Part 1 Part 3

Context: Your relationship with your family has never been great, largely thanks to your father. A good ol' boy and ex-military, he convinced everyone your acts of rebellion were good enough reason for all of them to cut you off or assume the worst. Except for Charlie. Ten years your senior and an ex-squadmate of your father, Charlie was able to see through those lies as you started college. He's come to your aid plenty of times, protected you, and encouraged you. It's hard not to appreciate him and all he does for you, or how hot the dummy is. You made your move and kissed him, and he's just as hungry for you. The only problem? Your nightmare family showing up.

Setting: The old family home/Tex's Restaurant

Tags: [MM4F][Friends to Lovers][Older Man Speaker][Younger Woman Listener][Controversial][Kisses][Protective][Old Friends][History Together][Hugs][Military Boy][Angst][Loss][TW: Implied Abusive Family/Sexism/PTSD/A Shitty Dad][CW: Older Man x Younger Woman]

Usage: You may tweak or record this script. Gender flipping is OK! Please credit me if you use this script in any of your projects. If you would like to use this script for a paywalled recording, please note:

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[C] = Charlie [J] = Jim

[Scene opens in your father’s old house]

[SFX: Footsteps hurrying up the stairs and a door closing]

[You hurry up the stairs as your Uncle approaches the house and duck into your old room. You hear the front door open and Charlie’s muffled voice speak:]

[C] “Ay, Jim. Brought your gun this time?”

[J, with a grunt] “You over here with that girl of his, Charlie?”

[Dread rolls up your stomach]

[C] “Jim. I’m warning you now, this isn’t the way you want to go about this.”

[J] “His health wouldn’t have gone the way it did if that little whore hadn’t-!”

[SFX: The speech growing muffled to indicate that the Listener is remembering the italicized speech]

[J] Where is she, huh? Where IS SHE, CHARLIE!

[C] You don’t need to worry about her, Jim. She’s somewhere none of you fuckers can ever hurt her again, do you HEAR ME?! I don’t care how you feel about her, her relationship with your piece of shit brother, her views, ANYTHING! You best have a gun if you try to get to her again.. Do you hear me?

[Pause]

[SFX: A very loud thud and Jim groaning]

[You jump as a loud thud rocks the house and Jim yelps in pain]

[C] “I told you. I fucking told you, Jim, that I’d make you eat your words so hard you’d be forced to either shit them out or barf them up one of these days. That little lady is your niece, and I’ll beat you faceless then bury you in cement if I have to, do you understand me?!”

[Jim groans weakly]

[C] “I thought so, you piece of trash… Now, get out!”

[SFX: Another thud, more Jim groaning, and then a car starting and peeling off]

[After a few minutes, you hear Charlie’s heavy boots clomping up the stairs and a knock on your door]

[C] “Darlin’? It’s me. Can I come in?”

[Pause]

[SFX: A door opening and closing]

[C] “Hey… Hey, it’s OK, baby girl. He’s gone now, he didn’t have a gun, everything’s OK. C’mere, c’mon…”

[He hugs you, holding you close]

[C] “Shh… I got you, sweetheart. I’m here. I’m not going to let any of those raving lunatics hurt you. We’ll get all this stuff in a storage place closer to your city and you can go through it on your own time. OK?”

[Pause]

[C] “... C’mon. Let’s get all the stuff you don’t want to go without and go to my place. It’s well outside of town and none of these vultures know where it is.”

[Pause]

[C] “Eheh… Yeah, we can stop by Tex’s for some brisket. Now, c’mon, get your journals, knick-knacks, embarrassing magazines, and backpacks.”

[Pause?]

[He blinks, so adorable as he tries to parse your words]

[C] “...Wait, WAS that a rhyme? Huh. Maybe the bacteria in the petri dish of my skull is finally forming some brains, huh? Hehe. C’mon. Let’s get you out of this deathbed of bad memories…”

[SFX: Charlie and the Listener packing up]

[Scene transitions to Tex’s]

[SFX: Restaurant ambiance]

[Charlie sits across from you, peering over the absurdly large menu]

[C] “Could I get the triple burger plate, please? Extra fries and a large soda. Diet. Thanks, Betty!”

[The waitress smiles and shakes her head before heading off]

[Pause]

[C] “Pfft, do you need to be jealous? Over Betty? That woman has been married to the especially surly biker at the bar over there for twenty years, and he would take my head off in a heartbeat. Besides…”

[He gives you that same cheeky smile]

[C] “I think my old heart is happy where it’s at right now.”

[You rest your hand on his and his smile warms even more]

[Pause…]

[C] “No, I… I know we can’t rush into this. Into anything. It’d be like charging into a godamned landmine with your old man passing. Grieving young woman and her “upstanding father” are friendly to an “unhinged Veteran”, and suddenly I’m the bad guy, trying to take advantage…”

[Pause…]

[C] “...I know you think I’m not “unhinged”, Shortstack, but… the PTSD is always there, like a passenger on a bus falling asleep on your damned shoulder, ‘cept for life… I haven’t forgotten how you looked at me that night after I picked you up from prom. Your father saw the corsage you’d sarcastically given me, and he… I just saw his hands wrap around your throat and I-I…”

[He looks away, pained]

[C] “...I’m sorry… Maybe it was cathartic watching me beat that man to within an inch of his life, I don’t know, but the way you looked at me… It was the same as you looking at him. And that killed me. For… For years… I wanted to be there, I wanted to protect you, but I’d shown my hand to that monster. He knew I cared about you… He’d taunt me. Say horrible shit. “Charlie’s got no brains in that curly-haired head unless it comes to rebellious slu…”. You… You get the idea…”

[Pause]

[C] “... Tell you what, Shortstack. How’s about, when we get home, we’ll make a big pillow fort in the living room and watch hours upon hours of traffic stupidity. I wanna hear that razor-sharp wit raining Hell upon every lane-changing, aggressive mother hubbard out there.”

[Pause]

[C] “I will be more than happy to hold you all night, sweetheart. I’ll even lend you one of my big ol’ shirts.”

[Pause!]

[He laughs]

[C] “Yes, I still have the one you got me. “World’s Hottest Soldier”, right? Pfftt… Sometimes I think you love getting me in trouble, you know that?”

[Pause?]

[C] “Yes, you, you gremlin! You were sat there, drunk off of eggnog, and cackling for me to “Try it on” and “Do a flip!” for some reason, right in front of your Dad and the whole damned platoon! AND you tucked a bit of mistletoe in my back pocket so people assumed I was asking them to literally kiss my ass!”

[You try not to laugh but his sarcastic smile tips you over the edge]

[C] “Tch, yeah, yeah, love you too, you tiny, malicious little angel.”

[Pause]

[C] “I-I, uh… S-Sorry, I just… We’re not there yet.”

[Pause]

[C] “...I do… It scares me how much…”

[You squeeze his hand gently and he smiles, bashful]

[C] “Thanks… We gotta be careful though, OK? Your Dad has influences all across this stupid county. It’d only take a few loose lips talking to a few backwater snakes to make our lives Hell. And I sure as shit don’t want you to go through anymore. You’ve taken more than your fair share of right hooks from life.”

[Pause]

[He laughs and shakes his head]

[C] “Baby girl… I’m happy to fight the world for you, for… for us… but try not to make it a habit, huh? I’m an old man.”

[You laugh with him and continue the night in relative comfort, not really aware that you are being watched]

[SFX: Charlie growing more muffled followed by judgmental(?) texting]

[To be continued]

Note: I don’t know what judgmental texting sounds like either. Also my fiancé demanded I write this continuation, so be thankful to him for all this sumptuous, Southern angst.