The morning Sun flooded through the window,drowning the common room in a blinding light. Charlie forced his eyes open, the room was cold now and he couldn't feel the warmth of Arabelle laying next to him. As he closed his eyes memories from last night flashed in to vision and he smiled to himself.
Later that morning Charlie sat in the great hall eating breakfast reading a letter Errol had just delivered to him from home. He had not seen Arabelle at all, he longed to wrap his arms around her and hold her as he had last night. Charlie looked up towards the door, it was as if he could sense her as she walked into the great hall. Her hair was piled on top of her head still damp from showering and she was wrapped in an over sized grey knitted cardigan belted in at the waist. Charlie caught her eye and waved her over. She looked around apprehensively scanning the room to see if anyone was watching or maybe she was looking for an escape route. Either way her reaction made Charlie's stomach drop. She rushed over to him and slid on to the bench opposite.
"Hey" she said quietly, but didn't look up to meet his eyes.
"uuh are you okay?"
"Look Charlie ive been thinking, and i feel like last night...it was a mistake. It shouldn't have happened" her voice was trembling slightly.
Charlie dropped the spoon in his hand and it clattered to the stone ground noisily, everyone turned their heads to look at them. "Are you kidding me!?" Charlie cried. He felt as if the ground had opened beneath his feet and he was falling. Everything had been so perfect last night and now she was going to sit here and tell him it didn't mean anything at all? "Are you actually having a laugh Arabelle?!" anger creeping into his voice.
"Charlie please, don't make a scene" she cooed softly to him. "You don't understand, I don't want to ruin our friendship, besides what would people say?" she was struggling to hide the panic in her voice.
"Haha see now I know you're joking Arabelle because I know you, and I know you don't care what people think about you" me moved closer to her on the bench "You said you loved me" he grabbed her hand from across the bench, he knew he was squeezing it to tight from the look on her face but he wasn't about to give up on this.
"Charlie please" she struggled to yank her hand free from his grip. "I'd go back in time and change what happened last night, but I can't. I'm not doing this to hurt you, I'm doing it to save our friendship" she whispered. Looking around the room she could see people were looking and whispering at them. The walls felt like they were closing in on her and his grip on her hand was tightening. She needed to get out. "Charlie just stop!" she cried as she pulled her hand free and stood up from the bench. "I'm sorry but I can't do this". She saw the hurt on his face but she couldn't bear to be near him any longer. She could feel a lump in her throat and her eyes were beginning to sting. She turned on her heel, knowing everyone was watching the scene play out, and she was not about to let the whole of the school see her cry. She walked as quick as she could towards the doors, leaving Charlie behind, sitting alone watching her leave.