Charlie's POV
"Charlie honey, it's going to be okay. Everything is going to be okay" I heard my Mom say to me as she gently ran her hand over my long locks, her voice reaching my ears at a muffled tone at best as my sobs were drowning out everything else. I turned my head to look at her, my vision extremely blurred with thick tears covering my irises as I shook my head at her.
"How? How is everything going to be fucking okay? He fucking hates me and it is all my fault" I sobbed out in a language that was slightly foreign, making it even hard for me to understand what language I was speaking.
"Charlie honey, remember I told you that he was going to be like this? It's just a shock honey. Let him take the time to think it through" Jodie tried to say in a soothing tone, her hand running up and down my back. I took in several shaky breaths at her words before lifting my head up and running the back of my hand under my nose to capture the running fluid like a toddler who was crying to hard because they couldn't get their favorite candy.
"That's it, he loves me. I know he loves me. I have to go stop him" I said, pushing myself out of my Mom and Jodie's grasp as I raced towards the front door, quickly pulling it open as I saw Austin pulling out of the driveway and heading down the road towards his hotel. I called his name loudly as I started running down the driveway after the black Mercedes, Rich following closely behind as I felt his arms wrap around my waist before I made it to the end of the driveway.
"Charlie sweetheart, let him go for now. He needs this" I heard him say into my ear as I started struggling against him, beating my small fists at his arms as I tried to get away from him, not even caring if I was causing a scene in their neighborhood.
"No please. I have to stop him, you don't understand" I sobbed, feeling my fight starting to dissipate as I realized I wasn't going to be able to pull away from him. "He loves me, he told me that no matter what he wasn't going to leave me. He loves me" I sobbed, turning into a rag doll in his arms as I slumped down into the grass, pulling my knees into my chest as I started to sob again.
I heard the sound of several pairs of feet making their way down the driveway towards me, but paid no mind to who they belonged to. This wasn't how this was supposed to happen. We were supposed to have an amazing night together. We were supposed to be enjoying each others company and catch up on the parts of each other's life that we missed. Maybe--well no not maybe, more like definitely--get lost in between the sheets with our emotions as we expressed just how much we loved and missed each other after all of these years.
Then tomorrow, that was when this was supposed to happen. I had higher hopes that after the night we should've spent together tonight, he would be more in love and more committed to the idea of us being together that when he found out he would be mad, but he wouldn't have acted like he did in front of his son and his parents. My mind immediately started racing as I thought about the person who started all of this, Casey.
She knew how much I was dreading telling Austin about his son for this exact reason, she knew what the plan was. Yet, I couldn't help but think that she was the one that told him to come here. I started seeing red as I felt my face flush and my blood start to burn as it coursed through the highway of my veins, my head popping up as I looked at the Rich, Jodie and my Mom standing in front of me.
"Where are the keys to the car?" I said, pushing myself up off of the ground quickly as I started to walk towards the house.
"Woah, you are not driving Charlie" I heard my Mom say as she grabbed on to my wrist to stop me from going any further to the house. I turned around to look at her, my eyes cold and piercing as they looked straight into hers.
"Fucking let me go right now" I said through gritted teeth, my gaze not breaking with hers. I knew I would regret how I was treating her and everyone later, but right now my thoughts were clouded and I only had two things on my mind. One to get Austin to come to his senses and two to go and give fucking Casey a piece of my mind.
"Charlotte Roman you are not getting behind the wheel of a car right now" my Mom said, gabbing onto my wrist tighter as I tried to break free from her grasp.
"I'll take her wherever she wants to go" I heard Rich say in a surprisingly calm voice, my head snapping over to look at him. It suddenly dawned on me that if I wanted to be with anyone right now--aside from Austin-- it was going to be Rich. I nodded my head as I walked over towards his car, my eyes following him as he walked inside to get his car keys.
"Honey, where are you going? Come back inside and calm yourself down first" my Mom said trying to coax me away from Rich's car. I shook my head no as I crossed my arms over my chest. I had every intention of going and giving Casey a piece of my mind. I didn't need time to calm down, I didn't need time to think I knew that this was what I wanted to do.
"No, just let me go" I said, hearing the car beep as he unlocked it with the fob, my arm reaching out as I grasped the handle pulling the door open towards me as I slipped inside. I looked out the windshield to see both my Mom and Jodie talking very animatedly to Rich who was trying to calm them down, only to have the both of them turn and walk off towards the house as he got into the drivers seat next to me.
