Runaway With My Heart [Complete & Revising]

*** Damon's POV ***

Something I knew for certain was that if two people were meant to be together, they'd eventually find their way back to each other. Another thing I knew for certain was that Charlie loved me a lot, much differently than Katrina did. Charlie showed me that love didn't have to hurt to be grand. I picked Charlie, Katrina picked me. When I met Charlie I didn't expect to fall in love with her the way that I did. She was something new, something amazing.

To see Charlie and Katrina fight each other the way they did was heart-wrenching. I expected more from Charlie. She had many reasons to do what she did, but part of me always hoped that she would be strong enough to ignore Katrina. Charlie was so good at holding back, what was so different this time? Why couldn't she just hold back one more time?

It was December twenty-seventh, Charlie missed our first Christmas together. My uncle made her stay in jail for the entire weekend and then some. He wanted to teach Kat and Charlie a lesson. I agreed that they needed to be disciplined, but spending Christmas alone in a jail cell was a lot for someone in my opinion. Charlie got out earlier today and she's coming over this evening to talk. I missed her. All I wanted to do was hold her in my arms and never let go. In a way, the fight with Katrina was my fault. I thought she could change. Part of me always felt bad for Kat. She loved me, but I never loved her back. The least I could do was be her friend, a sincere friend at that. But, after the fight, I realized that Katrina and I could never be friends. There was too much history, too much-unrequited love. My heart now belonged to a woman who was slightly crazy, but full of passion.

There was a knock on my door, I jumped up almost instantly. I walked over to the door and looked through the peephole. Charlie was standing on the other side of the door with a worried look on her face.

Opening the door, I embraced her in a tight hug. She hugged me back just as tightly, desperately even. We walked into my apartment together and sat on the couch. It was then that I noticed she had a gift in her hands. A Christmas gift maybe? Charlie began to fiddle with her thumbs, she was nervous.

"I have a gift for you," I said.

"Me, too."

"I'll be right back."

I got up then walked into my room. I got Charlie a necklace with the letter D hanging from it. It was simple, but I knew Charlie would like it. I also got her a charm bracelet with a pie charm hanging from it. It was supposed to symbolize Charlie's love for food. The other charm was a heart because we loved each other. The third and final charm was a beer bottle for our love of a good beer. I've never really bought a girlfriend a Christmas gift so I didn't know what to get or where to start. I tried my best to pick something I thought Charlie would like.

Picking up her gifts, I went back into the living room where Charlie was.

"For you," I said.

Charlie looked up, slowly taking the necklace and bracelet from my hands. She stared at them for a while. I really wanted her to like my gifts, I'd hate to return them after putting so much thought into it.

I heard a sniffle then looked Charlie in the eyes, she was crying.

"Whoa, are the gifts really that bad? I can always return them."

"No." Charlie cried. "They're beautiful, which makes what I'm about to say ten times harder."

"What do you have to say?"

"I have to go, Damon."

"Go? Go where?"

"Away. I can't tell you where because you might follow me."

"Why?"

"I just have to. It's for the best, believe me."

"If this is about Katrina, I swear I don't love her. The only reason--"

"No," Charlie said. "I don't care about that. I'm leaving because I love you, and I love this town. If Anthony comes back, which he will, he'll ruin this beautiful place."

"I don't understand."

I was confused by the conversation Charlie and I were having. She was leaving, she was telling me that we were over in so many words. I finally found a woman I wanted to be with, a woman I loved, and she was leaving me.

"I'm leaving, and you can't come with me. I love you and all of my friends here, I just don't want anyone to get hurt on account of me."

"I'm a grown man, you don't have to protect me. What's going to stop him from coming here if he thinks you're here?"

"I'm going to send him a text as soon as I leave. My parents too, I don't want them to worry."

"You have his number?"

"I was with Anthony for three years, I memorized his number by heart."

"So that's it?" I scoffed. "That's it."

"I was going to send you a text to let you know I was leaving. I typed and retyped that text so many times. The look on your face now, that's the look I wanted to avoid. But you deserve more than a goodbye text, I had to tell you this to your face. I love you too much to just disappear in the night without so much as a hug."

"I don't even know what to say. I'm at a loss for words."

"Here," Charlie said as she handed me the gift box. "It's a necklace, I guess we had the same idea in mind. It's a gold necklace with your grandmother's ashes infused throughout it. It's something you can wear under everything, even your scrubs and jacket when you get it that is. I know you'll be a great doctor, I hate that I won't be here to see it."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because I'd rather break your heart than let you get hurt."

I had never heard more powerful words, they struck me to my core. Charlie loved me, having my heart broken by Charlie would feel like death. What would I do without her? Who was I without her? How could she be so okay with leaving me while I was about to break down at the very thought of losing her forever? She had my heart, and she was running away with it.

"What can I do to make you stay?"

"Nothing." Charlie sniffled. "Just promise me that you'll finish your residency and become a doctor. There are so many children in this world who need someone like you, Damon. It's was a privilege to have known and loved you. It was even more amazing knowing that you loved me back. You've always told me how special I am, that I'm one in a million. But you, Damon Reese, you're one in a billion."

"I won't let you run away again, Charlie. You have to stand up to him, tell him the truth. Are you going to let go of the best thing that's ever happened to you because you're scared?"

"I'm not scared, Damon, I'm in love. There are scarier things, things far worse than meeting face to face with Anthony again. Things like letting your soulmate get hurt. I'm not running away this time. I'm finally going to face my fears."