and she moaned, moving her hips against his hand.
“Wait,” She stopped him, hating herself. “I think it’s the food.”
He let out an irritated groan, sliding his hands away from her and licking the fingers he hand inside of her as he walked back in the house to answer the door.
Hazel took the opportunity to catch her breath, adjusting her robe. That was definitely one of the added perks of living with him. There was no waiting period between his trips just to have sex.
She walked back inside, to see Charlie walk into the kitchen, opening up the food. “Good thing sushi doesn’t get cold. Sophie ordered it over an hour ago.” She replied. “I guess it’s true that things move slower on the West Coast.”
Charlie chuckled, pulling out the chopsticks and handing her a pair. “Well what is there really to rush for? New Yorkers are always rushing.”
“Well.” She laughed, grabbing them two bottles of smartwater from the fridge. “For one, if it had come on time, it wouldn’t have interrupted us out there.”
Charlie laughed, taking a sip of his water. “You gotta point. I’ll call and make a complaint.”
“Or you’ll have Sophie do it, Mr. Big shot.”
He laughed again, giving her a shrug. “Ah well, you’re right. Wouldn’t want to give her more work. Besides, me and you have the rest of our lives to do this.”
“Rest of our lives, huh?”
“Rest of our lives.” He repeated with a nod.
That didn’t sound half bad.