BURN •jb•

3~Expect the Unexpected

"Justin?" An unfamiliar voice asks making me widen my eyes a little. I turn my head a little to the left seeing Kiara stood there a little wide eyed, all of Charlotte's friends standing near her. They all seemed to stop whatever they were doing to look at me slightly shocked at my sudden my appearance. I can feel my heart rate pick up a little and my breaths become a little shaky as I just kind of look around the group for the person I'm interested in seeing.

"H-hi." I stutter, my cheeks turning slightly pink as I force an awkward smile on my lips. I swallow heavily as I reach up to scratch my neck awkwardly. I hear Atifa mumble something to herself before she excuses herself and forces everybody else up the wooden walkway telling them I'll not be too long. "How are you?" I ask politely the air thick with an awkward tension which just didn't seem to shift at all. I look around briefly for Charlie but I guess she's not here.

"I'm good, you?" She asks nudging her head towards me as I shrug.

"Busy but, yeah..." I trail off nodding my head as I try my best to avoid the main question in my head. "Why are you guys here?" I ask running my tongue over my lips quickly as I try to ignore the thoughts to just come straight out with asking where Char was.

"I'm getting married!"Lola cheered as I mumble a congratulations. Lola dramatically gasps holding her hand out to me so that she touches my hand softly obviously having a mental discussion with herself, a huge smile on her features making me look to the side awkwardly. Last time I'd saw Lola it was literally a day or two after she and Carter got engaged. "You have to come!" She smiles widely, her lips pursing a little nodding to herself. "Carter would love it." She adds as I open my mouth to speak.

I don't feel like that would be the best idea considering how awkward I'm finding this.

"Don't say no!" She instructs shaking her head once a warning look on her face. "You can't say no, please?" She pouts holding her hand out to my arm which makes me roll my eyes internally. She sounds like a small child right now? "I'd really love it if you came, Justin." Lola pleads for some reason. I puff out a breath eventually nodding as Lola smiles a little wider, telling me the details of the wedding before disappearing as she answered her phone which started playing a ringtone loudly.

"I'm sorry about her." Kia mumbles, sideglancing one of her best friends as she forces an awkward smile onto her lips. "She's kinda weird with the wedding, really excited and a little bipolar." I chuckle, agreeing with her quietly as I shove my hands deep in my pockets. The rest of the group seem to have moved a little way as Kia talks shrugging a little to herself.

After a moment or two of us stood in an awkward silence I decide to push my pride aside slightly clearing my throat as I ask "Where's Charlie?" I can feel my cheeks heating up once again as Kia looks to me with a look I couldn't quite read. A small smile tugged at her lips before she opened her mouth to speak.

"She's on her way. She went to see her dad and Jamie, they live here now." She smiles sadly before her eyes flick to the side and she smiles widely. "And I no longer have to stall you because look who's here?!" Kiara gasps making me furrow my eyebrows. Stall me? What does she mean?

I look to my right seeing Charlotte walking towards Lola and the rest of the girls who weren't too far away from us. I widen my eyes a little, I wasn't expecting this, well I obviously was but I wasn't expecting it after a ten minute talk with Kia and Lola after they said she wasn't here.

Fuck.

I don't even know what I would say or rather should say. I've missed you? It wouldn't be a lie exactly, I have missed her but not the type of 'miss' that drives you crazy and plays on your mind 24/7. It was the type of miss that had you wondering would we have worked if things were different and came to mind once or twice.