CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
dreading tomorrow
•
JUDE dropped off charlotte and gracie off at gracie's house and olivia at her place at around three am after their long night at sadie's, absolutely hating the car ride with all three of them, tipsy as ever.
"thanks judey," charlotte waved to her brother as he drove away and gracie fumbled for her keys. she followed after her up to her apartment. once inside, charlotte bounced onto the couch while watching gracie hum a song to herself. "do you think any articles have came out yet about alex showing in the ER or something."
gracie shrugged, "i don't wanna check until the morning... are you sure he's not going to say anything to the cops about us?"
charlotte shook her head, "i think we're good. i mean, i think we did a good job at scaring him off so..."
"true. but he's pushy," gracie mumbled, sitting on the couch.
"and dumb."
"and a bitch."
"throws weak punches."
"has bed breath when he kisses."
"is ugly."
gracie threw her head back, "nah, he was hot, gotta give him that. well, he has hot until jude and matthew fucked up his face."
"i never knew jude could actually throw a punch," charlotte laughed. "he's so like... just casual you know?"
gracie laughed, "at least you know he'll fight for you. and i will too, maybe not punch but i will kick some balls though."
"rip alex's future kids," charlotte mumbled. "hey what're you doing this monday?"
"nothing, free day."
a grin grew on charlotte's face, "i'm gonna be goin on jimmy fallon... wanna come?"
gracie excitedly smiled, but it slowly faded away as she groaned, "we can't be seen char."
"i know but you can meet me after, or even just hide backstage, i asked jude to come with," charlotte said. "you can watch on the screen from my dressing room."
gracie sighed, "too risky. especially with the amount of times we've been close to getting leaked, i don't think it's a good idea." gracie frowned when she saw the sadness and pout on charlottes face. "i'm sorry baby."
"at least lemme see you for dinner afterwards?"
gracie hesitantly looked away, then cleared her throat. obviously the idea was making her a little uncomfortable, especially given the last time they had dinner together. but she knew it'd make charlotte happy.
"of course," she smiled. "c'mon, i wanna go take a shower."
"yeah me too," charlotte yawned. just after she said that, gracie paused and made eye contact with charlotte as a suspicious look appeared on her face. "what?"
"i mean we both wanna take a shower... maybe wanna—"
"yes."
_
charlotte took it upon herself to wake up earlier than gracie in the morning, eight am to be exact. though it was excruciating to wake up, like every other morning, she decided to get up early purely to make gracie breakfast. she was having a peaceful moment, making avacado toast with açai bowls in the kitchen until her mind wandered back to last night.
she immediately look out her phone and searched up alex's name to see any recent articles, and low and behold there's was already tens of them right at the top of the search.
'alex monaghan, rushed to ER with wounded face'
'famous influencer takes midnight trip to LA hostpital after apparent mugging'
'alex monaghan, what happened to that gorgeous face?'
'alex monaghan found in alleyway with bloodied face and broken nose by paramedics'
she sighed in relief at the mugging title, her fear of being caught rushing away. though there was still a sharp feeling in her chest that alex would eventually tell the truth, that he would expose gracie and charlotte out of spite for what they did to him. it made her head spin, she pocketed her phone to prevent herself from digging further and giving herself more anxiety and refocused on making breakfast.
but with her mind now blank, it opened a window for new worries to fill it. she stared down at the food, biting her lip as she thought of how gracie might react to her surprising her first thing in the morning with food, especially after last time. at sadie's last night they ordered in takeout, however gracie only had a couple of bites and mainly filled up on water; but charlotte didn't say anything, not wanting to raise any suspicions for their friends since gracie definitely didn't need them knowing, especially with how up front they can be and how delicate the situation is. given that, she knew she couldn't let gracie shy away from eating this, she's barely had anything in the past day.
she sighed and went upstairs, quietly making her way into gracie's room where she slept soundly, cuddled with the blanket in her grip up to her chin and weenie curled up at her stomach.
charlotte brushed the hairs out of her face, "good morning."
gracie's eyes slowly struggled to open. she yawned and squinted her eyes at charlotte before humming and closing them again. weenie now woke up and enthusiastically pounced up to gracie, licking her face to help charlotte wake her up.
gracie groaned and shrivelled away from weenie, "good morning," she yawned and pushed herself up against the pillows. "you're up early, surprisingly?"
charlotte smiled, "yeah i wanted to make you breakfast."
