Coffehouse Sweetheart: Merlie Fanfiction

Chapter 5

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.

Jessica yelled to Meryl again and they finally broke apart, one last hug from each other. As Charlie watched her disappear through the crowd, his feelings of happiness also disappeared.

He headed over for his luggage, when a glint of sunlight reflected off of something gold and sparkly. Charlie, being the naturally curious person he was, absentmindedly bent down to pick up whatever was on the floor. He was jerked from his thoughts as soon as he touched it. The familiar circular pendant, the way it gleamed in the light, the soft gold chain. No, it couldn't be, he though, Meryl would be devastated!

That simple, round necklace was special to Meryl because it was the one that Charlie gave her when she was sixteen. Even back then, he knew she liked simple things, so that was the one of a kind necklace he chose for her. It even had both of their initials engraved on the back. He gave it to her when she asked her to their last prom with him that year. Charlie remembered that moment as if it were yesterday.

He briefly thought about texting her and telling her he had it, but at the same time, being the sly person he is, realized it could be an excuse to get to see her.

Suddenly a security guard grabbed Charlie's shoulder with one massive hand. "Sir, you've been standing there for quite a while now. Please grab your luggage and continue on your way."

"Sorry, I-I just..." Charlie started to mumble.

"Just left a loved one?" The security guard knew right away. He had seen too many people who had just left their loved ones.

"Yeah. Sorry, I'll be on my way now." He tried apologizing again.

"Girlfriend?" The guy pressed.

"Um, well, kinda, sorta not really," Charlie wasn't use how to explain his and Meryl's relationship, especially not to an airport guard.

"Oh, I see, relationship problems. Don't worry, you'll see her soon. Don't let her get away from you! Good luck!" And with that, he disappeared as quickly as he came.

Charlie let out an empty laugh, wondering if the guard knew something he didn't. He headed towards his luggage. He met Derek, Josh, David, and Joe at the terminal. They immediately noticed his slumped shoulders and dull eyes.

"Hey, man, you'll see her soon. It's only four weeks. And besides, you two always seem to find each other, like a magnet." Josh laughed trying to cheer him up.

"Yeah." Charlie replied quietly as his friends exchanged looks of concern ad amazement at the effect that Meryl had on him. He took out his phone, meaning to check his messages to see if Meryl had contacted him about the missing necklace, which was now safely inside his pocket.

As soon as he glanced at the screen, he mentally cursed at himself for being a cheap skate and not paying for worldwide service. Now how was Meryl going to contact him?

Meanwhile, on the drive to their grand old fashioned hotel on a beach in Venice, Italy, Meryl kept staring blankly out the window. She already missed Charlie, his blond hair, his bear hugs, his kind eyes... Stop, she fiercely thought to herself. She instinctively reached up to her neck with one hand to fiddle with her necklace, the one Charlie gave her as he asked her to their last prom. A flare of panic rose inside her as she didn't feel the cold chain of the necklace.

"Jessica? Kassie? Brooke?" Meryl tried to stay calm, dreading the loss of her one last link to that special night, years ago.

"Yeah?" Kassandra looked up from her book.

"Have you seem my necklace?" Meryl asked slowly, fingering the usual spot that it would be in.

"Nope. Sorry Mer. Jessica? Brooklyn?" Kassandra replied with a solemn shake of her head. She knew how important her ring and her necklace to her, because she was the one that urged Meryl to accept the gifts from Charlie.

"Sorry. Maybe you dropped it at the airport?" Brooklyn glanced at Meryl's crestfallen face, as Jessica shook her head.

"Yeah. Probably. Maybe it's still on the plane." She said in a small voice.

"Hey wasn't Charlie sitting next to you on the plane? What if he has it?" Kassandra tried, in a desperate attempt to cheer up her best friend.

Meryl instantly perked up, hopefully. "Yeah!" She grasped her cell phone and sent a text to Charlie. Her heart sank again as the message failed to send.

"What did he say?" Jessica pressed.

"Well, I can't reach him, because he decided to be a cheapskate and not pay for service out here." Meryl smiled blankly.

"Oh."

"Whatever. It's just a necklace anyways." Meryl tried to shrug it off.

"Meryl, we all know it was never just a necklace." Kassandra said firmly. "Besides, what if a fan has it? I mean, you have tons of fans and what if one of them found it at the airport. They would obviously know it's yours, it even has yours and Charlie's initials engraved on the back." She said thoughtfully.

"Thanks, Kassie. Oh look, were here!" Meryl squealed happily and they arrived at their place. It was a beautiful modern hotel inside, but with a natural exterior, which the girls loved. The best part was that it was located on a beach, with sparkling clear water and endless soft white sand.

"Let's go put our stuff down and go shopping downtown." Brooklyn started hauling their luggage out of the back.

Meanwhile, Charlie and the guys were settling down in their hotel, a small one in downtown Venice, Italy. They wanted the fancy one on the beach, np but it was too much money and besides, they were there to talk and study with people, not on vacation.

"Hey, you guys hungry? We can go grab a quick bite across the street for lunch." Josh peeked out of their window at a little cafe across the street, with sandwiches and coffee.

"Sure. What should we do for the rest of the day? Mr. Macmillan doesn't want to see us until tomorrow, so we have the whole day to ourselves." Derek flipped through their information packet, glancing up at the rest if the guys, who were milling around in David and Josh's hotel room. Joe, Charlie, and Derek shared a room, and David and Josh in the room next door.

"We should walk around. Meet some girls, and boom." Joe laughed, thinking about the tourists that were shopping around.

"Wow, desperate. Y'all are desperate. I have Meryl, so if you don't mind, I would politely excuse myself from flirting with strangers." Charlie chimed in, annoyed by his friends constant hitting on girls.

Joe and Derek's mouths dropped open, while Davis and Josh muttered in surprise, "Meryl?"