When Hearts Collide

Charlie awoke the next morning with the flushing of the upstairs toilet. Her eyes slowly fluttered open, blinded by the early morning light creeping through her curtains. With a grunt, she tugged the duvet further over her head.

The bedroom door creaked open, Nora tiptoeing back to her air mattress in the corner.

"What time is it?" Charlie mumbled from under the covers.

"Ah, good," Nora sighed, relieved. "You're awake."

"Time," Charlie repeated groggily.

"It's..." Nora paused to check her phone. "Just after noon."

Charlie groaned in response, rolling over onto her side, away from the afternoon light.

"How you feeling, champ?" Her cousin asked, plopping down on the edge of the mattress. The bed shook, as did Charlie's uneasy stomach.

After their joint on the beach, the rest of the night was a bit of a blur for Charlie. She remembered staggering back to the house only to be offered another rye and ginger from Heather. From then on, her memories were few and far between.

The painful realization that she was still in love with Jamie had left Charlie feeling ashamed. How could she have been so blind to the obvious truth? Why had it taken her so long to just come home?

To deal with her new low, Charlie chose to take her frustration out on alcohol.

At one point, Charlie remembered standing close to Jamie, close enough to get a good look at him. Though the memory was vague and short, he looked back to her with a smile - a genuine, dimpled smile.

Charlie pushed the blankets away, looking to Nora.

"What happened last night?" She croaked.

"Well..." Nora's gaze lifted to the ceiling. "After we went down to the beach, and you told me you still loved Jamie.... you just sort of... went on this drunken, self-sabotage mission."

Charlie groaned.

"You downed everything in sight, you got.... absolutely fucking wasted," Nora laughed, shaking her head. "I mean... it's a miracle I managed to get you to bed, really."

"Tell me I didn't fuck things up with Jamie," Charlie grumbled into her pillow.

"No, no..." Her cousin shook her head. "On the contrary... I think he seemed to... warm up a bit."

"Good," Charlie sighed, feeling relieved.

"Yeah, you went outside with him for a while," Nora informed her, eyebrow cocking. "When Caleb asked you to go look for more beer... don't you remember?"

"No," Charlie shook her head. "But... I think I'm gonna vomit."

Slowly, Charlie rolled out of bed, brushing by Nora on her way to the bathroom. She closed the door after her, dropping to her wobbly knees before the toilet. Charlie couldn't remember the last time that she had drank that much. Though she enjoyed a drink after work, she wasn't accustomed to getting shit-faced.

All at once, the contents of Charlie's stomach came hurdling up her throat. She leaned forward into the toilet, pinching her eyes shut as she puked. The acid of her stomach burned her throat and her nose. After everything had come up, she dry-heaved until her chest started to ache.

"Charlie.... are you okay?" Nora asked from the other side of the door.

Charlie wiped away the tears streaming down her cheeks.

"I'm.... better," She called through the door, letting herself fall back against the counter behind her. Charlie focused on taking deep breaths, allowing her body to settle.

Slowly, the door creaked open. Nora's head popped into the room, looking mortified.

"Are you... sure?"

Charlie nodded. Taking her time, she pulled herself up to her feet. She flushed away the remains from the night before, leaving the bathroom on trembling legs. She returned to bed, taking a seat on the edge.

"I'm gonna go grab you some water, okay?" Nora told her. "Maybe some crackers?"

"Sounds... fantastic," Charlie nodded, hugging her stomach.

As Nora disappeared, Charlie seized her phone. She flipped through her drunken messages from the night before. She was relieved to see that Sadie had been the sole victim of her drunk texting. However, she did have a single message from an unknown number.

Hey

Charlie frowned. Instead of replying to the unknown number, she opened her newest text from Caleb.

Change of plans today... Ur gonna carpool with J

She swallowed hard, tasting the remains of bile on her tongue. From what she could remember clearly, and from what Nora had told her, the tension between her and Jamie had subsided, enough that she could ride with him to the rehearsal dinner that night. Sighing, Charlie sent a quick reply to her brother, agreeing to the new arrangements.

Nora returned with a glass of water and a box of soda crackers. With a grunt, Charlie sat up in her bed, accepting the water first. She had to wash away the taste of vomit from her mouth. After a few sips of water, she managed to stomach a handful of crackers.

"You gonna be good for tonight?" Nora asked.

"I hope so," Charlie grumbled. "I really, really hope so."


Around four, as Charlie and Nora finished getting ready for the dinner that night, Charlie's phone buzzed from the dresser. Figuring it must be Caleb, Charlie grabbed the phone as Nora finished curling her hair.

"Stop fidgeting," Nora hissed.

"It could be important," Charlie reminded her.

Upon opening the message, Charlie realized it was from the same, mysterious number from earlier that morning. Frowning, she opened the text.

Be there at 5

"Who is it?" Nora asked curiously, stealing a peak over Charlie's shoulder.