"Where we going kiddo?" he asked, starting the engine as he gave me a small smile.
"Casey's" I said, looking at him only momentarily before I turned my gaze out of the passenger side as he backed out of the driveway and headed down the freeway towards Casey's house on the lake.
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Rich didn't even come to a stop in Casey's driveway and I was getting ready to jump out of the car until I felt his hand reach over and gently rest on my arm. I looked over at him with a fierce look in my eyes at first, until I felt it soften as tears started to form again behind my tired and achy eyes.
"Listen kiddo, I know you don't really know how to act or how to feel right now. But know that whatever you say today, is going to affect the outcome of your friendship with Casey tomorrow" he smiled at me. I caved into his kind words as the tears started to fall down my face, my arms wrapping around his neck as I sobbed into his shoulder as he softly whispered kind and reassuring words.
I pulled away from him after a few minutes, wiping my eyes with my palms as I nodded my head at him giving him the smallest of smiles. "I'll be back in a few minutes" I said, reaching out and pulling the door open as I started to make my way down the stairs to Casey's boathouse.
I tried to let Rich's words sink into my head, but as my feet started to descend down the long staircase to Casey's boathouse, they quickly got pushed away with rage and anger for her. I knew what I wanted to say to her, and to be honest I didn't care what affect it had on our relationship because at this moment, we didn't have one.
I walked quickly onto the dock, making my way to the back door as I pounded on it hard, yelling her name through the thick paned glass until she finally showed up, slowly sliding it open as she looked at me, her head shaking back and forth slowly as she looked at me with tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry Charlie" she said, the tears breaking free from their hold as they started to fall freely down her cheeks.
"Don't, don't fucking tell me your fucking sorry!" I screamed at her, my finger pointing directly in her face as she brought her hand up over her mouth letting out small sobs.
"I thought it was going to be okay. I saw how much it was bothering you and I just thought if you got it done sooner" she said through sobs as her shoulders shook heavily.
"No Casey you didn't fucking think! I don't care how much it was bothering me, I wanted to wait until tomorrow and now I don't even have another fucking night to enjoy with him because you and your little fucking plan took him away from me just as quick as he came back to me!" I yelled, the tears falling out of my eyes heavily as I yelled at her loudly.
"Charlotte I am so so sorry. I didn't think he would ever leave you" she said trying to reach out and pull me in for a hug. I held both of my hands up in front of me as I backed away from her shaking my head.
"Don't fucking touch me" I said, snapping at her as I looked at her with a set jaw and stone cold eyes.
"Charlie please" she begged, wiping at her face with her palms.
"No Casey. I'm done. Austin finally came back to me, I was finally going to back to LA with him and I truly believe that if it went as planned, myself and our son would be on the plane with him back to LA" I said taking a deep breath, hoping that my words weren't true and that I would still be on that plane with him tomorrow afternoon. "But no, my happy ending was cut short by you trying to help" I said, putting air quotes around the word.
"But it's all good isn't it Casey. You have your happy ending. You and Mark are going to live in a boujee house on the lake for the rest of your life with your children and you are going to live happily ever after. How does it feel to know that you tore that dream away from me!?"
"Charlotte please stop, you know that that was not what I was intending to do. You know that I have always wanted you happy with Austin. Please stop thinking I was being selfish" she said, her tears drying up as it seemed like she was getting angry as well.
"Too late. Fuck you, and fuck your wedding. Find some other friend to take my spot. I won't fucking be here" I took a moment to study her face, as the tears started to well up in her eyes once more. "I hope you live your fucking dream. Have a nice fucking life" I said, quickly turning as I quickly made my way away from her, climbing the stairs to her driveway two at a time. Practically running to the car and jumping inside when I got to the top of the stairs.
I put my head in my hands as I started to cry, so much for listening to Rich's words of reasoning. I knew that what I had said to Casey was unsalvageable and I was almost certain that I would regret everything I said to her tomorrow morning, but at the moment I didn't care. She did this. She was the one who made Austin walk out of my life. She was the one that ruined my happiness and right now I didn't want to have anything to do with her because of it.
"You okay?" Rich asked me quietly. I shook my head at him as I sat up resting my head back against the headrest.
