Goodnight Hollywood Boulevard

The sun had been stationed high in the sky for quite some hours now and although it was supposed to be wintertime, the temperature continued to steadily rise. Garrett and Charlotte left Rachael’s and went to Garrett’s, where they sat in the lush grass in his backyard. They didn’t say much, too wrapped up in their own thoughts about how they would bring up the remaining topics to discuss.

“Char,” Garrett quietly said, plucking at blades of grass. He felt her eyes burning into him and knew he had her full attention. “Um, so we dealt with Rachael, but what about- you know, Wyatt?”

He looked up in time to see her eyes cast downward, her lips purse and her body stiffen. She fidgeted with the grass for a few more seconds before she looked at him again. “He’s been texting me all day.”

“Saying what?” Garrett asked as calmly as he could considering the anger was burning his cheeks.

“Just.. stupid stuff, like asking where I am,” she mumbled. She tossed her phone into the patch of grass in front of Garrett. “I guess Leslie isn’t happy, but I don’t know what to do.”

“What do you mean?” he questioned, pushing her phone back to her. He didn’t need to look to believe her. He trusted her.

Charlotte shrugged and stood up. She brushed the grass off of her and looked at Garrett. “Let’s go inside. It’s getting warm out here.”

Garrett nodded, following behind her. She opened the glass sliding door and walked into the cool house, just like old times. Everything was falling back into place, just the way it should. She was climbing the stairs, clearly on her way to Garrett’s room, and Garrett couldn’t help but smile as he detoured into the kitchen to grab two bottles of water. When he made it to his room, Charlotte had somehow changed outfits.

“How did you..”

Charlotte spun around, shocked. Her cheeks blushed a bright red as she finished tying her hair up. “I shoved this in your bottom drawer one summer, remember?”

Once she had mentioned it, he remembered it clearly. She had ridden her bike over, tears staining her cheeks. She swore she was going to run away, that she couldn’t handle her parents arguing anymore. She emptied her backpack on his floor, clothes and accessories spilling all over the place, something even rolled under the bed. Garrett didn’t know what to do as Charlotte folded some shirts and shorts and then pushed aside some of his clothes in the bottom drawer of his dresser. She knew he never touched the clothes in this particular drawer, so she gladly took it over. He managed to talk her down from her panic, and they watched movies all afternoon until she had to return home for dinner.

He nodded, “Oh yeahhh. I mean, I’m not complaining about it. You look good. As you always do.”

She blushed an even darker shade as his eyes roamed her body. The California sunkissed glow her skin seemed to retain, the little bit of sweat collecting around her collarbones, the low dip of the v-neck sweater and the way her toned legs were being graciously shown off by her shorts. He licked his lips nervously and then she was moving toward his bed. She climbed up on it, standing up tall. She smiled at him, her heart pounding against her ribcage, and started to jump up and down, wrecking his sheets and sending his pillows onto the floor.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“Gary, when I look at you,” she said slowly, her breath slowly escaping her the longer she jumped. She just shook her head with another smile and turned around.

“Why are you jumping on my bed?” he asked with a laugh, standing at the edge now. He set the water bottles on his nightstand.

“Because mine is in California,” she answered simply.

“Okay,” he laughed again. “So you were saying? When you look at me?”

Charlotte sighed happily, something Garrett hadn’t heard in a long time, and looked at him. She paused with her feet firmly planted on the mattress and thought about how she would finish that thought. Her legs were starting to feel like jelly and her lungs were working so hard they almost hurt. She fell onto his bed with a soft thump and exhaled deeply.

“When I look at you,” she breathed. “I feel like – like I’m going to be forever young and in love. I just want to do stupid things and be silly and carefree.”

Garrett bit his lip as he looked at Charlotte. He moved away from his bed and disappeared into his closet. Charlotte propped herself up on her elbows, confused. He came back with an acoustic guitar.

“I.. I know this is kind of cheesy but God, Char, this song is so perfect right now,” he said as he sat on the bed, taking up a small amount of space at the end. He sat cross-legged, the guitar propped in his lap as he began to strum softly. She couldn’t help but laugh a little when she realized what he was playing. She turned onto her side, resting her head on her hand, and listened.

