Royal Dilemma

Chapter Twelve

(Charli's Point of View)

I watch CJ's face from my spot adjacent to him on the floor. His features are pinched in concentration and he's got his hand held up to his chin like he's a deep thinker. He looks cute but I'd die before I'd tell him that.

"Why is there so much blue?" He runs his hand through his hair and makes a noise of frustration. "You should have picked an easier one." He shoots me a dirty look.

I look down at the half-done puzzle between us and then at the box with the picture of a beach scene displayed on it.

"This is an easy one," I tell him. "It's only eight hundred pieces. Have you tried not being a moron?"

CJ glares at me.

"Okay, I have an idea of what might help you out a little."

He watches me, waiting.

"You could try using your brain," I offer.

CJ throws down the puzzle piece he was holding and leans back, crossing his arms and pouting like a two-year-old in time out. I pick up the piece and study it, then study the puzzle. I look at him, making sure to meet his eyes and smirk. Then I fit the piece in its place right under CJ's nose.

CJ sighs enormously and puts his head in his hands. I fit a few more pieces into the puzzle while he mopes. When he raises his head a minute later he looks defeated.

"Let's do something else," he suggests.

"No thanks," I chirp. "I'm enjoying your misery."

CJ glares at me as I secure a small group of pieces into the puzzle. He watches me for a few more minutes with fire in his eyes. I imagine he's planning my demise right now. While he plots I add in a few more puzzle pieces. I smile, admiring the mostly done puzzle. You can make out the picture really well now. Finally, his evil look drops, and I suspect he decided to let me live.

"Why are you so good at this?" He asks. The anger seems to have drained out of him.

"I do a lot of puzzles. I didn't have a TV until a year after I moved into my first apartment so I had to find other things to do."

CJ shakes his head and I can't tell whether he's impressed or dismayed.

"I would die without a TV," he states.

"You're dramatic," I say, rolling my eyes. My hand hovers in the air holding a piece while I scan the puzzle for where it belongs. "It wasn't that bad. I didn't watch much TV anyway so it was pretty easy."

I perk up as I find the piece's spot and happily secure it in its place. When I look up at CJ he's sporting a soft smile.

"I use my TV constantly," he says. "Not just for watching stuff. I play a lot of video games too."

"Real gamers use a computer," I taunt. "Consoles are inferior."

"I've seen your laptop," he says. "There is no way it can run a single video game."

"Not true. It runs pinball and solitaire." I tilt my head. "I think that makes me more of a gamer than you."

CJ laughs and shakes his head. I feel birds fluttering in my chest.

"Do you like video games?" He asks.

I shrug. "I like watching people play them online. I haven't played many myself. I could never afford a machine that could run anything."

CJ nods and we lapse into silence. I fit a few more pieces and count the ones I have left. Only eight more to go.

"What would you do if I bought you a new laptop?" CJ asks suddenly.

I freeze and look up at him. "I would make you take it back."

"Why?"

"Because that's crazy expensive," I say, as though he's stupid.

"But what if I can afford it?"

I shake my head. "I don't need you to buy me presents, CJ."

"What if I want to buy you a present? What if it would make me really happy to make you happy?"

My heart clenches at the sentiment. What if it would make me really happy to make you happy? I don't think anyone other than Piper has ever said something like that to me before. I feel something warm and affectionate blossom inside of me. Something that makes me feel so overwhelmingly good.

CJ is looking at me earnestly and it hits me, not for the first time, that he's an alarmingly kind person.

"I don't need you to buy me things to make me happy..." I hesitate, then take a deep breath. "Just having you around makes me happy."

CJ leans across the puzzle and pulls my face to his, giving me a long kiss. We part and retreat back to our separate sides of the puzzle.

"I'm going to buy you a laptop," he says, eyes fierce with determination.

I open my mouth to speak but he raises a hand, silencing me.

"You're going to let me buy you a laptop so you can play a real video game and have a hobby other than these god-awful puzzles."

I shake my head slowly. "You can't be real."

Something flashes across his face but I can't make out what it means. I wonder if it has anything to do with all of the odd rules he set when we started seeing each other. We can only meet on Saturday nights, I can't talk to you on the phone, I need to leave at a certain time.

I didn't ask why he needed them in place even though I know I should've. I didn't mention them to Piper yet either. She's so excited I finally like someone and I don't want to spoil her fun. She keeps telling me how positively "Team CJ" she is.

His expression clears and he shifts the way he's sitting. I put the last piece of the puzzle in place.

"You did it," he says, smiling at me.

"We did it," I correct.

He shakes his head. "No way. This was all you." He stands and motions to me. "Get in front of it I want to take a picture of you."

"You want to take a picture of me with a puzzle?"

He gives me a 'duh' look. "Do you know how cute you are when you do a puzzle? I need to remember this forever."

I give him a playful glare. "Call me cute again and I'll end you," I threaten even though inside I'm melting at the compliment.

CJ holds up his phone and I smile at the camera. I hear the snapshot sound go off a few times and then he lowers his phone and checks the pictures he took. The smile he wears is so fond it makes my heart ache a little bit and I wonder if that's how I look when I'm looking at him.

He looks up at me and his smile gets bigger. Then he kneels down next to the puzzle and picks up the box. "Can we put this away now? I never wanna see another puzzle for the rest of my life."

I laugh. "How's it feel to be terrible at literally everything?"

"How's it feel to use 'literally' incorrectly?" He retorts.

"Pretty good."

CJ shakes his head, then laughs to himself, then shakes his head again. I help him clean up the puzzle and then we snuggle up on the couch and watch a western movie.

While a cowboy tries to tame a mustang on screen I take a peek at him. His face is illuminated by the light from the TV and he looks like he belongs in a magazine. I turn my attention back to the movie and try to ignore the fact that I'm so, totally, screwed. 

Author's Note: Do you like puzzles? Personally, I hate them. Let me know what you thought of the chapter with a comment or a vote!