Monday, November 29, 2004
2.
2.
Charlie snapped awake around three A.M. Colette stirred for a moment, then went back to sleep as he sat up in bed. Despite only having an hour or so of sleep, he felt very awake. He pulled on his robe, and walked out to the living room quietly, so as not to disturb Colette. He switched on the TV, but couldn’t find anything worth watching, so he turned it off.
For the first time in a long time, he felt good. He finally felt as though he didn’t have to prove anything to anyone. Colette didn’t care whether or not he won a state championship, or went number one in the NHL draft. She just wanted to be with him, and that was a wonderful feeling. He hadn’t felt this good since, well, since his mom had still been alive. All these years later, he still missed her every day. She would have liked Colette, he thought. She liked the Masters girls, though that was in the days before he was dating Kat. Back then he still thought that girls were a distraction. He sat in the dark for a few minutes, remembering the old days. Then he decided that he was going to go for a swim. As he stood up, the intercom buzzer rang.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Charlie! Did I wake you?”
“Gary. No. I was awake.” He sat back on the couch. Gary was always so energetic, even at ten after three in the morning. “Have you even slept, as if I have to ask?”
“So?”
“So what? You want me to tell tales out of school or what?”
“Just a yes or no answer will suffice.”
“Yes.”
“Rockin’. I knew it. Listen, man, you guys coming back over anytime soon? The storm’s just about over, or so says the Weather Channel.”
Charlie ran his fingers through his hair. “Not right now. Colette’s sleeping, and I was thinking about taking a swim.”
“Okay, well, you should come back over here soon. You’ve missed quite a lot.”
“Trust me, bro, whatever I missed pales in comparison to what I got instead.”
“All right. Audra says congrats, by the way.”
“Tell her I said thank you. You should get some sleep, by the way.”
“Sleep’s for wimps. Besides, we’re on vacation this week, and the house is mine anyway. Come back soon.”
“Okay. I will.” He hung up the intercom. He decided to take the swim after all. He walked out through the slider and took off his robe. He dove naked into the pool and glided to the far wall. He kept the pool temperature warm and it felt good against his naked body as he began to swim laps across the length of the pool. As he came back across the pool, he saw Colette making her way towards him. He swam over to the wall by the door to his apartment. She bent down and kissed him.
“Come on in, the water’s great. It’s nice and warm.”
“That’s okay, Charlie. I just was wondering where you’d gotten off to.”
“Well, I woke up and couldn’t go back to sleep. Gary called. Apparently we’ve missed some excitement.”
“Oh yes. I didn’t have a chance to tell you.” She related the story of the fight to Charlie. He laughed as she told him about Jack’s solution to the problem of berserk Bill. He’d have to remember that one for the “Champions” campaign.
“That’s insane. I hope everything’s okay.”
“Well, when Bill wakes up, he’s going to have a heck of a headache.”
“I guess so. Sure you don’t want to come in?”
“No one else will come out here?”
“No. Just you and me.”
“Okay, I guess.” She took off her robe, and dove into the pool naked also. She was a good swimmer, and they splashed around and played like a couple of kids for half an hour or so. Before long though, they were kissing again, and then Charlie was pulling her towards him, and they were making love as though they’d been doing it a thousand times instead of two. Soon after they got out, they were making their way through the dying moonlight back to the main house. Charlie stopped in the middle of the path and looked up. He loved to look at the skies, particularly in the winter months when the air was crisp.
“What are you looking for?”
“Oh, nothing. It’s just nice that the stars are out after all this terrible weather. I’ve always been fascinated by the night sky. I think it’s because we’re away from New Haven. You can see a lot more on a good dark night.”
“I didn’t know that you were into astronomy.”
“There’s a lot of things you don’t know about me.”
“I could say the same for you.” He picked up some snow and made a snowball, then chucked it at her.
“Only one thing matters right now,” she said, “and that’s that I love you, Charlie Ferris. Nothing else in the world could possibly be important to me.”
