Part Two:
'The ABC of Growing Up'

'What's the date today?'

Still panting as they sat on the park bench on the other side of Oxford Street, Katie frowned as she tried to remember. 'I don't know.. December twenty-something.'

His own brow wrinkling, Charlie sat in thought for a moment before accosting a woman who was stalking past them. 'Excuse me ma'am, do you know what the date is?'

The woman looked at him scathingly before replying.
'You have no idea what day it is? God, are you an idiot? It's Christmas Eve.'

Both Charlie and Katie sat back on the bench in unison, unable to believe that they'd had no idea it was the day before Christmas.

'I guess we've both been out of it.' Katie remarked after a moment, smiling slightly.

'I'd say so,' Charlie agreed, before saying wonderingly, 'Christmas Eve? Bloody hell.'

'Well, no use sitting here and wasting the rest of it, c'mon, I'll shout you a drink.' Katie said bracingly, standing up and extending a hand out to him, which he took.

They dawdled slowly along the row of shop-fronts, laughing every now and then as a harried muggle stumbled out of the shops, arms laden with bags.

They stumbled upon a quaint little café at the end of Oxford Street, humming busily but with a little table squished up the back of it, seemingly just for them.

Sitting down and unwrapping themselves from their layers of winter clothing, they ordered two large mugs of coffee and proceeded to fall into an awkward silence that seemed to buzz with things to say but no way in which to say them.

…The paper cuts, the cheating lovers
The coffee's never strong enough
I know you think it's more than just bad luck…

'I've missed you Charlie.'

Katie broke the silence awkwardly, the words seeming to tumble out of her mouth without her permission so that they punctuated the gentle hum of café talk with unusual honesty.

'It's been just like that summer all those years ago.' She plundered on bravely, the words out now and it was if she couldn't stop, 'You were so close and yet so far away… like a book on a top shelf I couldn't quite reach.'

She stopped suddenly, and without warning, the tears began to stream down her cheeks, dripping into her steaming coffee with a gentle hiss. She made no effort to stem them, but just sat there, her pale skin turning slowly pink as the tears seared her face.

'I'm sorry.' She quickly apologized after a few minutes, in which Charlie's expression hadn't changed, nor had he made any attempt to console her.

He opened his mouth quickly, as if something were about to burst out of him, but he snapped it shut again and sat there in silence, his face unmoving and showing no emotion.

Katie's face crumpled and she hid it away behind her hands, sobbing wretchedly, two months worth of restrained emotion spilling out in the warmth of the café and the cold of Charlie's manner.

Watching her, Charlie's face began to contort agonizingly, and he winced with the pain of fighting his emotions. Reaching out to touch her hands, he snatched his fingertips back just as suddenly, as a wave of guilt washed over him, drowning him in emotions he couldn't quite place.

…Sleeping pills, no sleeping dogs lie never
Far enough away
Glistening in the cold sweat of guilt...

Katie looked up at his touch, staring wonderingly at him as his blue eyes clouded over with misery and he hung his ginger head.

There was another impenetrable silence that seemed to stretch on for eternity, making Katie seriously consider just leaving him in the café until he could sort himself out… a foolish thought, as she knew in her heart he couldn't pull himself together without help.

But as she watched him, she wished that he could just say or do something… anything… just as long as it was some expression of what was scratching on the inside of him, waiting to get out.

…I've watched you slowly winding down for years
You can't keep on like this
Now is as bad of time as any…

And just as she closed her eyes in a wish, a startling, amazingly loud scream ripped out of him, terrifying in its intensity.

Jumping, scared, Katie watched him in amazement as he continued to scream, completely oblivious to staring onlookers, the emotion pouring out of him in one piercing note.

Unsure of exactly what to do, Katie gripped his hand tightly as he continued to scream, shaking violently and terrified of him.

Then, just as suddenly as it had begun, the scream stopped, and Charlie slumped forward onto the table, his head hitting the wooden surface with a sickening clunk.

Springing up out of her chair, Katie rushed to his side, panicking as his body began to convulse. Raising his head from the table gently, she almost sighed with relief as she realized he was crying.

Looking up at her, Charlie grimaced through his tears, before sliding from his chair and onto the ground, sobbing with such pain that other patrons of the café had to turn away from the sight.

Sinking to her knees, Katie sat down beside him, her back propped up against the table leg, and clutched him to her breast tenderly, the tears pouring once again down her own cheeks.

…There, there, baby
It's just text book stuff
It's in the ABC of growing up
Now, now, darlin'
Oh don't kill yourself
'Cause none of us were angels
And you know I love you, yeah…

A/N: Lyrics used... 'Speeding Cars' - Imogen Heap (one part of 'Frou Frou').

This song is the most amazing song in the world.
So bittersweet.
Made me cry... still makes me cry whenever i listen to it.
I suggest you somehow acquire it.

Love love. x