Charming

by Susie Kaye Lopez

  “I know you are planning to wear your hot pink dress tomorrow night but I think you should definitely choose the new blue one. It shows off your eyes and after all, tomorrow will be a night that Colin will remember for the rest of his life.”

  Rylee’s jaw dropped and we all laughed, Charming included.

  Chapter 17

  Getting Rylee through the next day was a challenge. She fretted and questioned Kara’s psychic abilities over and over again. We had planned to spend the day at the San Diego Zoo and buy year round passes so we could go whenever we wanted. I could tell she was no longer into it that morning. To tell the truth I had woken up dreamless this morning and did not really want to go either. We made quite the pair. As we walked for literally miles all over the zoo, only half paying attention to the animals around us, we both would have rather not been there. I tried here and there to alleviate her doubts and fears, but I was exhausted and ready to pull my hair out and hers too by the time we got back to the dorm.

  When it came time to dress for the party I watched her choose the dress that Kara recommended and then stress over her makeup.

  “Listen Ry, let’s not go. If Colin is your soul mate you will meet him eventually. Let’s just go to dinner and a movie instead. Maybe tonight is too soon for you.”

  “What? Sophie, I have to go! I can’t ignore that I am supposed to meet him. What if my entire future shifts because I didn’t go? What if it ruins both of our lives?” she exclaimed dramatically.

  I sighed, and took a deep breath. “Well, I just don’t want you to do something you are not comfortable with. Remember that nobody has given Colin a heads up, he has no idea his whole life is about to change.”

  “Lucky…” Ry whispered under her breath as she applied a second coat of mascara.

  Laughing, I left her in front of the mirror and went to change into a short, white dress that made my tan look even darker. I hoped that Charming would like it. I pulled my hair into a loose braid over my shoulder and sprayed my Chanel cologne. Rylee finished her primping and turned to me.

  “How do I look?” She spun in a circle, just like I had seen her do countless times as we grew up.

  “Perfect. You are gorgeous. Kara was definitely right about one thing, Colin will never forget that dress.” It clung to her curvy figure in all the right places. More guys than just Colin would fall for her tonight.

  When we were safety belted into the car, the printed instructions to Colin’s house situated between us, I realized my chatty BFF was completely silent. This was a first and I wanted to tease her, but the expression on her face stopped me. I opted to turn on the radio and let the ride remain quiet.

  Colin lived with a couple of roommates in a house they rented a few blocks from the beach. The directions were simple and it took us no time to get there. Locating the house was easy, as there were kids spilling out of it onto the lawn and in the open garage. Finding parking was the challenging part, and we ended up having to walk two blocks uphill to get there. Neither of us was anxious to get there so we didn’t complain.

  Music could be heard as we approached and I searched the faces for a familiar one. Entering through the garage into the kitchen, there was a long line waiting for the beer keg on the counter. Squeezing through the mass of people, we passed into what must have been the family room and I spotted Colin on the couch playing guitar. Turning to point him out to Rylee, I saw there was no need. She stood rooted to the floor, her eyes wide and a smile on her flushed face.

  “Sophie, that’s him isn’t it?”

  She didn’t even figure it out from the tattoos, as he was wearing a long sleeve plaid shirt.

  “Yep” I smiled. “Come on, I will introduce you.”

  She put her hand on my arm stopping me. “No. Let’s wait and see if he notices me.”

  “Okay, whatever you want. Do you want to get a beer?”

  “No, I’m good. Let’s just hang out in here and watch him play…”

  Besides Colin, there were two other guys playing to quite an audience. I had to admit they were pretty good. A girl stopped next to me and smiled.

  “Hey, you’re in my psych class!” I introduced both myself and Rylee and learned her name was Katie.

  “Did you guys write on the wall yet?”

  “Write on the wall?” I asked, confused.

  “Yeah, in there,” she pointed to the room that must have been the living room once upon a time but now held a drum set and assorted musical instruments.

  “Is Colin in a band?” I asked her.

  “He plays and sings his own songs. He doesn’t have a band, he likes playing solo.”