"oh."
"um i also have good new. articles came out about alex, they said it was a mugging so i'm pretty sure he's keeping his mouth shut. for now," charlotte mumbled.
gracie nodded slowly, "that's good. i was kinda expecting waking up to NYPD at my door asking about our involvement with last night, but y'know this works too," she laughed.
gracie then looked up at charlotte, a slight blush appearing on her cheeks, "come here."
charlotte crinkled her eyebrows and sat next to gracie on the bed. before she could say anything, gracie leaned forward and kissed her. it was long and tender, her cold hand laced with charlotte's before she slowly pulled away.
"what was that for?" charlotte giggled, though she wasn't complaining obviously.
"just wanted to say thank you. for sticking up for me last night. no one's ever defended me like that."
"don't thank me, thank matt and jude," charlotte grinned.
"yeah, but you're the one who gave talked and scared him off. which was hot, so you definitely deserve a thank you," gracie said, snaking her hand under charlotte's shirt and wrapping around to her back, pulling her closer and kissing her lips again, her finger running up and down her spine as she did so. goosebumps raised all over charlotte's back as kissed gracie back and felt her cold fingertips go up to her neck. charlotte moved into her lap, letting gracie redirect her lips to her jaw and down to her neck. if this was gracie's way of thanking her, it was the best 'thank you' she's received in her goddamn life. her breath hitched as gracie continued on her neck. charlotte loved how soft yet dominating gracie's lips were on her skin, like it was gracie's way of letting her know she was girl and only hers.
charlottes finger nails gently dug into gracie's hip as she forecefully trailed along her neck, and just when gracie pulled back and charlotte was going to tell her to keep going, not wanting it to end, they were interrupted by weenie squirming right between them and pawing up at gracie's chest.
"someone's jealous," gracie laughed as weenie licked her chin with his tail wagging in charlottes face.
"thanks weenie," charlotte sarcastically mumbled, rolling her eyes. "sleep with one eye open tonight." she slid out of the bed and readjusted her shirt, "c'mon, foods getting cold."
gracie nodded and picked up weenie, following charlotte out the room and downstairs. gracie held weenie in her arms as her eyes landed down on the plates of food charlotte prepared sitting on the counter, a look of discomfort written all over her face.
charlotte gave her a comforting smile and patted to seat next to her, "i'll eat with you, c'mon."
gracie slowly placed weenie down and sat next to charlotte, nodding as she picked up the toast, staring at it as charlotte ate. after charlotte's second bite where gracie still hadn't eaten any, the actress turned to gracie and rubbed her hand along her back.
"i can make something else if you want?" she asked.
gracie shook her head and took a bite, resisting the urge to go back upstairs and crawl back into her bed and sleep off her hunger and charlotte's anxious gaze. charlotte smiled and ate with her, slowing down to gracie's pace so she wouldn't finish before her and they could eat together. charlotte ended up starting a conversation about boygenius to keep gracie's mind occupied with other things while she ate, and it worked because within a couple minutes she finished her toast and a quarter of her açai bowl. she gave charlotte a look before pushing the bowl away, which charlotte nodded at before kissing her forehead and putting the dishes away.
"that was really good, thank you," gracie quietly said, brushing locks of hair behind her ear.
but before charlotte could reply, gracie's front door swung open causing both girls to practically jump out of their skin, but they quickly recovered from the scare when they saw olivia stumble inside, nearly spilling her matcha as she clumsily took off her sneakers.
"gracie, i swear to god you need to move away from this haunted ass street, i just saw a baby fucking bird dead on the street," olivia said as she raised her head, seeing gracie and charlotte staring at her. charlotte was wide eyed, though gracie kept a neutral look. it seemed like this was a very normal thing for her, to have olivia randomly burst into her apartment. "oh my god, hey charlotte!"
"hey?"
"what're you guys up to," olivia asked, grabbing gracie's leftover açai bowl to eat as she sat up on the counter.