He took her arm and together they continued on their way to the house.
Bill was sitting in the kitchen holding a ice bag on his forehead when the door opened and Charlie and Colette stepped through it. Instinctively he shifted back, expecting Charlie to come at him. As Charlie took off his jacket, he noticed Bill for the first time.
“Hey, Big Bill. What’s up?”
“Uh, nothing. Listen, I want to talk to you.”
“Can I assume that the ice pack is hiding the damage that Jack did to you?”
“You heard about that already, huh?”
“Yeah. Colette told me what happened.” Charlie came over and sat down at the counter opposite Bill. He noticed the pot of coffee and poured himself a cup, then offered to refill Bill’s.
“No, I’m good. Hey, look. I feel really terrible about everything that’s happened this evening.” Bill watched as Charlie dumped about four spoons’ worth of sugar into his coffee. “I don’t expect you to believe me when I say that I got rooked by Kat.”
“Actually, Bill, I wouldn’t be surprised if you had. Honestly, all this nonsense has turned out to be a good thing for me, so I’m not pissed at you. I probably never really was, except for the initial shock of finding the two of you together.” He looked at Bill. “Dude, you’ve really had a hell of a night tonight, or so it would seem. The last thing you need is any more abuse. You won’t get it from me.”
“Thanks, man. I appreciate that. So we’re cool?”
“Yeah, we’re cool. Just don’t get any ideas about Colette.” They laughed together. Bill felt good, the best he’d felt all night. Charlie got up from the counter, carrying his cup of coffee. “Let’s go find the caffeine twins, Colette.”
They left the room, and Bill sipped the coffee in front of him. He was relieved that Charlie wasn’t pissed at him also. Now he had to try and salvage his relationship with Doug. He didn’t think there was much hope in that. He’d really tried to get into the new music, but he just felt like it was wrong, somehow. That it wasn’t him, and more importantly, that it wasn’t Doug. Ah, shit, kid, you don’t know what he wants anyway, he thought as he sat and looked out the window. I don’t think HE knows what he wants.
Charlie snapped awake around three A.M. Colette stirred for a moment, then went back to sleep as he sat up in bed. Despite only having an hour or so of sleep, he felt very awake. He pulled on his robe, and walked out to the living room quietly, so as not to disturb Colette. He switched on the TV, but couldn’t find anything worth watching, so he turned it off.
For the first time in a long time, he felt good. He finally felt as though he didn’t have to prove anything to anyone. Colette didn’t care whether or not he won a state championship, or went number one in the NHL draft. She just wanted to be with him, and that was a wonderful feeling. He hadn’t felt this good since, well, since his mom had still been alive. All these years later, he still missed her every day. She would have liked Colette, he thought. She liked the Masters girls, though that was in the days before he was dating Kat. Back then he still thought that girls were a distraction. He sat in the dark for a few minutes, remembering the old days. Then he decided that he was going to go for a swim. As he stood up, the intercom buzzer rang.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Charlie! Did I wake you?”
“Gary. No. I was awake.” He sat back on the couch. Gary was always so energetic, even at ten after three in the morning. “Have you even slept, as if I have to ask?”
“So?”
“So what? You want me to tell tales out of school or what?”
“Just a yes or no answer will suffice.”
“Yes.”
“Rockin’. I knew it. Listen, man, you guys coming back over anytime soon? The storm’s just about over, or so says the Weather Channel.”
Charlie ran his fingers through his hair. “Not right now. Colette’s sleeping, and I was thinking about taking a swim.”
“Okay, well, you should come back over here soon. You’ve missed quite a lot.”
“Trust me, bro, whatever I missed pales in comparison to what I got instead.”
“All right. Audra says congrats, by the way.”
“Tell her I said thank you. You should get some sleep, by the way.”
“Sleep’s for wimps. Besides, we’re on vacation this week, and the house is mine anyway. Come back soon.”
