Day 12 - 3:15 pm
It was Wednesday, meaning that there were only two days left until Cole's birthday. He still refused to mention this event to Charlotte because he never celebrated it. Growing up young with a twin, the two of them attended many birthday parties for their fellow peers. When Dylan and him were only five, their parents split up. His mother took Dylan under her wing while his father took Cole under his. The two didn't see much of each other throughout their elementary and middle school years, but they somehow met back up in high school.
Cole and Dylan are not as close as most twins are. Since their parents separated them for nine years of their life, they never truly got to socialize together in their younger years. Because of this, when they reunited again in their late teen years, they never really bonded. The two of them were polar opposites. Dylan is naturally intelligent with a small friends group at Columbia University. Cole had a larger friend group, if you counted the people he met at wild parties, and had to work harder for his grades. Cole is a risk taker with a hard head on his shoulders, while his twin likes to shelter himself off alone in his room where people cannot bother him.
Needless to say, Cole was glad when he heard that Dylan was going to a different university than he was. Of course, Dylan got multiple scholarships to help pay the cost of his tuition. On the other hand, Cole didn't apply for any scholarships and his grades weren't high enough to get much from Merit Based scholarships. He's just fortunate he got into NYU, or any university for that matter.
Maybe if he hadn't gone here, then maybe he would've never met his group of friends that got him into this bet to strip away an innocent's virginity. This always stuck in the back of his mind, which made him wish he had gone to school somewhere else. But he would do anything to make a quick buck, and that's why he took this bet in the first place. It was all about money to him. He's stuck being this girl's fake boy friend like figure until the time is up, or until he takes her innocence.
In a way, he felt bad for Charlotte. She had no idea what was going to happen to her. It was going to hit her like a truck in the end. He just hoped he didn't stay around long enough to see the aftermath. He'd torn girls apart before, piece by piece as they shared all their secrets and whims with him. They were just a nice woman to sleep with before he left without a trace.
Deep down, he didn't want to do that to Charlotte, but he knew that he had to since his friends would ruin things for him if he fell for her. The number one rule that lingers over him like a storm cloud to haunt him at night. He is not allowed to fall in love with her, or else they are allowed to tell her everything. That was one thing he did not want to risk happening. That meant he wasn't allowed to date her after this bet was over, although he didn't want that to happen.
Charlotte was outside his dormitory door, standing there as if contemplating what she was going to say. How could she confront him with the minimal details that Andy confessed to Kristie? Kristie told her that Andy said that Cole was a major player in the game of fake love. He said that he liked to play around with girls until he just up and left them without a warning, taking their innocence with him. Charlotte didn't want to be one of those girls. She especially didn't need another man in her life who was going to hurt her.
A fist raised, she went to go knock on his door with a deep breath. After the first knock, the door swung open to a very surprised Cole, for he was just about to go visit her at her own dorm. Charlotte, taken back by the sudden appearance, gathered her thoughts before she decided to speak up. "Cole, we need to talk." She huffed as she straightened out her skater skirt. In the back of her mind, she reminded herself why she was here. That reason was not to gawk over how attractive he looked in his low sweats and white shirt.
"Of course, come in." Cole gave her a small grin before he stepped aside to let her enter. As she passed by him with her back to him, he took in a shaky breath as his brain thought up every worst case scenario. Maybe she found out about the bet, or maybe she just didn't want to see him anymore and he wasn't trying hard enough. If any of this happened, the bet would shatter apart and he'd be in even more debt then he already was from student loans. "What did you want to talk about?" He asked as he let the door swing shut behind him.
Charlotte pursed her lips lightly as she took a seat on one of his recliner chairs before she crossed her legs. Externally, she looked cool and collected, yet internally she was an absolute anxious mess. She had no idea what she would do if these accusations weren't true, or even if they were. Charlotte didn't want to believe that Cole was a bad guy, but she didn't want to live a lie for the rest of her college days.
