Midnight Sun(25)
Charlie takes a big breath, then lets it out slowly. “Yeah. But it also sucks that much worse to disappoint someone like that. At least your family has to forgive you. I kind of feel like Mr. Jones hasn’t looked at me the same since the accident. Good thing he still trusts me enough to do this job, though.”
“I’m sure he doesn’t think you’re a disappointment—”
Charlie interrupts before I can finish the thought. “No, he definitely does. But it’s okay, really. If I can’t be in the water anymore, I at least like knowing I’ll be on it regularly. This boat is the only place I can really think these days.”
I wrap my fingers around Charlie’s. “What do you think about when you’re here?”
He stares up at the moon. “I don’t know. What I’m gonna do now that the future I was supposed to have isn’t going to happen. Where I want to go. Who I want to be. You know, minor things like that.”
I laugh softly. “I completely and totally get it. I think about that kind of stuff all the time.”
He looks at me, surprised. “You do?”
I smile up at him. “Yup. More than you can imagine.”
“Huh,” he says, digesting that piece of information. “You know what? One of these days we’ll have to sail around the bay, watch the sun set…”
“That sounds perfect,” I say, and it does. Too bad it’s just a fantasy that can never happen. For now, though, I’m happy to revel in the unrealistic “someday.”
Charlie’s eyes meet mine again. And as if hanging out on a gorgeous boat, the night sky behind us, the water rocking us gently, isn’t amazing enough, he leans in and kisses me. For real this time.
It is pure magic, so everything I ever hoped it would be, I can’t even move or think or breathe for a second. But then instinct kicks in and I feel everything, everything. My nerve endings tingle, my brain is on fire, my heart is a goner.
I wrap my arms around his neck. He pulls me even closer. The kiss just keeps going and going.
And maybe it would never have ended, or at least not so soon, but the alarm on my watch interrupts us. It peals like church bells. We jump back from each other.
I push the off button and shake my head. Why oh why do I have such an early curfew? I barely ever go out; you’d think my dad could let me have a few extra hours when I actually do.
“You need to get home?” Charlie asks.
I lean my forehead against his chest. I can hear his heartbeat, clear and strong. It sounds like home. “Sometimes I hate this watch,” I tell him even though I know it’s not the watch’s fault that I have an overprotective father, a mother who once wore it but can’t anymore, and a rare disease that means I can’t ever go on that sunset cruise with Charlie.
We walk back to Charlie’s truck holding hands. He opens the door for me, and as I watch him walk around to his side, I decide that Real Life Charlie is even better than Daydream Charlie.
Charlie stops the truck about a block short of my house.
“What are you doing?”
“You said your dad was a light sleeper.”
“It’s nice of you to remember.” I can’t bear for this perfect night to end so I try to extend the conversation instead. “So when you’re out on the boat doing all that thinking, do you ever come up with any good options for next year? Now that you’re not going to Berkeley, I mean?”
Charlie nods, a smile creeping onto his face. “Well, first things first, I’m gonna buy a new truck.”
My eyebrows furrow together. I was expecting to hear maybe a volunteer service trip, community college classes, an internship. Instead, he gave me a truck. That isn’t a plan; it’s a thing. “Why? This one is cool.” It’s one of those old ones—it looks like it belonged to a farmer once. I love it.
“Oh no, the new one is gonna be so much better,” he explains, his eyes lighting up at the mere thought of it. “It’ll have an extended cab with lift kits, chrome rims, matte finish.”
“Sounds awesome,” I say. “And expensive.” I don’t add: And you’re so much better than just wanting a truck. You should reach higher. You have so much potential.
“Like I said before, you’re not the only one who’s really busy during the day,” he replies with a shrug. “I’ve been busting my butt, so I should have enough money for it by the end of the summer. And then, I mean, I don’t have any specific plan. Maybe I’ll use my nice new wheels to drive cross-country. I’ve been in a pool my entire life, so I haven’t gotten to see much else.”
I nod. I know the feeling. I’ve never really been anywhere outside of Purdue.
“What are you doing—”
I cut Charlie off before he can get too specific in his questioning. I don’t want to have to lie to him anymore, even by omission. Not after he’s been so honest with me about his life.
“Me? I’m not doing anything. I mean, I’m not going anywhere.” I know I’m talking too fast and kind of in circles. I hope he won’t notice. “I’ll take my online college classes, but basically I’ll just be… here.”
Charlie laughs. “That sounds great, but I was gonna ask you what you’re doing tomorrow.”
I fall back on the easy explanation. “Oh. Well. I’m busy during the day, but I’m free tomorrow night.”