FRIENDS ➳ jean kirstein

028. ON TOP OF THE WORLD

Charlie — December 29, 2020
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Anya and Paul were gone on a date, Armin was over at Annie's place, Jean was out playing basketball with some of his friends, and Eren was finally home. So, basically, it was the best day of Charlie's entire life.

She had long since gotten dressed and ready and, while waiting for Eren and Mikasa to come and pick her up, she decided to try out the electric guitar that Jean had gotten her for Christmas. Plugging the guitar into the amp, she started the only song that she could remember how to play on the electric.

"Do I Wanna Know?" She flinched, unaware of her father's presence in the doorway until he spoke. "A little basic, don't you think? You do still listen to The Killers, don't you?"

"Fucking hell, Dad, you scared me," Charlie wheezed, clutching her hand to her chest.

"Language."

"Sorry, and yes, I do still listen to The Killers." She turned the amp down, ran a hand through her hair. "I just haven't played in awhile."

"Can I give her a go?" Elijah requested, stepping further into the room. Nodding, Charlie held the black guitar out to him. He took it, running his hand up and down the body in gentle admiration before beginning to play. Charlie instantly recognised Joy Ride—it had been one of her and her dad's favourites when they used to play together.

"You've still got it," Charlie grinned, tossing herself onto her bed.

"I still play," Elijah reminded her, raising his voice to be heard over the music. "This guitar is something else. Did Jean say how much it cost?"

Charlie shook her head. "A lot, I imagine."

"What's up with you two, anyways?"

The music stopped, as did Charlie's heart. Stunned into silence, she blinked rapidly at her dad, who looked back at her with an air of suggestion to his facial expression. At last, Charlie overcame the shock of the bluntness and unexpected nature of Elijah's question, and re-discovered her voice.

"Dad, come on," she nervously laughed, sitting back against her metal headboard. "I'm not talking boys with you."

"Hey, I just want to know if you're together, that's all," he defended, turning off the amp and putting the electric guitar back on its stand. "I need to give my little girl's boyfriends the seal of approval, eh? Or girlfriends, even."

Shaking her head, Charlie sighed, though she gave a slight smile of amusement as she said, "No, we're not together."

"But there's something going on?" Elijah pressed.

"Nope, we are not talking about this," Charlie said, leaping to her feet. Taking her dad by the arm, she pushed him towards the door, ushering him out into the hall. "Bye now. Go watch TV, thank you."

Even after she shut the bedroom door, her father's laughter continued, and the beam that had plastered itself on her face refused to fade. Her phone buzzing on her upside down trashcan was what hauled her back to reality. Picking it up, she found a notification from Eren waiting for her.

Just around the corner, be there in 5

Charlie made haste of lacing up her boots, checking her reflection in the mirror to ensure the ends of her eyebrows hadn't rubbed off, and grabbed her things before heading for the living room. As expected, that was where she found her father, scrolling through Netflix in search of something to watch.

"Hey Dad, I'm going out for a bit," Charlie told him. "Is that okay?"

Bewilderment danced across Elijah's face. "Do you usually ask your mother for permission to go out?"