✦ ✧ ✩ Curtain Call ✦ ✧ ✩ - Charlie Gillespie

Chapter 56

After leaving a very tired Charlie in our room I decided to spend the night in the makeshift bed I made for us in the barn. Looking up and around I felt peaceful. A peace I would give my life to keep.

A little beam of light entered from the ceiling as sunrise came around making me realize I hadn't slept one bit, and I was surrounded by crumpled up piece of papers, scribbled and doodled from a glimpse of late night inspiration. I took them and tried to piece them together, trying to make sense of the sentences I vigorously started writing and then threw away when I couldn't make it work.

I gave up when I realized not even the biggest genius could give it a go. Whoever said you had to live before you wrote never told us living would make writing harder.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when someone jumped in the back of the truck with me.

"We won" Maeve said, wiggling her eyebrows, throwing herself in the mattress next to me, "It would have been more fun if you were to see it tho" she continued, pouting at me.

"Congratulations!" I replied, giving her a little nudge with my shoulder "And I don't think it would've been that fun for us. I'm sure Owen won't shut up about it, I can't wait"

"Oh no I didn't win with Owen. He fell asleep like an hour later after you guys left. Mr. Dougherty and I won!"

When she finished that sentence we both started laughing until I felt heavy again, and without me wanting to, the smile on my face went away.

"Hey is everything ok?" she asked, sitting up straight.

"No, but I don't know why" I lied through my teeth, "I feel weird"

"You're in love" she replied chipper, but lost the eagerness when she took a look at my face.

"I'm scared Maeve" I said, suddenly melting down on her "Everything's so perfect, you know, besides, well you know, and I'm so terrified of losing it"

"I don't think love is supposed to feel like that" the honesty in her answer startled me, but it was weirdly comforting.

"Right?" I said, grabbing her hand "You know I haven't been in love since Matthew, and I never felt like this with him"

"You're not thinking-?"

"No I'm not, but" the words didn't want to come out of my mouth, admitting it was making it real "I don't know Maeve. I love Charlie. I know that. He is the best thing that ever happened to me. I was with him last night, he was laying in my arms, and I felt so peaceful. Followed by the most terrifying feeling of not being able to be without him."

She just analyzed my face and nodded, looking around for an answer she was not able to find.

"I'm scared" I started, finally taking in the courage to say "I think Matthew broke me, you know? In the worst of ways. Because he did it slowly and suddenly I relied on him for everything. And he took over everything. Even my family still loves him, and everyone in this godforsaken town remembers him. Seeing Charlie like that, being twice the sweet and 100% more genuine than him, and my dad and him it's all just so-"

"Scary" she finished my sentence, "I thought you two were doing so well. You're suddenly acting the way you were before. I missed you, you look so happy"

"No we are, like I said, he is absolutely perfect" I replied, "But what if Charlie takes over my life like he did? Maybe I just rushed into it. I don't want him to be the reason I am me you know?"

"Eri, he is not Matt, but I think that if you really feel like that you should" She was about to go on when we heard steps behind the truck, followed by the two lovely goons we dated jumping on top of us.

"What are you two girls whispering about?" Owen said, putting his arm around me, after realizing he jumped on the wrong side of the truck. I just shook my head at him and then rested it on his arm.

"Nothing" I said, trying to keep my cool,"Just the fact that you fell asleep last night in the dance marathon"

"Hey, I thought we weren't telling them!" Owen exclaimed, taking his hat off in frustration as the three of us laughed, or I guess just Charlie, because Maeve and I were miserably failing at it. Luckily the other were too focused on teasing each other to notice.

"Hey your dad told us he wants to play with us tonight! He told me to use your guitar if you brought it, and you did right?" Charlie told me sitting in front of me, with a beaming smile on his face and his arm around my best friend, who rested her head on him in the same way I rested my head on her boyfriend's chest and I tried my hardest to fight the panic the whole scene was causing me.

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This is short, but I thought that we should maybe ease into it

It's 4 am here, what time is it when you're reading this? My upload schedule is a MESS.