Scream at the drunken moon

Chapter 48

Last night, I was looking into taking Charlie away to Hawaii. She's always wanted to go and now seems like the perfect time. We aren't touring at the moment and she needs a break from everything. I want it to be surprise and that's why I hid my laptop from her when she came down. I've booked the tickets and we fly out later tonight. All I have to do now is pack her some stuff without her seeing. How do I do that?
I'll ask Jaime and Jess to take her out somewhere giving me an hour or so to get it all done. We both need some time out at the moment and I hope this helps both of us.
I kiss Charlie on the cheek as she leaves with Jess to go shopping for Jess' dads birthday present. Thank you Jessica. I give them time to get around the corner before jogging up the stairs and grabbing Charlie's suitcase and my own and placing them on the bed. I pack enough underwear, clothes and toiletries for the week we will be away and after closing the cases, I stash them in the trunk of my car. I grab our passports and put them in the glove box ready for later then sit down trying to look casual before Charlie comes back.
Not long after, I hear the girls pull up outside. Jess is stood behind Charlie and mouthing at me about our trip. I pull Charlie into my arms and give Jess a thumbs up behind Charlie's back, making her smile.
We go back inside after Jess has gone and I make us both coffee. I ask Charlie what she would like to eat for lunch but she tells me she's not hungry. I nod and go to make myself a sandwich. Maybe she ate while they were out? I text Jess to ask but she says they didn't stop for lunch. So Charlie's not eaten yet today. That's slightly worrying.
I make her a sandwich anyway but it's left on the plate. She looks so sad. Her eyes look dull. I lift her onto my lap where she promptly cuddles up to me and falls asleep. We have to leave in a couple of hours so I carefully lift her onto the sofa and cover her over with the throw.
I go into the kitchen and tidy around a little before going upstairs and grabbing the guitar Charlie gave me for our first Christmas. I strum away quietly, singing along even more quietly to The Balcony Scene. It's one of Charlie's favourite songs by us and one we have never performed live so I like playing it even more when I get around to it. I don't hear her stairlift whirring as she comes upstairs or her opening the bedroom door, I'm so lost in the song. I jump slightly when I feel the bed shift under her weight and look up to see some sparkle back in her eyes. I stop singing but she gives me a pleading look, so I carry on. She joins in with me and in all honestly, we don't sound that bad. Her voice is much stronger than mine anyway but together they sound good.
I get to the end of the song and Charlie takes the guitar off me. She puts the strap over her own shoulder and starts playing I don't want to miss a thing by Aerosmith, singing along. Her beautiful voice and the concentration on her face are out of this world and I can't help but smile at her. I glance at the clock on the wall and we see we need to leave in 10 minutes.
"Charlie. Get your shoes on my princess. I want to take you somewhere special."
She nods and smiles as she puts the guitar down on our bed and I hold my hand out to her, to help her up. She smiles up at me again and my heart flutters. I'm so in love with her it's unreal.
I pick Charlie up in my arms and carry her down as she giggles once again. I grab my car keys and carry her out to the car, knowing our luggage is ready to go and we head off.
"Where are you taking me?" she says, amusement in her voice.
"I told you. It's a surprise."
We pull at the airport a little while later. Charlie looks both confused and amused. She looks at me and grins.
"Where are we going? This is why Jess took me out earlier isn't it? So you could pack our stuff? Mr Perry, you old romantic."
"Less of the old, please" I say as I take her hand. She leans over and kisses me before we get out of the car and I grab our cases. We slowly make our way inside the terminal and I head towards gate 4 to check us in. Charlie is following me, still grinning away and when she reads that we are going to Hawaii on the big screen she squeaks with happiness. I hand her passport to her and we go to check in before sitting for a while while we wait. Charlie has her head on my shoulder, our fingers intertwined, and despite looking sleepy, she looks peaceful for the first time in forever. I knew this break was what she needed - what we both needed.
Our flight is called out and I stand, helping Charlie to her feet. She doesn't let go of my hand as we make our way onto the plane and are shown to our seats. I'm next to the window and Charlie is in the middle of our row of three. A young girl, about 16 settles next to Charlie and smiles at her, making Charlie smile back.
"Are you Charlie Thomas?" the girl asks shyly.
Charlie nods and smiles.
"I'm a big fan of your work. You've produced some of my favourite albums."
"Thank you. I don't think anyone has ever recognised me before."
"There was an article about you in Kerrang magazine a couple of months ago. My friend sent it to me from the UK and I remember reading it."
"Nice of them to let me know" Charlie says, laughing.
"I'm Lara. Where are you guys headed?"
"My lovely husband hasn't divulged that information yet. All I know is it's Hawaii somewhere."
"I'm going to visit my boyfriend. He works out there" Lara tell us. She must realise I'm staring at her in shock as she explains she's actually 19.
"I thought you were 16 or something" I say, blushing slightly. She smiles and tells us she gets that a lot.