Something You Won't
Contentment
It took about five minutes for Charlotte to grab Back to the Future, the large, familiar quilt that her grandmother had made her when she was born, and some extra pillows with a matching penguin pattern stretching at the corners. Between a final trip from the hallway closet to the family room, she stopped in front of a picture of her and Michael with the last two pillows clenched in her hands.
The photo was taken when they were both seventeen; in fact, it was taken at Charlotte’s seventeenth birthday party. Michael was sitting on a lawn chair, shaded by an umbrella sticking into the grass-speckled sand that surrounded them. Charlotte was in his lap, her arms wrapped around his shirtless midsection and a wide smile spread across her face while she looked towards the ground. Her legs were folded together straight out in front of her with lime green flip flops adorning her feet. A matching one-piece covered her slim body with bright yellow track shorts hugging at her hips . A book sat held open on her lap by Michael’s hand while he had his other arm draped over her shoulders. He was kissing her cheek and smiling with his eyes closed in contentment. His hair was slightly wet and shorter than it was now, and droplets of water hung all around his arms and chest.
Choking back tears threatening to fall, she took a deep breath and remembered back to the day when the photo was taken…
“Michael! Stop getting me wet!”
Michael was currently standing up and shaking his short hair towards Charlotte, getting her book and sandwich wet while she sat under the umbrella on a towel. He stopped suddenly and applied pleading facial features to his eyebrows and lips. “But aren’t you gonna swim? It’s yourbirthday, for Pete’s sake. Everyone’s wondering why you aren’t out there with us.”
She shrugged her shoulders and looked out behind Michael to spot two friends shoving each other while on other people’s shoulders, screaming in delight. “I just don’t want to get wet. I only want to read.” She went back to her book and flipped to the next page, trying to get Michael’s slightly high-pitched voice out of her head.
“But Charlotte…” Michael scampered to her side and sat on the ground next to the towel, not caring about getting sand in his trunks. Setting his chin on her shoulder, he placed his hand behind her on the towel and leaned on it slightly, staring at the pages in front of them absentmindedly. “Everyone wants to you to come out to the shore.”
“No, Michael.”
He huffed stubbornly. “Well, if you feel that way…” Michael suddenly grabbed her book from her hands and stood up to run. He headed only a few yards before plopping himself into a lawn chair that one of their friends brought. It was sitting under another umbrella that spread over a large cooler, opened to reveal melting ice and cans of Coke products and lemonade.
Soon enough, Charlotte had stalked up to him with an agitated look across her face. “Michael Guy Chislett, give me my book!” She held out an open hand, palm up, with another sitting on her hip.
“No.” He smirked and shook his head slowly so he wouldn’t get droplets of water on the pages of her novel.
“Michael.”
“Charlotte.”
“Michael.”
“Charlotte.”
“Michael.” She twitched her index finger of her outstretched hand to bid him to give her back her book.
Instead of complying, he got a sinister idea and a smile to go with it.
Sitting up slightly in the green and blue chair, he grabbed her right hand with his and pulled her into his lap. She fell in between his legs, landing on his right thigh. Gasping a breath of surprise, she wrapped her arms around his chest before he got to sit back into the chair. He let go of her hand and stretched his arm to leave it hanging over her shoulders.
“Don’t ever do that again. You freaked me out, you spunk.” She lightly slapped his chest and returned her hand to intertwine it once more with the other.
“Oh, so I’m a spunk now?” He took the book from his hand dangling over the chair and set it on her lap. He squeezed her shoulders with his looming arm into a quick hug and whispered into her ear, “I’m not handsome enough for a name like that.”
“Shut up. You underestimate yourself,” she replied back, almost as faint. She quickly forgot about her book and became more interested in the sand in front of them. A smile slowly inched up through her lips.
“Ah, but you are,” he whispered again. He gave her a lingering kiss on the cheek as a flash came in front of them.
“Mom!” Charlotte laughed, looking up to her mother with a disposable camera in her hands.
“I’ll take a copy!” Michael piped up. Her mother just shook her head with a smile and left them together on the chair.
“You will, too,” Michael whispered once more before giving her another kiss on the cheek.
Charlotte heaved a shaky breath and shook her head, reminding herself that she shouldn’t be crying so much. It had only been a few months since she had seen Michael, and they had talked almost every day. She didn’t need to feel so emotionally attached, even if she did have more than friendly feelings towards him.
She returned to the bed and jumped on it, crossing her legs Indian style while tossing the extra pillows to Michael’s side. Quickly getting up once again, she opened the TV cabinet and picked out the first Back to the Future, sliding it into the DVD player. Grabbing the TV and DVD controllers from the top of the cabinet, she headed back to the bed and let her legs stretch out straight in front of her. After a few seconds, the sounds from the menu filled the room.
