When Hearts Collide

After one too many gin and tonics, Charlie was ready for the night to be over. Though she had made sure not to drink nearly as much as she had the night before, Charlie had still surpassed her limitation of not drinking at all. Tomorrow was the big day; she'd have to face long-lost friends and family... and being hungover was the least ideal condition to be in.

Though the food had been delicious, Charlie only picked at it. Having to watch Heather's bridesmaids flirt with Jamie all night had left her feeling worse than when she arrived. Her stomach was tied into tense knots; every bite of food felt like a stone passing through her belly.

Nora, however, had grown tired of seeing her cousin sulking for the better part of the night. Charlie was a beautiful, incredible woman; why was she so hung up on her squeeze from the past?

"Come on, Charlie," She sighed. "It's not the end of the world. You're heading back to California in less than a week. Do you know how much possibility there is for you to meet the man of your dreams?"

"Nora, I really don't want to have this conversation right now," Charlie groaned. She picked up her silver fork, carefully slicing into the moist cut of chocolate cake that had been most recently served.

"I get that it's hard being in the same room as him now," Her cousin nodded in understanding, her hazel eyes wandering over to where Jamie stood at the front table. The wedding party had been going over their outline for the past twenty minutes. "But... by next week, you won't even be in the same state."

"Please," Charlie looked up, her glossy eyes pleading. She set down her fork against her plate.

"Fine, but... we'll continue this at home later tonight," Nora insisted. "Y'know... I'm starting to think that maybe Nick is right."

Though both of her cousins seemed optimistic about sex being the solution, Charlie wasn't convinced.

By the end of the night, Charlie couldn't wait to return home and crawl into bed. The lack of nutrients she'd consumed that day had left her feeling rather achy. Her hangover was still rearing its ugly head, even if a few gin and tonics had temporarily tamed the beast. To make matters worse, Charlie wasn't even sure how she was supposed to get home. She figured that Jamie would want nothing to do with her after their ride into the rehearsal.

That, and the fact that he hadn't spoken to her once through out the course of the night.

As guests started to pack up and say their fond farewells, Charlie excused herself to the bathroom. She leaned against the bathroom counter, staring at herself in the mirror. Her make-up well hid the bags under her eyes and the overall fatigue that she was slowly succumbing to. Charlie turned on the cold water, running her hands under the stream. She dabbed a bit of the cool water against the back of her neck, hoping it would help alleviate her sour mood and exhaustion.

With a sigh, Charlie dried her hands and slipped out of the bathroom. As she made her way back out into the hall, she was surprised to find Jamie leaning against the wall, as if waiting for her.

"You ready to go?" He asked, pushing himself away from the stone wall.

"You're... driving me?" Charlie replied, her eyebrow cocking.

"Well, I brought you here," He shrugged, a small smile on his lips. "I figure, the least I can do is make sure you get home."

With a shrug, Charlie followed Jamie out of the hall toward the parking lot. As expected, a few of the bridesmaids shouted goodbyes to him as they crossed the lot, not to mention well-wishes and promises of seeing him tomorrow. Charlie fought the urge to roll her eyes or scoff; instead, she stayed quiet, smiling softly with every outburst.

The pair was silent as the truck roared to life. The silence carried on, well into their travels. Charlie found herself unsure of what to say. She told herself it was better to stay quiet on the matter than to speak up and risk making things any worse. Charlie assumed that she had been out of place when she snapped at Jamie on the way to the dinner; the only thing she was ready to say, if at all, was another apology.

"I thought about... earlier," Jamie broke the silence, rather suddenly. His voice tore Charlie from her incessant overthinking.

"You did?" She asked, her eyebrows raising.

"I mean," He shrugged. "You're not... wrong."

Still, Charlie found herself unsure of what to say.

"I wasted a lot of my life, waiting for this day... and now that you're back, I... can't even think straight," Jamie shook his head.

"Jamie, I... completely understand,"

Charlie didn't want to fight with him; she only wanted to fix things. Even if their relationship would never be the same as it was seven years ago, Charlie believed that being friends was possible. She didn't want to let go of the hope that she was grasping onto.

"I don't," He scoffed. "I should've gotten over you a long time ago."

Charlie swallowed hard.

"And yet... I haven't,"

She opened her mouth to speak, but this time, Jamie continued.

"I've tried... y'know..." He shrugged. "I tried dating... fuck, I've traveled most of the world. I've met... plenty of girls. And yet... somehow... you're still the only woman on my mind."

Charlie felt her heart swell. It was a feeling that she knew all too well. Every time she'd thought she'd met a great guy in Los Angeles or Hollywood, there was this nagging image of Jamie in her mind that she couldn't seem to escape. No matter how hard she tried to move on, it was hopeless. Nothing could compare to the love that they once shared. For a while, she considered it the Andersson Curse.

And now, sitting next to Jamie in his truck, moving on seemed like a foreign concept all together. Charlie was having a hard time remembering why she ever left home in the first place.

"Am I crazy?" He laughed. "Is that... crazy?"

Jamie looked over at her, sharing in a brief stare, before his eyes found the road again. As they took their exit off the highway, Charlie knew that she had to say something. Of course, she was still unsure of how to approach the current situation. She didn't want to make an already delicate situation go nuclear.

