Charlie's Utopia

Old Friend, New Neighbor.

"Did you ever wonder about Marcus's biological parents?" Charlotte absent-mindedly asked Maria over the video chat. Maria, who could be seen laying on the bed with a pink sweatshirt on and her hair tied up in a messy bun, frowned. "Uh – well, yes. But I never brought it up in front of Marcus or Silas." She replied. Charlie hummed and zoned out again on her friend. Maria and Charlie almost talk every day – they don't have to engage in deep conversations – sometimes they don't even exchange words as often as they are expected to and still be connected through video chatting.

Charlie was laying on her stomach over her bed. Her laptop was placed at the edge of the bed while she faced it. Beside her was a tub of cookie dough ice cream that slowly melts into the container. Maria clicked her tongue as she saw her best friend falling into deep thoughts again. "Why do you ask? Did you two talk about them?" She questioned. Charlie exhaled and dips her spoon into the ice-cream tub, "I will be lying if I say I didn't try to." She gently shrugged and put a spoonful of ice cream in her mouth.

Maria twisted her lips, "Your expressions say that he wasn't thrilled about it," She observed. Charlie glanced at the screen and chuckled, "He was very dismissive about it. And I get it, I didn't use to talk about my parents until – well, dad showed up. But I always used to believe that my parents died – unlike Marcus's. Isn't there a possibility that they are somewhere and maybe looking for him?" She questioned Maria curiously. "Isn't he even a little bit curious about who they were or quite possibly are and why didn't they give him up?" She added.

"Charlie, he was abandoned by them. I see where the heedlessness comes from. Just put yourself in his shoe and think – would you want to know someone who gave up on you when you were a child? I wouldn't. And honestly, I hardly doubt they ever looked for him." Maria reasoned.

Charlie slowly nodded her head. She understands Marcus's situation. The feeling of being unwanted must have been like a prickle in his heart. First, his biological parents give up on them, then he was adopted and mentally abused by the hands of Ruby – when he finally thought he found peace in his life in the form of Susan – she died. No wonder Marcus doesn't want to rip open anything from his past, but still Charlie wonders if she is the only one that has the itch to know what happened with his biological parents or does Marcus feel – or maybe at some point felt the same.

"Charlie, I suggest you give him time, okay? Let him feel free to talk about it to you. As long as I have known him, he doesn't open up so easily and if he does, even a little bit – then he truly trusts and values you. Just the thought of being rejected by your parents must be very difficult for him. Just give him some time, he will talk about it to you eventually." Maria advised her friend. Charlie nodded her head in agreement, "Of course, I will not." She replied.

Charlie might be curious but enough to push him to talk to her. She doesn't want to make him smothered by her presence. She wants him to find a home in her. She wants him to free as relaxed as he can be around her. This relationship wasn't just for her but for him as well. She just wished that he never gets tired of her – or feel like she is a barrier in his life. Charlie simply wants him to accept her – which she believed he hasn't fully done it yet and it doesn't hurt her either. After everything that man has been through – if Charlie was in his shoe – she would have been just as ill at ease as him.

"Oh my God, Marcus. You look old!" Amelia laughed gleefully as she saw her old friend walking towards her while she waited for him to show up for dinner. She stands on her feet and opened her arms to embrace him in a tight warm hug. Amelia noticed that one thing that didn't change in the man is his dressing sense. He was dressed in a black sweater and khaki pants. He had a soft smile playing on his lips that wrinkled the corner of his eyes. He had a sprinkle of peppery hair on his head as well as on his thick stubble – something Marcus had since he was young. He started to get gray hair before he hit puberty.