Notice Me (19 page)

Although it were ten thousand mile!

- Robert Burns -

Every poem and quote was like a lightning bolt to my chest. I couldn’t understand how he could know the real me. I had always fantasized about being loved this way.

It wasn’t very late, Megan and Charlie had only been gone a few hours when I heard the front door slam. I could hear sobs, I was sure they were Megan’s. I had just got into my pyjamas so I strolled in to see what fight Charlie and Megan were having tonight. I wouldn’t miss this when I was in New York, they argued a lot more now. It was hard for Charlie. The trust just wasn’t there anymore.

 I was shocked to find Megan alone sobbing into a glass of red wine. She looked completely heartbroken.

“Megan what’s wrong?” I asked alarmed.

“Charlie doesn’t love me anymore,” Megan wailed.

“What?”

“He told me he is in love with someone else. Has been for months apparently.” Tears were flowing down Megan’s face, it was heart wrenching. I knew Charlie wanted to make Megan suffer for what she had done, but how could he do
this
to her? Charlie had acted no better than Megan. I thought he was above that. Unexpectedly I became so angry I could hardly control myself. How dare he do this to Megan, he knew how it would affect her. How could I go to New York now? She would be in pieces for months.

“I will talk to him,” I spat marching into my room pulling on the nearest item of clothing, my tatty blue jeans and a baggy black jumper.

“No, leave him. I don’t want him now. Whoever she is she can have him.” Megan just stared at her wine glass, running her finger across the top of the glass over and over again in concentration.

“I know that Megan. I want to go tell him what a spineless piece of crap he is. And tell him to stay the hell away from you!” Megan could see how enraged I was so just nodded. It wouldn’t have mattered what Megan had said, I was having it out with Charlie
tonight!

Chapter 14

I marched to Charlie’s flat not sure whether to slap him in the face or scream what an idiot he was first.

By the time I reached his front door slapping him seemed the best idea, but I had never slapped anyone before what if I missed? Perhaps I should just stick to yelling at him or screeching if it sounded better.

“Shannon?” Once again Charlie looked surprised to see me. He should have known by now when it concerned Megan’s happiness I would
always
stand up for her!

“Charlie, can you explain why the hell Megan is in her kitchen sobbing with a broken heart? What the hell are you playing at? She said you told her you were in love with someone else. That’s a load of garbage. Why the hell did you take Megan back if you loved someone else?” I was speaking really quickly with my thunderous voice. Charlie stood motionless just listening. “If you are doing this just to hurt her I swear she will never forgive you. I thought you were a decent guy Charlie. That Megan could rely on you. Do you realise what you have done? I can’t believe you made up some stupid lie that you were in love with someone else. When would you have the time, but more importantly how could you love someone else? You had the most perfect creature on the planet and you have blown it!” I just glared at him. My breathing was uneven from talking too fast. I could hardly catch my breath.

“Have you finished your rant now?” Charlie looked at me smugly. It sent my pulse racing. How dare he? I couldn’t believe I had ever considered him a friend.

“Not really, but you need to explain yourself, now!” I spat back at him.

“Come in, unless you want to argue on my front door step?” I barged past him, too angry to have manners. “Well, I have never seen you this cross before Shan.”

“You have never broken my best friend’s heart before.”

“Alright what do you want me to say? I’m not sorry. I can’t help who I fell in love with,” Charlie looked at me alarmed. I was sure I must have looked flabbergasted. Charlie could not be serious.

“You are telling me it’s true?” I felt my heart ache for Megan. I could see no way forward for them if Charlie was in love with someone else. How he could want anyone else baffled me. “Who is she?” No one came to mind as I tried to think if I had missed something over the last few months.

“She is the most amazing person I have ever met. She has changed my life. Inspired me more than anything. I love her so much I can hardly control the feelings I have for her.” I hated her already. Charlie had the softest eyes as he spoke about her. As did the depth of them, his eyes looked alive. Charlie had never acted this way about Megan before. I had thought Charlie loved Megan more than was humanly possible, looking at him now I had been wrong.

“Oh. My. God, Charlie, I… I am speechless.” Charlie
was
in love. What more could I do to help Megan now? I had no love spells I could bewitch Charlie with for her.

“Shannon, can I show you something?” Charlie’s eyes were still soft as he walked towards me. “I want you to see why I love her.” I just looked at him really confused. Maybe she lived in the same block of flats as Charlie. It would explain how I knew nothing about her. If he introduced me to her I could slap her just once for Megan. It was the best I could do under the circumstances. “When you see her you will understand,” he whispered escorting me out of his flat. Great! I was going to get to meet her. I could hardly wait.

Charlie led me downstairs. My heart was racing wondering what this girl was going to be like. She would not be as beautiful as Megan I knew that.

I was a little shocked to unexpectedly be stood in Charlie’s photo studio as we reached the bottom of the stairs. No one had ever come here, this was Charlie’s space. I looked around. His entire life’s work appeared to be here. His laptop hummed to itself in the far corner. All his amazing work was plastered over the walls. I could see a small door in the far corner of the room, possibly his dark room. Charlie still loved the old process of developing photographs when he had the time.

“I don’t understand Charlie.” I was really confused, there was no one here.

“She is in that door over there.” Charlie pointed to the small door in the far corner I had noticed. “Go and have a look.”

Charlie stood still. He obviously wasn’t going to follow me. I wondered what Charlie would do if I did slap her. This woman had stolen Megan’s soul mate and even entered a space Megan was never allowed. What could be so special about her?

