Charlie's Lucky Charm

10: Together

After we're rescued, driven to a building and interviewed we are told that this wasn't a police station but an interview for an insurance claim. We all walk out, bewildered at everything that just happened. After telling them what happened they guaranteed us that we would not get a pay out due to all the laws that were broken while on the ship. The ride back to to Philadelphia seemed normal for everyone but me. The rest of the gang fought over music and other stupid shit the entire drive but I just sat squished between Frank and Mac, trying to wrap my head around everything. Once back in the city, I wave goodbye to everyone and head home. They wanted me to stay and have a few drinks but I just needed to get away from them and really have time to myself to think. I ignore all their calls for two days, staying in my apartment and dwelling over everything. Charlie shouted out to everyone that he loved me. I never thought of Charlie in a romantic way. He was the nicest of the group, sincerely innocent in the brain and has a big heart. Did I lead him on all the days we worked together? As I go over every interaction I can remember between the two of us, I realize there have been butterflies at times that I completely ignored. Charlie wasn't the smartest but he was the sweetest guy she's probably ever met. He was always nice to me, listening to me when I gave advice and opened up to me about his life. He asked me to help him, even though I've only known him a few months. When were laying on the floor working on his reading, our hands and arms would occasionally brush and my body would react with chills. I always assumed it was just a normal reaction from our skin touching but maybe it was a feeling of desire. A desire for more contact with him, a desire to hang out with him more. I decide to head to the bar to talk to Charlie. When I get there, I ask everyone as soon as I walk in "where's Charlie?"

"Where the hell have you been?" Dennis retorts to me.

Dee yells "yeah, I've been calling you."

I ignore them and ask again "Charlie, is he here?"

"Is this about the whole he loves you deal?" Mac questions.

"Is he here or not?" I retort, just wanting to talk to him and not get suckered into their mayhem right now.

Frank answers "he left early, think he was going to follow the waitress around."

"Oh!" Dee, Dennis and Mac all call out together.

My heart skips hearing that. If he loved me, would he still be stalking the waitress? Did he just say that because he thought he was going to die. I have more questions then I did when I first walked into the bar but I just leave them all talking and head into the street. I start to walk home and end up mindlessly walking through Philadelphia. Much to my own luck, I see Charlie sitting at a table at a cafe with a cup of coffee in front of him. I swallow hard and head over to him "hey" I mutter out to him as I get close.

"Hey" he replies without looking up.

"How are you?" I ask, feeling strange talking to him like this.

He shrugs "good, waiting for the waitress to get outta work."

"oh, yeah? Cool." I say, figuring he must not have meant what he said the other day. I say out lowly "well, see ya later."

"yeah, later." He replies as I start to walk away.

I get a few feet away but change my mind and quickly walk back over to him "so, you don't love me then? That was just something you said in the fear of the moment?" I take a seat across from him, spitting out words quickly "cause I don't want things to be weird between us and if we can just figure this shit out then we'd be good again and we'll be friends and I can help you read and go back to how things were."

He nods as I talk and when I'm done talking, he says "well, uhm yeah, I mean. I was afraid and scared but I meant it."

"Wait, you meant it? I ask him. He nods and then I ask "then why are you following the waitress around?"

He tries to explain "wellll you didn't say it back so I figured you didn't love me and if I just go back to doing what I used to do then I'll fall back in love with the waitress."

"so, you don't even wanna hear what I have to say?" I question.

He shrugs "you didn't say you love me back.'

"The waitress never said she loved you, in fact she was always super mean to you and you never gave up. But for me you just say it once then walk away?" I find it hard to believe he actually loved me if he found it that easy to walk away.

He tries to explain again "well, the waitress was always mean to me. You were always nice to me. It kind of hurt more hearing nothing from you then all things the waitress has ever said to me."

"Charlie I'm-- I'm sorry." I tell him, feeling bad for hurting his feelings like that. Of course that was never my intention "look, I didn't know what to say the other day. We were in a sinking ship and then you said you loved me. I honestly couldn't even put two and two together. That's why I haven't been around the past two days. I was taking everything in, figuring everything out."

"Oh" He sits up, seeming a bit more excited "what did you figure out?"

There's a flush to my cheek as I say "I'm uhh, I feel like maybe I uhh, I like you too, a lot."

"so you love me?" He asks.

I bite my lower lip then nod and tell him "Yeah, I do. I love you."

"Alright!" He stands up, the table shaking as he does "lets go!"

He grabs my hand but I don't move and I ask "what about the waitress, do you still love her?"

He replies "no, I haven't thought about her since you started helping me read."

I smile and ask "is that why you didn't ask her out after the month of not following her, because you liked me?"

"Well, yeah." He steps closer to me, grabbing both my hands "I started spending less time around her and more around you and I realized how great you are, how sweet and nice and funny and cute you are and smart, successful and--"

I push my mouth to his, needing to close the distance between us. We kiss for only a few moments before he pulls away. I wipe at my lip and I ask "I'm sorry, was that not okay? You were just being so sweet and nice that--" He smiles as I talk then he interrupts me talking with pushing his lips to mine.