CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
run-ins
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SHE only got through a couple of bites before saying she couldn't take anymore, feeling too exhausted emotionally, physically, and mentally. charlotte nodded and gave her a smile.
"that's okay," she said, putting the dishes away. "we can take this slow, i wanna help you as best i can while keeping you comfortable," she said, getting gracie to smile adoringly. "want me to take weenie out to pee?"
gracie nodded, "that'd be great."
charlotte picked up weenie's leash and clipped it on, pulling on one of gracie's jackets as she stepped out the apartment. she shut the door sighing as she leaned her head back against it, bringing her hand up to rub her eyes. that was the hardest fifteen minutes she's spent in her whole life, the most heartbreaking and definitely time she'd never forget. but she wasn't going to run away from this, hell no, she was going to help gracie until everything was better, until her lungs give out.
she was about to go take weenie outside when her phone rang again, sadie's contact lighting up the screen. she cringed as she answered the phone, knowing sadie was probably freaking out from the previous call.
"hi sadie—"
"what the hell is going on, you just called me saying gracie passed out, and i can only like assume that's gracie abrams—and you sounded freaked the fuck out and then you just hang up?!" sadie worriedly shouted. "where are you?!"
"it's—i'm sorry sadie," charlotte groaned as she stepped into the cold night. "a lots been going on and yeah it was gracie abrams... she passed out and i didn't know what to do so i called you but it's okay now and um... i need to tell you something when i see you next."
she heard sadie's sigh, "charlie i'm really worried, you've been keeping something from me, i know it. and the matthew post? since when are you two into each other again?"
"um... i also need to talk to you about that it's not what it looks like really but i-i know i've been keeping shit from you but it's just really delicate, i've been meaning to tell you for a while now."
"when can we meet up?"
"after work tomorrow come to my place. um there's also an interview coming out tomorrow, the IMBd one. it'll kinda tie in with what i'm telling you."
"oh god please don't tell me you're moving somewhere to film for a good girls guide to murder," sadie said with shock.
god, if only that was it things would be so much easier.
"no, don't worry i'm not moving anywhere," charlotte laughed. "i'll text you when i'm wrapping tomorrow. sorry again for calling like that earlier."
"it's fine as long as you're okay," sadie sweetly said before the two said their goodbyes and hung up.
charlotte stood in the cold as weenie pranced around in the grass, her eyes staring up at the numerous lights in the buildings around her. she walked with weenie down a couple corners waiting for him to do his thing while trying to guess how sadie will react when she finds out everything she's been hiding from her. sadie never got angry over things, the only time she could remember said actually raising her voice out of anger and not worry to anyone was when marcus broke her TV by accidentally knocking it over while playing football in the house with matthew. and even then, she got over it by the end of the night. but this was different, charlottes always been open with sadie and return she was with her.
"you seem stressed."
charlotte turned her head, almost jumping out of her skin from joe startled she was from the voice directly behind her. and even more so by who she was looking at.
alex monaghan was much more detailed in person than what charlottes seen online. he was really tall, soft chestnut hair covered by a ball cap. he had dimples and a stuble covering his sharp jawline, and dark green eyes. he looked at charlotte with a smug smile before diving his hand into his jacket pocket, pulling out a joint and his lighter as he leaned against the wall of the building they were beside.
"um, it's nothing," charlotte mumbled, staring him up and down wondering if he recognized her.
"hi weenie," he said, bending down to pet weenie who instantly remembered alex and jumped up his legs, his tail wagging rapidly. "guess charlotte took over my duty of walking you huh buddy."
charlotte mentally cursed him out, hating that he striked up a conversation while knowing who she was.
"how's gracie?" he asked, taking a puff.
"um, she's fine," charlotte saltily said.
"yeah," alex chuckled. "hey wait a sec," he said when he noticed charlotte starting to turn away. "c'mon, we haven't properly met. i'm alex, you probably know," he smirked.
"charlotte," she nodded and shook his open hand, his grip was firm and even hurt a little, he's fingernails creased into the back of her hand.
