Lost & Found

by Ashley John

  “Start talking,” Charlie cried, slamming his palms on the table.

  “I borrowed it a few weeks ago so we could get this place,” she started, “This apartment came up and I knew it would be perfect for us. I didn't have the money saved up and I wasn't earning enough at the diner to pay for the deposit, so I borrowed it.”

  “Borrowed it off who?” Charlie cried.

  He could feel the venom coursing through his blood.

  “This guy. He used to come into the diner and he saw me looking at the paper work for this place. We got talking, I told him I couldn't afford it and he offered to help me out.”

  “And it was that easy? He just gave you the money?”

  “I had to sign a contract, and there was a lot of interest, but it was only a few hundred dollars.”

  “How many hundred?” Charlie rubbed his brow, not really wanting to know.

  “Seven,” she said coyly.

  He could see the realization of what she'd done spread across her face in that moment.

  “You borrowed $700 from a loan shark?” Charlie couldn't help but laugh in disbelief, “My god woman, you've done some stupid things to this family, but that tops the list.”

  “I was desperate!” she cried as the tears started to collect in her eyes.

  “I knew it was all too good to be true. We moved into this place so fast. Too fast. What was wrong with staying with Aunt Evelyn?”

  Her face screwed up and the tears started to roll down her cheeks.

  “I just wanted us to be a proper family in our own place,” she sobbed.

  The son inside of Charlie wanted to reach out his hand and let her know everything was okay, but the anger stopped him. Instead, he just started as his mother crumbled into her chair and reached for the whiskey again.

  “How much plus interest?” Charlie said flatly.

  “$1700,” she sobbed.

  Charlie couldn't believe his ears.

  Any minute now I'm going to wake up and these last 24 hours haven't happened.

  “What was wrong with going to a bank like normal people?”

  “I have debt dotted around the country Charlie. You know that. If I went to a bank, I might have well have handed myself in to every repo man in the state. I did this for us!”

  “No,” Charlie snapped, “you did this for yourself. You're constantly trying to find this perfect life for us, but you just end up hurting us every time.”

  His words only made her sob even more. If Oliver was here to see this side of him, he'd be sure to retract any declarations of love. I can't think about him right now. Pushing Oliver to the back of his mind, he tried to think of a plan. With no jobs available and his own job not safe past the next month, he had no idea what he was going to do. He had $100 left from his wage, but no way of paying back a loan shark.

  “I'm so sorry,” she cried.

  “It's too late for that,” Charlie said coolly, “we need to come up with a plan.”

  Before the words even left her mouth, Charlie knew what she was about to say.

  “We need to go,” she said, dumping the empty bottle on the table, “we need to go tonight.”

  “That's your answer to everything. We can't run away from our problems every time you mess up. What happened to promising me we were going to settle here?”

  “We'll settle at the next place, I promise!”

  Charlie wanted to cry out that he couldn't settle anywhere else. He wanted to scream his heart out and tell his crying mother that he needed to stay with Oliver, but just thinking about him, caused him to force more tears back.

  “How long can you hold this guy off for?”

  The tears flowed even harder.

  “My second payment was due today.”

  Closing his eyes, Charlie took a deep breath and tried to calm himself, but it wasn't working. Gripping the edge of the table with his shaking hands, he pushed his chair back, stood up and started to pace the table.

  “How reasonable is this guy?”

  The sobs were climbing over each other to escape her throat. She couldn't cry the tears fast enough.

  “I don't know. He has a skinhead and he's covered in tattoos.”

  Without any more description, Charlie knew exactly who it was. It was Finley.

  The guy who had wanted Oliver

  “Frank told me not to get involved with him. He said he'd have lent me the money if he could afford, but he was only just breaking even at the diner.”

  “So you had warnings to stay away from him and you did it anyway?”

  She nodded her head furiously and ran clutched chunks of her hair through her clenched fists.

  “I thought I'd have a job to pay him back,” she screamed, “everything was going to work out.”

  “But it hasn't has it? And we're back here. We always end up here.”

  When a loud thumping on the door echoed up the hallway and throughout the apartment, Charlie prayed that it was just an excited Oliver or a lost man asking for directions. When the banging increased to the point where the wood sounded like it was going to buckle, Charlie knew he'd have to answer it.

  “I'm going to answer it,” Charlie said, gulping down the fear.

  “No,” she snapped wiping away the tears and smoothing down her hair, “I'll sort this out. This is my mess.”

  Charlie followed her across the living room as she regained some of her lost strength. He stayed right behind her until she reached the door. He heard her take a long and deep breath before reaching up a shaking hand to slide open the lock.

  “Sarah!” a man the size of the hulk cried, bursting through the door, “Is your phone on the blink?”

  He had a thick British accent that terrified Charlie and he instantly recognized him as the guy from the diner, even if he had only seen him from behind before. His mother's description of him didn't do him any justice. The only part of his huge body that didn't seem to be covered in tattoos was the top of his head and the center of his face. He pushed past them and marched up to the apartment in a black suit that looked like it was going to burst at the seams.

  “Finley,” she cried, scrambling up the stairs after him.