"just hanging around," gracie replied. "hey did you see the news about alex? he went with the mugging thing."
"really, thank god," olivia said in relief. "i couldn't sleep all night cause i kept thinking about getting arrested. i woulda looked so hot in my mugshot though."
"aw well maybe next time," gracie sarcastically said.
"so charlotte are you excited for that interview you're doing with matthew?" olivia asked, but charlotte had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. last time she checked the only upcoming things she had this week was work and jimmy fallon.
"what? what interview?"
"oh, i called matthew to see if his hands were doing better after last night," olivia said as gracie and charlotte looked at eachother with smirks. "um he said you guys are doing some GQ couples interview or something."
charlotte creased her eyebrows together and pulled out her phone, "i don't think so—oh." she then saw the missed notifications from her manager and maya. she even updated charlotte's calendar on her phone for 'this wednesday, GQ interview with matthew, 3pm'. "i guess we are."
gracie bit her tongue, "couples interview?"
"y'know, like that one emma chamberlain and RoleModel did together," olivia filled in. "i mean it doesn't sound bad when you remember you guys are trying to make everyone think you're dating right?"
charlotte sighed, "yeah i guess. still gonna be weird and feel awkward though."
"i ain't watching that interview, sorry char," gracie said, faking a gag dramatically.
"do you think jimmy's going to ask about matthew in our interview?" charlotte asked.
olivia shook her head, "nah, he's really respectful. he'll probably just ask about 'a good girls guide to murder.' when i went on for the first time for Sour he never once mentioned joshua bassett. but the paparazzi will definitely be on you that night."
charlotte nodded, "if he mentions my parents though isn't it probable he'll mention the beef between mine and gracie's parents? y'know cause it's been really popular lately cause of us."
"just tell him beforehand what you're not comfortable with him asking," gracie said, playing with charlottes hair as she stood above her. "you're gonna have to get used to all this with all the promo you're gonna be doing this month before guide to murder premieres."
"speaking of the premiere..." olivia said. "who's all going?"
"matthew, jude, sadie, caleb, marcus, my parents," charlotte said. "and gracie will be watching from home," she sadly said.
gracie sighed, "we'll have our own premiere, we can watch your movie the day it comes out in my room," she suggested, getting charlotte to smile.
suddenly, olivia started laughing, covering her face with her hand in a attempt to hide her grin.
"what?" gracie asked.
"i mean, for your promo's and work this week i just hope you have a good concealer to hide that," olivia smirked, pointing to charlottes neck.
gracie turned her head and moved charlottes hair to look at her neck, and suddenly she was trying to hide her laughter as well. it took a second for it to click on charlottes head, but when it did she immediately strode to the closest mirror and took a look at her neck.
"gracie!" she shouted in annoyance at the hickeys that littered her neck, giving her girlfriend a glare.
"sorry," gracie sang, laughing with olivia. "c'mon, you let me."
charlotte rolled her eyes, "i have work tonight, i gotta be at a press conference by 5pm."
"c'mon we'll go try and cover it up. and worse comes to worse if anyone notices, matthew takes the blame," gracie said, walking up behind charlotte.
"i'm getting you back for this."
"sounds lovely," gracie whispered before going upstairs with charlotte and olivia to cover up charlottes neck.
-
"maddie, what time are you getting to the premiere?" charlotte asked her co-star as they winded down from their press conference, helping each other take off their mic packs.
"around 5, you?"
"me too," charlotte replied, "you're coming to the after party, yeah?"
"of course, i invited jenna to come too. here," maddie said, tossing charlotte makeup remover. "oh i was gonna ask, wanna come with jenna and i to a house party on wednesday?"
"i can't i've got an interview with matthew," charlotte replied, wiping off her makeup.
maddie grinned, "more promo for my favourite couple. how is he, i haven't seen him since we went clubbing."
"y-yeah he's good."
"yeah, i can tell," maddie laughed, gesturing to charlottes neck, causing the shorter girl to instantly whip her head to the mirror, only to see she subconsciously took off the makeup that covered her neck. "you guys really are back huh."
charlotte cursed under her breath and grabbed her makeup bag to recover the hickeys, "mhm," she sighed, coming off an bit annoyed.
maddie tilted her head, "which is a good thing, right?"
