The Bad Boy Next Room (Charlie and Taylor)

Charlie was furious. How could Luke act like she still belonged to him?

'Did he forget how badly he hurt me? How he cheated and lied?' she thought angrily. 'And now, he expects me to take him back?'

It was ridiculous. But as angry as she was, having Taylor there made everything easier. His arm around her felt comforting, like a shield keeping Luke's arrogance from getting to her. She still felt hurt, but it didn't weigh as much with Taylor beside her.

As they turned around, Charlie wanted more revenge on Luke, so she whispered to Taylor, "Kiss me."

"What?" Taylor asked.

"Kiss me," she repeated, her voice remained soft.

"Let's walk two more steps down so it's credible," Taylor suggested.

After two steps, Taylor casually pulled Charlie closer. He stopped walking and faced her. His teammates observed them but understood they needed more time, so they simply walked ahead.

"Let's pretend to talk so it's natural that way," Taylor proposed while pushing a strand of Charlie's hair. "Are you okay?"

When Charlie nodded, Taylor said, "If we are going to do this, we have to do this right. You know that, right?"

Charlie nodded again, but this time, her face burned.

Taylor leaned in slowly, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead before giving her nose a quick peck. Being so close to him was so overwhelming that Charlie closed her eyes, her heart fluttering.

His warm breath tickled her face, and before she knew it, his lips were on hers.

Instantly, Charlie felt something weird. Her stomach flipped as if she had just gone over the peak of a rollercoaster!noveldrama

Taylor's kisses were gentle, and as he leaned in for more, his other hand carefully rested on her face. On the other hand, Charlie simply melted into him, kissing back and unknowingly gripping his jersey.

Eventually, the kiss deepened, and the space between them disappeared. Taylor's other hand settled at the small of her back, pulling her closer, and her breath hitched at the intensity of it all. Just as they pressed together, the moment ended before their tongues could touch.

"You feel better now?" Taylor asked.

When Charlie nodded, he pinched her cheek and, yet again, wrapped her in his arms.

"Charlie, he is just going to hurt you," Luke still had the audacity to speak.

When Charlie looked sideways, Taylor raised his hand and gave Luke the finger.

***

The Titan's Lounge was The Atomic Heat's hangout place. Atlas' family owned it, and the team had their usual discount.

"Did you see the look on Sullivan's face? It was priceless! Haha!" Jeremy, Taylor's teammate, said. He had long black hair, often tied into a

ponytail. He had very fair skin and was the only one on the team who had a tattoo on his arm.

According to Taylor, Jeremy was his second best friend. The first was Atlas.

"I bet Luke is losing it," another one said.

"But let's be careful," Taylor warned. He leaned back, carefully checking if Charlie was still within his reach. "We don't know if the Wall Street Warriors will resort to unconventional means to win the finals."

"Yeah, I think it was strange that Luke was there," Jeremy added.

"I think he was there to check on me -" Charlie turned to Taylor, saying, "To check on us."

"Well, considering how it ended with

a fight for Charlie, it could be it,"

Atlas agreed. He then glanced at Charlie, asking, "But you would know the Wall Street Warriors bettere

Charlie. Are they capable of O cheating?"

There was silence around them while Charlie prepared to answer. Not everyone from the team came to their gathering. Some opted to rest or study for an exam. Around her, only five of Taylor's teammates were present, along with Angel, Atlas' sister.

"Well, no, I don't think so, but Luke's team can play rough if they want to, but I don't think they have the guts," Charlie said reassuringly.

"Well, that's good," Jeremy said. "But it doesn't mean we can relax."

"Yeah, practicing every day is still a good idea," Taylor suggested. "It not only

keeps us sharp for the game, but it also helps us stay in shape. Tomorrow,

though, is an exception. Let us rest in after a good win."

Yeah!" The guys cheered while raising their beer bottles.