When you are back

0

ht of his mother leaving, but because Charlie. He remembered the way her tongue felt in h

king off. He tried to think of Rebecca Romijn or Nikki Taylor,

ad bought it, because swimming in a public pool had become a problem for him. It wa

ade Ollie groan in pain, jump ou

will be c

*

of them. Ollie loved chemistry, but Charlie didn't like it. If Ollie had

Mr. Hitch's explanation for today's lab, but it was difficult because Charlie's knee was distracting him. It was sl

oes Charlie

nnocently at him, biting the tip of her pencil. Sh

distract

s her knee touche

ooking into his eyes. Ollie caught the scent o

e will stop thinking about Charlie

o it, so Ollie remained silent, returning his

ned even lower towar

aboratory work, she complains about boredom and, instead of helping

ll will ring in thirty minut

ie po

nk about me after

in atmospheric oxygen.

es

the knee that touched him, but

harlie smiled. “I thoug

tly she was thinking about, b

uld you like to continue yo

harlie feigned remorse, a

*

ept Ollie and Charlie. As soon as they left the classroom, Charlie grabbed Ollie's arm and led her ag

or. Now that they didn't have a teacher and twenty other students to witness, Ollie w

Charlie laughed as she pushed him against the wall. “L

time, they

iv

ing,” Charlie said with a weak smi

eft, but I didn't want to share

, because being around Charlie for more than a min

I pro

d took a beer from the fridge and sugg

t to change quickly? I dreamed of t

the way she looked in a black,

verything. So I couldn't

ans and a purple knitted sweater, a

her. We sat in silence for a few seco

ough her hair. I noticed that she loosened them, although they were previo

week. We talked, and then I found out that

th Charlie's father, even when I was

seem unwe

efully. Charlie rea

as-sized lump in my th

ked the sam

he suddenly gri

ebrows with a

over a year ago. He asked me to come home, Ollie. And I…” She low

unwittingly became the reas

ed my legs forward

use o

, looking

anted this to happen. You and me…” I looked at her and the words got

“It's just me and my stupidity. Liz was right — everything

in her eyes. Did she need

er all this time, but now that would be cruel. Eve

ted the bottle to my lips, su

to her and not being ab

s Mr S

feel guilty about it? I didn't think it was Charlie's fault for the way I was living

throat befo

etired. Last year I co

ns the

at myself. Charli

you never

e bottle. “I didn’t want a lot of things,

rd silence hung between us. I regretted bringi

coming back

side her and wrapped her arms around her kn

oyance because of her answer. Being in th

is

heart-

in unde

and still does. I admire

into a vulnerable smile, and although she had changed over the years that we had not been together,

e, restlessness, passion, fervor. She was