The next morning, Charlotte woke to her phone ringing. She turned over and looked at the clock first. 6:27 a.m.
“Whoever this is calling me this early better be dead,” she said out loud.
She clicked “talk” on her phone, not caring to look at the caller ID.
“Hello!” she barked into the phone. Whoever it was going to know right away that she was not happy having to wake up that early on a Saturday. She didn’t even have an event planned for that day.
“Hey, Char! Oh, did I wake you up? I’m sorry. I’m so used to getting up this early I didn’t even realize what time it was. I’m so sorry. Hey, I’ll let you go back to sleep. We can talk later,” the male voice spoke without stopping to let her get a word in.
But she didn’t care. It was Jeremy. He could wake her up any time, any where and any way he wanted to.
“Jeremy, slow down,” she said calmly, letting all the anger she had before she answered the phone melt away with the sound of his voice. “It’s okay, I needed to get up anyway. I have to, um, run an errand. Anyway, what’s up?”
“Oh, nothing much. I just wanted to call you, like I said I would yesterday, and see if we can hook up today, maybe grab a quick bite, and, you know, talk… and stuff.”
It sounded so cool in his head, he just didn’t think it came off that way vocally. “Get it together, Jeremy!!!” he scolded himself. Why was he acting like a lovesick kid again? This was just Charlotte. I used to talk to her about everything. I should be able to pick up right where I left off with her. I need to talk about Robin, my wife.
“I don’t want to talk about Robin,” he said, out loud. He stopped pouring the juice he putting in a cup for Mikey, shocked at what he’d just said. He didn’t mean to say it out loud, he just wanted to tell his conscience that.
“Okay, we don’t have to talk about her, not that we were, but it’s all good,” Charlotte said.
She couldn’t help but smile to herself. After all these years, the old Jeremy was still in there, and she could read the old Jeremy like a book. He was flustered, but she didn’t know why.
SHE was always the one with the crush, the one who said things out of place or who rambled on in the weirdest situations. SHE was the one that wanted to tell him so bad how she felt, but didn’t want to lose her best friend because he didn’t feel the same way. SHE was the one who loved him, and has loved him since the first day they met.
So what was wrong with him?
“I’m sorry, Lady. I don’t know why I said that. I have so much on my mind right now, I guess I was having a conversation with you as well as a conversation in my head. Can we strike all this and start over? I would love you forever.”
And then he said it. He used to tell her that all the time to get her to give in to him, to do whatever he asked of her. Most times, whatever it was, she would’ve done right off the bat. But there were times where she did need an incentive, and he found the right one.
Her hearing that did nothing for her mindset, though. Hearing that just pulled her back to all those times she had to watch him with another girl, a girl who wasn’t her. She didn’t want to keep doing that to herself, especially since the girl in this instance wasn’t just a girlfriend. He had a wife and he was happily married.
She needed to get over him.
“Jeremy, I have to tell you something.”
“Wow, it must really be serious for you to use my real name. What is it? I’m listening.”
Did she really want to do this like this, over the phone? That wouldn’t solve anything. No, she couldn’t do it like this.
“I think we shouldgo ahead and meet for lunch, today, to get this ten years in the making meeting out of the way."
She didn’t realize that she was holding her breath until she felt herself release it at his words.
“Cool, okay. That’s what’s up. I was thinking around noon? Lil Man should be back home by then and then I’m free for the whole day. Is that okay with you?”
She felt a wave of relief wash over her. He wasn’t going to push her about the serious tone she had. Maybe he didn’t catch it.
“Yeah, that works for me. Where?”
“Well, I think it should be somewhere in the middle of where we live. How about Meyerland Plaza. You’ve always loved La Madeleine. We can go eat there.”
“I can’t believe you remember that,” she said excitedly. “I can’t even get Damien to remember that.”
He felt like the wind was knocked out of him. Who is Damien, he wanted to ask.
“Wow! See, I knew there was a reason you were my best friend.”
She went on talking like nothing happened.
“Yeah. Okay, then. 11 am at La Madeleine. I can’t wait,” he said, changing the subject back to the matter at hand.
“Cool. I guess I’ll see you then. Later, Remy,” she said.
“Alright, ma, see you in a bit,” he said, hanging up the phone.
He didn’t want to get into who this Damien guy was because he didn’t want to get upset. He had no right getting upset, so it didn’t matter.
He couldn’t believe he never entertained the idea of her having a boyfriend, or even worse, a husband. He couldn’t remember that coming up in the conversation they had yesterday. That much, he wouldn’t forget.
But, it was only natural that she would be in a relationship, though. She was one who was never without one or two guys at a time. Now, don’t get her wrong, she was never a “cheater”, the guys knew that they weren’t exclusive, she just never gave any of them her undivided attention.
Except for Jeremy.
He started thinking back to the conversation they’d just had. He wondered what she really wanted to tell him because she knew what he said wasn’t really it. He figured whatever it was would come out eventually, hopefully sooner than later.
He had something to tell her, too. He prayed that she would be understanding to him having to get this off his chest, as well as he hoped he would be with her.
The only option would be to wait and see what happens. Today was the day…
“Whoever this is calling me this early better be dead,” she said out loud.
