The creak of the old wooden floorboards echoed softly through the dimly lit room as Isaac walked towards the windowsill, "Charlie?" He says, the moon casting long shadows over his face. His thoughts were a tangled mess, but one thing was clear: the moment he had been avoiding was now inescapable. He turned to face Charlie, who sat quietly on the leather couch, his fingers nervously tracing the rim of a half-empty beer bottle.
For a while, the silence between them was heavy, broken only by the occasional crackle of the dying fire from the fire pit in the main area of the boat house out of the forest.. Neither of them knew quite how to begin. They hadn't been friends for long, and yet somehow, tonight felt as though it could unravel everything.
"I… I've been meaning to talk to you," Isaac began, his voice quieter than usual, as if the words themselves were weighed down by the admission he was about to make.
Charlie glanced up from the bottle, his blue eyes reflecting the soft glow of the fire. "Yeah? About what?" he asked, his voice a little uncertain, but there was something else there too, a hint of vulnerability, the kind he rarely showed.
Isaac ran a hand through his messy hair, trying to find the right words. He was never great at this—expressing feelings, laying his thoughts bare. But after tonight, it was unavoidable.
"About Clara," Isaac said, and even just saying her name felt like dragging a stone across the floor. "And… out friendship."
Charlie's grip tightened around the bottle, but he nodded, waiting for Isaac to continue.
"I've been thinking a lot," Isaac continued, walking over to sit across from Charlie. "About everything. About you, about her, about how things have been lately. And… I need to tell you the truth, Charlie. Clara and I—" He paused, exhaling sharply, "—we're not doing well."
The words seemed to hang in the air, like smoke curling from the dying embers in the fireplace.
Charlie's eyes widened, caught off guard. He had always thought Clara and Isaac were solid—well, maybe not perfect, but strong. From the outside, they looked like that couple who had everything figured out. Clara was always poised, always knew what to say, and Isaac, well, Isaac just followed her lead. But there had always been something a little off about it, something unspoken that Charlie couldn't quite put his finger on until now.
"I didn't know…" Charlie said softly, his voice trailing off. "What's been going on?"
Isaac leaned back, staring up at the wooden beams of the ceiling. "She's controlling, man. Like, in ways that… I didn't even see at first. I don't have any freedom anymore. Everything I do has to go through her first, like I'm under some kind of watch. It's exhausting. Every time I want to do something, it's like I need her permission or approval, and if I don't get it, we end up in a fight." He rubbed his face, frustration lining his words. "It's like I'm walking on eggshells all the time, and I can't breathe. I don't even know how it got this bad." he lets out a light chuckle filled with emotions that were only sorrowful.
Charlie stared at his friend, taking in the pain behind his eyes, the frustration that had been building up for months. "Why didn't you just tell me?" he asked, feeling a pang of guilt. "I could've… I don't know, listened to you talk about it or something."
Isaac laughed softly, but it was a humorless sound. "I didn't even realize how bad it was until recently. I thought it was normal, you know? Every relationship has its ups and downs, right? But this… this isn't normal." he says looking down towards the near pitch black ground.
Charlie set the beer bottle down and leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. "Isaac, I'm sorry about earlier. I got mad, and I shouldn't have. I just— I felt so excited when you invited me to practice, you know. I felt like I finally got to be apart of something and not be the odd one out for once. I guess part of me… I don't know, I guess I felt betrayed, lost?."
Isaac's gaze softened. "I get it. And I'm sorry too. I've been a crappy friend, and a sorry excuse of a man. With everything going on with Clara, it's like I couldn't focus on anything else. But I don't want to lose you either, Charlie. I want you here with me Charlie."
Charlie smiled, but there was sadness behind it. "Okay."
Isaac exhaled, relieved to feel the tension between them ease a little. For the first time in the last 24 hours he felt like he could breathe again. Like something heavy had been lifted from his chest, even if just a little.
Just then, the door to the room creaked open, and Etien stepped in, his usual easygoing grin in place. "Hey, are you two done being all broody and emotional, or should I keep waiting?"
Isaac laughed, shaking his head. "You always have the best timing man."
Etien closed the door behind him and sauntered over, a six-pack of beer in one hand. "I figured you two might need more to drink." He plopped down beside them, passing out the beers. "I didn't interrupt anything too serious, did I?"
Charlie shrugged, taking the bottle. "Nah, just a bit of emotional unpacking. You know, the usual."
Etien raised an eyebrow but didn't press. He cracked open his own beer and leaned back against the couch, looking up at the stars that were just barely visible through the small window. The room fell into a comfortable silence, the kind only old friends could share.