"Are you... hungry?" Charlie asked, diverting the conversation entirely.

"Am I hungry?" Jamie retorted, eyebrows furrowing. He laughed lightly, followed by a single shake of his head.

"I didn't eat much back there..." She shrugged. "I figured... maybe..."

"Yeah," He paused, his shoulders rising and falling. Jamie considered the proposal. "I guess I could eat."

Instead of taking her back to her family's house, Jamie drove right on by the lane-way. Charlie stared at the illuminated house as they passed by. They drove into town, pulling into the all-too familiar, packed parking lot of Josie's. Though it was nearly nine, the restaurant was still lively given it was a Friday night.

Charlie wasn't surprised to find Sue serving that evening. She met them at the hostess booth, grabbing a single menu for them to share.

"Good to see you kids are playing nice," She teased.

Charlie feigned a smile while Jamie laughed nervously, following Sue to a cozy table for two. In fact, as fate would have it, the booth used to be their booth. As Charlie took her seat, she noticed where their initials had been carved into the veneer. With a sigh, she set her clutch down on top of the engraved letters.

"I'll be right back with some drinks," Sue told them with a smile, turning on her heel and heading off to the bar.

Unlike Wednesday night, Charlie recognized a fair share of the patrons in the restaurant that night. Unfortunately for her, many of those people recognized her, as well. Being the only two people dressed up at Josie's drew enough attention on its own; however, as eyes narrowed in, whispers began to bounce from table to table.

In Grand Marais, everyone knew everyone. If what Heather had told Charlie the other night was true, then the sight of Jamie on a date was probably a shock for most of the locals.

"I know it probably... doesn't seem like it..." Charlie sighed, playing with her hands. She forced herself to ignore the buzz of gossip in the air. "But I-"

"Jay," A voice bellowed, followed by footsteps. "Looking good, man."

An old friend from high school, Tom Henry, approached their table. He had been a good friend to Jamie and Charlie, alike. Very little had changed in his appearance, save for a little extra hair on his chin where it used to be bare. Tom was just as tall and lanky as Charlie remembered.

"Hey, thanks buddy," Jamie smiled, offering his hand to their company. "How you doing, man? Haven't seen you around."

"Nah, I've been working in Schroeder lately," Tom shrugged, accepting the gesture. "Spending more time out that way."

"Right on," Jamie nodded in acknowledgement.

"You.. uh... finally got yourself a date for the wedding?" Their guest smirked, referring to Charlie, seated across the booth.

She looked up at Tom. His brown eyes, crinkled from his goofy smile, were still on Jamie.

"Well.." Jamie paused, a smile slowly spreading across his lips. He looked to Charlie. Tom followed his shifting gaze, meeting Charlie's eyes. He seemed startled, not expecting to find those familiar honey pools he used to know so well from high school.

"Hey Tom," Charlie sighed, yet again forcing a smile. "Long time, no see."

"Charlie?" Tom's face contorted.

She nodded.

Tom looked from Charlie, to Jamie, before returning his gaze to her. His confusion became an expression of joy. A toothy smile erupted across his freckled face.

"I don't fucking believe it," He laughed. "Barely recognized you as a blonde! You in town for the wedding?"

"Yeah," She nodded.

"For how long?" Tom asked.

"Just a week,"

"How's California?" He was full of questions that Charlie didn't feel like answering.

"Uh... hot," Charlie smirked.

"Whatcha' doing out there? Acting, or what?" Tom's eyebrows rose excitedly.

"Serving, actually," She told him, feeling slightly defeated. Her shoulders slumped as she rested her folded arms against the tabletop.

"Well.." He looked to Jamie. "I'm not surprised to find you two here together."

Both Charlie and Jamie stared at Tom, knowing well enough what was coming next.

"I mean, most of my memories from school are with the two of you," Tom smiled, reflecting fondly on their shared past. "Some things are just meant to be - y'know?"

Charlie couldn't bring herself to look at Jamie. Instead, her eyes found the table. She inhaled deeply. She could, however, feel Jamie's icy blue gaze against her face.

"You coming tomorrow?" Jamie asked him, changing the subject. Charlie was relieved.

"Yeah, yeah," Tom nodded "Wouldn't miss it."

Charlie lifted her eyes from the chipped veneer, forcing yet another smile for Tom.

"We'll see you there," She told him.

"Definitely," Her old friend beamed. "A drink on me, I insist."

"I'm not one to deny a free drink," Jamie winked.

"It was good seeing you, Jay,"

"And, y'know, it was really great seeing you again, Charlie," Tom looked to her, smiling sincerely. He had aged since high school, physically and emotionally. "You look... amazing."

"Thanks, Tom," Charlie smiled sincerely. "It was great seeing you, too."

"You two have a good night," Tom gave them a wave before he turned and walked off, returning to his table.

Jamie and Charlie shared a look. Before either of them could say anything, Sue had returned with two pint glasses of cold beer. Charlie was relieved to see the foamy, golden liquid.

"You kids ready to order?" Sue asked, looking between the two of them. "Or... can I assume the usual?"

"Usual," Jamie and Charlie replied, even shrugging in unison.

Sue smirked as she grabbed the menu from off of the table.

"Some things just never change, do they?"