Scars On Ice | Charlie Conway

n i n e t e e n

[ a/n : this chapter is kinda written from Charlie's pov so that's cool. also ch 18 flopped but we don't need to talk about that. ]

Coming back to Eden Hall was more anticlimactic than Charlie had anticipated. Seeing as how he had already been reunited with his teammates, there wasn't much else to be excited for. His return was far overshadowed by the fear of the jv team losing their scholarships, so much so that even he wasn't looking forward to much. His nerves were far too high. There were very few positive things waiting for him inside Eden Hall's doors.

But there was one. And he knew exactly where to find her.

Aspen was surprisingly alone before first period, her brows furrowed as she tried to unwedge her English textbook from its place in her locker. Charlie watched with a slowly growing smile as she bit down on her lip absentmindedly, her eyes focused on the task at hand. She strategically jerked the book free without disturbing the locker's other contents. Charlie grinned. "Just like Tetris," he mused, his voice making her jump in surprise.

She whirled, her eyes wide. As soon as their gazes met, her face softened, and a heartwarming grin appeared on her lips. Charlie was afraid he might melt. He hadn't specifically been expecting her to have missed him, but it was clear from her expression that she had. In fact, she didn't even have a sarcastic retort. Her eyes were alight with joy as she cheered, "Welcome back, Conway."

"Good to be back," he said happily. He held her gaze for a few seconds longer before he felt a subtle wave of warmth rush to his face. He scratched the back of his curly head as he adverted his gaze. He cleared his throat, "So. What have I missed?"

Aspen shrugged as she closed her locker, her textbook clenched against her chest. The sparkle in her eye didn't disappear as she gave him her undivided attention. "You were gone for less than a week, Charlie," she pointed out. She chuckled softly when he rolled his eyes at her comment.

A smirk fell onto his lips. "Wow, Aspen, it's almost like you were counting the days until you got to see me again or something," he joked evenly.

Charlie wasn't sure what he was expecting, but a warm laugh wasn't quite it. She smiled softly at him. She didn't want to admit it to herself, but she really had missed his flirting quite a bit. "And if I was?" she tossed back, one of her fair eyebrows arched interestedly.

The smirk that had been on Charlie's lips grew into a happy grin at her reciprocation of his flirting. He hadn't allowed himself to think on it too much, but as he was standing in the hall listening to her soft voice, he realized how much he had missed her during his absence. His fury hadn't left him with much remorse about leaving, but not seeing her before he left had worn on him a bit. Their relationship had far too much potential for him to give up that easily

"I'd be flattered," he admitted as he leaned against the locker next to her. Her blue eyes intently followed his every movement, as if she were afraid to miss anything. Her presence made his pulse escalate. When she didn't say anything, Charlie perked an eyebrow. "This is when you admit that you missed me, Folsom," he teased, a smile on his full lips.

Aspen rolled her eyes. She shifted on her feet a little bit, her leg growing weary from being locked in place for an extended amount of time. "I don't know that I missed you," she began with a playful smile, "but you did promise me a date that you disappeared before following through on."

Charlie felt his heart thunder behind his ribcage. Why couldn't she have been this straight forward two weeks ago? If she had been, he would've never left. "I did, didn't I?" he quipped joyfully. Aspen hummed and nodded, forcing an elated smile onto Charlie's lips. His tone sobered a bit as he intently met her gaze. "I'll keep my promise," he swore, the determined look in his eyes unwavering, "but I kinda have to make sure we can stay at Eden Hall first."