"i've been wanting to meet you, y'know ever since you popped into the news hanging out with gracie," he said. charlotte tensed up, which he noticed. "here," he said, thrusting the joint into her hand.
"um thanks," she mumbled and took a small hit. "look i—"
"what're you doing out this late with her huh?"
"nothing," charlotte sharply said, folding her arms.
"i thought uh you guys were enemies," he said, taking the joint and blowing the smoke right in her face.
charlotte crinkled her nose, "it's none of your business what we are. i don't even know you."
alex rolled his eyes, "oh come on parker. she got a new boyfriend?"
charlotte didn't respond, she just stared down at weenie and ignored it.
"or are uh... you two a thing?" he smirked, raising an eyebrow. where the hell did he learn that from? "makes sense if you are i mean, why else would you two be hiding from the public right? a friendship with you, that'd piss her parents off but a relationship?" he whistled. "that's a real reason to hide."
charlotte stared at him with creased eyebrows, "oh fuck off. no, we're not."
"look don't shit on me for this but take it from me, i'd get out of her life as soon as possible. she's nothing, you could do a lot better, even better than that cover you posted on instagram, what's his name uhh matthew?"
"what're you fucking stalking me?" she spat.
alex shook his head, "just checking in on who my ex hangs with. trying to help em escape," he chuckled, blowing the smoke once again in charelotte's face.
"thanks but i don't need your help," charlotte said, meeting his eyes.
"cocky," he said, folding his arms. "hey your friend sadie sink, she's cute huh."
charlotte dropped to a glare, "what?"
"c'mon everyone knows who she is she's huge," he said. "kinda wanna get to know her maybe ask her—"
"hell no, she doesn't need you."
"you could give me her number," he replied.
"sadie's kinda with someone already," she said in thought to caleb, even though sadie is still uninterested in caleb as it seems. "and even if she wasn't i wouldn't get her involved with you. shes gotta be enough for you right?"
alex's face changed from smug to pure anger, snapping his head back to charlotte. obviously he knew she was saying that cause of why he broke up with gracie, and she knew it'd piss him off but that didn't bother her.
"alright new deal," he said. "you give me her number or i leak pictures of you, walking gracie abrams dog, wearing gracie abrams jacket, and maybe i'll even say you've got hickeys on your neck. that enough for you?"
"fuck you," charlotte said, trying not to show how nervous he just made her. alex pulled out his phone swiftly taking a pic of charlotte as she wasn't expected it. "what the fuck?!"
"so the number?"
she was thrown off guard, feeling a bit of panic as she tugged on weenie's leash and turned away towards gracie's building, "fuck you," the muttered, leaving alex alone in the dark as she hurried back to gracie's.
he wouldn't actually post that picture and say all those things, right? he knows how badly that'd turn things and obviously he would have even less of a chance with sadie if that happened. besides, he wouldn't have the balls to. people think gracie broke up with him, so why would he act like that when people would just think he's some psycho stalker. he even seemed to show how over gracie he was with numerous posts of him with random girls, so it'd be weird.
weenie kept trying to turn back and run to alex, so charlotte scooped him up as she made her way up to gracie's. she took a deep breath before she opened the door to the apartment, trying to brush off the interaction with alex. she opened the door to see gracie curled up on the couch, her hood pulled over her head and sleeping soundly as the TV was still playing. maybe she'll wait to tell her about this in the morning.
she put weenie down and locked the door before quietly sitting down on the couch, unfortunately causing gracie to stir awake.
she hummed and squinted her eyes open.
"tired?" charlotte asked, her hand brushing gracie's hair out of her face as the singer moved her head into charlotte's lap. gracie wrapped her arms around charlotte's waist and hummed again in response.
she probably wasn't in the mood to speak, given how hard her night was, which charlotte completely understood, choosing to just comfort her.
she kissed her forehead and ran her hand through her hair, "thank you for opening up to me, i know it was scary," she whispered. "but i don't want you to ever feel like you can't come talk to me about things or ask for help, you're my favourite person y'know that right?"
gracie lifted her head, eyes filled with tenderness and her lip slightly pouted out, holding back the emotions flooding her.