"No. So much for your wise words" I laughed a little before throwing my hands over my face. "She just knew how happy I was that he was back. That we were together again like we should've been for years" I said, my tears not staying away for long as they started to fall out of my eyes again. I started to wonder just how long I would be able to cry until nothing came out anymore, until I have used all of my tears and just started to cry dry sobs.
"I'm sure she didn't mean it. She probably thought she was being a good friend and helping you out" he smiled.
"Just like Austin didn't mean what he said when he told me he doesn't know if he could forgive me" I said, the tears building up again realizing that he just may be out of my life forever. He looked over at me with a warm paternal smile.
"He agreed to talk with you kiddo. Would you like to go now?" he asked me, tilting his head to the side in the same fashion Austin always does when he asks a question.
"Yes! Oh my God yes! Please. I'll tell you how to get there. Oh thank God!" I said feeling just the tiniest amount of relief as Rich started to pull out of the driveway as we headed towards my hopeful future.
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We pulled into the parking lot of the Four Seasons, Rich turning off the ignition as he looked over at me. "Do you mind if I come in with you? I know this can take a while and if things get fixed, which I am sure they will, you can just run out and tell me I can go back home" he smiled at me. I nodded my head as the both of us walked through the front lobby doors. I dug around in my purse until I found the room key that he gave me. I held it up to the door as it quickly clicked open as I pushed through it.
"Austin? Austin where are you?" I asked, running through the suite as I was looking for him in every room. I smiled as I saw the sheets still askew from our amazing morning together, the towel that he used to clean me up with still laying in a heap on the floor. I looked over to my left to see the door open for the patio as I quickly ran out calling his name. I looked around the small space not to find Austin, but rather a piece of paper sitting on the table underneath one of the glasses we used this morning for breakfast.
I sat down in the chair I occupied this morning, slowly moving the used glass of orange juice off of the paper as I picked it up with trembling hands, my lip shaking violently as I knew this was most likely a horrible outcome. I took a deep breath as I started to read.
Charlie,
I know that I had promised my Dad I would take the time to sit and talk with you about everything, but I'm sorry. No matter how hard I try, I can't shake the fact that you hid one of the most amazing gifts a guy could ever ask for from me. Maybe it would've been a different story if he was just a few months old, but he's almost four Charlie. I believe you when you said that you thought you were doing me a favor, because that is you and you have one of the biggest hearts in the world. But he is our baby Charlie, this isn't like hiding from me that you were going to move to Dallas for college. This is a life that the both of us created, and I missed out on so much of it.
But despite all of this, I still love you Charlie. No, it isn't the fact that we have a baby together and I feel like I have to, I really and truly love you. That is why it was so hard to make the decision to go back to LA without you. But I hope that you understand that I can't be with you right now, not after this big secret that you kept from me. I don't know if we are going to be okay, a big part of me really hopes that we are going to be, but I need time to be away from you right now Charlie, and maybe it is for the better so I don't say something that I will regret.
Please keep doing an amazing job at raising our sweet, beautiful little boy and regardless of our outcome I promise I will meet him soon. I want to be a part of his life Charlie, whether it is with our without you. Take care of yourself and please don't be sad forever. You deserve an answer to this and I promise I will call you and tell you where we stand. Until then, know that I still love and still care about you and Austy so fucking much. I love you Charlie.
~Austin
I felt the tears fall down my face as a few splashed onto the paper leaving wet blotchy ink marks across some of his untidily scripted words. I clutched his note firmly in my hand as I rested my forehead against my arms crying out softly. I don't know how long I was crying for, but I eventually was brought back to my senses when I heard a deep voice calling my name. Feeling my heart flutter briefly I looked up, only to see that it was Rich who walked over to me quickly.
"He left me Rich, he left me again. He left me without even giving me a chance to explain. He left me without even saying goodbye" I said, breaking into a sob as I wrapped my arms around his neck and cried.
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A/N: Poor Charlie. Whether you think she should've told Austin or not, she didn't deserve for him to just pick up and leave her without him giving a chance to explain herself. She also removed herself from Casey's wedding! What do you think? Do you think Austin is going to take some time to think and forgive her? Or are Austin and Charlie destined to be friends forever?
~Update Schedule~
2-20: I Know Your Scared of the Unknown
2-21: What Happens in Vegas