  “He’s a singer too?” Rylee spoke up.

  Katie nodded, “he‘s awesome.”

  As if he heard us Colin started to sing, his voice clear and low. He sounded better than a lot of famous singers and I was impressed. He finished one song and was just beginning another when he stopped abruptly and stood up, his gaze glued to the girl on my right. Rylee, frozen except for the hand that reached over and squeezed mine, stood still as he approached us. It felt like slow motion as he said hello to me and gave me a hug his eyes never leaving Rylee’s face.

  “Wow, you are amazing Colin,” I said, meaning it.

  “Thank you Sophie, I love to play.” He stood there waiting for me to introduce him, but I must have hesitated a second too long because he reached his hand out to Rylee and introduced himself. Rylee answered and I backed away.

  Katie was still there and I asked her to show me the wall she had mentioned. Our exit went completely unnoticed.

  The wall Katie had been referring to was the largest wall in the living room, its expanse broken only once by the doorway we entered through. There were several baskets containing markers, pens, crayons and pencils on the floor and two small footstools. At first glance there seemed to be no free space at all it was so covered with autographs, doodles, cartoons, symbols, and quotes. It was chaotic and messy and so artistic that I loved it and its concept. This house was a rental and I knew that the day would come when they would leave here getting rid of all of this with two simple coats of paint. The thought made me sad.

  I didn’t hesitate for long, instead searching for enough room for one of my sketches to fit. Finding just the right spot just left of center about two thirds of the way up the wall, I pulled a step stool up and reached for a pen. Standing on the stool, planting my left hand on the wall to steady myself, I went to work on drawing a sketch of Charming smiling, right between a peace sign and a quote by Albert Einstein. I was almost done when a voice startled me. Looking down I saw a scruffy, unshaven guy holding a cup of beer in one hand and an orange marker in the other.

  “I’m sorry?” I asked, not having understood what he had said.

  “I said when did Ethan have that long hair? He always keeps his hair buzzed.”

  “This isn’t Ethan,” I stated, annoyed.

  “Well it looks exactly like him- must be his doppelganger then. Who is it?”

  “His name is Charlie and he doesn’t live in California.”

  “Oh yeah, where does he live?”

  “He lives in… he lives in Georgia.” It was not a lie, I visited him in Georgia most nights after all. This seemed to satisfy Scruffy as he started to draw, poorly, an orange surf board. But he had made me curious about whoever this Ethan guy was. Isn’t that the name Colin used when he thought he knew who I was drawing? I wanted to see this guy to see what features he shared with Charming. I was sure that he must have only a passing resemblance.

  “Is Ethan here?” I asked Scruffy.

  “I haven’t seen him yet, he may show up later.” With that, he threw his marker back into the basket and stumbled out of the room.

  Forgetting Scruffy, I lost myself in my drawing until I was satisfied that I was finished. After it was completed, I signed my initials underneath and carefully stepped down from the stool. Glancing at my watch I saw it was still early and rather than go join the party I decided
to go from one end of the wall to the other and just examine all the art. I thought maybe I would copy this idea one day. Or maybe just designate one wall just for my own private use. This was so much more fun than using a sketchpad.

  The wall entertained me for far longer than it probably did most people. This was much more fun to me than mingling with a bunch of drunken strangers. I knew that wasn’t a great attitude, and that I should try to participate in college life. But parties were never my thing and Rylee was the only reason I had come tonight. She had been chatting happily with Colin for quite some time and I decided to hunt her down and tell her I would come back and pick her up later. I could still make it to the library and get some things done. Turns out I didn’t have to go looking for her because she found me.

  “Sophie!” Rylee broke my concentration as she threw her arms around my neck and hugged me. “Oh my god, he is amazing and wonderful and so cute. And talented! Did you hear how good he was on the guitar? He even sings!”

  “Where is your new found soul mate?” I teased.

  “A neighbor came over to complain about the noise and he is asking everyone to quiet down before the police come by and shut the party down.”