"you're perfect," charlotte said, so quietly and soft that gracie couldn't help but stare directly into her eyes.
gracie still couldn't find any words to say, she just sighed, not in stress or tiredness, but with adoration and warmth. she buried her head back into charlotte's lap and tightened her grip around her, which was enough for charlotte to know that she got her message.
"c'mon, we'll go to bed."
usually gracie was the one lifting up charlotte, but now charlotte was picking up gracie and letting her wrap her legs around her torso as she clung to her tightly. she was much lighter of course, and charlotte noticed the slight bruising around her torso when gracie's hoodie lifted a bit. she held back her sadness and carried her girl up to bed, laying her down as weenie jumped up to lay on top.
as much as she wanted to tell gracie about alex, she didn't have the heart to right now, so instead she slipped into one of gracie's shorts and t-shirts, curling up next to her bed as gracie laid her head on her chest.
she was about to turn off the lamp next to her when gracie whispered "thank you for being... you."
charlotte felt that feeling in her stomach again, the feeling of when she first kissed gracie. she leaned in a placed a soft kiss to gracie's lips, "goodnight pretty girl."
_
Telling gracie about alex the next morning went just as charlotte expected. gracie freaked out, cursing out alex in her echoey apartment and pacing around as charlotte was laid on the floor with weenie. charlotte was trying to her best not to also freak out, spitting out random reasons she could think of as to why alex probably won't say anything.
"i thought he wanted nothing to do with me why is he getting involved with this?!" gracie shouted. "and who does he think he is talking to you like that, if he ever fucking does that to you again i'm going to break his fucking neck so hard that he—"
"hey what if i give him a fake number and say it's sadie's damn should've thought of that," charlotte mumbled.
"and taking a picture of you, is he insane?! if i see him again i'm going to take a picture of his fucking face after i'm done beating the shit out of him," gracie said. even though this girl couldn't hurt a fly if she tried.
"let's just ignore it. if he really wasn't sadie's number he can talk to her not me. maybe i should DM him—"
"that'd be bad, he could screen shot the convo and even have that as a back up leak."
"true," charlotte groaned. "i still don't think he'll do it. if anything he'll just use it as blackmail. i'll talk to sadie about it maybe she can try and help," she said as she pulled on her shoes to go to work.
"are you going to talk to her today about us?" gracie asked, her tone going down from raised to more quiet.
charlotte nodded, "i think i have to. and as long as you're okay with it."
"you already know i think you should," gracie said, helping charlotte stand up. "plus i wanna meet her soon anyways. and i'm sure she'll keep this a secret."
charlotte nodded, "i'll call you after me and her talk about it and the alex thing. i'll see you tomorrow?"
"of course," gracie smiled, kissing charlotte before walking her to the door. "hey um, thanks for last night. i uh feel a little less light headed now in the morning," she chuckled.
charlotte smiled with adoring eyes, "i'm always here for you. call me if you need anything, don't pass out on me," she joked, getting gracie to crack a smile.
"bye baby," gracie said, watching her leave before shutting the door and crashing onto the couch, sighing at everything and especially alex. she glanced at her phone, fighting the urge to call him and give him a talking to. just then, a notification appeared on her phone.
_____________________
NOTIFICATION CENTRE
1 new message!
char❤️
don't even think about calling him.
_____________________
"damn it."
_
soph!
WOOOO FINALLY A NEW CHAPTER ITS BEEN WAY TOO LONG SORRY BAES EVEN THO I DONT RLLY LIKE THIS CHAPTER SO MUCH BUT WELL BETTER THAN NO UPDATE
so happy i got in an update, will define it be updating a lot more this week don't worry
the only thing that's been on my mind all day tho is trying to figure out when to get gracie and charlotte to say their first i love u BUT ANYWAYS
tysm for patiently waiting for the update, AND GO STREAM CONANS NEW SONG
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