The photo was taken when they were both seventeen; in fact, it was taken at Charlotte’s seventeenth birthday party. Michael was sitting on a lawn chair, shaded by an umbrella sticking into the grass-speckled sand that surrounded them. Charlotte was in his lap, her arms wrapped around his shirtless midsection and a wide smile spread across her face while she looked towards the ground. Her legs were folded together straight out in front of her with lime green flip flops adorning her feet. A matching one-piece covered her slim body with bright yellow track shorts hugging at her hips . A book sat held open on her lap by Michael’s hand while he had his other arm draped over her shoulders. He was kissing her cheek and smiling with his eyes closed in contentment. His hair was slightly wet and shorter than it was now, and droplets of water hung all around his arms and chest.
Choking back tears threatening to fall, she took a deep breath and remembered back to the day when the photo was taken…
“Michael! Stop getting me wet!”
Michael was currently standing up and shaking his short hair towards Charlotte, getting her book and sandwich wet while she sat under the umbrella on a towel. He stopped suddenly and applied pleading facial features to his eyebrows and lips. “But aren’t you gonna swim? It’s yourbirthday, for Pete’s sake. Everyone’s wondering why you aren’t out there with us.”
She shrugged her shoulders and looked out behind Michael to spot two friends shoving each other while on other people’s shoulders, screaming in delight. “I just don’t want to get wet. I only want to read.” She went back to her book and flipped to the next page, trying to get Michael’s slightly high-pitched voice out of her head.
“But Charlotte…” Michael scampered to her side and sat on the ground next to the towel, not caring about getting sand in his trunks. Setting his chin on her shoulder, he placed his hand behind her on the towel and leaned on it slightly, staring at the pages in front of them absentmindedly. “Everyone wants to you to come out to the shore.”
“No, Michael.”
He huffed stubbornly. “Well, if you feel that way…” Michael suddenly grabbed her book from her hands and stood up to run. He headed only a few yards before plopping himself into a lawn chair that one of their friends brought. It was sitting under another umbrella that spread over a large cooler, opened to reveal melting ice and cans of Coke products and lemonade.
Soon enough, Charlotte had stalked up to him with an agitated look across her face. “Michael Guy Chislett, give me my book!” She held out an open hand, palm up, with another sitting on her hip.
“No.” He smirked and shook his head slowly so he wouldn’t get droplets of water on the pages of her novel.
“Michael.”
“Charlotte.”
“Michael.”
“Charlotte.”
“Michael.” She twitched her index finger of her outstretched hand to bid him to give her back her book.
Instead of complying, he got a sinister idea and a smile to go with it.
Sitting up slightly in the green and blue chair, he grabbed her right hand with his and pulled her into his lap. She fell in between his legs, landing on his right thigh. Gasping a breath of surprise, she wrapped her arms around his chest before he got to sit back into the chair. He let go of her hand and stretched his arm to leave it hanging over her shoulders.
“Don’t ever do that again. You freaked me out, you spunk.” She lightly slapped his chest and returned her hand to intertwine it once more with the other.
“Oh, so I’m a spunk now?” He took the book from his hand dangling over the chair and set it on her lap. He squeezed her shoulders with his looming arm into a quick hug and whispered into her ear, “I’m not handsome enough for a name like that.”
“Shut up. You underestimate yourself,” she replied back, almost as faint. She quickly forgot about her book and became more interested in the sand in front of them. A smile slowly inched up through her lips.
“Ah, but you are,” he whispered again. He gave her a lingering kiss on the cheek as a flash came in front of them.
“Mom!” Charlotte laughed, looking up to her mother with a disposable camera in her hands.
“I’ll take a copy!” Michael piped up. Her mother just shook her head with a smile and left them together on the chair.
“You will, too,” Michael whispered once more before giving her another kiss on the cheek.
Charlotte heaved a shaky breath and shook her head, reminding herself that she shouldn’t be crying so much. It had only been a few months since she had seen Michael, and they had talked almost every day. She didn’t need to feel so emotionally attached, even if she did have more than friendly feelings towards him.
She returned to the bed and jumped on it, crossing her legs Indian style while tossing the extra pillows to Michael’s side. Quickly getting up once again, she opened the TV cabinet and picked out the first Back to the Future, sliding it into the DVD player. Grabbing the TV and DVD controllers from the top of the cabinet, she headed back to the bed and let her legs stretch out straight in front of her. After a few seconds, the sounds from the menu filled the room.