She clicked “talk” on her phone, not caring to look at the caller ID.
“Hello!” she barked into the phone. Whoever it was going to know right away that she was not happy having to wake up that early on a Saturday. She didn’t even have an event planned for that day.
“Hey, Char! Oh, did I wake you up? I’m sorry. I’m so used to getting up this early I didn’t even realize what time it was. I’m so sorry. Hey, I’ll let you go back to sleep. We can talk later,” the male voice spoke without stopping to let her get a word in.
But she didn’t care. It was Jeremy. He could wake her up any time, any where and any way he wanted to.
“Jeremy, slow down,” she said calmly, letting all the anger she had before she answered the phone melt away with the sound of his voice. “It’s okay, I needed to get up anyway. I have to, um, run an errand. Anyway, what’s up?”
“Oh, nothing much. I just wanted to call you, like I said I would yesterday, and see if we can hook up today, maybe grab a quick bite, and, you know, talk… and stuff.”
It sounded so cool in his head, he just didn’t think it came off that way vocally. “Get it together, Jeremy!!!” he scolded himself. Why was he acting like a lovesick kid again? This was just Charlotte. I used to talk to her about everything. I should be able to pick up right where I left off with her. I need to talk about Robin, my wife.
“I don’t want to talk about Robin,” he said, out loud. He stopped pouring the juice he putting in a cup for Mikey, shocked at what he’d just said. He didn’t mean to say it out loud, he just wanted to tell his conscience that.
“Okay, we don’t have to talk about her, not that we were, but it’s all good,” Charlotte said.
She couldn’t help but smile to herself. After all these years, the old Jeremy was still in there, and she could read the old Jeremy like a book. He was flustered, but she didn’t know why.
SHE was always the one with the crush, the one who said things out of place or who rambled on in the weirdest situations. SHE was the one that wanted to tell him so bad how she felt, but didn’t want to lose her best friend because he didn’t feel the same way. SHE was the one who loved him, and has loved him since the first day they met.
So what was wrong with him?
“I’m sorry, Lady. I don’t know why I said that. I have so much on my mind right now, I guess I was having a conversation with you as well as a conversation in my head. Can we strike all this and start over? I would love you forever.”
And then he said it. He used to tell her that all the time to get her to give in to him, to do whatever he asked of her. Most times, whatever it was, she would’ve done right off the bat. But there were times where she did need an incentive, and he found the right one.
Her hearing that did nothing for her mindset, though. Hearing that just pulled her back to all those times she had to watch him with another girl, a girl who wasn’t her. She didn’t want to keep doing that to herself, especially since the girl in this instance wasn’t just a girlfriend. He had a wife and he was happily married.
She needed to get over him.
“Jeremy, I have to tell you something.”
“Wow, it must really be serious for you to use my real name. What is it? I’m listening.”
Did she really want to do this like this, over the phone? That wouldn’t solve anything. No, she couldn’t do it like this.
“I think we shouldgo ahead and meet for lunch, today, to get this ten years in the making meeting out of the way."
She didn’t realize that she was holding her breath until she felt herself release it at his words.
“Cool, okay. That’s what’s up. I was thinking around noon? Lil Man should be back home by then and then I’m free for the whole day. Is that okay with you?”
She felt a wave of relief wash over her. He wasn’t going to push her about the serious tone she had. Maybe he didn’t catch it.
“Yeah, that works for me. Where?”
“Well, I think it should be somewhere in the middle of where we live. How about Meyerland Plaza. You’ve always loved La Madeleine. We can go eat there.”
“I can’t believe you remember that,” she said excitedly. “I can’t even get Damien to remember that.”
He felt like the wind was knocked out of him. Who is Damien, he wanted to ask.
“Wow! See, I knew there was a reason you were my best friend.”
She went on talking like nothing happened.
“Yeah. Okay, then. 11 am at La Madeleine. I can’t wait,” he said, changing the subject back to the matter at hand.
“Cool. I guess I’ll see you then. Later, Remy,” she said.
“Alright, ma, see you in a bit,” he said, hanging up the phone.
He didn’t want to get into who this Damien guy was because he didn’t want to get upset. He had no right getting upset, so it didn’t matter.
He couldn’t believe he never entertained the idea of her having a boyfriend, or even worse, a husband. He couldn’t remember that coming up in the conversation they had yesterday. That much, he wouldn’t forget.
But, it was only natural that she would be in a relationship, though. She was one who was never without one or two guys at a time. Now, don’t get her wrong, she was never a “cheater”, the guys knew that they weren’t exclusive, she just never gave any of them her undivided attention.
Except for Jeremy.
He started thinking back to the conversation they’d just had. He wondered what she really wanted to tell him because she knew what he said wasn’t really it. He figured whatever it was would come out eventually, hopefully sooner than later.
He had something to tell her, too. He prayed that she would be understanding to him having to get this off his chest, as well as he hoped he would be with her.
The only option would be to wait and see what happens. Today was the day…
4 comments:
I just love this story. I check several times a day. Great work! mum
Aww, thanks. I'm glad you like it.
Found this story from the comments off View. Good writing and I really like the story.
~T~
Loving the story..and I so know where Meyerland Plaza is :)
I too found your link off of comments from Anna's blog...keep up the good work
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