Chapter 16

Three weeks of stolen moments had made Charlotte bolder and less careful than she should have been. She was getting good at it! No one expected a thing.

Three weeks of Carl climbing through her window after dark, of whispered conversations that stretched until it got light outside, of kisses that left her breathless and wanting more. Three weeks of learning that Carl Grimes was funny when he wasn't trying to be responsible for everyone, that he made this little sound in the back of his throat when she ran her fingers through his hair, that he had a scar on his shoulder from a fight that she had missed whilst she was gone, a fight that he'd never told anyone about.

Three weeks of pretending during the day that they barely tolerated each other while stealing glances across crowded rooms, of brushing hands when passing tools or supplies, of Carl finding excuses to patrol near wherever Charlotte was working.

It had become a routine, this double life they were living. And maybe that's why Charlotte had gotten careless.

"I still can't believe you've never read this one," She was murmured, sprawled across her narrow bed with a couple issues of X-Men spread between them. Carl was propped against her headboard, his long legs stretched out alongside hers, close enough that she could feel the warmth radiating from his body.

"I was kind of busy survivin' the actual apocalypse," Carl replied, his drawl more pronounced in the relaxed atmosphere of her room. "Comic books weren't exactly a priority."

"Yeah, but this is a classic. Look—" Charlotte scooted closer to point at a panel, her shoulder pressing against his arm. "This is where Jean becomes Phoenix for the first time. It's like... whens she becomes something more powerful than what people expect you to be."

Carl's attention had shifted from the comic to her face, watching the way her eyes lit up when she talked about something she was passionate about, he hesitated for a moment, before speaking, his voice careful. "Is that what you think happened to you? You became something more powerful?"

Charlotte glanced up at him, suddenly aware of how close they were, of the way his gaze had gone soft and warm, the look he had only reserved for her. "I mean...I don't know, I became different, I guess..." She shrugged.

"Different how?"

"Harder. Colder." Charlotte's voice dropped to barely above a whisper. "Someone who could do things that...I never would've been able to before."

"But you're not cold," Carl said, his hand coming up to cup her cheek, eyebrows furrowing slightly. "Not with me."

Charlotte leaned into his touch, her eyes fluttering closed for a moment, allowing herself to take a moment, to just be. "Maybe that's the problem."

He narrowed his eye, head tilting to the side with curiosity. "Why's that a problem?"

Instead of answering, Charlotte shifted closer, her hand finding the front of his shirt. "Because it makes me want things I shouldn't."

"Like what?" Carl's voice had gone rough, still laced with softness though, the way it always did when the space between them got charged like this.

"Like this," Charlotte whispered, and then she was kissing him.

It started gentle, familiar, the kind of soft, sweet kiss they'd shared dozens of times over the past few weeks. But something was different tonight. Maybe it was the way Carl's hands immediately tangled in her hair, or the way Charlotte found herself pressing closer, her body seeking more contact. Maybe it was just that three weeks of careful restraint had worn away their self-control.

Whatever it was, the kiss quickly deepened, becoming hungrier, more desperate. Carl's tongue swiped across her lower lip, and when Charlotte gasped, the sound he made sent heat coursing through her veins.

"Charlotte," he breathed against her mouth, her name coming out like a prayer.

She responded by shifting her weight, swinging her leg over his hips to straddle his lap. The comic book fell forgotten to the floor as Carl's hands found her waist, his grip tightening when she settled more fully against him.

"We should—" Carl started, but Charlotte silenced him with another kiss, her hands fisting in his shirt that was slightly riding up.

"Don't," She whispered, echoing the words she'd said to him that one night in the cabin, where this all started. "Just... don't say anything."

Carl's resistance crumbled. His hands slid up her back, pulling her closer as he kissed her with an intensity that made her dizzy. Charlotte could feel his heart pounding against her chest, could feel the way his breathing had gone ragged, could feel evidence of exactly how much he wanted this, wanted her.

She rolled her hips experimentally, and Carl's grip on her waist tightened, a low groan escaping him, almost right out of his mouth and into hers. "Charlotte, if we keep—"

A soft knock on the door made them both freeze.

"Charlotte? You still awake?" Glenn's voice drifted through the wood, casual and unsuspecting. "I wanted to ask you about—"

The door opened before either of them could respond, Glenn stepping into the room with his eyes focused on some papers in his hands. "—tomorrow's supply run schedule, and I thought maybe—"

Glenn's words died in his throat as he looked up and took in the scene before him. Charlotte straddling Carl's lap, both of them disheveled and breathing hard, Carl's hands still gripping her waist like he'd forgotten to let go.

The silence stretched for what felt like an eternity.

"Oh," Glenn said finally, his voice strangled. "Oh. I... what... how did..." His gaze flickered between them, confusion and dawning realization written on his face. "Carl? When did you... how did you get in here?"

Carl's face had gone bright red, but he made no move to push Charlotte away, like he was frozen. "I, uh... the window."

"The window." Glenn's voice was flat with disbelief. "The second-story window."

"There's a tree," Charlotte offered weakly, her voice going up an octave before she cleared it, finally climbing off Carl's lap but staying close enough that their thighs were still touching.