  Charlie stuck to her, following her up the stairs to see Finley already sat on the sofa. It was usually big enough to sit three people, but he seemed to take up most of the space. With a smirk on his face, he flicked his eyes from Charlie to his mother and back to Charlie, lingering for a little too long.

  “Are you ignoring me petal?” he said in a gruff and deep voice.

  His attempt at being nice seemed fake and already scared Charlie even more. He tried to puff out his chest, but he stood no chance against such a creature.

  “I've lost my job,” she said nervously, tucking a stray strand of hair around her ear, “you must have seen the diner.”

  “Let me tell you something,” he said, the smile spreading even further across his face, “that's not my problem. You owe me money. You are indebted to me, and we had an agreement. That agreement has already been broken darling, and I don't like people who try to ignore me.”

  “I'm sorry Finley,” she cried, stepping forward so that she was level with him, “I'm trying my best to get the money.”

  “Do you have the money?” he smiled.

  “Not yet, but -”

  “Then you're not trying hard enough!” his thick accent boomed through the tiny apartment, making it feel smaller.

  Charlie wanted to step between his mother and the mobster who was threatening his blood, but every time his dark eyes darted to him, he felt pinned to the spot.

  “Please, I just need some time,” she pleaded.

  “Time is a funny thing,” the smile vanished from his face and his black eyes narrowed in on Charlie, “it's funny how it can run out, so quickly.”

  Standing up, he towered over them. His mother took another daring step towards the monster, but Charlie couldn't move. He wanted to scream and tell him to leave, but every part of his body was frozen.<
br />
  “I'll do anything,” she cried, “anything.”

  Charlie couldn't believe his eyes when his own mother took a step towards Finley and rested her hand on his chest.

  This is all a big practical joke right?

  “Nice try darling,” he growled, “but you ain't my type.”

  He placed his hands on her shoulders and firmly shifted her out of the way to slowly swagger over to Charlie. He watched as the man eclipsed the light, so they were both cast in complete darkness. Staring up at the tower like a deer in the headlights, the only thing he could hear was his heart pounding loudly in his ears.

  “Your son on the other hand,” he growled, lifting a thick meaty hand and firmly slapping Charlie on the cheek several times, “he'll do nicely.”

  “You leave him alone!” she screamed.

  Finley smiled down at Charlie like a piece of meat, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand to attention. He'd stopped breathing and inside, he was screaming at his lungs to spring back to life but they wouldn't.

  “Get my money,” he growled, smiling sinisterly down at Charlie, “or I'll be back.”

  He winked and slapped him on the cheek one last time before exiting the apartment like a dark cloud.

  Charlie couldn’t help but think the money wouldn’t be enough for a man like Finley.

  ***

  As Oliver jumped out of his car, he saw Charlie's apartment door wide open, and instantly panic set in.

  They've already gone, I'm too late!

  Slamming the door, he ran towards the door, but a huge figure ducked out of the apartment, emerging into the dark.

  “Finley?” Oliver said raising an eyebrow.

  “Oliver,” a wicked smile spread across his face, “nice to see you again.”

  “Likewise,” Oliver said skeptically, “what are you doing here?”

  Finley rubbed and cracked his neck before saying, “business.”

  Oliver didn't need to know the full story, but from what he knew about Finley, he knew 'business' wasn't a good thing. When he first graduated high school, he met Finley at one of his brother's parties and the giant had been quite taken with Oliver. He'd tried many times to get into Oliver's pants but had never managed it, he just wasn't Oliver's type. He knew it always irritated Finley that he’d never been able to crack him.

  “See you around kid,” he winked before ducking into a sleek black sports car that was parked messily next to Oliver's, “call me sometime.”

  Oliver didn't want to say no, so he just smiled politely. He resisted the urge to rush up to the apartment until the car had whizzed down the street and into the dark.

  When his legs strode up the stairs and into the apartment, the sight of Charlie leaning against the sofa on the floor staring blankly at the wall with his mother cowering next to him almost broke his heart in two.

  “What's going on?” Oliver cried, dropping to his knees next to Charlie.

  He put his hand on Charlie's cheek and dragged his face to look him in the eye, but he looked vacant and distant.

  “Charlie, what's happened?” Oliver demanded.

  “It's all my fault,” Sarah mumbled.

  Putting both hands on his cheeks, he started to stroke Charlie softly until his eyes focused on his. They look watery and empty and that terrified Oliver.

  “What did he do?” he cried.

  “Nothing, yet,” she muttered, banging her head against the sofa, “he'll be back no doubt.”

  Oliver wrapped his arms tightly around Charlie's neck and kissed him gently on the neck over and over. He didn't care about Sarah seeing. He didn't care who knew anymore.

  I'm in love with Charlie and I don't care who knows.

  “I just stood there,” Charlie finally said after an eternity.

  Oliver pulled away and gripped his face again to see Charlie's eyes return to those he fell in love with.

  “What did he say to you?”

  “He said he's going to come back for me.”

  Oliver instantly knew what he was talking about. Finley had a thing for what he liked to call 'fresh meat' and Charlie was just up his street. Blood boiling, he pulled Charlie into another tight embrace.