"I... don't know," She frowned. "I think.... I think it might be... Jamie."

"You got his number?" Nora cooed.

"I don't remember, to be honest," Charlie sighed, regretting the blacked out moments from the night before. "But... Caleb did tell me that I had to carpool with him."

"Oh, you... have to, eh?" Nora joked.

Charlie rolled her eyes.

"Did anything happen between you two last night?" Her cousin asked.

"If I could remember, I'd tell you," Charlie insisted. "I honestly... can't. I'm just drawing blanks."

"Maybe you should ask Jamie about it," Nora suggested.

"Or... maybe not," Charlie shook her head, despite Nora's frustration. "If something did happen, and I can't remember... I'm just gonna look, and feel, like even more of a moron."

"Stop being so hard on yourself, Charlie," Nora sighed. "We're all human, alright? We all fuck up. It's just in our hard-wiring."

Though Charlie could have argued that she seemed to make more mistakes than most, she decided to purse her lips together. Instead, she fired back a text to the unknown number, confirming her pick-up.

After Nora was finished with her hair, Charlie stepped into her dress. It was a navy blue strapless dress that ended just above her knees. The sweetheart neckline showed off her graceful neck and freckled shoulders. Charlie gathered up her curls over one shoulder as Nora helped her zip up the back. The dress was snug against her body, giving the illusion of curves. Paired with a simple pair of flats, Charlie looked far more prepared for the dinner than she felt.

"You nervous?" Nora teased, pulling on her own chiffon, sea foam green gown. It made her auburn hair pop by comparison.

"It's probably just the hangover," Charlie assured herself, casting a small smile in Nora's direction.

"Need more water?" Her cousin asked. "Crackers?"

"Nah," Charlie shook her head. "I just need this night to be over with."

Once they were finished getting ready, Nora and Charlie headed downstairs. They found the men were dressed in freshly pressed shirts, matching ties, and neatly pleated pants. Her father looked crisp in a lavender dress shirt and a pair of dark grey dress pants. His hair was slicked back like Jeff Bridges. Though he was an overly casual guy, special occasions were his chance to dress to impress.

A bottle of Jack Daniel's had been opened and celebratory shots were being had. Though Nora accepted a tiny glass of amber, Charlie excused herself from the pungent alcohol. Instead, she sought the opportunity to head outside for a moment of solitude on the front step.

Charlie leaned against the white railing of the wrap-around porch, the afternoon sun kissing her cheeks. She inhaled deeply, filling her lungs with fresh, farm air. Though water and crackers had settled her stomach, those few deep breaths of fresh air cleared her mind.

As her family starting spilling out of the house, a dark truck came barreling down the lane-way. Charlie chewed on her bottom lip.

"We'll see you there, alright?" Her father said, placing his hand on her shoulder. Charlie tore her eyes away from the quickly approaching vehicle, sharing a small smile with her Dad. He turned and headed for the red truck. Charlie was amused as she watched her cousins pile into the rear seat of her Uncle's truck. Nora, being the smallest, was squished into the middle seat, just like old times.

As her father closed the passenger's side door after him, the dark blue truck was pulling to a stop out front of the farm house. With a sigh, Charlie pushed herself away from the railing. She carefully walked across the unsteady gravel in her flats, reaching for the handle of the passenger door. Inhaling sharply, she opened the door, peaking inside.

Jamie looked over at her, one hand on the wheel while his other arm rested against the open window. He cast her a small smile before turning his gaze away. Sighing, Charlie climbed up into the passenger's seat, slamming the door shut after her. She smoothed out her dress before fastening her seat-belt. Inside, the truck was tidy and clean, smelling somewhat like fresh laundry and cologne.

As the truck shifted into drive, they began following behind the red Chevy already tearing down the lane-way.

"Thanks..." Charlie spoke up, over the sounds of flinging gravel stones and the soft lull of the radio. "For, y'know... the ride."

She looked over at the man in the driver's seat, grateful to find his eyes glued to the road ahead. It gave Charlie a brief opportunity to take in his polished look. She hadn't seen Jamie in a dress shirt in years, and had yet to be disappointed. As the rehearsal dinner was expected to be more casual than the upcoming wedding, Jamie had rolled the sleeves of his baby blue dress shirt up to his elbows, showing off his tattooed forearms. His hair was slicked out of his face, falling perfectly against his shoulders.

"No worries," Jamie shrugged, casting a quick glance in her direction. He must have been surprised to find her already staring at him. Sheepishly, Charlie looked away, her cheeks flushing red.

"Besides," He spoke up. "I figured... this would be a good chance to... talk."

"Sure," Charlie nodded, her curls bouncing against her shoulders. A smile stretched across her glossy lips.

"About... last night," Jamie added, stealing another glance in her direction before the truck pulled out onto the main stretch of road.

Charlie's face fell.

"Right."