"um yeah, no he's great," charlotte said, avoiding eye contact.
"you don't seem that happy, usually whenever you liked someone you'd be rambling on and on about them... is he still mediocre at sex or what," she chuckled.
"something like that," charlotte mumbled, throwing in a laugh. her fingernails anxiously creased into her beauty blender, wanting to run away from the conversation before she'd accidentally give something away. "um, i'll see you later though mads, i gotta get going," charlotte said once she was satisfied with the coverage on her neck.
after saying her goodbyes to maddie and the crew, charlottes made a beeline for the exit of the building, rushing into her car and letting out an exhausted sigh from her day. she pulled out her phone to check all her recent messages she missed while in the conference, shaking the awkward conversation she had with maddie out of her head. of course, she checked gracie's texts first.
gracie🩷🎀
9:32pm
gracie🩷🎀
guess where we're headed
11:49pm
please tell me ur taking him
to my house
gracie🩷🎀
unfortunelty no
my parents reached out finally
after weeks, i'm heading
to their place
really??
what'd they say?
gracie🩷🎀
they said they're thrilled
they haven't heard of
me and you hanging out
recently :)
and that they saw ur IMBd
interview idk how they
feel abt it tho
but they also know
alex got 'mugged'
so maybe that's why they
reached out but
i'm at their place rn
so far, it's chill
i missed them
i guess
so safe to say we're
both 100% under the radar?
gracie🩷🎀
i think so
so i'll see u tomorrow
after fallon?
yes, pick me up?
gracie🩷🎀
okay, i'll be waiting somewhere
secluded
i'll call u before you
go on, goodnight ❤️
goodnight, tell ween i
said goodnight
too❤️
-
by the time charlotte got home, she immediately crawled into bed and tried to fall asleep. but that was impossible. there was only hours away until she'd be arriving at jimmy fallon. only hours away until she'd be walking into the set with a million flashing lights right in her face asking about her 'boyfriend' and maybe gracie. only hours away until she'd be sitting on that stage with eyes staring at her wondering if she'll say something about her recent controversy. and even though her and gracie's relationship is only known by a small group of people in private, she still felt like something would go wrong. every time they've nearly been caught or outed they've somewhat smoothly recovered, things felt like they've been working out too well for her. something was bound to slip up, right?
she sat upright in bed, taking deep breaths to try and calm herself down as she stroked rue's fur, but that didn't seem to work. she groaned and reached over to her side table, sliding open the drawer to grab a pill from her prescription to calm herself down, even though this wasn't the time she should be taking them. unfortunately, she realized the bottle was empty and that she was supposed to pick up more yesterday.
"fucking kidding me," she mumbled in a gasp of air, slamming the drawer shut and resting her face in her palms. her heartbeat only seemed to get louder, and her hands sweatier.
the actress threw her covers off her bed, running her hands through her hair while trying to calm down, but it didn't seem to work in her favour. she reached for her phone, hands shaking as she decided to call the only person who could actually calm her down, even if she wasn't in the room with her to hold her hand. but just as she about to click on gracie's contact, she remembered that she's over at her parents. if they heard her speaking to charlotte that'd be the dumbest way they could possibly get caught, and it'd be all charlottes fault. she sealed the thickness in her throat as she struggled to breathe and scrolled down further till she clicked on jude's contact instead.
she tried to get rid of the thoughts she had swarming in her head about tomorrow as she waited for jude to pick up, but every time she tried to think of something else it'd lead back to the same nightmare. until finally,
"hey, you've reached jude parker, ummm i'm not able to answer the phone right now, if this is a business call please reach out to my assistant at 718-281–"
"fuck," charlotte nearly shouted, falling back into the pillows as her chest and the world around her tightened, squeezing her eyes shut and waiting for it to be over.
_
soph!
lowkey don't like this chapter but at least i love the chapter ideas i have in mind coming up, just can't decide how chaotic i want it to be
UM ALSO THE SNTV VAULT TRACK TITLES???
anyways i got bored so: