Coffehouse Sweetheart: Merlie Fanfiction

Chapter 4

Brooke was getting bored, after rewatching almost all of the Pretty Little Liars episodes. She almost jumped out of her skin as she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Excuse me, miss, would you mind switching seats?" Charlie smiled at Brooke. "I'm Charlie, remember?"

"Charlie? Oh yeah! We met on Skype." Brooke looked up at him.

"So do you mind switching seats? My seat is next to Derek." Charlie said in a friendly manner. And idea suddenly came to him that would benefit her and him. "The super handsome blond dude? He's single, by the way." He winked mischiviously, knowing that Brooke will take Derek's attention off of Meryl.

Brooke smiled back and blushed furiously. "No, of course not. Meryl's sleeping, by the way." She grabbed her stuff and moved next to Derek. They immediately hit it off, much to Charlie's delight.

Charlie slowly slid in the seat, careful not to wake Meryl. He admired her beauty as she slept for a minute, and then he snaked his arms around her and pulled her close to him, her head resting on his chest. Meryl was a deep sleeper, and Charlie knew that. He buried his face in her sweet smelling hair and waited for her to wake up.

Meryl felt herself being shifted into a much more comfortable position, and slipped back into sleep. A couple minutes later, the plane lurched and she blinked awake, to find herself looking into a pair of bright blue eyes that she knew too well.

She got the shock of her life right there. "Charlie?!?! Oh my god..." Meryl stared up at him in surprise and happiness before squishing him in a big hug.

"Surprise, Mer. See, I told you I was going to Europe too." Charlie said softly, hugging her tightly.

Meryl buried her face in the crook of his neck. Just being there with him, the feeling was so natural, so comforting. He ran his fingers through her hair, and was reminded of something he loved to do when he was younger.

"Can I braid your hair?"

"If you still remember how." Meryl laughed, her voice muffled from his shirt.

Charlie chuckled and gently split her hair into three sections, and started to braid successfully. Meryl loved the feeling of someone playing with her hair. It made her feel sleepy, and soon she was dozing off peacefully on Charlie's chest as he continued to play with her brown hair.

After going through their plans for the fiftieth time, Kassandra decided to check on Meryl and Brooke. She half stood up from her seat to peer in front of her, and was not expecting the sight that greeted her. She expecting to see Brooke's blonde, straight hair, but instead she saw short, curly hair. A guy. Who was snuggled up to her best friend. Kassandra almost freaked out before she looked closely at the guys face, and remembered the Skype call.

.

She violently shook Jessica, who was typing away on her laptop. "Jessica! Oh my god, look at Meryl!" She squealed, to Jessica's annoyance.

"What, Kassie?" Jessica put her laptop away, peering up front and realizing what Kassandra was so excited about. "Oh. My. God. It's Charlie!"

"I know who it is, shut up before she wakes up." Kassandra hissed to Jessica, holding back a laugh. "But look at how cute they are!"

Jessica looked at the sleeping pair, and noted how natural and calm they looked together. "How are they not a couple? I mean, look how perfect they are together."

"Tell me about it. I have been trying to get them together since I first saw them together. They're on the right track, they just need a little push." Kassandra replied.

"Then a little push we will give them." Jessica smiled, planning silently.

"Knowing you, more like a shove." Kassie rolled her eyes in amusement, knowing Jessica was probably going to the extremes, like locking them in a closet or something until they kiss.

At the airport in Italy, as Meryl reached for her suitcase, a burly man rudely bumped into her. Her precious golden necklace clasp gave out at the impact, and clattered to the floor, unnoticed by Meryl as she glared at the man.

She turned back to Charlie, who was behind her, frowning as she realized they would part ways here. They didn't want to say their goodbyes, but they kinda had to.

Charlie saw her coming back towards him and held out his arms. She immediately snuggled against him and hugged him back.

"I'll see you I'm four weeks." Meryl murmured softly.

"I'll miss you so much. Can't we meet up sometime?" Charlie burrowed into her thick hair.

"You know how busy my schedule is, even on vacation." She sighed, and then laughed into his shirt. "You know, most people don't consider 3 or 4 weeks that long."

"Yeah, but it's Meryl and Charlie, and Meryl and Charlie are used to seeing each other 24/7." Charlie chuckled, struggling to speak in third person.

Meryl laughed and pulled apart slightly to gaze at him. She studied his face carefully, almost like she was reading him. He seemed tired, as if their busy schedules were finally starting to take a toll on him. She also noticed that his eyes still had the friendly sparkle, as if to reassure her. But before she could question him, Jessica called out to Meryl.

Charlie gazed down at her affectionately, even if she didn't know it yet. He was physically tired, but just having his best friend there with him out a smile on his face. As he studied her face, he couldn't help feeling that there was something different about her appearance. Something missing.