“You make it hard to breathe with every step you take closer to me,” he softly sang, the guitar overpowering his voice. “I’m cold with every touch and I can’t fall asleep. I can’t stand to be without you now that you’ve figured out just who I am. And I can’t stand to look into your eyes now that I realize-”

“You make me weak,” Charlotte said, cutting him off.

“You make me love,” he sang, his eyes meeting hers.

She laughed, “You make me want to scream your name at the top of my lungs.”

“You make me shake,” Garrett continued, setting his guitar on the ground.

“You rescue me,” Charlotte whispered as he crawled up toward her.

He tucked his arm under his head, a smile tugging at his lips. “But most of all you make me complete.”

Charlotte gently pressed her lips against Garrett’s in a soft, quick kiss. “He’s going to put that on his EP, right?” she asked.

“I think so,” Garrett shrugged. “Last I heard he was planning on it.”

They laid together in silence for a moment before Charlotte spoke again. “I really am sorry for falling into Wyatt’s charms. I don’t know what to do about him.”

They didn’t have much time to sit and stew about it. Garrett’s phone rang from his pocket and Charlotte’s was buzzing on the floor in her pile of clothes. She sighed, climbed over Garrett and stumbled off the bed toward her phone. Garrett was talking in a hushed voice to whoever had called him, and Charlotte answered her phone without looking at the caller ID first.

“Hello?” she answered.

“Jesus Christ, Charlotte, where are you?” Wyatt boomed.

Garrett rose from his bed, raking his hands through his messy hair before he wrapped his arms around Charlotte’s waist. She closed her eyes when she felt his breath hit her neck.

“I’m in Arizona,” she exhaled softly.

“You could have at least told someone,” Wyatt ranted. He was pissed, but not because he cared. “I got my ass chewed out today, do you know that? Leslie almost cut me with a letter opener.”

Charlotte sighed heavily, lowering the phone from her ear. She stared at the screen for a moment, Wyatt’s voice barely drifting up toward her. She pressed the end button and dropped the phone onto her clothes pile. She turned in Garrett’s arms and their noses brushed.

“It’s time to go, isn’t it?” Charlotte asked sadly.

Garrett’s fingers curled around hers. “Unfortunately.”

Charlotte and Garrett left his house and went back to hers. She was about to get out of the car when he grabbed her hand. “Meet me at John’s okay?”

Charlotte nodded and kissed him before sliding out of his car. She headed inside to grab her car keys and leave a note for her mother that said she’d call her once she returned home to California. She grabbed her keys from the table, swiftly heading back outside. She slowly walked to her car, the sun beating down on her. She felt more at home here in Arizona, like all of her worries washed away and she was back to being her old self again. Los Angeles had taken hold of her soul, tugging it in the wrong direction, and being home – if only for a day – helped her realize that.

She tossed her clothes into the backseat, took her sunglasses from the middle console and put them on, and then drove to John’s. Garrett’s car sat in the driveway behind John’s old truck, the boys leaning against the side of the yellow car. Charlotte parked by the curb, cautiously walking up to them.

“John’s going to take my car and get Jared,” Garrett said as Charlotte walked up to them. “They’re going to drive back together, and I’m going to ride with you.”

“Gar, I’m not a baby, I can handle the drive,” Charlotte said uneasily.

“No, I know,” he said quickly. “I just want to be with you.”

Charlotte couldn’t help but smile as her eyes locked with Garrett’s. Being home and starting to work on things with Garrett made her heart swell and soar. She knew things had to change, and she had her decisions set in mind, but she never expected to feel even better than she did when she first realized she loved him.

“Well, you guys get going,” John said to the two. “Maybe we’ll be able to meet up at a diner or something around dinner time.”

Garrett told John he’d call him later to see where he and Jared were in the drive, and then plan from there. Then, they were off. Charlotte easily merged onto the highway, setting the cruise control once she reached the right speed.

“So, I never really told you what I was going to do,” Charlotte said over the music.