  “I won't let anybody touch you,” he whispered, “I'll sort this.”

  As Charlie wrapped his arms around his shoulders he knew they were in deeper trouble than he could ever imagine.

  This man is dangerous.

  Chapter 2

  2

  Walking through the doors of the Surf Club for the first time in what felt like days, he tried to shrug the lack of sleep off his shoulders, but he couldn't. Every time he tried to sleep, he heard a noise and his eyes would bolt open.

  Oliver had offered to stay over, but Charlie needed space to think properly.

  “Morning Charlie,” Porter smiled sweetly.

  I guess Oliver has told you everything.

  “Morning,” Charlie replied, his voice croaky.

  He rubbed around his eyes hoping that the purple bags weren't as visible as they had been in the bathroom mirror. Glancing around the room for Oliver, he felt relieved when there was no sign of him.

  “No Oliver today?” Charlie asked

  He didn't know what he wanted the answer to be. He longed to see Oliver's face and talk to him properly, but at the same time, the thought of him just hurt.

  Porter didn't need to answer, because Oliver burst through the door behind Charlie.

  “Sorry I'm late,” he gasped, “the traffic was murder.”

  “Let's hope they were tourists,” Porter said enthusiastically, “we could do with a really busy day today!”

  Oliver agreed, but quickly grabbed Charlie and dragged him out to the beach. When they hit the sand, Charlie wrenched his arm free and started to walk down the beach alone.

  “Charlie please,” Oliver cried.

  “I can't do this,” Charlie whispered.

  “Why not?”

  “Because I don't know how long I'll be around for and I don't want to lead you on.”

  A dry laugh escaped Oliver that made Charlie's skin tingle.

  “It's far too late for that. The leading on has been done and I'm involved now. I told you I loved you and you said nothing back.”

  “I'm not going to say it now, so don't expect it.”

  He felt a hand touch his shoulder from behind, but he ripped away and took another few steps down the sand and towards the quiet morning ocean.

  “I don't care, because I know you feel it. You have your stuff to work through and that's fine with me. I need to know how I can fix what is going on right now.”

  “You can't,” Charlie sighed.

  “I can. Is it money? You owe Finley money?”

  Charlie didn't say anything, instead he crossed his arms and stared out to sea.

  “How much?” Oliver asked.

  “$1700,” Charlie mumbled.

  “Fine, I'll pay it.”

  Charlie shook his head violently dropped his arms to his side. He knew $1700 wouldn't even scrape the sides of his trust fund, but Oliver couldn't see the bigger picture.

  “What next? You pay him off and then the bills and the rent start to come in and our lights get cut off and then we get evicted,” Charlie cried, “what then?”

  “I'll pay it all,” Oliver shouted, “I don't care. I'll do that for you.”

  Charlie lowered his eyes to the golden sand as an elderly couple walked past holding hands.

  “You can't do that forever,” Charlie whispered, “even your money will run out eventually.”

  “Please Charlie,” Oliver sighed, gripping his arm, “just let me do something.”

  “I think it's already too late.”

  “It's never too late.”

  “This time, it is.”

  Oliver spun Charlie and pinned both of his arms to his side so he couldn't squirm free. He pulled him into an embrace and pressed his lips against Charlie's. For just a moment, Charlie enjoyed the returning feelings
of happiness, before coming to his senses.

  “Stop!” Charlie cried.

  “Don't push me away.”

  “I can't do this,” said Charlie, “when I leave, it's only going to hurt even more.”

  “Don't you get it? This isn't something you can walk away from and forget about. What we have is real.”

  Charlie let out a deep breath and pulled away from Oliver, walking back out to sea. He placed his feet right on the edge of the waves and let them gently lap up and soak through his canvas shoes.

  “We haven't even known each other that long,” Charlie muttered.

  “Exactly. I only know that you're the most amazing and beautiful person I've ever met and I want to spend my life with you,” Oliver pleaded, “if you just give me the chance.”

  Closing his eyes, he ignored the painful pangs in his chest.

  “I don't know what to say.”

  “Just say yes to my help,” Oliver said, joining Charlie in the water.

  The cool morning air rushed through Charlie's tired body and it cleared his mind long enough for his heart to take over. It was screaming out for him to say yes. It was screaming out for him to take a leap of faith and put his trust in Oliver. It was screaming out to tell him how he really felt.

  I love you too Oliver.

  “I can't,” Charlie mumbled, as a tear started to roll down his cheek, “you can't fix this.”

  As he ran across the beach, the sand clung to his damp shoes. He didn't care about his job or anything else. He just needed to get as far away from Oliver as he could, for the sake of his heart.

  I can't stop the inevitable.

  ***

  “Porter, I need to go,” Oliver cried as he strode through the Surf Club, “there's somewhere I need to be.”

  “What?” Porter laughed, “What about work? And where's Charlie gone?”

  “This is more important,” Oliver sighed, pulling his car keys from his pocket, “I'm sorry. I'll call you.”

  “You just can't get the staff these days,” Porter sighed, throwing his cellphone down on the counter as Oliver slammed the door, “I’m not paying either of you for this.”