  “Oh, okay. Kara really knew what she was talking about didn’t she?”

  “I’ll say! I will never doubt another thing she says. I wanted to ask you something. Colin wants me to stay with him tonight . He will bring me back in the morning, but we have so much to talk about and I have to leave so soon. You don’t mind do you Soph?”

  “Of course it’s okay. You don’t need my permission. I don’t blame you a bit. Have fun and call me in the morning. I’m going to head out then.”

  “Are you sure you don’t mind?”

  “Positive, don’t be silly.”

  “Okay then, do you want us to walk you to the car?”

  “ No. There are loads of people around, I will be fine.”

  “We hugged and she ran off to look for Colin and I was leaving the room when my eye caught a haiku poem written in small near perfect penmanship. I traced my fingers over the words as I read them.

  Owner of my soul

  Her beauty leaves me breathless

  My Lily, my Love

  At the bottom of the poem in letters so small I had to squint to read them it said. “Ethan.”

  I don’t know why it touched me so, the sentiment of so few words, or the strong emotions that they conveyed, but my heart caught at the romantic gesture. Of course, being that my name had once been Lily probably had a lot to do with it. Still, I almost felt like Charming had reached out and written it to me. This Ethan had more in common with Charming than his good looks. I really hoped I would run into him one day.

  ~

  I was alone in the woods, in the midst of trees and shrubs growing thick and wild, no discernable path in sight. The wind, warm but strong, blew my hair across my face and caused branches to sway wildly. Dark ominous clouds overhead threatened rain and twilight would soon give way to a starless night.

  Gathering handfuls of the full grey skirt I was wearing, I chose a direction randomly and pushed through the trees, pulling my dress along with me as it snagged and caught. I heard a rip and kept going, cursing the ridiculous style I had been forced to wear in the past. I was not afraid. I waited for Charming to appear as I continued to search for an end to the woods or at least a path I could follow. A rustling sound behind me made me twirl around; expecting Charming to be standing there, but it was some unseen creature scurrying to evade the storm.

  A hint of uneasiness wormed its way into my brain and I tried to ignore it. Being afraid would not help me find Charming. Where was he? How had I spent this much of a dream without him? Why would the circumstances be so unpleasant?

  When a drop of water landed upon my cheek at the same time a far off clap of thunder rumbled I quickened my pace and felt relief well up when at last I entered in to a clearing. Rushing now, my torn dress held up to my knees, I didn’t see the fallen log until I landed hard on the other side of it. My palms stung from the impact and I raised them to examine them and screamed in horror at the sticky red blood that covered not just my palms but the front of the skirt of my dress. Was it mine? Was I hurt? I searched for an injury but found none, wiping my hands frantically against my dress to clean them. I looked down at the ground where I had fallen and screamed again. The puddle of blood covering the ground was so large that surely whoever or whatever it belonged to had not survived it. Fear consumed me now and I closed my eyes and opened my mouth screaming Charming’s name, my voice competing with and losing to the wind and the rustle of hundreds of trees.

  Then suddenly I heard his voice calling my name and I was swept up in Charming’s arms. “What is it Sophie, are you alright?” He held me so tightly and protectively I could only bury my face in his shoulder and listen while he murmured words of comfort in my ear.

  “It’s okay, I’m here now. You’re okay Sophie. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  I shivered and clung to him finding my voice. “Whose blood is it? What does it mean?”

  Grasping my shoulders tightly he pulled back and looked at me seeing my grey dress covered in red. Looking down he took in the log and puddle spreading across the ground.

  “Oh my god I don’t understand. Why are we here? What purpose does it serve for you to dream of this?”

  “What? Where are we? You know whose blood this is?” I looked into his stunned face his eyes frightening me more than any amount of blood could.

  He nodded and folded me back into his embrace clinging to me until I felt like we were one being.

  “Sophie, the blood belongs to me. This is where I died. The day before our wedding we had a hunting party for all the guests. There was an accident, someone’s gun went off… I died instantly.”

