In Charlotte's Eyes

ONE: [P] Absence of Character

The day was coming closer and closer to its end. The sun was beginning to set, the sky darkening in beautiful oranges and purples. The two finished a session of ocean gazing after they ate. The breeze was gentle on their skin, barely strong enough to caress the edges of their wrappers back and forth. Parker stared out at the sea, at how peaceful it looked from afar. A flock of seabirds lingered in the air, watching for something together. He just finished taking a sip of his ice cold beverage when Peni finally got to the question both were secretly wondering: “Well, is there anything else you wanna do today?”

Even though Parker felt a little dreary—he blamed it on the food he just ate—he nodded, setting his glass down. “I saw that they offered some rock climbing here. I wanted to try it out.”

“Oh!” She seemed surprised. Her face scrunched, and he could tell she didn't entirely approve of his idea. “Are you sure? We just ate..”

He smiled. “I'll take it easy.” He assured. It'd been too long since he did something like that. He hadn't gone spelunking once since Charlotte disappeared. He couldn't bring himself to due to the emptiness he felt not having her around to do it with. But even so, he longed to experience it again.

Peni hummed, considering it. “You’re certain you're gonna go easy? We could do something else.”

He nodded, reaffirming his answer. “I won't overdo it.”

A small huff escaped her. She shrugged. “Alright then.”

“Cool.” He grinned, standing up. “Ready when you are.”

She chuckled, mimicking him. “Alright. Let's go.”

…

Parker was hooked onto the belay system, Peni opting to just sit and watch. The rock climbing area was situated near one of the edges of the boat, in a domeless area.

The breeze picked up slightly since their meal. Parker squinted as it gently pushed against the left side of his face. He focused on the holds protruding out of the wall, gripping on each and moving expertly. Despite his scrunched glare, a wave of nostalgia coursed through him.

As he was nearing the top, he stifled a laugh, feeling alive, yet melancholic. He made sure one side of his feet and hands was comfortably secure, before letting the other half of his body hang loose, rotating to look out to the open sea.

The sun was barely visible anymore, but the cruise ship produced enough light for Parker to enjoy the scenery. There, out in the distant ocean, Parker swore he saw a whale come to the surface to breathe.

He looked down at Peni, and she beamed up at him, phone in hand. Suddenly, a sad thought entered his mind.

His smile faltered, as did his gaze. “If only you were here to see this.” He murmured sadly. He looked to his right, imagining somebody else. “You would've loved it.”

He took in a deep, semi-shaky breath against the wind, and turned himself back against the wall. He locked in, continuing the short distance he had left to the top.

He grabbed the edge, pushing himself over the top. A little tired, he turned himself over and dangled his legs over the edge, staring outward again. A sense of accomplishment settled inside of him. It was a small feeling, but it felt comforting. Then that solemn feeling came back to him. As he watched the sun set all the way, his skin crawled with newly formed goosebumps.

“We did it together, didn't we?”