Wild (Cherik Book One)

I Hope People Change

"Can you make me leave my

demons and broken pieces behind?"

______________ERIK_______________

Erik felt strange, there was an aching in his chest as he helped Charlie fold up the last of his remaining clothes. Over the past two weeks evidence of Charlie's existence scattered across the home. It showed in the neatly organized records, the scattered and abandoned sweaters on the couch from late night scary movies. It screamed out in the post it notes left on the fridge with small reminders scribbled down hastily. Reminders such as "Be kind to yourself, you're healing too." and "I'm proud of you :)". Erik would miss those, the small reminisces of Charlie's personality. Erik would miss the nights where, just for a while, the two boys embraced one another without concerns of what it meant. He would miss the ghosts of cheek kisses that stung his skin even now. Mornings would be especially hard to get used to. The silence hadn't bothered Erik before but now it was more than silence. It was the absence of warmth, of that glow that awaited him in the morning.

    "Is that it then?" Charlie asked, looking around Erik's room for anything else that might be his. His eyes landed on Erik though and he froze.

    The air was inflating with the realization that Charlie really was leaving. Erik felt it creep in his mind, the loneliness that came with it. The echoing hallways that would no longer be memory. He knew he was selfish to wish Charlie could stay but some part of him wished this all was enough. That this small home was enough to heal Charlie of anything internal and external. It had been a rather desirable bubble of bliss they had been living in and now it was bursting. Charlie had to heal, Erik understood that, but it scared him to think he won't be there to help anymore. At least not in the way he is now. There would no longer be nights spent in Erik's twin size mattress, fending off the demons that plagued them both. There would no longer be the slightly awkward mornings the two spent tip-toeing around truths.

"Well, we better be off," Charlie didn't move despite his words. His feet were glued to the flattened carpet beneath his bare feet. There was so much they both wanted to say but the bravery and timing wasn't there or right. All that was there were two aching hearts reaching across the ocean of doubt, fingertips barely touching. The silence grew, the only noise being the traffic outside Erik's window. A bird chirp, a horn, a children's shout...a memory...

The afternoon sun had just begun to burst through the clouds. Bright shining colors illuminated the sky. It had been almost a week since Charlie got discharged and Erik was still high on the adrenaline of realizing his crush was a little bit more than that. It had been difficult at first, keeping his feelings hidden. But, the realization that Charlie needed him had sobered up any wistful temptation to confess. Charlie had been especially quiet today, his hands tucked neatly in his hoodie as his eyes drifted off somewhere far away. But, little by little Charlie was returning to Earth. His eyes would catch Erik on the street as he practiced tricks or a small chuckle would escape his somber lips. It made Erik happy, knowing that Charlie was still tethered somehow. That he wasn't completely lost at sea. On one particular trick Erik must have been distracted because before he knew it he was flying forward and hitting the concrete with little to no way of stopping himself.

"Erik!" Charlie shouted in concern as he raced towards the street. Erik was flat on his back, light chuckles escaping his throat as small doses of pain shot through his scraped skin. The sky was beautiful at this angle, all the colors looked like a Picasso painting. That is until something much more treasured blocked the sky and casted a shadow on Erik's face. Charlie had his face scrunched up in a mixture of concern and humor. The golden rays of the sun were caught behind him creating a halo effect. Erik was entranced.