Glenn stared at them for another long moment, his expression cycling through confusion, awkwardness, and something that might have been amusement. "Right. The..the tree. Of course." He ran a hand through his hair. "So you two are... this is..."

"It's not what it looks like," Carl said automatically, then immediately seemed to realize how ridiculous that sounded given the circumstances, his face going even redder and shoulders going up to his ears. Fixing his shirt quickly and running a hand through his hair

"Really? Because it looks like I just walked in on you two—" Glenn gestured vaguely at the bed, his cheeks flushing. "—doing...whatever it is you were doing."

Charlotte felt heat creep up her neck. "Glenn, we can explain—"

"No!" Glenn held up a hand, closing his eyes as he backed toward the door. "No, that's... you don't need to explain anything. You're both adults, mostly, and what you do is... I mean, I don't need to know about..." He trailed off, looking increasingly flustered.

Carl and Charlotte exchanged a glance. In all their planning for keeping their relationship secret, they'd never considered what would happen if Glenn caught them. They'd been so focused on avoiding Rick and Daryl and the other adults who might have Strong Opinions about their relationship to each other.

"Are you gonna tell anyone?" Charlotte asked quietly.

Glenn paused in his retreat, looking back at them with an expression that was equal parts sympathetic and almost tired. "I... no. No, I'm not gonna tell anyone. But Charlotte, this is..." He shook his head. "This is complicated. You know that, right?"

"We know," Carl said firmly.

"And Rick doesn't know."

"No," Charlotte confirmed. "Uh...maybe it should stay like that..?" Her statement became more of an awkward question.

Glenn studied them both for a long moment, taking in Carl's slightly protective posture beside Charlotte, the way their hands almost twitched like they were desperate to reach out for eachother. "How long has this been goin' on?"

"Few weeks," Charlotte admitted.

"Few weeks?" Glenn repeated, then laughed, a short, incredulous sound. "And I had no idea. Jesus, you two are better at this than I thought."

"Glenn—" Carl started with a small sigh, lowering his head in shame from being caught.

"I'm not gonna say anything," Glenn interrupted. "But you need to be careful. Rick finds out about this from someone else, and it's gonna be a lot worse than if he hears it from you."

With that warning, Glenn backed out of the room, pulling the door closed behind him. Charlotte and Carl sat in stunned silence, the weight of being discovered settling over them like a heavy blanket.

"Well," Charlotte said finally. "That could've gone worse."

"Could it have?" Carl asked, his voice strained.

"He could've immediately run to tell your dad."

Carl scrubbed his hands over his face. "This is bad, Charlotte. Glenn's not gonna say anything tonight, but he's gonna be thinking about it. And he can't really keep a secret. You remember:...'There's... there's Walkers in the barn and Lori's pregnant'"

"He won't say anything," Charlotte asserted, ignoring that quote that had become a little joke for the group. That was before she'd left though. But even as she spoke the words, she could hear the doubt in her own voice.

Carl looked at her, his expression serious. "Maybe we should tell my dad ourselves. Get ahead of it."

"Tell him what, exactly? That we've been sneaking around behind his back for weeks? That you've been climbing through my window like some kind of lovesick Romeo?"

Despite the gravity of the situation, Carl's mouth twitched upward at the reference. "Did you just call me Romeo?"

"Don't let it get to your head," Charlotte muttered, but she was fighting a smile too.

The moment of levity faded quickly, though, replaced by the reality of their situation. They'd been caught, and while Glenn might keep their secret for now, there was no guarantee it would stay hidden much longer.

"I should go," Carl said reluctantly, moving toward the window.

"Carl, wait." Charlotte caught his hand, pulling him back. "Whatever happens, I don't regret this. Any of it."

Carl's expression softened, and he leaned down to press a gentle kiss to her forehead. "Me neither."

After he'd climbed back out the window and disappeared into the darkness, Charlotte lay on her bed staring at the ceiling, her mind racing. They'd been so careful, so cautious about keeping their relationship hidden. But one moment of letting their guard down had changed everything.

Tomorrow's gonna be interesting, she thought, and tried to ignore the knot of dread forming in her stomach.

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The next morning, Charlotte was woken by insistent knocking on her bedroom door.

"Charlotte!" Glenn's voice was tight with barely controlled panic. "You need to get up. Now."

Charlotte bolted upright, instantly alert. "What's wrong?"

"Rick's here," Glenn called through the door, probably reluctant to open it from what happened last night. "Says he needs to talk to you about something important. And Charlotte?" His voice dropped lower, more serious. "Carl's with him. And he looks like he's about to throw up."

Charlotte felt the bottom drop out of her stomach. "Shit."

"Yeah," Glenn agreed grimly. "Shit."

As Charlotte quickly got dressed, her hands shaking slightly as she pulled on jeans and a sweater, she could hear voices downstairs, Rick's authoritative rumble and Carl's higher, more strained responses. She couldn't make out the words, but the tone was enough to confirm her worst fears.

Glenn knew. And apparently, Glenn had decided that keeping their secret wasn't worth the risk after all.

We are so fucked, Charlotte thought, and headed downstairs to face whatever consequences were waiting for her.