As I opened the door it was pitch black, no actual person in there, which was a good thing. I really wasn’t the fighting kind. I fumbled around trying to find a light switch. Charlie came behind me leaning against the door taking my hand in his against the wall as I struggled to find the light switch.

“Before you turn the light on you might want to brace yourself.” Charlie whispered in my ear. I turned to look at him. Had he gone mad? What on earth was he talking about? Charlie lifted my hand to the switch. I was still watching him bewildered as a soft dim light came on.

“I think you have lost it Charlie,” I laughed turning my head to look into the room.

My whole body crumpled as I stared into the room. This could not be happening, it didn’t make sense. I entered the room my heart racing as I tried to take it in. The whole room was covered in photos of
me
. Some I remembered from Paris, others just random photos I had never realised Charlie had even taken of me.

“What is going on Charlie? I don’t understand.” It was almost a whisper as I spoke.

“Shannon, it’s you. I am in love with you.” I could feel Charlie’s breath on my neck. I couldn’t make myself turn to face him. I had no emotion at all, just numbness as if I had frozen from disbelief. “Shannon, please say something.”

“Charlie, I don’t know what to say.” I was still motionless taking in all the photos.

“You really had no idea it was me? I couldn’t understand how you couldn’t realise it was me. It should have been so obvious.” Charlie was almost saying it to himself. I had no idea what he was talking about.

“What are you going on about?” This was all too much for me to take in without Charlie rambling about something I didn’t understand.

“Shannon,
notice me,
please. Before it’s too late!” My heart almost burst as Charlie spoke the two words I knew instantly. How could I have been so stupid?

 I could feel the tears in my eyes. I still couldn’t turn to look at him. The thought that
Charlie
was the one, my soul mate, my happy ever after, it just took my breath away. He was the most perfect man I had ever seen. How could he belong to me?

“Shannon, I did tell you to brace yourself. Can I at least look at you?” I felt his arms around my waist, as he slowly turned me to face him. “I am sorry to shock you like that. I have been trying to tell you for months, but something always got in the way.” Charlie ran his hand through my hair. All I could do was stare at him. His gorgeous blue-green eyes burning into mine, I really was frozen. “You can speak you know. I mean I would like to know if you have realised everything I have told you, so you understand about the letters that…”

“You wrote them, all of them?” I finally managed to blurt out.

“Yes,” Charlie said proudly.

“I think I need to sit down.” I felt exhausted. Charlie just laughed as he dragged me over to an old tattered sofa. He stood in front of me warily watching my reaction.

“I just couldn’t do it anymore. I want to be with you Shan. I need to be with you.” Charlie kneeled on the floor so our eyes were level. “When you said earlier today that you were in love with the guy who wrote the letters, my heart felt like it was going to burst. I have been waiting for you to say those words for so long. I would have told you it was me straight away if Megan hadn’t come in, but I wanted to protect you. I know how evil Megan can be. All night I was thinking about how I was going to tell you. Megan could see I was distant. I realised I didn’t want to lie anymore. I love you Shannon Davis. That is all I care about.”

I could feel the tears trickling down my face. I wanted Charlie so bad. I had never realised how much until now. I knew I loved him. My whole body was in spasms urging me to go to him to love him, but I had one major problem. Choosing Charlie would mean losing Megan. The one person I owed my life to.

“Charlie, you know it’s not as easy as that. I am Megan’s best friend. I can’t, no, I won’t do that to her!”

Charlie suddenly placed his hand on my face. My whole body began to tremble. “Shannon, I love you. All I need to know is if you love me. The rest we can sort together.”

“Charlie, what does it matter if I love you?
This
isn’t going to work.” I pleaded with him trying to disconnect the power happening between us.

“Only if you don’t give it a try.” He smirked. His beautiful face made my stomach feel like feathers floating in a light breeze.

“Charlie, please. This isn’t easy for me.”

“And you think it has been easy for me. I have had to date a vain egoistic girl I no longer loved for the last six months just to be close to you. Just as I decide to tell you how I feel, in steps Will who pretends to be me. You wouldn’t believe how angry I was. I had to watch you with him every day, fearing you would fall in love with him. Then finally, I realise I could never tell you who I was because truthfully I knew you would never hurt Megan that way. I never thought I would get my chance with you. You have been driving me mad, Shannon. I have never felt this way about anyone before in my life. It goes beyond love what I feel for you. ” I was going to speak to try and make Charlie understand this couldn’t happen, but his words overpowered me. Charlie put his finger to my lips caressing them with his soft touch. “Today when you said you loved me, it changed everything Shannon. I don’t want to lie or have to write you silly love notes in different writing from my own to tell you how I feel.” Charlie pulled himself up off the floor pulling me with him. I was so hypnotized by his words as I fell into his secure arms. “I want to be able to tell you every day, face to face, how as each day goes by I love you more and that I am so happy you are mine.” His words consumed me. I wanted nothing more in that moment than to be his. As his head leaned down to kiss me my arms swung around his neck. My heart felt it had sprinted ahead of my body as his lips touched mine. Sparks were ignited between us, sending tremors all through my body. His kiss began soft, but began to build more urgent. I couldn’t stop my hands gliding under his T-shirt to feel his smooth perfectly muscled chest, it was faultless. Charlie reacted to my touch crushing his lips harder against mine. His hands began to caress my body. The pleasure was unbearable, but I didn’t want to escape. I had no fight left in me. I wanted him from every ache of my heart. I knew we had gone past the point of return. My body knew what it wanted more than anything. As our clothes began to disappear nothing else mattered in that moment. It was just Charlie and me showing each other just how much we loved one another.