EVERMORE | DEAD POETS SOCIETY

THIRTY!

SHE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WAS WORSE, traveling in the middle of the night to tell the love of your life how you felt about him or driving in general. Rebetta had been traveling for hours at this point. She had seen the sunset and the stars fill up the sky. She had seen the big moon shooting down on her. Rebetta was on a mission, and if Charlie rejected her or not. She didn't care. At least she had tried.

She had different radio stations constantly playing different tunes as she tried to remember the path Todd had taken a few days before, but luckily she had a map with her to make sure she wasn't lost. Rebetta was determined to get rejected by Charlie, but if she looked like an idiot while trying... at least there was something to laugh about.

She rested her hand against her head as she sped down the dark roads. A few moments ago, she noticed the "welcome to vermont" sign which let her relax. Problem was, it should have been light by now. It's only an eight hour drive from New York City.

"Okay, we're so close Betta." She whispered to herself, trying to stay focused. But in reality, she was just thinking about all the horrible things that could possibly happen. Maybe if she didn't think about it, it wouldn't happen.

She remembered where she was now, and she knew she was very close. Until she heard a loud thunder cracking. "Oh, you've got to be shittin me." Rebetta mumbled underneath her breath. She started to drive a little bit faster just so she could get there quicker. She knew there was a huge chance she would get a ticket or something of the sorts, but she didn't care. She needed to tell Charlie how she felt.

The rain slowly started falling down, and slowly got harder and harder as the seconds went by. Lighting was flashing which lit up the road along with the headlights that were in front of her. She had to stay focused.

She knew Charlie's house was now up a few roads ahead and was ready to turn. "There it is!" Rebetta shouted with glee, so excited to finally be done driving and to not be stuck in a thunderstorm. She slowly turned into the long driveway but the car wouldn't move.

"Why am I not turning?" She asked herself, hitting the gas pedal again. She knew the tires were stirring but nothing was moving. She was stuck in the mud. She was right in front of his house.

"You know what? To hell with it." She whispered. "Carpe Diem, right?"

She turned off the car and took off her shoes so they didn't get ruined. Rebetta stepped out of Todd's car and started to make her way towards the house that was just a few feet in front of her. She was drenched at this point, the only thing that she could see was the light on the porch, the light of her car and the lighting. The rain was coming down, but the fire in her heart was shining.

Rebetta reached the top of the steps and pounded on the door. "Charlie!" She shouted. "Charlie, it's Betta!"

There was no answer, but Charlie was always a heavy sleeper. There was no way he was going to answer her, not after the last time they-

"Betta?" Rebetta looked at Charlie, who looked like he had just rolled out of bed. "It's six in the morning, you're supposed to be in New York with Todd and-"

"Charlie, I love you." She blurted out loudly. "I know it's six in the morning, and I could have told you that I was coming. But I didn't because I wasn't thinking with my head but my heart this time. Do you remember when we were kids and you got in trouble with Mr. Nolan because you exposed the club to everyone?"

Charlie raised his eyebrow. "Yes Betta, I do, I just don't kn-"

"You told me you messed up and you didn't want me to be mad at you," She told him. "I messed up too Charlie. I should've just realized that it has been you all along. I held onto false hope with Neil, when in reality, I know that he would be happier with someone else and that we've grown as people. We've grown with different people, and I grew with you."

"Betta-"

"Charlie, I am not done yet," She snapped and the cheeky smirk on his face rose to his lips. "I have a big problem. And you told me that it's okay that people have problems, because how would the earth function without people with problems? Charlie, I want my problem solved, I want you. You only."

Charlie watched with little tears in his eyes as Rebetta Carmichael professed her love to him. 

"I want to wake up everyday with you like we did in the summer of sixty, I want to fall asleep next to you every night when I was having those nightmares, I want you to steal muffins from the kitchen for me just in case I forgot to eat breakfast. I want to kiss you on the cheek when you leave from work and watch you drive off. I want to spend the rest of my life with you Charlie because I can't be away from you any longer. And I'm sorry that I didn't figure out how much I loved you sooner. I'm dumb and naive, and hell! Todd's car is stuck in the mud in your driveway right now. But if you changed your mind on all of us since we last talked, I will try and get his car out of the mud and drive my ass back to New York City. I'll hate every second of it, but fuck I tried. I carpe diemed the shit."

Charlie laughed softly, wiping the tears from his eyes. "C'mere." He whispered as he gently pulled her in and brought her into a passionate kiss. Rebetta felt like she was levitating with him. She knew she was safe, she always knew she was safe with Charlie... but this time. It felt right. It felt okay. That nothing bad was going to happen anymore.

The two couldn't get their hands off of each other as the rain poured down around them. After a few moments, they pulled away so they could catch their breath. Rebetta and Charlie rested their foreheads against one anothers, taking in each other's company. "How are you?" She asked quietly, her eyes still shut.

"Horrible, absolutely horrible." Charlie replied.

She laughed quietly. "Okay, how about the truth?"

"This is the best moment of my life." He said honestly. "I love you Rebetta. I love you so much and I'm not going anywhere, I promise."

She felt happy tears run down her cheeks. "I love you more Charlie." Rebetta choked out.

In midst of the storm, the love that was blooming on the deck was electric. More electric than the lighting in the sky. She got the guy. Charlie had finally got the girl he had dreamed for the past decade, the love of his life.

Rebetta Carmichael was always going to catch Charlie Dalton. Just like he did for her.