The Heart Break Vacation

Charlotte

As I stood on the deck waiting for us to dock, half of me wished he would call my name and it would be some big romantic gesture, telling me to stay, that he was wrong and that we can live, together. It was wishful thinking of a young girl, who found a little Prince Charming... I guess Prince Charming just doesn't always fit the bill.

As I walked off the boat, I heard the twins yell goodbye, I blew them each and kiss, and left, I was probably never going to see them again.

I showed up to the funeral clad all in black, and my heart shattered in a million pieces. Camilla's kids ran around the trees playing tag, and Carlton's wife, was back by the cars trying to calm their new baby girl. "Charlotte" Camilla nodded to me, I couldn't even hold it together, I broke down into tears, with Carlton standing right next to her, he tried to hold it together, but soon enough he was in tears "oh come on you two, am I the only strong one with dignity, in this family?" She asked as the tears she tried so hard to keep inside, fell down her face like Niagara Falls.

"You and Oliver broke up?"  Both Camilla and Carlton sat there in shock "yes, and I'm not going back to college in the fall, I'm going to sail" they stared at me in disbelief "why?" "Because that's what would make me happy, I'm done doing what would make our parents happy, it's about me, and only me" we sat there in silence at our parents house "good for you" Camilla smiled "if you need money I'll help, it's good to have fresh starts" Carlton told me as he pulled both of us in close. "we could all use a fresh start."

3 years later
"Charlotte, over here!" Blane yelled waving like a mad man as I walked past Syria's customs "be quiet Blane, I don't want to be killed, yet" he laughed, "this is my partner Oscar... he's an Aussie, don't hold it against him." Blane motioned to the rugged man leaning against one of the walls of the local boarding house. "What's he do?" "He's more of protection and translator than anything..." I smiled "you can't take care of yourself?" Oscar walked towards us "no he can't... you must Charlotte... I hope you can take better care of yourself..." I shrugged readjusting my dirty old duffel bag "I've been known to get in a few scuffs... luckily for you they usually only take place in the Southern Hemisphere." He laughed "surely you cant be that much trouble, what American woman can be? Now if you were Italian..." we all laughed "Let's get her back to our headquarters before you two start exchanging dangerous stories..." I ruffled Blane's hair "hows your brother?" Blane shook his head "no talk about Oliver, although if you must know, he's married... and your not, be happy."

Blane opened the door to their head quarters to reveal its disorganization and dustiness. "Jesus, I thought you brought me here to be your photographer not your house keeper..." "aye it's not that bad Lotte." I laughed dropping my duffel on the floor, "you should have seen it before I came... Blane's a pig, now Charlotte why don't you tell us one of your stories, prove me wrong about you Americans." I sat down on a dusty stool, rolling my linen shirt sleeves up and taking my hat off, running my fingers through my hair. "Why of course... but then you must tell me one of yours..." I dug out a canteen from my duffel and took a sip of the whiskey and Blane burst out laughing "Charlotte what happened to you? You look like India Jones, where's my brothers preppy girl friend who was going to work for Town and Country?" I shrugged "she got shot at a few too many times Blane." Oscar raised an eyebrow as I passed him the canteen "what could a photographer possibly be doing to get shot? Get the wrong lighting on a toucan?" I smiled "No, I snuck into North Korea... next question anyone?" Oscar smirked "you are going to cause me trouble." I shrugged "probably... but it'll be worth it." Blane looked slightly uncomfortable "ok you two... enough with the big tough act... tell your stories and move on, we have work to do here." Oscar and I both nodded "as you wish Blane..." I grumbled taking my canteen back from Oscar who reluctantly gave it back "go slow, you can't buy that here mate." "I'm well stocked, drink away." I whispered taking another sip letting the burn run down my throat. "I think I may just be in love." He laughed pushing his own hat off "many fall, but few stay... I've become rough around the edges Oscar, and my bite is far worse than bark..." "I grew up in a ranch in the outback... Mulga snakes and scorpions were more common than people... you don't scare me Charlotte." He leaned back in his seat smirking, fluffing his hair up "maybe you should be..." I got off my stool and ruffled his hair before putting my canteen away.

It was past midnight and the boys were asleep, but I was wide awake. I grabbed my camera out of my bag and started looking through what I had taken before. They needed some work, but that's too be expected when you were taking them from a donkey's back. I heard one of them rustling around before their feet touched the ground and was walking towards the fridge. I peered around the curtain wall and saw that it was Oscar grabbing some sort of drink from the fridge. "Thirsty much?" I whispered walking around the curtain. He jumped a little bit reaching for his waistband "don't sneak around Charlotte, I've got a knife on me." He muttered and I just shrugged "worse things have been pulled on me Oscar..." I walked a little closer and he just smirked. I noticed the scars on his chest and arms. I got a little bit curious, some of them were distinct, distinct enough for me to know what caused them... and know that I had a few of the same. I kept moving a little bit closer, knowing that Oscar was looking at me like a man who hadn't had sex in a long time, and I was perfectly fine with that. "You should tell me about your scars... I think we share some of the same," I whispered touching a rather long one on his forearm, he cocked an eyebrow "the same? I've gotten some pretty nasty ones..." he whispered back, pointing to one that I knew for a fact I had. "Blow dart... nasty to get out aren't they... was yours tipped?" He chuckled "hold on, I want to see yours," "I'm not sure that's a good idea in Syria..." "I'm bodyguard... I think I can protect you..." I touched the hem of my t-shirt, pulling it up slowly, just above the sixth rib and below the majority of my breast. He touched it, placing one hand behind me and running his fingers over it "was yours tipped?" I nodded "I was sick for weeks an old medicine woman took pity on me, dragged my partially paralyzed body back to her hug and nursed me back to health... what about you?" "I decided to run away from home when I was thirteen... came across some not so happy aboriginals who happened to be carrying blow darts... luckily mine wasn't tipped... but I did run a few miles with the bow dart sticking out of me..." "good stamina..." I whispered my hot breath near his neck, his hand went the rest of the way up my shirt as he kissed me. I threw off my shirt as he backed us behind the curtain wall. "God your wonderful..." he moaned kissing me all over "I told you I'm worth the trouble..." he looked up at me as I played at the waist band of his pants "I believe that much," "Aussie Aussie Aussie..." I moaned as he entered me "oi oi oi." He snickered kissing me again "I think this could be the beginning of something great," he whispered and I couldn't help but believe him.