Between You and I

Chapter Twenty- One

May 17, 2012: 103 Hours After

"I'm bringing sexy back. Yeah! Them other boys don't know how to act. Yeah!" My phone sings away, buzzing on my bedside table, just waiting to be answered. Worse yet, it's playing the ringtone. Nope, not a ringtonge. The ringtone. 

"God." I roll over and reach for it. Now the tune's going to be stuck in my head all fucking day long. 

"I think you're special, what's behind your back?"  The screen's bright and it stings my eyes, but I read the name Charlie all the same. I guess I have to talk to him sometime or another... It's not really his fault that she's gone, anyway. He was just angry. I slide my thumb across the screen to answer the call. 

"Hello?" A sigh of relief floods out of his mouth before he speaks.

"Dammit Dan you bitch. Pick up your phone more often." Charlie laughs a little, and yeah, I admit, it is nice to hear from him after everything. 

"Yeah, I'll try to fix that." My mouth forms a smile as I get my ass out of bed. 

"You better, or else I'd have to keep tabs on you 24/ 7. I know where you live, bro." You can hear it in his voice, how he automatically relaxes at this point. I guess he really was worried about me. Aw. I kind of feel really touched now. And maybe like an asshole, but we'll sort all that out later.

"Don't make me get my own Taser, because I swear, I will use it on your ass."  My voice drips with the type of sarcasm that only people who can pull through the thick and thin together can understand. 

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know that doesn't work on me." I peek outside my window, taking in the lawn and, as usual, my mother tenderly tending to it. If the world were to go down in flames my mother would worry about her precious tulips and roses more than the house. A small silence passes between the line until he says, "How have you been handling it?" 

"Huh?" My eyes fall away from the lawn and back into my room. 

"Valentine. How have you been dealing with it?" Well, there goes my goddamn day. 

"How do you think I've been dealing with it?"

"As bad as the stench that comes from Harry's pits after PE." A heavy twitch of a smile comes and goes.

"That's a good metaphor. I'm proud of you, Charlie. Gold star." 

"Yeah, now you're in a sour mood all over again."

"Well maybe because you mentioned her." Realization in three... Two... One...

"Oh. Right." No shit. 

"Hey, if it makes you feel better, you can come over and we can watch Doctor Who non- stop for a while." Did he say Doctor Who? I bite my lip, pretending to think it over.

"That's right Dan. The Doctor, for as long as you fucking want." Goddammit. 

"I'll be there in twenty minutes."

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My finger massacres the doorbell like no tomorrow. 

"Dan, Jesus, I said I'm coming!" Charlie yells and I finally hear his footsteps nearing the front door. His house wasn't that fancy. It's actually okay. Mostly because his parents bought it together before they split.

Now, his dad can't afford half of the thing. The only person keeping Charlie going on a money basis is his mom. He gets to the door and flings it wide, and I walk right on in, making a bee line for his room.

"Right, come in and make yourself at home," I feel the red head jokingly roll his eyes behind me as the door clicked shut.

"I didn't come for chat. I came for the Doctor, remember?"

"It's always the Doctor with you. Why can't you talk like that about me, Dan?" His voice droops with false sadness and I turn to look at him.

"Maybe because you're not a 900 year old timelord with a Tardis... And you aren't companions with Karen Gillian." I give him a great big smile before continuing my walk to his room. 

His quarters hasn't changed much. Still the most tidest room you can ever find on the planet. Not a single hair is out of place. Even his television is in tip top shape after these years. And yes, the first time I saw all of this, I was shocked by just the thought of my best friend being a bedroom OCD kinda guy. Well, he is, but I've grown to it. 

"Okay, so here's how it's going to go," I say, taking a seat on his bed. 

"We watch Doctor Who, eat, chat once in a while, etc. BUT, there will be no chat about her, and no chat about my current mental state. Agreed?" Charlie opens his mouth to protest, but I cut him off with, "Fantastic. Allons-y Charlie my boy!"

The bed felt like heaven against my back (his mom surely does know how to treat a son she doesn't see often to a good bed) as I position myself in 'my spot', which has a perfect view of the telly, and I'm in the most comfortable position I can be in. 

"Alright, fine." He grunts, switching the television on, and popping a Doctor Who DVD into the player.

------------------

"I wonder how Amy could stay with the Doctor while being married. Isn't it awkward? Doesn't she love the Doctor at least a little?" I mumble, popping a Malteaser (I found a bag of them burried behind all the beers in the fridge) into my mouth. 

"Hm... That means she really does love Rory. Like... Legit love. They are married." He answers, eyes no longer glued to the screen, but flicking around the room. Which, of course, means he's thinking about something that he wants to break gently to me. When we watch DW, we don't fuck around. Our eyes stay glued to the screen unless one or the other is trying think of a way to say something. 

"What is it?" I pause the episode and look over at him. 

"What? Nothing-"

"Bull to the shit." I sing song before he can say anything else. 

"Eh..."

"Eh...?" 

"Well...."

"Spit it out, Matt Smith is waiting." His eyes meet mine and he presses his lips together. 

"You remember Cady, right? From Journalism class?" Cady Summers. Blonde, green eyes, runner, dancer, and straight A student. Not to mention that Charlie has had the biggest crush on her for a while. And by a while, I mean a long while.

"Yeah, I remember Cady. Why?" He looks up at the ceiling. 

"We're together." A Malteaser flies out of my mouth and hits him square in the cheek. 

"What?"  Cady Summers and Charlie!? Together? 

"Jesus, Dan! Keep your balls in your mouth!" He quickly reaches over his beside table, grabbing a few tissues and a wet wipe, then cleans the tiny mess I made as best as he can. 

"Cady? And you?" 

"Why are you so shocked about it?" I grit my teeth and stare at him. 

"Maybe because the love of my life fucking killed herself and while that was going on, you decided to play 'Screw It' with Cady freaking Summers." 

"Well what was I supposed to do you wouldn't answer my calls and don't you dare talk about her like that." His eyes dig into mine and we stare long and hard at each other. He's supposed to be my best friend.

The girl that I love dies and what does he do? He gets together with the girl he loves. That makes my life so much better, I swear to God. And if you can't sense the sarcasm there I suggest you go see someone who can help you read emotions better.

"Whatever." I mutter, giving up our little stare down and pressing play on the remote so Matt Smith comes back to life. At least I can be happy with Doctor Who while Charlie goes and has his fucking happily ever after with Cady. Freaking. Summers.