James POV:

Waking up stiff I stretch my left arm over my head rubbing my eyes with my right hand. Right next to me I see Charlotte asleep with her head and arms laying on the table face facing me. I rub my eyes again making sure what I was seeing was actually there. Even on the second take there she was sleeping soundly, her chest rising and falling steadily. I can't help but have a smile grow on my face.

Checking the time it was 20 past 7. I get up quietly grabbing my jacket from the table and putting it around her shoulders. I brush a few strands of hair out of her face tucking them behind her ear. I pull my hand back, careful not to wake her up.

She has become more beautiful in the time i've been gone, she has gotten more toned and her face trimmed down some. Her hair is now longer and parted differently, it is more on the left side of her head making a lot of her hair fall to her right side in a wavy way. And her lips seem more pink and soft. At that thought I cover my mouth feeling the smile building behind it.

I grab my shoes, slipping them on and walk over to the pool in the center of the room, grabbing the glove laying on the ground, slipping it onto my hand. I start to direct the seamoth to come to my location, I move some of the chains quietly to adjust for the vehicle. Soon the seamoth shows up in the pool, I grab the chain above the seamoth using the glove to make the seamoth open the cover to let me reach the hook. Hearing movement behind me I smile, "Good Morning" turning I see Charlotte now standing my jacket sitting in the chair that she was sitting in just moments ago.

She points to her throat "Your voice is so different" she states. My hand instinctively reaches for my neck rubbing it. " I didn't notice" I grabbed a box that was on the side of the seamoth. It's a white thin box. " I know I wasn't around for your birthday" I say looking at the box in my hands now taking off the top while stepping closer to Charlotte.

Inside the box is a thin necklace with a black crystal on the bottom of it, i took it off from the rocks that held down the other lifeboat I left to free months ago. I set down the box and lifted the necklace asking to put it on. Charlotte stood still as I reached around her and put the necklace on her neck, holding the crystal in my hand a little bit before dropping it gently onto her chest. "I hope you like i-"

"Why did you leave?" Charlotte cut me off, making me now look up at her face. She was looking down making me unable to see her eyes with her hair covering her eyes. "You didn't even tell me, you were just gone!" She takes a few steps back. "I thought I meant more to you than that. At least enough to say goodbye to!" I could feel the guilt fill me up at every thing she said.

She looks up and meets my eyes, tears falling from them. I felt like my heart was breaking at her crying face knowing that I caused this pain to her.

I couldn't stop myself anymore. I started to walk toward her, grabbing her face and kissing her passionately. She was stiff under my kiss, not moving a muscle. "I'm sorry" I say before kissing her again, more gentle this time but long. I feel her kiss me back. I break the kiss letting my hands drop from her face opening my eyes to see her open her eyes that no longer have tears in them. She grabs my tie, pulling me into another kiss, her eyes closed and her arms going around my neck. I quickly react to her kiss grabbing around her waist and pulling her body close into mine, closing my eyes. I deepen the kiss, taking control over the kiss feeling Charlotte kiss me back just as passionately, pulling her even closer while we kiss. We break apart out of breath, I set my forehead on hers, my eyes still closed.

"Why couldn't you do that months ago!?" Charlotte asks, catching her breath. Feeling the smile on my face grow, unable to keep it away and not wanting to make it go away. "There is just no pleasing you is there? " I say laughing at the end.

I see her shifting feet when I open my eyes, I take my forehead from hers looking her in her eyes, a smile still on my face. I wrap under her butt lifting her up easily above me. I start walking over to the chairs, setting her down in the chair with my jacket on it. Grabbing myself a chair I set it in front of her, sitting down I grab her foot rubbing it. "We have a lot to catch up on"

"How was the trip?" Charlotte asks. The tension building back up in the room. I let go of her foot scooting closer to her, taking her hand in mine rubbing my thumb along her hand.

"What do you want to know about it?" I look her in her eyes ready to tell her anything and everything she wants to know. "Did you miss me?" Without missing a beat "Of course! I thought about you everyday" Gripping her hand with both of mine now.

"What about that girl?" She asks looking into my eyes, almost holding her breath waiting for my answer. Remembering all of the times with Gwen, her kissing me while drunk and now sleeping in my room in my shirt leaves me not knowing what to say. Charlotte sighs a sad look now on her face, slipping her hand out of mine. She puts her finger over my lip which was busted just a few days back. "I see," She says, getting up and grabbing her shoes.

"No no wait, you don't understand" I say standing up in front of her putting my hands up in front of her i was close enough I could grab her but feeling so far like she was out of my reach completely. She gives me a forced smile barely meeting my eyes then walks past me out the door letting it close behind her.

You idiot! I say outloud to myself, dropping my head into my hands.

I spend my day in my seamoth just collecting fish for water and food and making a map of the area around the base, doing all of these tasks I am able to get some time alone to think. I drive the seamoth up to the surface when I finish the 1,000 meters from the base circumference. I open the hatch, looking up at the stars taking in the fresh air.

A notification sound goes off making me check my tablet that is to my right. It reads *Map data downloaded come back to base to charge up the seamoth* Sighing I take one last look at the sky then close the seamoth's top and start back toward the base.

I reach the base with 10% left on my main battery. I drive to my ship bay opening the hatch when I rise to the top of the pool. I hop out grabbing the chain at the top and hooking the seamoth up.

I open the back of the seamoth taking out a large battery and walking it over to the charging port on the wall of my ship bay. I grab my backup batteries from the seamoth giving them some extra charge in the charger before closing up the back of the seamoth. I connect the pipe from the seamoth to the base letting all of the fish and materials I got today get sorted and moved into the right places within the base.

I grab a small meal from the kitchen and head off to my room. Quickly eating and taking a shower. I change into some pj pants and hop into bed. With my mind full of thoughts I toss and turn all night long.