  I clung to him so alive and warm and real in my arms and then I cried. For Lily. For Charlie. For me. I soaked his shirt with my tears and sobbed until my throat was hoarse. I awoke with my pillow drenched, my eyes swollen and my heart broken.

  Chapter 18

  My Sunday was ruined. I just prayed Rylee in all her excitement wouldn’t notice my puffy eyes or fake smile. I counted the hours until she flew back to Arizona. I needed to be by myself. I needed to see Kara. Rylee’s bliss at finding Colin was wonderful and I looked forward to their relationship-just not today. Today I was worried about Charming, my nightmare and the reasons behind it. Today I needed to figure out what it meant and what I could do about it.

  I got two text messages while I was in the shower and I answered each as soon as I read them.

  The first was from Rylee and said “Going to brunch with Colin. Want to join us?”

  “Thank god!” I said aloud and typed back, ”Thanks, but I just ate. Have fun you two!”

  The second was from Kara.”You need me. Meet at our fountain in ten.”

  “Thank god!” I said again, throwing on the first thing I could find in my closet, grabbing my sunglasses and room key and flying out the door. I didn’t wait for the elevator, choosing instead to race down the four flights of stairs and speed walk across campus. Kara was sitting on the bench by the fountain, a pensive look on her face.

  I hugged her and waited for her to tell me what she knew.

  “I don’t know what’s up. You just popped into my head and I knew I needed to get here. Charming looks as upset as you do. Fill me in.”

  I cringed when she said that about Charming, but how could he not? Something was changing and we didn’t know why. “I had a nightmare. I was lost in the woods alone and fell into a huge puddle of blood. Charming found me and when he saw all the blood he recognized that it was the place where he died. He was shot and killed there the day before our wedding.”

  “That is disturbing. Why would it be important to re-visit something so horrible?” She asked this question not expecting an answer. “Charming I don’t get it. You don’t either do you?”

  He must have shaken his head because
she nodded, “Well, lets see. I’m still seeing you two together always. That should give you some comfort. I feel like I’m missing all the pieces but the ending is still the same.”

  I sighed loudly and relaxed a little. This did bring me comfort. Charming wasn’t going anywhere. I could handle anything as long as I knew that. “

  Kara patted my hand sympathetically and said, “Rylee is with Colin. At least you won’t have to worry about getting her back to the airport today.”

  “No, she is at brunch with him and then he will bring her over here.”

  “Nope, he is going to take her to the airport too. He will invite you to go along but you will say no.”

  “Oh, really? Okay then, that’s good.” I felt tired suddenly, really tired.

  “Colin is going to be good for her. I see him and Charming being close.”

  “Close how? How could that ever happen?”

  “I don’t know actually. It just popped into my head. Charming is looking at me with a question on his face. I just feel a tight connection between them.”

  “Well that’s weird.”

  “Maybe he will just feel friendly toward him because he is so good to his sister. We’ll see how it goes,” She looked a bit perplexed, which worried me.

  “Kara, what should I do now? What would you do?”

  “Exactly what you have been doing all along. Enjoy what you can, try not to fret about what you do not understand. Live your life, love and feel loved.”

  “You really see us together in the future?”

  “Absolutely. No doubt at all.”

  “Well then, that is good enough for me. I will try to calm down. Charming, you should too.”

  “He is smiling at you. I think he’s feeling better too.”

  “Thank you again Kara. I feel much better. Actually, I just realized I’m starving. Want to join me in the dining commons?”

  “How can I resist those fries?”

  During lunch Rylee texted and asked if Colin could take us to the airport. I smiled at Kara and quickly told Ry that it was fine with me if they went alone. I totally wanted them to. She did not argue, just as Kara said she wouldn’t. After lunch we went out for frozen yogurt, Kara’s treat. I could tell she was trying her best to distract me and I happily let her. Being with Kara was comforting. I especially loved when she would ask Charming her yes or no questions, including him often. She was kind, as well as gifted, and I thought he must love her the way I did. I felt bad for him, always stuck to my side where no one was able to see him. It had to be sad for him.