“Okay. I will.” He hung up the intercom. He decided to take the swim after all. He walked out through the slider and took off his robe. He dove naked into the pool and glided to the far wall. He kept the pool temperature warm and it felt good against his naked body as he began to swim laps across the length of the pool. As he came back across the pool, he saw Colette making her way towards him. He swam over to the wall by the door to his apartment. She bent down and kissed him.
“Come on in, the water’s great. It’s nice and warm.”
“That’s okay, Charlie. I just was wondering where you’d gotten off to.”
“Well, I woke up and couldn’t go back to sleep. Gary called. Apparently we’ve missed some excitement.”
“Oh yes. I didn’t have a chance to tell you.” She related the story of the fight to Charlie. He laughed as she told him about Jack’s solution to the problem of berserk Bill. He’d have to remember that one for the “Champions” campaign.
“That’s insane. I hope everything’s okay.”
“Well, when Bill wakes up, he’s going to have a heck of a headache.”
“I guess so. Sure you don’t want to come in?”
“No one else will come out here?”
“No. Just you and me.”
“Okay, I guess.” She took off her robe, and dove into the pool naked also. She was a good swimmer, and they splashed around and played like a couple of kids for half an hour or so. Before long though, they were kissing again, and then Charlie was pulling her towards him, and they were making love as though they’d been doing it a thousand times instead of two. Soon after they got out, they were making their way through the dying moonlight back to the main house. Charlie stopped in the middle of the path and looked up. He loved to look at the skies, particularly in the winter months when the air was crisp.
“What are you looking for?”
“Oh, nothing. It’s just nice that the stars are out after all this terrible weather. I’ve always been fascinated by the night sky. I think it’s because we’re away from New Haven. You can see a lot more on a good dark night.”
“I didn’t know that you were into astronomy.”
“There’s a lot of things you don’t know about me.”
“I could say the same for you.” He picked up some snow and made a snowball, then chucked it at her.
“Only one thing matters right now,” she said, “and that’s that I love you, Charlie Ferris. Nothing else in the world could possibly be important to me.”
He took her arm and together they continued on their way to the house.
Bill was sitting in the kitchen holding a ice bag on his forehead when the door opened and Charlie and Colette stepped through it. Instinctively he shifted back, expecting Charlie to come at him. As Charlie took off his jacket, he noticed Bill for the first time.
“Hey, Big Bill. What’s up?”
“Uh, nothing. Listen, I want to talk to you.”
“Can I assume that the ice pack is hiding the damage that Jack did to you?”
“You heard about that already, huh?”
“Yeah. Colette told me what happened.” Charlie came over and sat down at the counter opposite Bill. He noticed the pot of coffee and poured himself a cup, then offered to refill Bill’s.
“No, I’m good. Hey, look. I feel really terrible about everything that’s happened this evening.” Bill watched as Charlie dumped about four spoons’ worth of sugar into his coffee. “I don’t expect you to believe me when I say that I got rooked by Kat.”
“Actually, Bill, I wouldn’t be surprised if you had. Honestly, all this nonsense has turned out to be a good thing for me, so I’m not pissed at you. I probably never really was, except for the initial shock of finding the two of you together.” He looked at Bill. “Dude, you’ve really had a hell of a night tonight, or so it would seem. The last thing you need is any more abuse. You won’t get it from me.”
“Thanks, man. I appreciate that. So we’re cool?”
“Yeah, we’re cool. Just don’t get any ideas about Colette.” They laughed together. Bill felt good, the best he’d felt all night. Charlie got up from the counter, carrying his cup of coffee. “Let’s go find the caffeine twins, Colette.”
They left the room, and Bill sipped the coffee in front of him. He was relieved that Charlie wasn’t pissed at him also. Now he had to try and salvage his relationship with Doug. He didn’t think there was much hope in that. He’d really tried to get into the new music, but he just felt like it was wrong, somehow. That it wasn’t him, and more importantly, that it wasn’t Doug. Ah, shit, kid, you don’t know what he wants anyway, he thought as he sat and looked out the window. I don’t think HE knows what he wants.
