Chapter Text
“Clover Creek. Last Stop” the bus driver yelled to an empty bus. Well, empty except for one person, a lanky, black haired boy named Charlie Spring. Charlie pulled out his headphones and picked up his bag. Exiting the bus while feeling the crisp mountain air hitting his face. The town was certainly a departure from his life in London, but when he saw the ad Darcy had posted on Instagram he knew he couldn’t turn the opportunity up. Charlie had always dreamed of running a library and Darcy’s ad provided him the perfect opportunity to start fresh. His phone buzzed with a message from Tara Jones, Darcy’s wife and the mayor of Clover Creek. Charlie and Darcy, though never interacting much in school, had remained mutual acquaintances through social media during university.
T: Running a bit late. If you head left and down the road my office is right there
C: sounds good! be there soon
Going along Main Street, Charlie passed many small businesses one would expect to find in a small town. On the way, he passed an art studio, a small general store, and a cute bakery. The walk to the mayor's office only took a couple minutes from the bus stop. The office looked nothing like the office building he was expecting, but instead looked like a repurposed old house. The blue siding with white window shutters matched well with the handful of flower beds under the windows. Charlie mounted the steps and knocked on the door. Opening the door just a crack he said, “Tara? I’m here.”
“Chaaaaaarlie. Tara said that you’d be here soon.” Charlie jumped at the loud exclamation and turned his head to reveal a blonde woman in a tie-dyed shirt and ripped jeans. He recognized her instantly. He opened his arms up and pulled his school acquaintance into a hug. “Darcy! It’s so nice to see you. How are things? I hope once I get settled in we can catch up.” Her smile beamed. “Tara and I would love to have you over soon. She’s running a bit late so I insisted on giving you the grand tour.” She moved her hand animatedly toward her brow and saluted, “Darcy Olsson, professional party planner, mixologist, and tour guide at your service.”
~~~~~
After a highly exhaustive tour and an impressive cocktail, Charlie headed out from the mayor’s office. He knew he’d be able to meet Tara when picking up the keys for the library, so he didn’t worry about missing her too much. Before leaving, Charlie asked Darcy to direct him to the street of his apartment. Luckily, it was right in the center of town so he would be able to ride his bike everywhere.
On the walk home, Charlie heard his stomach rumble. He figured he hadn’t eaten since before the bus ride and figured he should stop in the bakery he passed this morning. The bakery had pastel green awnings and a couple tables for outdoor seating. He hadn’t noticed on his pass this morning but painted right in the center of the door’s window was a cute drawing of a dog with the name of the shop under it: Nellie’s Petite Sweets . The dog was so cute! Charlie opened the door with his eyes still on the painting and heard the ring of a tiny bell.
The bakery was covered in various shades of blue with a couple tables against the windows for customers to eat at. The counter ran along the left side of the building with a curtained arch behind the counter that led into the back kitchen. Approaching the counter, Charlie rang the tiny little bell that hotels tended to have in films. He waited a couple moments, but no one came out. “Hello? Is anyone here?” A thud came from the back room. “Hold on! Ahhh! I’m coming!” Another crash of metal baking sheets sounded. Charlie became worried and moved behind the counter in an attempt to help. He rushed, parting the curtains that lead to the back and saw a broad shouldered blonde haired man covered in flour on the ground. The man looked at Charlie and smiled. A little chuckle came out as he said “Hey.”
“Hey” Charlie said with a breathy laugh. “Do you need any help?”
“No. I’m fine. Just a little flour.” The man smiled at Charlie again and began full on laughing. “Are you sure? You on your back seems to be a bit more than just a little flour.”
“Yeah, I guess I could use a little help. I’m Nick by the way.” His eyes beamed and Charlie gave him a hand to help him up. “I’m Charlie… uh the new librarian in town.”
“Ahhh so you’re the new librarian. I was expecting an older person, but I guess you fit the type.” With a small laugh Charlie responded, “And what’s that supposed to mean?” Nick showed the hint of a smile. “Well, you give off the bookish vibes.” Charlie tensed for a second. His mind racing with sudden unwanted memories.
