flower girl {s.m}

charlotte

all love - fletcher

Should we forget about the past, is that how you cope?
Should we drink a little more of that rum and coke?
I don't know how to be
When she looks a bit like me

---

Crystal stumbled out of the bedroom. She wore Shawn's oversized shirt causing her cheeks to flush at the memory of last night's events.

Her small feet padded over to the kitchen to make herself some coffee. While her coffee maker was prepping itself to make coffee, Crystal walked over to the bookshelf in the living room.

For some reason the book Pride and Prejudice, stuck out to her. She was about to grab it when the coffee machine made a beeping noise that made her jump. The book fell on the ground but she let it be for now because she had to rush to put a mug under the coffee machine.

Once the coffee was made, she grabbed the fallen book. Something else had fallen out from the book. It was a photo of her and Shawn. With a smile she picked it up to get a closer look.

Crystal was looking very closely at the photo—trying to remember when it was taken. How could she not remember?

She studied Shawn whose teeth showed braces. Braces? She flipped the the photo to find something written on the back. Prom 2015.

2015! She didn't know Shawn at 2015!

More words were written next to Prom 2015: Shawn and Charlotte.

This wasn't her. 

And, charlotte? Where had she heard that name before? Crystal racked her brain for a time Shawn mentioned a charlotte.

When she finally remembered, Shawn walked out of the bedroom. Crystal was furious.

"G'morning, babe." Shawn said rubbing his eyes. After wiping the sleep off his eyes, he realized Crystal was standing across the room, staring at a piece of paper. "What's wrong, babe?" He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her from behind. He kissed the back of her ear before looking at the paper that Crystal was looking at. He felt the blood drain from his face. 

Crystal broke-free of his grasp and turned to face him. She looked at Shawn's pale face with angry eyes.

"This is your Charlotte, Shawn?!"

"Crystal, it was a long time ago..."

"You told me she was your first love! Maybe even greatest love considering she fuc.king looks like me!" Tears brimmed her eyes. "Was the whole reason you came up to me at The Met was because I looked like your greatest first love?!"

"Crystal no—"

"You know what, I understand. I understand what first-loves can do to you. You can be completely in love with someone but still think about your first love. Because their the one's that made your feel first. You'll always wonder what it'll be like if it worked out. Remembering them is remembering what it feels like to be young and stupid. When you didn't have a care in the world just that one person mattered. And, you'll always want to come back to that feeling..." Shawn was unsure where Crystal was going. 

She was a crying mess in front of him. "Crystal..."

"The thing is you were my first love. I was a lot older when I met you than when you met Charlotte, but I still understand. Because, when I was with Aiden I still wondered about you. I cared for Aiden but if someone walked in the room that looked just like you my heart would drop. So, I guess that's why you chose me... because I look like her." Crystal broke into sobs as she said what she thought was the truth out loud. She ran in the bedroom and began packing her bags. She pulled on a pair of jeans over Shawn's t-shirt and threw what she could in her small backpack.

Shawn soon appeared in the room. He panicked when he saw her packing.

"Crystal, please stop! I-I don't know what to tell you. I knew you looked like her but it's not why I kept fighting for you! Crystal, I love you because you're you. I love you because you're funny. Because you love so intensely, because you're kind. I don' think about her when I'm with you!" He hugged Crystal legs and stained her pants with tears, hoping to stop her from leaving.

Crystal broke free and went straight for the door. 

"Why do you always run away, Crystal?" Shawn said which made her pause in her tracks. It was only a moment, but she still kept going until the door closed behind her. At the sound of the door closing, Shawn fell to sit on the floor. He cried like he lost everything—because he did.