I'm Sorry, Charlie

V

{Charlie}

On the Ferris wheel after we ate, I was thinking about the Mikaela incident. Mikaela and I dated in England last year and we broke up because I saw her making out with my best friend. Kind of like Kaya's situation. So we're done.

But I'm not sure Kaya believes me when I tell her that. I want her to know, but I'm not sure how to get her to believe it.

"Mikaela was a girlfriend I had a year and a half ago. She cheated on me." That's what I keep telling her.

"You know," Kaya says suddenly. "In this funny movie, it's everyone's dream to get kissed on the Ferris wheel."

I chuckle, knowing that she wants my to kiss her. "Let's wait till we get to the top."

"Okay." She grabs my hand.

The ride moves slowly in a circle. It couldn't move any slower. It feels like it takes hours to reach the top.

Finally, we stop. I look over the side. I smile. "We're at the top."

We both lean in, but I stop when I hear a scream. Again, I look over the side. Mikaela stands at the bottom. She's screaming her head off.

I turn and press my lips to Kaya's, hearing Mikaela scream even louder.

"Shut up!" I scream at her after pulling away. She stops.

"I hate you Charlie Picket!"

"Wait, your last name is Picket?" Kaya asks behind me.

I turn around. "You didn't know?"

She laughs. "No."

"Oh, well, hello miss. My name is Charlie Picket." I hold out my hand in a welcoming gesture.

"Hello, Mr. Picket." She takes my hand. I pull our hands down so they lie between us.

"I'm kinda bored," I say, stepping out of the cart.

"Same." She looks at her nails. "Wanna come over to my house?"

"Sure."

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

We leave Kaya's car at the fair and I drive us to her house. Depeche Mode is playing. I sing along to the song "Walking In My Shoes". I can tell she knows the words but she doesn't sing. She just sits there smiling.

"You're a really good singer Charlie." She giggles.

"Thanks," I say, putting a hand under my chin. "I've been practicing."

"Have you?" She laughs. I love her laugh.

"Yup." Then I start to sing again. "Try walking in my shoes!" I scream.

The together, we yell, "You'll stumble in my footsteps/Keep the same appointments I've kept/If you try walking in my shoes!"

"How do you know this song?" I ask her.

"My dad and I used to listen to this every morning while we ate breakfast."

"Mm. When I listened to this with my dad he slapped me, so I sneaked them into my bag to America."

She reaches out to turn it down. "Wait," she says.

__________________________

{Kaya}

"Wait," I say, turning down the music.

"Hey, I was listening to that!" Charlie yells smiling at me.

I half frown. "Did your dad hit you?"

He looks down at the steering wheel for a second. "And mum."

I bite my lip. That's why he always says that he need to do it because his mum told him to. "I'm sorry."

"Hey, don't say that." He looks at me. "No sorry's."

"It just seems so...terrible."

"I'm fine, Kaya."

"My mom only hit me once." I grasp my hands in my lap. "For my brother."

"She thought it was your fault?"

"It was, Charlie." A tear falls over my cheekbone. Charlie looks over at me and puts a hand on my face, wiping the tear away.

"You know something, Kaya?" He looks back at the road.

"What?"

"We're okay. And I want you to know that."

We reach my house and hop out of the car. "Do you have a music player? For CDs?"

"Oh yeah, bring Depeche Mode in."

I search for my moms car in the garage, relieved to find it missing. Wen we get into the house, I give Charlie the brief tour. Kitchen, TV room, loft, bathroom. We make our way up to my room where Carson lays on my bed.

"Hi Carson!"

He barks loudly when he sees Charlie but he sticks out his hand for him to smell. Carson snuggles his head on Charlie's hand. "I think he likes me." He grins.

I turn and grab the CD player out of my bottom drawer. I pop open the window and toss out the player. "Come over here Charlie." But when I turn around, I see that he has sat on the ground with my dogs head in his lap, rubbing his back.

He looks up at me. "Hold on." He lightly lifts Carson's head out of his lap and slips out from under him, laying his head down on the floor.

"Oh, so gentle," I state, waving him toward me. I slide out the window, Charlie follows. "Got the CD?"

He holds up the shiny disk. "Yup."

I lay down on the roof and put my arms at my head. When Charlie lies next to me, after playing the CD, I lean foreword and lay back down on his shoulder. I hold his hand into my chest and play with his fingers.

He laughs. "This is great."

Again, I bring up my dad. "Dad and I always sat out here."

He doesn't respond.

************^********************

Currently eating deep-fried olives.

~Me🍈