14 things that remind me of you

Stargazing

As the figure approached my window, I froze. My mouth couldn't seem to form words or utter a cry for help. I was snapped out of my daze when the figure spoke to me through the window, "Charlie!" a familiar voice uttered from the darkness. A wave of recognition hit me.

"Clarence?" I questioned in disbelief. 

"Open the window!" He whispered. 

I quickly jumped out of bed and cracked the window. "Clarence. What the heck."

"Happy to see me?" he grinned boyishly as he pushed up the bridge of his glasses. 

"Why are you here?" I asked confusedly. 

"Didn't want to say goodbye yet," he shrugged. "You coming out here or what?"

"Just a sec!" I whispered hurriedly. I shut my window and snuck quietly out the front door. I ran around to the back to find Clarence sitting on the boat dock waiting expectantly. 

"Bout time," he joked. 

I laughed. "Sorry I wasn't exactly expecting guests at midnight."

"I can tell," he nodded at my Barbie pajama shorts.

I shoved his shoulder playfully. "Jerk."

He let out a genuine laugh. Silence swept in for a moment. Then, I asked, "How was the party?"

The teasing face Clarence had once worn was replaced with a serious one. "I don't know," he said quietly.

"Did something happen?" I asked concerned.

He shook his head. "No. It's just...." he trailed off. "I don't want this life."

I furrowed my brow in confusion. "What life?"

"The Clarence Beck life." he sighed. "My whole life is already planned out for me. I'm nobody special. I'm Clarence Beck. The Fourth. And I'm going to have the exact same life as the other three if this keeps up."

I sat quietly where I was, not knowing what to say. Finally, I spoke up. "You're special to me."

He looked over at me and gave me a small smile. "I know. That's why I like being around you. You like me for who I am."

I returned his smile, then laid my back down on the dock and stared up at the sky. Clarence followed suit. "Know anything about stargazing?" he asked curiously.

"Not really," I admitted.

Clarence pointed to the sky and said "That's Orion's Belt." 

I squinted my eyes. "I don't see it."

He laughed. "See look, it's those three stars right there," he said as he pointed again.

I pursed my lips. "You know, constellations are stupid. Like who saw those three stars and said that's a belt?"

Clarence paused thoughtfully. "You're kinda right..."

"I AM right," I insisted. "If you look hard enough, you can see whatever you want to see. Like there. See that's a turtle with a goat riding on its shell."

He let out a laugh that echoed across the water and warmed my heart. "You know, I kinda see it."

I giggled. "Sorry. I think I ruined the moment."

"You could never." he turned to look over at me with a small smile.

I turned towards him and smiled back. I held his gaze for a few seconds, then quickly looked away. Even through his glasses, his eyes seemed to sparkle. I felt a blush rising to my cheeks so I quickly sat up.

"I wish you didn't have to go," I said quietly.

"Me too," he said in agreement. "I just felt weird about our goodbye and I wanted to get another chance to make it better," he said as he got up. 

Clarence held out a hand to help me up and I took it. As soon as I stood, his arms engulfed me in a hug. I paused, surprised at the gesture. Then, I wrapped my arms around his neck and squeezed him close to me.

"Let's never change, Charlie," he whispered quietly in my ear. 

I nodded as he held me close. "Okay," I whispered back.

We broke apart and he smiled at me sweetly. I returned his smile. 

"I'd better go," he said quietly. 

"Okay. Thank you for coming. Fly safe tomorrow," I told him.

"Til next summer." Clarence squeezed my arm one last time before retreating back into the darkness. I waited till he was out of sight, then snuck back into my bedroom quietly. For the second time that night, I laid down in my bed and stared up at the ceiling. I smiled to myself contentedly, then dozed off into sleep.