The Magic of Hollywood // Charlie Gillespie

Chapter 47

I wake up in an empty bed. For a moment I'm a little confused. I get out of bed and walk out into the living area. On my way I pick up my dress from the floor. When I get outside Jenny and Charlie are sitting on the couch, talking and eating some breakfast. I love seeing them like this. It means so much to me that they get along. Charlie seems to sense my presence because he turns around. "Good Morning Sleepy Head. Breakfast is on the counter." I walk over to the kitchen counter and find some fruit and yogurt. I will never be able to wrap my head around the fact that bread rolls aren't a thing in the US. I load myself a bowl with some yogurt and a lot of fruit and walk over to the couch. Jenny looks me up and down and smirks a little. I completely forgot I'm only wearing Charlie's shirt. I sit down next to Charlie, placing a kiss on his cheek, and eat my breakfast. "So... I was thinking I'm gonna go explore a little today. That ok, V?" I nod my head. "You want me to come?" She shakes her head slightly. "Someone has other plans" she says, gesturing to Charlie.

Once I finished eating my breakfast Charlie pretty much chased me through the apartment, rushing me to get ready. Given I slept until 10am I give him that one, still he could at least tell me what he has planned if he rushes my like this, but of course he doesn't. All I know is I am meant to wear a bikini. I'm starting to get the feeling that everything he plans involves me having to go into the water somehow. I love that we are equally drawn to the water, even though I'm rather drawn to sitting at the beach watching the waves, but it still counts. In the car Charlie starts driving towards my club, which is really confusing me. He doesn't stop there though, he keeps going until we reach the infamous Starbucks. "If we are getting a coffee for the road it has to be from here." I smile. I love the little details he's passionate about. With our coffees we start driving again. After 30 minutes he still doesn't seem to be close to his target. "Charlie? Where are you hijacking me to?" He laughs. "Still the drama queen I know. You're gonna have to wait and see."

After driving for another 15 minutes we cross a city sign saying San Diego. Charlie slows down the car until he find's a parking lot near the beach. By now it's noon. "Here we are." He jumps out of the car and walks around to open my door. I hop out the car and take his hand. Together we walk down to promenade. We stop in front of a cute cafe. "You hungry?" My tummy growls a little, answering the question for me. Charlie pulls me towards one of the tables and we sit down. It's lovely. Next to us is the beach and I can still slightly hear the waves. I grab the menu and this time I'm actually able to choose right away. We get our sandwiches only minutes later. I think this is the quickest I have ever been served. "If we keep going like this I'm gonna be fat in a few weeks." Charlie laughs a little. "Don't worry, you'll burn a lot of calories later." What is that supposed to mean? What has he planned?

"Charlie?" - "Mhm?" he mumbles while eating his sandwich. "Don't get me wrong, I'm happy we're here but... why are we here?" He thinks about it for a second, as if he's considering what he can tell me. "After last night... I was thinking... you could use a day to just get your mind off of things. You know, not think about anything. Just have a fun day." He rubs his neck and I wanna jump over the table and kiss him right now. Instead my face forms into the brightest smile. After we're finished eating we keep on walking down the beach promenade. Eventually, Charlie seems to be where he wants to be because he drags me along towards a little building that looks like a shop. "Hey, I called earlier and booked a lesson for two." The guy behind the counter nods eagerly. I look around the shop a little. It is filled with surfboards and wetsuits. My eyes widen. "Charlie?" He looks so excited and I can't help but jump from one foot to another happily.

Wearing a wet suit feels less weird than I thought it would, however, it still feels weird. I'm beyond excited though... however, a little terrified too. We get some instructions on the beach before actually going into the water. It all sounds so easy, yet I know it is not at all. I've never been surfing before but I wanted to take lessons for years. After we got our instructions Charlie, I and our instructor paddle out into the sea. I feel so full of adrenaline and excitement it's an incredible feeling. He tells us a few more things and shows us, again how to get up and stand on the board. I look over to Charlie who seems equally as excited as me. "You ready?" I nod my head fiercely, barely able to contain my excitement. "You?" Charlie nods back with the same energy, a huge smile on his face. At the count of three we paddle ahead and try to jump up on our boards, both miserable failing. We climb back onto boards and burst into laughter. We try once again, and again we fall into the water right away. This is so much fun! Even though I would love to at least stand for a few seconds. We try again and this time I actually manage to stand up! I look over to Charlie who is falling down again and burst into laughter which causes me to fall too.