“Good morning,” a distant, yet oddly familiar, voice sang in my ear, making my eyes snap open in alarm. When I opened my eyes, all I saw a bare shoulder. Soon, though, my eyes refocused and I noticed that I was lying on my left side, holding Charlie protectively from behind, our still naked bodies pressed up against each other but covered with a mass of blankets. I sighed, relaxing my head back into the crook of her neck.

But then I realized that Charlie was fast asleep, and the voice had come through my right ear. I carefully relaxed my grip around Charlie and turned my head to look behind me, my soul immediately shattering as I did so.

I couldn’t bring my self to speak. Words would not be effective, and, honestly, I couldn’t think of any to say. I suddenly felt self-conscious, too, though, as I pulled some blankets around me more securely, making sure I was completely covered.

“Hi, Vic,” she said sweetly, smiling at me weakly.

My mouth was suddenly dry and full of air, making it impossible to speak even if I figured out something to say. So my mouth just hung open uselessly.

“Hey, it’s okay, don’t be like that,” she said reassuringly.

Sitting on the edge of the pick up truck, her legs bent and her feet firmly planted into the surface amongst the miscellaneous blankets and pillows, while her hands gripped the thin edges for support, was…

“Spencer,” I breathed, staring at her with wide eyes.

She smiled softly at me, tucking hair behind her ears. “Hi,” she said.

“Um, hi,” I swallowed. I mean, sure, I was happy to see her… but now? Right after I gave myself to Charlie? When the hole in my chest was beginning to close, I had to see her now?

A million different emotions and thoughts were running through my head all at once to the point where I couldn’t make sense of any of them. So I just stared at her, sitting up but keeping a blanket wrapped around my bottom half. It was then when I realized Spencer had never seen me naked before—the most she’s seen was me in boxers. I’ve seen her undressed, but that was not sexual at all—the memory of ripping her drowning body out of hot bathtub water suddenly invaded my mind, making me shudder. Spencer and I had never actually done anything, our relationship being purely emotional. It felt like I had crashed my car into a brick wall, the way everything was so suddenly coming back to me. I shivered.

“I know what you’re thinking, and it’s okay,” she said. “I just wanted to tell you something…” I nodded, still mute, still wide-eyed. “I'm proud of you,” she said. I tilted my head in confusion. What was she proud of me for? I was a mess—I had a healing cut on my left arm to prove it. And I had slept with another girl. Another girl who I felt something really strong for. Wouldn’t Spencer be upset about that?

She shook her head. “You’re moving on,” she said happily. “I’m sure my presence here isn’t really helping with that…” she added lowly as an afterthought, but then she shrugged her shoulders. “But you deserve to know that I’m okay with it,” she said.

“You are?”

She nodded. “Of course I am. I knew you were going to wake up feeling shitty, no matter how much you like this girl,” she said. “And I know you like her a lot, and I didn’t want you to wake up with conflicting emotions,” she explained.

“You can do that?” I asked, not being able to grasp the fact that she was here, and she was talking to me. As if she was alive.

“No, silly,” she laughed, but there was a small hint of pain behind her eyes. “You’re dreaming,” she said.

“Oh,” I said lowly. Of course, how could I be so stupid to think that she was actually here?

“But it’s still real enough. You should know that,” she added, and I nodded, agreeing. We always had this peculiar connection with our minds, so I suppose this made sense. “I can’t stay long. Besides, this is kind of awkward,” she giggled, nodding at me and Charlie. I blushed.

But then I realized something—I blushed. I wasn’t cowering away from Spencer in pain or heartbreak or terror. Nor was I attacking her with hopeless kisses, trying to make this short time last. I was just sitting up casually, feeling… better.

“Thank you, Spence,” I said quietly, smiling at her.

“Anything for you,” she said calmly. Suddenly she slid off of the edge of the truck, kneeling down on her knees in front of me so she was at my level. My heart jumped when she placed her palm over my chest, right where my new heart was.

In that moment, everything in my head became clear.

Spencer had sent me Charlie—I just knew it. And here, now, she was letting me know that. This was Spencer telling me that she really wanted me to be with someone else, that she approved—this was Spencer giving me my heart back.

I placed my hand over hers that remained on my chest and smiled at her. “Thank you,” I repeated in a whisper.

“I love you,” she said quietly.

A knot formed in my throat and tears prickled my eyes. “I-I love you, too,” I said.

“But you aren’t in love with me,” she corrected, and, for some reason, I found myself nodding in agreement. “Good,” she said softly, kissing my cheek. “Everything is okay, now,” she said encouragingly. Although tears flowed freely down my cheeks, I nodded in agreement. Everything is okay, now.

“Are y-you going to be okay, though?” I asked—I had to make sure. I didn’t want this to hurt her. I didn’t want anything to hurt my Spencer anymore.

“I am more than okay, darling. I promise. This is how it’s supposed to be, and I am so happy,” she said, and I saw it in her eyes that she was being honest. And, I felt the same way. It hurt more to be stuck on her, to not be able to let her go. But she was letting me go, and I was letting her go, and now, I felt happy. I never thought that this concept would make me happy, but that’s what the sleeping girl beside me was for. It didn’t hurt to let go anymore, because Spencer gave me Charlie. Suddenly, everything made sense. Suddenly, everything felt right.

“Now go back to sleep,” Spencer laughed, giving me a slight nudge. I smiled widely at her, pulling her in for one last hug.

“Goodbye,” I whispered in her ear.

“Goodbye,” she whispered, too, giving me a squeeze. She pulled away and smiled nostalgically at me, pushing me back down. I smiled back at her, and then I closed my eyes, letting her go in peace.

When I opened my eyes again, Charlie was still asleep, and my arms were wrapped tightly around her waist again. My dream remained in the back of my mind fuzzily. I knew Spencer was gone, but for the first time in a long time, I didn’t feel bothered about it.

Charlie stirred quietly in my arms, and I pulled her close into me. I buried my face into the space between her shoulder and neck, planting a sweet kiss on the bare skin. She turned in my arms so she was facing me, her eyes swirling with happiness. She smiled sleepily at me, and then she wrapped her arms around my torso, pulling me into an embrace. She kissed my chest—right where my fresh heart happily rested.

I kissed the top of her head. “Good morning, beautiful.”

Notes

Yay for fillers! But at least it's a happy filler :) Vic needed some closure, I think, so closure he shall receive!
And how about this fluffiness! Go me!