Street Life

Blur

Charlie's POV

I literally crawled to the bed and looked for my clothes, got dressed and left the house while the tears ran down my face. I walked along the main road without a sense of where to go, without thinking, without feeling anything. I end up in front of the Great Northern Hotel, which is the biggest pub in town. It is 10 am and they have just started to open the doors and put out the tables and chairs, I walk in, sit down at the bar and order two beers and two shots.

"Hey, my name is Gary, how are you today?" the bartender places the drinks in front of me and smiles at me really cute.

"Hi, I'm Charlie, well actually this day did not start too well for me, hence the two beers." I gesture at the two glasses in front of me.

"Oh so you are alone here? Sorry to hear your day was shit." Gary leans against the bar and his smile broadens. There are hardly any customers in the pub so he isn't busy at all and obviously likes to talk with someone.

"Yeah, but maybe it will improve, it is still early." I smile back, take one shot and push the other towards him and look in his eyes which are a very light blue and contrast to his tanned face. We down the liquor together.

"Wow, you have awesome eyes." Gary tells me. "I could say the same to you." I giggle.

We chat a while and I drink away on my beers when I notice I should better eat something soon because I feel getting really drunk.

"Hey Gary, I think I'll have a burger and another beer, please and have one on me as well." He smiles and gives me a thumbs up and turns to the kitchen to pass on my order.

He returns after a while to bring my food and drink, then he comes round the bar with his beer and puts his arm around my shoulder. "Cheers." He clinks his glass onto mine. We drink and then he pulls me close and places a kiss on my lips.

I kiss back because I am drunk and because I feel so lonely and sad.

Someone taps on my shoulder and I hear a familiar voice saying "Dude you better take your hands off my girl." I turn around to see Tony standing there with a sour look on his face. Gary takes his arm off my shoulder and steps back "Hey, man, chill, I didn't know she is taken." I start to sway because of the missing support and stumble forward.

Tony catches me and steadies me looking at me with a sad face. "Baby, why are you doing this? I was worried sick when you were gone."

I start to cry cling to his shirt and hide my face in his chest. "To - ony, I'm so - orry, I fucked up, I don't want to fight with you. I can understand when you don't want to be with me anymore, who would want to be with someone like me anyway." I sob and wipe my nose with my sleeve.

I hear Tony take a deep breath and sigh. "Charlie, no, I am sorry for getting mad at you and for walking out on you. And don't be ridiculous just because we have a fight does not mean I don't want to be with you. You are all that I want." He takes my face in his hands and rests his forehead onto mine. "Baby, you have no idea how much I love you."

"Oh Tony, I love you too." He kisses my tears away and takes my hand. "Come on let's go home."

He pulls me out of the pub onto the street and I flinch at the bright sunshine, I had forgotten that it was still morning. I stumble when I try to keep up with his pace. He smiles and just picks me up and carries me in his arms while I rest my head on his shoulder.

When we reach the house he enters the bedroom and softly lays me down on the bed. Then he crawls in beside me and just strokes my hair when I close my eyes.

"Charlie, I am sorry, I have been so mean to you, I am such an idiot sometimes, I never want to hurt you again." He rests his head on my chest. "I love to listen to your heart beat, it is the most calming thing I can think of and it is the proof that you are real and that I am not just dreaming this. I promise you everything will be alright, trust me."