Waking Charley Vaughan Read Free Page B

insistence.
    From the moment we parked in the lot next to the restaurant, Sara seemed distracted. I couldn’t figure out what was wrong, and she kept telling me everything was fine. It was almost an hour before I found out what had changed her mood.
    I was looking around the restaurant, trying to spot the bathrooms, and not having any success. Finally, I decided to just go ask someone. When I moved to get up, Sara grabbed at my arm.
    “Charley,” she said slowly, looking not at me, but past me, “I think you should sit down.” Her voice was full of concern, but her eyes were furious. She reached across the table and grabbed my arm.  I couldn’t understand what had gotten into her. She had been fine the whole way to the restaurant. I shook her off, turning to walk toward the entrance.
    I don’t know how I hadn’t spotted them before. For that matter, I don’t know how they hadn’t seen me. Of course, with the current proximity of their faces, it was a wonder either of them could see anything at all. I stood there for a second, not understanding exactly what I was seeing.
    Then, I saw her reach under the table and caress his thigh-- his extreme upper thigh—before leaning in and giving him a very long and very sensual kiss. A kiss that was highly inappropriate considering she was my yoga instructor: and he was my fiancé.
    I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think. I couldn’t feel the ground beneath me. I could only stare at them, shaking my head slightly for several of the longest moments of my life. I’d always thought the idea of, “all of the color,” leaving someone’s face was more of an exaggeration than an actual possibility. As I stood there, trying to catch my breath, I had a new appreciation for the phrase’s meaning. It felt as if every bit of blood in my body was hastily making its way toward my feet, and rushing out through my toes. I was cold. I was empty.
    After what felt like an eternity, I managed to move close enough to be heard. “What are you doing ?” I asked them both. I wasn’t able to keep the shock or pain from entering my voice.
    Kelly pulled away from Matt quickly, wiping her lips with the back of her hand. Matt just sat there with his mouth open. He looked like someone had punched him in the gut, which was funny because it’s exactly what I would have done if I’d been thinking clearly.
    “Charley!” He stammered. “What are you doing here?” he got up from his seat and approached me. I slowly backed away from him, not wanting him to get close enough to touch me.
    “You told me you weren’t back in town until tomorrow morning,” I choked, trying to force down the lump that was forming in my throat.
    I was pretty sure I was still moving backward. This was confirmed when I felt something bump into my back, and a distance part of my brain registered a clattering noise. I turned around to see that I had knocked over some glasses on our waitress’s tray.
    “I…I’m so sorry,” I said numbly. By now, Sara was at my side, helping the waitress and apologizing for me. I barely heard her explaining to the waitress that there was a problem, and asking her for our check.
    I felt a hand on my shoulder then, and turned to find Matt’s face inches from mine. I lunged backward, not able to stand the closeness of him. Not wanting his breath on my skin, or his face so near to mine.
    “I have to go,” was all I could say. I hated that the words came out sounding like a question. I needed force, but I had none. There were so many emotions going on inside of me that I couldn’t successfully process any of them. The only recognizable feeling was the deep desire to vomit. I hadn’t eaten enough to actually do it, but I could tell my body wanted to.
    I could not let myself cry. I allowed only that fact to be my focus. I would not focus on my fiancé, the restaurant full of people, or the dissolution of the future I’d been mentally planning for so long. 
    “Wait,” he pleaded as