Getting Closer

Chapter Twelve - Charlie

Never in a million years did I think that she would take up my offer. I genuinely hoped she would as I could tell she might need someone to talk to, but she also seemed like a person that would write me off after our last conversation at Jerry's. Now, sitting across from her at a booth at my favorite diner, I just don't know what to do or talk about.

After ordering, I get the feeling Juliet didn't have much of a plan either. Biting the bullet, I slowly ask, "How have things been?"

Her eyes slowly meet mine as if she's still trying to figure me out. "Let's just say it's been a strange couple of weeks."

I nod and take a sip of my drink. "Strange?"

Juliet frowns and nods. "Well... since I broke up with Michael, my relationship with my parents is quite shit, Michael's parents are just fucking insane, and I've been living on my best friend's couch since my last apartment was with my ex-fiancé."

"Oh."

She sighs and takes a sip of her own drink. "Sorry to dump this onto you. You barely know me."

I shrug. "It's alright. Sometimes it's easier talking to strangers."

"So, do you do this often? Talk to strangers I mean?"

Letting out an airy laugh, I shake my head. "You'd be the first."

Juliet smiles back, a nice and pretty one, but it fades quickly. Looking over her shoulder, she glances around at the diner. "I've been here my whole life and I've never been in here," she says once she turns back to me.

I try to hide my shock but I simply can't. I've been coming here so often that it truly feels like a second home. I've probably dragged Seth and Max here more times than I can count, simply because of all the good memories I have with my parents in here. "That kind of seems impossible," I say eventually.

"My parents tend to take us to more established restaurants than this. That is when they don't hire private chefs to cook for us."

I blink at her. "Oh."

Juliet narrows her eyes at me, still deeming if I'm legitimate or not. "I didn't mean it as a flex or something," she says quietly. "I only meant that I haven't really been to anything my parents would deem less than five stars."

Leaning forward, I point to the open grill where the workers are hard at work grilling various types of meats for the average sized crowd. "Donna there, she's the owner of the place with her husband Arnold who also happens to be my dad's lifelong friend. Donna used to do most of the cooking for decades until her knee started acting up and instead she takes shifts only twice a week to help out. Her sister, Judy, the woman by the register, is the mastermind behind the business. She knows everybody in town, even the ones that never show up here."

When I turn back to Juliet, her eyes are studying the diner. Turning to me again, she smiles. "So you come here often?"

I nod vigorously. "If I'm not at school or practice or my house, odds are I'm sitting in that booth over here."

"You and your rascally friends always terrorize us," Judy says as she places our food in front of us.

"We are not rascally," I retort.

Judy smiles. "You are not a rascal, Charlie. But Seth and Maxwell certainly are."

"I'll give you that one," I laugh. 

Judy turns to Juliet, "Our establishment has not been the same since Charlie dragged his two little Tasmanian devils he calls friends in here."

"For the good, I hope," Juliet replies.

Judy smiles and places a hand on my shoulder. "They've certainly racked up enough damage before."

My cheeks start to warm. "We were seven and stupid."

"Sometimes it still seems like you are all seven and stupid."

"I take offense to that," I laugh as Judy takes her leave which leaves Juliet and I with our BLTs and fries. After a long bit of silence, I finally ask, "So what made you come to my dad's shop? It has been a couple weeks since we've last met."

Juliet takes her time answering and I sense a lot of thoughts and emotions running around in her mind. "I didn't plan on seeking you out today," she says as she faces the wall. Sighing, "I went to my parents' place today and Michael's parents were there. They planned to get me to take Michael back as rumors are starting about his mistreatment of me. They care more about his image than my own wellbeing and it just..." Trailing off, I watch her shake her head in shame. "I never felt so alone in that moment. I mean, I have Brooke by my side but sometimes it isn't enough to just have one person back me up. I've just been slowly going insane."

"I'm sorry," I say after I realize she's done spilling. "I'm sorry you've been dealing with this."

She shrugs and absentmindedly dips a fry into ketchup. "I can't stop thinking that my problems aren't big enough to care about them. I mean people have it so much worse than I do but yet, I feel like I'm just constantly complaining."

"You are allowed to feel things, Juliet," I say. "Especially something as shitty as forcing you to get back with an abusive guy." Especially since I saw how terrified she was when that Michael guy grabbed her. She had tried to play it off but she was still frightened and no one should ever feel that way.

Juliet watches me for a moment and I get that she's still not used to sharing so much with someone that isn't her best friend. "You and Brooke would get along," Juliet eventually smiles. She now leans forward and puts her elbows on the table. "So Charlie... tell me more about you. You're still such a mystery to me."

I swallow my food with a big gulp. "What do you want to know?"

"How old are you? You seem young and old at the same time."

"I'm eighteen."

"High school eighteen or college eighteen?"

"High school."

She narrows her eyes. "College next year?"

"Possibly."

"Why possibly?"

I shrug. "It could be said that sports is my future more than a college degree is."

She points a fry at me, "Ominous." Smiling again, Juliet takes a bite of said fry. "So, you've been here your whole life?"

"Yeah. My dad and his family have always been here, and my mom is actually from Milwaukee but moved here for a job when she met my dad."

"Any siblings?"

"No. My dad was forty-three and my mom was thirty-five when I was born. Do you have any siblings?"

"Fuck no," she laughs nervously.

For a couple hours, we talk and talk about our lives and slowly I start to see the real colors of Juliet. She's still very much like the person I picked up a couple weeks ago but she is also more humble than she lets on. She's funny and witty and just a generally cool person. When it's clear that we'll be kicked out soon, I say, "So... my friends and girlfriend are coming over tonight to watch a movie. If you'd like to join us, you're totally welcome." She lets me wait for a long time before she answers. Quickly, "I'm sorry, it's been a long day for you and-" I start.

"No," she says quietly. "I'd love to come."