Far Away Nearby (Part One)

Two people, two different lives. Brought together by circumstances beyond their control.

Charlie and Claire were so very different. Yet on a level that has no name, they were the same.

And among the twisted remains, and the vast casualties, of the plane that they were once passengers on, they met.

They met, of all places, on an island, in the middle of the Pacific.

Neither is sure how exactly their bond began to form. But to them, it doesn't matter. All that matters, is that it's what they share now.

He glanced at her, as she sat with her legs curled up, in an airline seat that is now on the shore that is their front porch.
He watched her as she wrote inside her diary. She looked so angelic to him, though he would not have the courage to say so to her. Not yet.
Charlie watched, and wondered. He wondered what thoughts she was writing. He wondered if they included him. He wondered if the baby within her was fine.
And as he watched...and as he wondered...an interesting feeling came over him. A feeling of selflessness...of caring. A feeling of wanting to protect, and to comfort.
These feelings were strange to Charlie, for he had not felt them in a very...long...time. The thought of doing something for another, with no reward expected, had not touched him for as long as he could remember.

As Claire repositioned herself in her seat, she caught a glimpse of Charlie watching her.
She smiled.
Charlie gave a nervous wave, and a smile back.

He nearly said something to her. But the fear of the words being, as he put it, "Bloody stupid," he held his tongue.

Charlie stepped back, away from the shore, but still kept an eye on Claire. He sat down, and nervously peeled off pieces of a leaf, for no particular reason at all.
And for a moment, he let his mind drift.
He imagined that he was performing with his newly reformed band "Driveshaft." And he imagined that as played his heart out...he looked out over the audience...and saw...Claire. He imagined that she were looking right at him, and she had the most beautiful look of awe on her face. A look of awe that matched his own, as he looked at her. He imagined that after the concert, she met him backstage. They exchanged few words, for they were able to say everything important, with their eyes...and their faces. Charlie imagined that he silently took her hand...and walked her to a waiting limousine. Claire was gently placed into the backseat, and Charlie took the keys...he was driving. There would be no one but them on this trip.
Charlie stopped the vehicle near a ridge, overlooking the city. Going into the trunk, he took out a large blanket, and spread it out upon the ground. He then opened the back of the limousine, took Claire's hand as she exited, and he gently sat her down upon the blanket.
There they sat, gazing into each other's eyes, as the flicker of stars and city lights dances among the night.
Then...slowly...they each leaned in...closer...and closer...both closing their eyes...both anticipating what was about to happen.
Then...just inches from each other...a BOOM startled Charlie out of his thoughts.

"What was that?" He heard Claire ask.

"Not sure." Charlie replied. "I'll go check it out."

Claire watched, as Charlie walked into the wooded area of the island. She watched him, and continued to, even after he had disappeared among the trees.
She let out a slight sigh. She felt...something, whenever she saw Charlie. A part of her knew exactly what it was, while another part of her wanted to deny it. Or more accurately, wanting to deny even feeling anything.
There was too much going on, she told herself. There are some things that just can't be, even when you want them to be. At least, that was what she was telling herself.
Turning back around, Claire looked at her diary. She looked at it, but she was not paying any attention to it. Her mind...her thoughts...were someplace else.
She imagined that it was nine months ago. She was enjoying some times with friends, at a local mall.
She imagined that she were laughing, and having a wonderful time. She imagined that as she laughed, and glanced over to the left, she saw....him. She imagined that she saw Charlie. As he looked in her direction...their eyes locked. And almost as if in some poetic story, they both stood up...and walked toward each other. No words were spoken...as none were needed. Insyead, they just smiled..as they continued to look into each other's eyes. Claire imagined what took place from there. She imagined walks along Sydney Harbor...and sitting at various locations, laughing and talking. She imagined picnic dinners in a park...and Charlie singing to her as he played his guitar. Claire imagined that it was Charlie who's child she was carrying. And for the briefest of moments...ever so brief...Claire felt so...content...and fulfilled.

With another sigh, she brought herself back to where she was. Glacing down at her diary, Claire found that without even being aware of it, she had written something.

It read simply: My Charlie..with a heart above the "i."

To Be Continued