Driving Me Crazy

Chapter Fourteen

Charles

"God damnit!" I curse into the empty air. Running my hands over my face and through my hair, I stand outside of my car. The last thing I should do is leave, but it would be just as bad if I stayed. I don't know what to do. Maybe Katana just needs time. "Fuck!" I yell as I rip my door open and slam it shut behind me. I start the car and slam it into drive much rougher than usual. One of these days my shifter will break on me, but I could care less at the moment.

Picking up my phone, I message Lando. Texting and driving isn't smart, but I do it anyways. Meet me at Carlos' spot in fifteen. I need a fucking drink after this bullshit I just put myself through

Landooo: Got it, bringing Smooth Operator for damage control.

Lando and his nicknames get the best of us, but we let the kid do what he wants. I put my phone down and continue onto the bar we always meet at when we're in Miami.

Upon arrival, I park my car and make my way inside without a problem. Not many people know about this place and the owners usually keep it on the down low when we're here. I imagine it's because we pay well, but also because it's easier on them. They allow me to walk to a table in the corner and don't approach me until my companions arrive. Lando is the first to walk in the door, Carlos following close behind.

"Lord Perceval, you look like shit." Carlos sing-songs as he makes his walk over to the table. The nicknames never end, with him being Smooth Operator and me being Lord Perceval. Lando slaps my back before sitting down next to me and signaling to the bartender that we're ready for them. When they send someone over, Lando orders a soft drink and Carlos orders a Redbull with Rum. The ache in my head causes me to order two shots of vodka and a Moscow Mule.

"Jesus man, you're really hurting aren't you? Fred will have your ass if you show up hungover tomorrow." Lando shoots at me, blatantly judging my choice of drink.

Irritated, I say, "I just had my heart ripped out and chewed up, I need to get fucking drunk."

Carlos' eyes widen and his jaw drops open slightly before asking, "What the fuck did I miss?"

The bar is empty, leaving the entire room to just us and the employees. The radio plays Chase Atlantics, "Numb to the Feeling" and I hum along as I think about what to say in response to that loaded question. The table we've sat at has a booth in the shape of a horseshoe, allowing each of us to have a decent amount of room while still being able to hear each other. The air is cold, but the rage in my body is keeping me warm.

Lando is the first one to speak while Carlos just decides to stare at us, waiting for a response.

"Charles met a girl, fell madly in love, and lied to her about who he was because he got all insecure about his fame, she found out he was lying from the Fararri ad outside of her window and he has to catch us both up from then," Lando says, while making direct eye contact with me. The drinks arrive so I down both shots and down half of the drink before speaking again.

Leaning back and crossing my arms, I prepare to talk. "I showed up at her apartment, thanks for the help with that by the way. I basically poured my heart out to her, told her I loved her, and she called me a liar and told me to get the fuck out. The end."

Their jaws drop and at the same time, they shout, "You said what?!"

Shaking my head and running my hands along my face, I contemplate whether I actually regret my decision or not. While I very much regret the lying, I don't regret telling her the truth about how I really feel. She needed to hear it whether she wanted to or not.

Lando brings his lips to a tight line before opening it to say, "So, I'm going to guess this isn't the best time to say that I gave her friend a paddock pass for this weekend and she only agreed if she could bring Katana..."

My jaw drops in response to that and I down the rest of my drink before looking at him and giving him a raging death glare. "You're fucking stupid," I say to Lando. Before he can speak again, I add, "You're not hanging out with her friend because you're trying to help me win Katana over, right?"

Lando brings his hands to his chest and acts like I just hurt his feelings before saying, "Nah man, her friend seems really cool and I think she's gorgeous. We were texting back and forth while you had your little telenovela moment. I wonder if she will cancel on me now considering what happened. If you ruin my first date in months, I swear man."

Carlos starts laughing, blatantly still in shock from the entire trauma dump that just happened in front of him. Without saying a word to us, he orders another drink and downs the one he's currently holding. "You guys are a fucking mess," he says. "Continue on, I'm just here for the party," He adds before motioning for Lando and me to keep talking.

Thinking back to our earlier conversation, I look at Lando and ask, "Wait, you found her Instagram right?"

The look on his face tells me that he knows what I'm about to ask and that it's definitely a bad idea, but I'll do it anyways. Huffing, he rolls his eyes and says, "Let me pull it up for you, but if you like any of the pictures, I swear to god."

I raise my hands up in the air in surrender and promise that I would do no such thing. He hands his phone over to me and the first thing I see is her bright smile. There is a picture of her holding a very angry, fluffy black cat and she is just beaming. Her hair is over the cat's head and he looks ready to kill her, but she has no care in the world. "God she's amazing," I mumble under my breath. I can tell that I have a smile on my face because when I look up, Carlos and Lando are staring back at me. The smiles on their face tell me that they see right through me.

Carlos looks at me and says, "Fuck man, you're in deep. How do you plan on fixing this shit before Monday?"

In all honesty, I have no fucking clue. I am at a complete loss and have only made the situation worse. The words I say next are a perfect picture of my cluelessness.

"I have the perfect plan."