Garrett bit his lip. “I kind of don’t want to talk about him right now. If you don’t mind.”

Charlotte shrugged. She would gladly forget talking about Wyatt, it would gave her more time to solidify her plan in her head. Garrett had other plans, though, and letting Charlotte slip into her mind wasn’t one of them. He scanned radio stations, stopping when he came across a song they could both sing along loudly to. They played the car game, a quick round of I Spy, and were working on a game of random trivia as they finally crossed the California border.

“Let’s see where John and Jared are,” Garrett said, turning the music down. Charlotte tapped her fingers on the steering wheel as he held the phone to his ear.

Charlotte had a couple of minutes to think about things now. Going home meant returning to work and Wyatt. Half of that she didn’t quite mind, except the fact that Wyatt was now a temporary staple at her office. And not to mention, all of these conflicting thoughts and emotions dug deep into her skin and she was itching to go for a run on the beach. Running meant bumping into Wyatt, and just thinking about him intruding on her escape made her cringe.

It wasn’t going to be easy, especially since she wasn’t much of a smooth talker when it came to shooting someone down after stringing them along for such a long time. She knew planning what to say wouldn’t help, she would only choke on the words and lose her train of thought that much quicker. It had to happen naturally. But when would that happen? Whenever Wyatt was around, he seemed to cast a spell on her; her heart quickened and her eyes widened. He had this irresistible charm that reeled you in after getting so close.

And it wasn’t going to be a clean break, either. He would argue and he would complain. He would try to prove to her that he was better for her than Garrett was, because he was closer and he was more into her hobbies and interests. She knew he would dig into her insecurities to try to win the battle. He would slap her in the face with harsh realities such as Garrett is going to leave you for 9-10 months at a time, Charlotte. He’s going to leave you behind. Or maybe he would say He doesn’t love you like I do, Charlotte. Garrett will always choose his band over you and he will always leave you behind because of his music.

Just thinking about it made her heart start pounding in her throat. She knew those things were true, but that didn’t make it hurt any less. She knew she would always be second to The Maine, that she wouldn’t always be able to go with him on tours. He would chose his career over her in a heartbeat, and she couldn’t blame him. But none of it made her feel any better.

“Char?” Garrett said loudly.

“Sorry,” she mumbled, snapping out of her thoughts. “I, uh..”

“Started thinking, I know,” he whispered. She glanced over in time to see him gaze downward. “Anyway, um. Jared said they were a little behind us, so we can stop for dinner without them. Something about John having to pee every half hour.”

Charlotte laughed, pulling off at the next exit. She was sure the town they were entering would have at least a Denny’s or IHOP. They drove around for a few minutes until Garrett pointed to a diner.

They cautiously walked inside. It was a small, locally owned diner. They had pictures of high school sports teams up, and little league portraits. There were movie posters up from the 60s and Charlotte smiled at them. Garrett’s hand found hers, his fingers laced with hers as he gently tugged her to a booth. The menus were leaning against the window, tucked between the napkin holders.

“I know what I’m going to have,” Charlotte said seconds after flipping open the menu.

“How? You didn’t even read it,” Garrett protested.

Charlotte inhaled deeply. She could smell it, the scent of homemade cooking. Everything was made by hand and with so much love. The counter tops were lined with pastries and cakes, an occasional napkin holder separating the cases. Charlotte looked at Garrett with a smile before she slid out of the booth and moved to the counter. Garrett took the stool next to hers moments later.

“You don’t have to read the menu at this kind of place,” Charlotte explained to him. Garrett shook his head, refusing to buy into her logic as he carefully examined the menu. “You can just tell what’s good.”

“Coffee?” a younger-looking waitress asked, holding a coffee pot in her right hand.

“Please,” both Charlotte and Garrett said at the same time. They looked at each other, the smile evident in their eyes.

The waitress smiled at them as well, her eyes focused on the coffee pouring into the mugs. “Do you need a minute to order?” she asked.

Charlotte shook her head. “Grilled cheese and tomato soup, please.”

