the other side of us | ✓

2.13 | we should be honest

Charlotte wasn't one to get drunk, she usually left that up to Devin. But Devin had called her after work on Saturday and demanded that they have a movie night. She'd shown up at Charlotte's apartment that evening with Ash and several bottles of wine in tow.

"We're having a movie night," Ash said. "We're going to drink nice wine and you're going to get your mind off of everything."

"You're going to have fun." Devin added. "Whether you like it or not."

Charlotte hadn't argued with her friends as they'd taken over her kitchen, making popcorn and shoving a frozen pizza in the oven.

Devin put a glass of wine in Charlotte's hand before the popcorn started popping.

"Drink." She demanded.

Charlotte listened, and together they drain four bottles of wine before the evening ended.

*

Devin had passed out on Charlotte's bed while Ash had fallen asleep on the couch. Charlotte stumbled through the living room and jammed her toe on the door frame.

"Ow!" She moaned.

Her vision swam as she straightened, squinting as she struggled to unlock her phone, hitting the first contact in her recent call log.

"Charlotte?" Mason picked up, as always, on the first ring. His voice was thick with sleep, and for some reason, this caused laughter to bubble out of Charlotte.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Why do you always ask me if I'm okay?" She slurred. Mason sighed.

"Are you drunk?"

"So what if I am?" She smiled to herself. Mason had always hated drinking.

"Why are you drinking at three thirty in the morning, Charlotte?"

"Why . . ." She hiccupped. "do you care?"

Mason sighed. "You know why I care."

"But I want to hear it." She whined.

"Because I love you, Charlotte." Mason said reluctantly. Charlotte sighed.

"You do, don't you?"

Mason didn't respond. Charlotte took another sip from her glass.

"You always answer my calls on the first ring." She said suddenly. "Do you wait by the phone for me to call?"

"No, I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"You didn't care when you left."

"What?"

"You didn't care if I was okay when you left. I called and called and called. But no answer."

The room spun when Charlotte tried to get up, and she fell onto her bed. Devin groaned as the movement jostled her.

"Whoops. When did the bed get here?"

"I think you should go to sleep." Mason said, amused.

"But I don't want to sleep alone!" Charlotte whined again. "Devin has Ricky and Ash had Max before she broke up with him and now she has a new guy that she won't tell me about, but I'm alone."

"You're not alone, Charlotte."

"Yes I am!"

"Do you want to talk until you fall asleep? Would that help?"

"Maybe. I'm still alone though."

She stopped talking, laying down and sandwiching the phone between her ear and the pillow.