You’re a stupid nerd always stuck in your books. No one will ever love you !
“Charlie? Charlie? Are you okay?” Nick looked concerned. “I hope I did not offend you! That was not my intention whatsoever.” Charlie could tell he was being genuine so he gave a small smile, but his ex’s words continued to ring in his head. Nick didn’t look convinced by the smile but didn’t push. “Uhh.. Anyway I’m sorry that I’ve intruded into the back, I just needed a little food before heading to my apartment. I haven’t eaten since this morning.” Nick led Charlie back to the front assuring him that it was no issue and packed up a couple muffins and scones. “They’re on the house! Welcome to Clover Creek, Charlie…. uhhhh?”
“Spring. Charlie Spring!”
“Ah, my favorite season!” Charlie blushed. “Well Mr. Spring, I hope you enjoy the scones and muffins. I’ll see you around?”
“Yes. See you around.” Charlie averted his eyes, moving them toward the door. He could not shake the running thoughts from Ben’s words to how rude he must’ve been barging into the back. He felt that he should not have barged in so suddenly. It must’ve been such a bad impression on Nick. How could he be starting a new life and already mess it up this badly. He felt like an idiot.
The bell rang again as Charlie exited the bakery and continued to his apartment. He could not ignore the thoughts that crept back from the meeting. On the walk home, Charlie began overthinking the interaction. Scrutinizing each detail of his conversation.
No one will ever love you!
Why did he let Ben’s words control him so much? He felt stupid. One day in the town and he’s already failing to escape his ex’s words. And he made a bad impression on the townspeople. Charlie began running through his interactions with Darcy too. Was he too weird? Awkward? Rude? He felt that they must just be playing nice just to be polite. This was supposed to be his new starting point. And he was already ruining it.
~~~~~
After a 10 minute walk, Charlie entered his apartment building. Going up the two flights he arrived at Apartment 3B and fumbled for his keys. Right as he was about to put his key in the lock, the apartment across the hall opened. “Hello, new neighbor!” spoke a bright voice. Charlie pivoted to see two people standing in the doorway. One was a black haired man with a beanie and a graphic tee on and the other was a brown-skinned woman with a jean overall dress on. Her face framed with brown curls. “My name's Elle and this is Tao” the woman gestured toward the frowning man beside her. Charlie got the impression that he was frowning not because he was displeased but more so that was his neutral expression. “We just wanted to welcome you to Clover Creek!” she smiled a warm and welcoming smile. “Thanks! Uhhh…. my name is Charlie.”
“Darcy has already told us so much about you. You’re going to be the new librarian right? From around London right? Must be so different to move here from having access to such a big place like that.”
“Yeah. It certainly is a change of pace, but it’s definitely a needed change for me.” He attempted to reciprocate her smile. “Well, I’m sure you have a lot to unpack so we won’t keep you! Again, Welcome!” Her and the man shut the door behind them after waving and Charlie proceeded to unlock his apartment.
He threw the bag of baked goods from the bakery on the counter and began to unpack. While unpacking, he could not help dwelling on his interaction with Tao and Elle which, off course, led to a thought spiral of Nick and Darcy and Ben. He felt the anxiety rise up through his body. He took a second to ground himself with a couple deep breaths and focused on the in and out of his breathing. Taking about half an hour to unpack his bag and suitcase he scanned the rest of his empty apartment. Charlie definitely needed to get some more furniture ASAP. He noticed by the door there was a note. He picked it up and read it.
Charlie,
We’re having a film night this Saturday if you would like to join us. Our friend Aled will be there too and we wanted to extend the invitation. Hope to see you there. Let us know some of your favorite films so we can add them to the list.
-Tao
He smiled at the note before putting it on the counter. Perhaps he was being too harsh on himself with his conversations. He guessed that his first day at Clover Creek, other than the embarrassing rudeness he displayed with Nick, wasn’t as bad as he thought.