Chapter 5

            Shannon sat at the computer desk, staring intently at the screen in front of her with her forehead creased in concentration. The sound of the door closing startled her, making her jump in her seat and turn her head towards the door. Upon seeing Charlie, Shannon sighed in relief then smiled. “Hey, Charlie,” she called out to get Charlie’s attention. Charlie lifted her gaze from the mail in her hand to Shannon, giving her a small smile. Shannon pointed at the mail in Charlie’s hand. “Anything for me?”

            Charlie nodded and walked towards Shannon, dropping the plastic bag Shannon had failed to notice was hanging from her wrist, on the couch as she passed it. Charlie handed Shannon her mail. “Breakfast?”

            Shannon took her mail and scanned Charlie’s features. Taking note of how tired Charlie looked, Shannon shook her head. “No thanks. I’ve eaten already,” she lied. Charlie didn’t seem to believe her but before she could question it, Shannon spoke up. “There’s some leftovers in the fridge if you want them.”

            Shannon focused back on the screen, not knowing how long she could hold out under the stare of Charlie’s dark green eyes. Shannon hated lying to Charlie, but seeing how tired she looked, Shannon didn’t want to be the reason Charlie didn’t sleep. Shannon relaxed when she heard Charlie sigh. “Thanks.” Charlie walked to the kitchen to get the food Shannon had mentioned. Once Charlie had everything she needed, she sat at the breakfast bar and began to eat. Charlie ate quickly and disposed of the empty carton in the trash. As she moved to pour herself a drink, Charlie saw the time on the cooker and frowned. She hadn’t realized how late it was. It was almost 10am. She looked at Shannon who, Charlie only just noticed, was wearing an oversized T-shirt and was making no effort to move. “No work?” she asked.

            Shannon faced Charlie, amusement filled her dark brown eyes. “Not today.” She smirked at Charlie’s confused expression.

            Charlie pushed her hand through her dirty blond hair. “Saturday?”

            Shannon nodded before turning back to the screen. Charlie shook her head, feeling a little stupid for not knowing what day it was, and started to tidy up the kitchen. After a few minutes, Charlie’s attention was pulled from her task by a frustrated growl. She looked over at Shannon. Shannon was leant back in the small chair, rubbing her face with her hands. “Screw this,” she exclaimed, throwing a pencil on to the desk.

            What’s wrong?” Charlie asked, concerned about Shannon’s sudden outburst.

            “This,” Shannon growled, pointing at the computer screen. “This homework. It’s pissing me off.”

            Charlie swallowed a laugh, not wanting to aggravate Shannon any further. “Why?”

            “because I’ve been staring at it for an hour and I still can’t see what I’m missing,” Shannon sighed. “Why did I decide to become an accountant?”

            Charlie wiped her hands on a nearby cloth before making her way over to Shannon. She looked at the screen and offered Shannon a reassuring smile. “Can I?”

            Shannon waved her hand towards the offending screen. “Please do.”

            Charlie bent down over Shannon’s shoulder and tapped a few keys. Shannon took the opportunity to look at Charlie more closely. She had never noticed how well-defined Charlie’s cheekbones were before, but then again they had never been this close. Charlie suddenly turned her head to face Shannon, making their faces only a few centimeters apart. Charlie’s eyes scanned Shannon’s face, landing on her lips. Charlie quickly stood up and cleared her throat. “Done.”

            Shannon blinked rapidly, pulling herself from the trance Charlie’s gaze had seemingly put her under. “What?” she croaked. Charlie pointed at the computer. Shannon faced it, checking what Charlie had done. Her jaw dropped and she turned back to Charlie. “How? You looked at it for two seconds.”

            “Tax,” Charlie shrugged as she yawned. “Enjoy Saturday.”

            Charlie went to her room, leaving Shannon gawping at the empty space she previously occupied.