Cuori in evoluzione

The perfect wave

Chapter 2: Unspoken Words

As the days passed, Charlie found himself increasingly drawn to Mateo, though he couldn't quite understand why. The small coastal town, with its familiar rhythm of waves and sun, now seemed a little different. Everything felt a bit more... vivid. Mateo was still an enigma, his presence lingering like a silent storm in the background of Charlie's life, interrupting the monotony of his days without him even realizing it.

Charlie tried to stick to his usual routine: keeping an eye on the beach, checking on the swimmers, making sure everyone was safe. But no matter how hard he tried to focus, his thoughts always seemed to drift back to Mateo. The guy was a constant on the periphery of his world. He saw him almost every day, sitting alone on the rocks, staring at the water as if it held all the answers he was searching for. Or sometimes Mateo wandered to the far end of the beach, away from the crowd, with distant eyes, his body still. There was a peace in him that seemed to clash with the chaos of the summer beachgoers.

Charlie, on the other hand, was constantly in motion. The sun made everything frenetic in the best possible way: everyone was there to have fun, to soak up the heat, to enjoy the fleeting days of the season. The sound of laughter, music, and chatter filled the air, but for Charlie, it all seemed to blur into the background whenever Mateo was near. And even though he tried not to, Charlie couldn't help but watch him from afar. Mateo was different from anyone Charlie had ever met.

One evening, as Charlie was finishing his shift and getting ready to head home, he noticed Mateo sitting on the edge of the pier, his legs dangling over the side. The sun was beginning to dip below the horizon, painting the sky in shades of orange and purple. It was the kind of sunset that made everything seem momentarily still, as if the world itself were holding its breath.

Without thinking too much about it, Charlie realized his legs were moving toward the pier. He wasn't sure why. Maybe it was the sunset. Maybe it was because, for once, the beach seemed emptier than usual. Whatever the reason, he found himself standing next to Mateo, who seemed completely lost in the view, as if the outside world didn't exist in that moment.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Charlie said, his voice almost hesitant as he stood beside him.

Mateo slowly turned his head, as if surprised to find Charlie there. His expression softened and he nodded. "Yeah, it is. I come here every evening. There's something about this place... it makes everything seem possible."

Charlie couldn't help but notice the sadness in his eyes, the way he said the words. It wasn't just about the view. It was as if there was something deeper behind the statement. Something Mateo wasn't ready to talk about.

"Do you miss home?" Charlie asked, before realizing how personal the question was. He quickly added, "I mean, you've been here for a while. I know it must be strange."

Mateo looked at him for a long moment, as if deciding how much to reveal. Finally, he shrugged, and his eyes returned to the horizon. "Yeah, sometimes I miss it. But I think I miss more who I was than the place itself."

Charlie was caught off guard by the answer. He could feel the weight of Mateo's words, the heaviness of something unsaid. There was so much more there, something he couldn't quite grasp. Charlie wanted to ask more, to probe deeper, but he wasn't sure Mateo was ready to open up to him. Instead, he let the silence stretch between them, both of them looking out at the ocean as the colors in the sky grew more intense.

The night grew colder, and Charlie shivered slightly. It wasn't unusual for the evening to cool off after a hot summer day, but tonight felt particularly brisk. He glanced at Mateo, who seemed completely unaffected by the drop in temperature. For a moment, Charlie wished he could understand what was going on in his head, what had made him so distant.

"Probably should head home," Charlie said, breaking the silence. "My shift's over."

Mateo nodded but didn't immediately stand up. He stayed there for a moment, the two of them still sitting side by side. Then, as if waiting for the right moment, Mateo spoke again.

"Hey, Charlie..." he started, his voice softer than usual. "Have you ever wondered how things would be if they were different? If we could just escape from here for a while? From all the expectations... the people."

Charlie turned to him, surprised by the depth of the question. It wasn't something he had expected, not from someone like Mateo. He thought for a moment, his gaze shifting from the distant water to Mateo's face, where the last traces of sunlight reflected in his eyes.

"I don't know," Charlie replied, his voice thoughtful. "I mean, sometimes I think about it. About leaving, not always worrying about the same things. But then I think about what I'd be leaving behind. My friends, my family... my life here." He paused, as if searching for the right words. "I guess it's easy to want to run away, but it's harder when you really think about what you'd lose."

Mateo gave a faint smile, as if he understood. "Yeah, I get it. But sometimes, I think we're all stuck in the same place, pretending to be okay. But we're not."

Charlie felt a strange ache in his chest at Mateo's words. It was as if the guy were speaking directly to something Charlie hadn't allowed himself to recognize: his own sense of being stuck. In a town where everything stayed the same, where the waves crashed on the same stretch of beach year after year, Charlie had begun to wonder if he wasn't more trapped than he'd thought.

They both stood up, the evening air now fully settled into a cool breeze. Mateo brushed some sand off his shorts, then looked at Charlie again, this time with a soft, almost unreadable expression.

"Thanks for talking to me," he said, his voice sincere. "I don't really talk to anyone here. It's... hard to connect with people."

Charlie was surprised by how genuine Mateo seemed. There was something raw and vulnerable in his words. Something that made Charlie feel like he was seeing a side of Mateo that no one else saw.

"You don't have to thank me," Charlie replied with a small smile. "It's easy to talk to someone when they don't make you feel... judged."

Mateo chuckled softly, but it was a fleeting sound, lost in the fury of the waves. "Maybe we're both just waiting for something... a sign. Or maybe we're just trying to figure things out."

Charlie didn't have an answer for that. He didn't even know what Mateo meant. But as they stood there, with the night settling around them, he felt something shift between them. The distance, the uncertainty, the silent tension... it was still there, but somehow it was different. Less heavy. Maybe even a little lighter.

As they walked away from the pier, side by side, neither of them said another word. But Charlie knew that this was just the beginning, that something was unfolding between them, something neither of them fully understood yet. And for the first time in a long while, Charlie felt like he was on the brink of something new, something bigger than the summer heat, bigger than the waves crashing on the shore. Something that was just beginning to take shape.

Hi ✨

Welcome to the second chapter! How do you feel about the growing tension between Charlie and Mateo so far? Those first glances, the first words... but still, nothing. It's interesting to watch Charlie start to feel something, but it's not clear yet.

PS: The song for this chapter is "Lost in Japan" by Shawn Mendes.
The song has a relaxed yet slightly tense vibe, very much like the interaction between Charlie and Mateo. It's about that slow, uncertain attraction to someone, and I think that's what's happening between them. They're both unsure of where they stand, but they're drawn to each other. Does it give you that feeling too?

Note: I'm not a native english speaker so there might be some mistakes in my translation