Being Alive [Charlie Barber]

Chapter 25 : Catharsis

(A/N: Quick heads up that there will be 27 chapters of Being Alive, making this one of the last ones. Stick with me here. Loose ends will be tied up. I debated if I should share this or not, but I decided that you guys should know that the ending of this story will not be a sad one. That's all I will say about that. Trust the process <3)

    Directing a play in New York while being physically in Los Angeles was difficult.

    But, sadly, it wasn't even the hardest thing currently going on in Charlie's life.

    He was thankful that you were in LA with him for a million reasons. But right now, he was grateful that you were there to help him with the show. Having to direct it from across the country was incredibly lonely.

    You were in his hotel room, going over the notes that you took when you talked to the rest of the company on the phone that morning while Charlie was busy with dropping Henry off at Nicole's mom's house.

    There was a problem with the way the actors were moving on the stage during a certain scene and you knew that Charlie could solve it immediately if he was there, it took a little more brain power coming to a decision from miles away.

"Okay, try again for me, honey." Charlie told you gently. "I'm shutting my eyes this time so I can picture the stage."

    You nodded, flipping to the page on the script that he was looking for, eyes scanning the page to get to where you wanted.

    Charlie's eyes were closed and he was sitting on the edge of the bed. His arms were folded across his chest, with a hand on his chin the script rolled up in his other hand. His ankles were crossed over the other and his feet almost touched the entertainment center across from the bed, legs long enough to do so.

    He had on a pair of pajamas; plaid soft pants and a plain t-shirt. His socks were on, refusing to walk barefoot even for a moment on the hotel floor. Charlie's hair was slightly messy, sticking up in a few places because he'd just gotten out of the shower and it was still in the process of drying.

    "Ready?" You asked him.

    "Mhm. Whenever you are." He murmured in concentration, eyes still closed.

    You couldn't help but giggle softly at the sight of him. He was so cute. "Okay," You said, mostly to yourself.

    You found the correct line and began saying it out loud. "Remember, nothing succeeds without toil." You read, trying to imagine the actors on the stage in the same way that Charlie was.

    "Hm," He mumbled to himself in thought before saying the next line, memorizing it by heart. "I know it, and will share thy burden with all my power."

    Your heart pounded just from hearing his deep voice.

    Charlie's eyes fluttered open, snapping you out of your swooning, "I think it's alright if they are on opposite sides, don't you? Otherwise it seems forced." He said then frowned. "I don't know, this is hard without being able to see it. They're going to try Facetime tomorrow, right?"

    "Yeah," You told him with an amused grin.

    He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He glanced down at the script and up at you. "Keep going." He requested. "I want to keep picturing it."

    You raised your eyebrows, glancing down at the script. "Sure."

    After clearing your throat, "Hear, then, how I am resolved to act. As for the support of friends, thou thyself must know that we have none." You read, keeping your eyes on the paper to make sure that you didn't mess up.