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Ted woke in the morning to find Charlotte was still in his arms. That was new. New, but nice. Surprising, as Charlotte rarely ever stayed the night with Ted, and even less often stayed this late in the morning. She’d normally run off. Back to her husband. Back to that piece of shit cop who couldn’t give a single fuck about her. Leaving Ted to wake up alone. Which was fine. That was how the majority of his life had been spent up to that point. He was used to it. But this time she stayed.
Ted couldn’t help but smile at the thought as he gazed at her, blissfully still asleep. God, she’s gorgeous. He couldn’t not stare at her peaceful expression. Her eyes softly closed. Her eyebrows not furrowed for once, but relaxed, calm. The lines that normally wrinkled her face much smoother as she slept.
Ted let his head fall back onto his pillow and softly tugged Charlotte closer to him, enjoying the moment while he could.
The pair dozed for a few moments longer before Charlotte began to stir. Ted blinked awake as she shifted in his arms.
Charlotte turned her head as she stretched out her arms, slowly waking up. Her eyes met Ted’s, catching him watching her.
“Hi.”
“Hey.”
She smiled at him before her eyes suddenly grew wide, and she shot up in bed. She frantically shifted around, searching the floor around the bed and the side table for something or other, probably her phone, Ted assumed.
And he had been correct. Soon enough Charlotte was able to locate the device from its hiding spot nearly underneath the bed. She tapped the screen hurriedly a few times before sighing in relief and plopping back down beside Ted.
“What, no running back to Sam today?”
Charlotte shoved halfheartedly at the other man's shoulder as they laid next to each other.
“Actually Sam’s out of town for the weekend. I just forgot for a moment when I woke up, because… Well, never mind that, he’s not missing me.”
“Well then he’s missing out,” Ted took this opportunity to roll closer to Charlotte, his lips mere inches from her own, just hovering, waiting, teasing.
She surged up to meet him, resulting in a few minutes of making out. She couldn’t resist Ted, and he knew it. Charlotte sighed and pulled away.
Ted’s head fell back onto the pillow beside her, eyeing Charlotte as she sat up and fussed with her unruly curls. He couldn’t stop looking at her. Wearing nothing but one of his spare t-shirts. Feeling comfortable, at home, in his room. For once taking what she wants, kissing him, listening to herself, having autonomy. He felt a sense of pride in the woman. Of how far she'd come. He wondered languidly if that meant she was any closer to leaving her asshat husband. Taking her life back for herself.
Ted was roused from his lazy musings as Charlotte untangled herself from the sheets.
“Where are you going?”
Charlotte tsked at him as she stood up from the bed, “Ted! We can’t just lay around all day!”
“Why not? It’s a Saturday. There’s no work to do. Besides,” he sat up on his elbow to take in the appearance of the woman in front of him, leering playfully at her, “I’d much rather be doing you.”
Charlotte reached across the bed to swat at him, “Ted! I can’t believe you’re thinking about that right now. It’s 9 in the morning!”
Ted sat up farther. “If you’re surprised by my libido, you must not know me as well as you think.” He shifted closer to Charlotte, “Luckily, I know just how we can fix that.” Ted wiggled his eyebrows at the woman.
She blushed in response, “Ted! Can’t a woman use the bathroom in the morning?”
“All right. Hurry back though,” he threw a wink after her, and watched as she left the room.
With Charlotte gone, Ted’s bed began to feel empty again. Empty and cold without the additional body heat. He rolled onto the spot Charlotte had vacated, feeling the warmth she left behind as he waited for her return.
Soon enough, he heard the tell-tale signs of Charlotte emerging from the bathroom. As she reentered the room Ted shivered at the draft that came in with her. The thin sheet covering his body wasn’t doing much to warm him. Sure, he was only wearing boxers, but it’s the principle of the thing: sheets are supposed to keep you warm.
“It’s too cold without you. Come back to bed,” Ted groaned.
Charlotte shook her head at his whining, and Ted rolled onto his back, returning to his original side of the bed, clearing her space.
“Oh, Ted, we can’t have you catching hypothermia, now,” she sat next to Ted’s prone body and rubbed her palm along his upper arm in an attempt to warm him.
Ted hummed at the action and closed his eyes, still fighting his remaining drowsiness. Suddenly Charlotte shifted her position until she was straddling Ted. Well, that woke him up.
“We’ll have to find some way of keeping you warm then, huh?”