Garrett’s eyebrows were furrowed together as he obviously went back and forth in his head about what to get. The waitress had a yellow dress on with a white half-circle apron. Her receipt pad was sticking out of her pocket but Charlotte knew she didn’t need to use it to keep her orders in check. She had mousey brown hair, tired dark chocolate eyes. She looked frail, overworked, but the joy in her smile said she didn’t mind it.

“Take you time, hon,” she told Garrett. She winked at Charlotte before venturing to the other end of the counter to check on the other guests.

Charlotte peeled open a creamer, slowly pouring it into the dark liquid. Her favorite part about coffee was the changing of colors when cream was added. She then ripped open a packet of artificial sugar, adding half of it to the mug. As she lifted the mug to her lips, the aroma hit her hard and fast, her eyes fluttering closed. She sipped slowly, listening to Garrett clink his spoon around in his cup.

“I guess I’ll just have.. a burger.”

Charlotte laughed softly, her left hand falling to Garrett’s thigh. “Good choice.”

Garrett stared at Charlotte. He felt like he hadn’t seen her in so long. Not the real Charlotte, anyway. With her eyes closed against the steaming coffee and her hand on his leg, he almost believed everything was back in place.

The waitress didn’t return to take Garrett’s order. She came back with Charlotte’s plates, then disappeared before he could stop her. She came back a moment later with his burger. He looked at the waitress in shock. She just smiled, winked, then offered more coffee.

“So where are you two headed?” she questioned, filling Charlotte’s mug but not Garrett’s.

“Santa Monica,” Charlotte answered.

“Beautiful area,” she commented. A small smile crossed her lips; her eyes glazed slightly as she easily reverted back to a fond memory. “From where?”

“Phoenix,” Garrett said.

She smiled again. “You two are gorgeous together. I love seeing two young people in love.”

“Grace!” someone called, pulling her attention. She excused herself from the two, bustling down to the other end.

Charlotte smiled at Garrett, whose cheeks were burning bright. They finished eating and Charlotte finished her second cup of coffee. They were asked about dessert, and Charlotte asked for a piece of apple pie to go. The sun was setting and they had another four hours ahead of them.

Charlotte thanked Grace and picked up her box with apple pie in it, sliding off her stool. She and Garrett had split the bill, but he was still fussing over the tip amount. She shook her head, tipping her sunglasses back onto the bridge of her nose. But then she heard it, so softly he must have thought she wouldn’t be able to pick it up.

“Thank you, Grace,” he said to the waitress. Charlotte turned, watching them.

“Any time, hon,” she said, leaning against the counter. “You take care of her now.”

Garrett didn’t turn toward Charlotte yet, still sitting on his stool, but she could hear his voice even as he whispered. “I surely will. It’s not everyday you find the love of your life.”

Grace’s eyes met Charlotte’s and they shared a small, knowing smile. Charlotte nodded a goodbye to her, slowly turning to push the door open with a little ring from the bell above. She stood by her car a few feet away, plastic fork in one hand ready to devour the pie. The door rang again as Garrett made his way outside. The setting sun against his skin and hair caused her knees to shake momentarily.

“You drive,” she said, and tossed her keys at him. He caught them without hesitation, unlocked the doors with two clicks of a button.

Charlotte slouched in the passenger seat, her feet resting against the dash in front of her, and ate her warm apple pie. “Want a bite?” she asked, holding a forkful toward him. He leaned over, eyes straining to keep focused on the road, and bit the apple pie off the fork.

“Oh my god,” he mumbled, mouth still full. “That is so good.”

“Right?” Charlotte laughed. “That’s all you get. I’m about to kill this.”

Garrett laughed, too, and for the next half hour he tried to fight Charlotte for the rest of it. She closed the empty container, fork inside, and tossed it into the backseat. She almost slipped back into her thoughts dealing with Wyatt and everything California brought on, but instead she found herself replaying the conversation between Garrett and Grace.

Garrett was speeding but she didn’t make mention of it to him, too caught up on the conversation she had overheard. His words made everything fall into place. All of her worrying, the nagging in her head, the uncertainty of how things would turn out disappeared. She knew, just from looking at the boy driving her car like an absolute maniac, what she had to do now.