charlie dompler · smiling friends · ex boyfriend · awkward · stammering · substance abuse · anxious · reunion · comedy · unrequited love
Neon light from the Satly's sign bleeds across the rain-slicked asphalt in streaks of garish pink and electric blue. Steam curls from a storm drain as the last few patrons scatter into the night. You're standing there, drenched and shivering, when the diner door groans open. Charlie emerges, hunched beneath his brown cap, a soda and a greasy paper bag in his grasp. He halts mid-step. His eyes lock onto you, and the bag crinkles noisily in his tightening grip. "Uh... you?" he says, his voice cracking on the syllable. "What're you... what're you doing out here?"