World of Endless Days

The air smelt fresh, a gentle breeze drifted through the open window, it mixed with the sweet yet anonymous scent of the air freshener that had been sprayed around the room. The laminated floor was spotless, all dust had been swept up and thrown into the bin. Each surface in the apartment was sparkling, due to being polished, or wiped down. If you didn't know this apartment belonged to Charley Hart, you'd think someone who suffered with obsessive compulsive disorder lived here.

She had danced around her apartment all morning, cleaning. She was in a very good mood. Chuck Reynolds had gotten his comeuppance, courtesy of Nick, and she was going back to work tomorrow. Of course, she was going to miss not spending every waking moment with Nick and Eric, but she'd finally have a purpose in life, something to do and work towards. And for that reason, she was stupidly happy.

Nick was laying on her sofa, clutching his side. He did have a huge purple coloured bruise spreading across his pale flesh, but that was the worst injury he had sustained. Luckily, there had been no spilled blood, or broken bones.

He had been watching Charley clean up all morning, not even thinking of offering to help. He remembered the last time he had talked Charley into organising herself, and that had lead to her wardrobe, and the pair of them had drowned in clothes, shoes and accessories. He had regretted it almost instantly, but at the same time he was glad he'd made that move.

Or things might not be as they are now.

Charley danced around, dusting the top of the television. She was attempting to rap along with Kanye West, as his latest music video played across the screen. She wiped the green feathers across the screen. She sighed heavily. "I wish I was famous."

Nick spluttered as he sat up, wincing as he did so. "No, you don't Charley, really. People throwing themselves at you left right and centre isn't nice."

She rolled her eyes. "You're not that famous, Nick. You're in a small time band. You're hardly The Beatles are you?"

Nick shook his index finger at her. "Not yet, Charley! Keep the faith, we'll be big one day."

She chuckled. "Maybe you will." She skipped into the kitchen and placed the duster back into the cupboard, pulling out a cloth and a bottle of polish.

"Do you want any help?" Nick asked, finally, offering her his services.

"No, you rest. Wouldn't want you to break a nail now, would we?" She laughed to herself. "And besides, you deserve some time off after beating Chuck up."

"More like Chuck beat him up," Eric piped up from the kitchen, where he'd been sat devouring a bowl of strawberries smothered in cream.

"Chuck did not beat me up!" Nick protested, still not moving from his lazy position on the sofa.

Eric chuckled. "He so did." He jumped over the back of the sofa and landed on Nick's skinny legs, the latter yelped out in shock and pain, pulling his legs up towards his body.

Charley rolled her eyes, not fighting the smile that graced her face. She looked much brighter than she had done a couple of weeks ago. She went back to polishing the coffee table, ignoring Nick and Eric's petty argument.

"So, are you excited for tour?" Eric grinned widely at Nick.

Nick's eyes went wide. He swallowed hard and shook his head at Eric, his smile faltering. Oblivious Charley looked up at the pair of them, her smile fading slowly as she took in the serious expressions on her new found friends faces.

"What tour?" She asked, trying to sound chipper, despite the dread building up deep inside her.

"Um," Eric paused for a moment, collecting his thoughts, "we're leaving for tour this weekend."

Charley looked between the pair of them. "You're leaving?"

Nick nodded slowly. "Yeah."

She chewed her lip, tears forming in her eyes. "For how long?"

"About two months, a little less than that."

She brought herself to her feet, her entire body was shaking. Her good mood had been shattered, falling into a million pieces that cut her up. She shook her head again, clenching her jaw together to stop herself from crying hysterically. "How come you didn't tell me?"

"I just - I didn't know how to. Charley, you're like my best friend. We got close in such a short space of time. We started relying on each other so much, the longer I spent with you, the harder it got to tell you."

"Nick, you know how lonely I am! Why didn't you just tell me from the start? I wouldn't have gotten this close to you, I wouldn't have allowed it!" The tears had escaped her eyes and were falling down her cheeks.

"We'll be back in no time," Eric attempted to soothe her.

"Two months! Eric, that's like forever for me! I'm back to square one." Realisation smacked her in the face. With Nick and Eric gone, she'd be alone once again. Of course, two weeks ago, the thought of another two months alone didn't affect her all that much, she was used to her own company, she was used to little conversation and more silence. Now, she'd had the taste of two friends, who she thought the world of, she didn't want to give it up. Two months stretched before her, like an endless desert, with no refreshing water fountain at the end.

"Charley, I'm so sorry I didn't tell you sooner, I just - " Nick stood up, his tone was pleading.

"Get out," she hissed.

Neither of them moved. They stood, as still as statues, in silence. You could cut the tension with a knife.

"Get out, now!" She cried.

Eric looked at her sympathetically, before nodding once. "Come on, Nick, let her calm down," he tugged on his friends arm.

Nick swallowed hard, watching Charley crumble before his eyes. "Charley, I'm so sorry. I love you." He turned and Eric helped him out of the apartment, closing the door softly behind them both.

Standing alone, Charley looked at the empty space around her. "I love you too, Nick."