Shiver

"Charlie?" he was surprised, not in a pleasant way. "What are you doing here?" He was unprepared.

"I ... I just wanna talk to you," she hesitated.

He paused for a moment, "Okay ... now is not a good time ... but ..." he looked back inside the cabin and turned back to her, "I guess we can talk outside."

He stepped out to the veranda, before he closed the door, there was a voice coming from inside, a girl, "Tom! Where do you keep your boiling pan?"

There was already a girl in the cabin, she pretended it wasn't awkward. She knew she didn't have the right to feel anything about it, but she did.

He looked pale and distracted, "Errrmmm ... boiling pan?" he didn't remember where it was.

"It's on the left bottom drawer in the pantry," Charlie said in a low voice.

"Oh ... it's on the left bottom drawer in the pantry!" Tommy shouted to the girl.

"Okay ... thanks!" she was heard rummaging in the pantry.

Tommy closed the door. "It's Lisa ... she's visiting ... we're just ... friends," he felt like he needed to explain. She smiled lightly.

"What is it Charlie?" he went back to why she was there.

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for how things ended before ..." she said. "I guess you were right ... we'd be bumping into each other a lot and we should be able to be civilized with each other," she forced a smile.

"I'm sorry too," Tommy said. Up close, where she can almost felt his breath, his physical difference was noticeable. His chest hair was peeking from the unbuttoned top of his shirt, his upper body was a lot bulkier than when he left. His arms were hardened, his biceps formed under his long sleeves that were rolled up to his forearms. She was staring at his body while he was staring at her face with longing eyes.

"And I wanted to give you this," she took out the necklace he gave her.

He was stunned, "No ... I want you to have that," he declined.

"But it's important to you?"

"It is ... that's why I want you to keep it ... to remember me by."

They were both silent.

Tommy clasped her hand with the necklace still inside it, "Please ... I want you to have it." He noticed a bruise around her wrist but he was too emotionally involved in the conversation to ask her about it.

She nodded, "Okay ... thank you ... I'll keep it safe," she put it back in her pocket. "I guess I'll be seeing you around, then?"

He nodded in agreement, "Do you want to come in?" he offered.

"Oh no ... that'll be ... awkward ..." she refused.

"Lisa is just a friend ... she's ..."

"Maybe some other time," she smiled sadly.

They stood there looking at each other. There was so many things she wanted to ask him, so many apologies he wanted to say, but the words just wouldn't come out.

She offered him a handshake, "Friends?"

It was a hard thing to shake to for Tommy, but he gave a half smile and shook her hand, "Friends."

He touched her wrist and saw a glimpse of bruise just under her short sleeve. "Did somebody did this to you?" he looked concerned.

"No ... it's nothing," she didn't care to explain.

The way his hand felt on her gave her the shivers, she pulled away slowly.

"If I don't see you around again ... maybe you can come to my birthday party in a few weeks?" she invited him.

"May 12th ... I've actually prepared a gift for you," he remembered.

"That's awesome!" she smiled widely as she slowly walked back towards the stairs. "Alright then, I'll see you around," she said before descending the stairs.

He walked her down, not really wanted her to leave so soon. He contained every urge that emerged in him to take her by the hand, pulled her close and kiss her. Instead, he just watched how beautiful she was, how beautiful she had always been, in his mind and in reality. More than that, he missed her, he missed her caring for him, listening to him, telling him anything, everything, he missed his girlfriend, but she wasn't anymore.

"It's really good to see you, Charlie," he said.

She turned and smiled at him, "It is."

They looked at each other again, fighting that pull as she backed away from him.

"See you, Tommy," she said.

He had to let her go, "Goodbye Charlie."

She walked away, thinking how much she will miss him calling her 'Charlie'. It was finally over.