"Damn, it's nice out tonight," Etien remarked, staring at the stars.
"Yeah, thank you, Etien" Isaac said softly, his eyes following the faint twinkle of light outside. For a moment, all the tension, all the confusion, seemed to dissolve into the quiet beauty of the night.
The three of them sat there, the cold beers in their hands, the night slowly growing quieter around them. It was a rare moment of peace, and Isaac let himself sink into it. Just for a little while longer.
Later that night, Isaac found himself on his motorcycle, driving Charlie home. The air between them was lighter now, the weight of earlier conversations lingering but no longer suffocating. The hum of the engine was the only sound as they drove down the dark, tree-lined road toward Charlie's place.
"Thanks for tonight," Charlie said, breaking the comfortable silence.
Isaac glanced over, smiling faintly. "Yeah"
They pulled up outside Charlie's house, the soft glow of the porch light casting long shadows across the driveway. Charlie got off Isaacs bike and took off the helmet but didn't go into the house. Instead, he looked at Isaac with a seriousness that wasn't there earlier.
"You're gonna be okay, right? With all this Clara stuff?" Charlie asked quietly.
Isaac sighed "I don't know," he admitted. "But I'll figure it out. I have to."
Charlie nodded slowly. "You've got people who care about you, you know? Just don't forget that."
Isaac's chest tightened, but he managed a small smile. "I won't. Thanks, man."
With that, Charlie climbed out of the car and disappeared into his house. Isaac watched him go, then turned the key in the ignition, the engine rumbling to life as he headed back home.
The house was quiet when Isaac returned. The clock on the kitchen wall showed that it was well past midnight, but he didn't feel tired. His mind was still racing, turning over everything he had said, everything he hadn't said. There was something else, too, nagging at him, tugging at the edge of his thoughts.
He pulled out his phone, hesitating for a moment before typing a quick message.
*Isaac: We need to talk. Can you come over tomorrow?*
It didn't take long for the reply to come through.
*Etien: Sure. What's up?*
*Isaac: I'll explain tomorrow. See you in the morning.*
Isaac tossed his phone onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling. Sleep didn't come easily that night, but when it finally did, his dreams were troubled, shadows shifting just out of reach.
The next morning came too quickly, the sun barely cresting the horizon when Isaac heard a knock at the door. He had been up for hours, pacing, thinking. When he opened the door, Etien was standing there, looking a little bleary-eyed but curious.
"What's going on, man?- WOAH You look like you haven't slept at ALL."
Isaac stepped aside, letting Etien in. "I didn't. There's something I need to talk to you about. Something important."
Etien raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. "Okay… what's up?"
Isaac didn't waste time with small talk. "It's about Clara."
Etien's expression shifted slightly, something flickering in his eyes at the mention of her name. "What about her?"
"I think she's hiding something from me," Isaac said, his voice low, the words tumbling out faster than he had intended. "I don't know what it is, but there's something… off. She's been acting weird lately, and I can't shake the feeling that there's something she's not telling me."
Etien frowned, grabbing an apple out of the fridge and then leaning against the kitchen counter. "You're sure? I mean, maybe it's just, you know, the usual relationship stuff? People act weird sometimes."
"No," Isaac said firmly. "It's not just that. There's something more. I can feel it."
Etien takes a bite of his apple and then crosses his arms, his brow furrowed. "So, what are you saying? What do you want me to do about it?"
Isaac hesitated for a moment, knowing how strange this would sound, but he had no one else to turn to. "I need you to find out for me. See if you can figure out what's going on."
Etien blinked, clearly taken aback. "Wait, what? You want me to spy on her?"
Isaac shook his head quickly. "No, it's not spying. Just… I don't know, get close. Talk to her. Maybe she'll open up to you."
Etien stared at him for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Finally, he spoke, his voice quieter than usual. "Isaac, that's… kind of weird, man."
"I know," Isaac admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "But I don't know what else to do. I need to know the truth."
There was a long pause, and then Etien sighed. "Okay. I'll try. But… you know, it's not exactly easy to just get close to someone like that. Clara's… well, she's complicated."
Isaac nodded, relief washing over him. "I know. And I wouldn't ask if I didn't think it was important and that you weren't capable of doing it."
Etien gave him a long, searching look before finally nodding. "Alright. I'll see what I can do."
Isaac felt a strange mix of emotions—relief, anxiety, stress, and something else he couldn't quite name. But one thing was certain: things were about to get more complicated than ever.