"I'm sorry this was so sudden, I just didn't want to wait any longer." She twisted a piece of her straightened hair between her fingertips as she gazed at Cole, who looked as if he had seen a ghost as he took a seat on the chair opposite of her. "Look, I'm sorry if this is false or not, but it's really been bothering me ever since I heard of this, I guess I'll call it news." She paused for a moment, faltering over her own words already. Honestly, she didn't think she'd crack this easily, but she was slowly breaking down on the scene. "I just need to know if–"
Cole couldn't wait any longer. From all that she had already said, it sounded like she was talking about the bet. A wave of anxiety crashed into him as beads of sweat appeared on his hairline, his leg bouncing at the pause of silence she had. "Charlotte, please just spit it out." Cold said with a gulp, waiting for her with impatience.
Charlotte shot him an irritated look before she finally got the confidence to say what she needed to say. "Kristie told me that her boyfriend, also known as your friend, said that you've slept around with a lot of girls." Her cheeks lightly flushed as she spit it out. A laugh. A single laugh left Cole's lips as he sat there in hysterics across from her. She cocked an eyebrow up before she crossed her arms over her chest. "What's so funny?" She hissed as she cocked a brow at him.
"That's it?" He asked, relief washing over his features immediately, which made him look extremely guilty. Cole reclined in his chair, kicking his socked feet up onto the coffee table in front of him. "The way you came in here all stern had me worried that you were going to come up with some wild story." Another chuckle escaped his pink lips.
She was not at all amused by his actions. He wasn't taking this seriously, and she knew that. With narrowed eyes glaring at him, she decided that she could no longer be anxious about this. If she wanted answers, she was going to make him give them to her. "So, you did sleep with lots of other girls?" Charlotte scoffed with an eye roll, irritation still covering her features. "What do you do with them? What game do you play with them? Sleep and sneak? Fūck and duck? Make them fall in love with you just so that you can break their hearts?" She sneered at him.
Cole's mouth gaped slightly at her openness, and her obscure language use. "Charlotte, that was the old me. You should know that I would never do that to you if that's what you're worried about." He said in a genuine tone of voice, pushing his bangs away from his forehead. "But, to answer your question, I did not up and leave all of them. Some of them left me." He shrugged his shoulders.
She was not going to cave in so easily, no matter how good he looked reclined in the chair across from her. "I thought maybe you had changed when you had asked me on that date to the library." Charlotte shivered just at the thought of him using her just to leave her in the dust. The sight of him leaning forward in his chair sent goosebumps running down her skin. "But I don't want to be used. I don't want to be part of your sick fantasy. I need someone who's not going to use me. How can I trust you when you're notorious for leaving?" And with those words, she stood up on her feet.
As he watched her stand up, he too got up on his feet. He was not letting her leave without a fight. "Charlotte, why would you ever think that?" He questioned, and that was enough to break her. Her eyes became puffy and red as she tried to hold back the tears that threatened to fall. She inhaled shakily, making a wheezing sound along with it. "Baby, you know I wouldn't do that to you. I–" he stopped dead in his sentence, shutting his mouth. Why the hell was he going to let those words leave his lips?
Charlotte crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes sending chills down his spine. Honestly, he never knew that her glare could be so intimidating. "Cole. I need to know this. Are you using me? Am I just another girl who's virginity you want for the taking?" She wasn't backing down, and he could see it in her stone cold eyes. Honestly, the question made him hesitate. His mind trailed back to the bet on her virginity, thinking of all the worst case scenarios if he failed to get it. That is why he was still talking to her, right? His hesitation caused a small tear to roll down her cheek, mixed with mascara to create a black streak. She turned her back to him, ready to storm out of his dorm complex.
"Charlotte." Cole pleaded, but she wouldn't turn around. He grabbed at the roots of his hair, frantically trying to think of a way to get her to stay. "Charlotte." He cried out louder, his entire body shaking from rage. Anger boiled down deep within him, probably from not getting his way as he made his was to over her. Charlotte stopped for a moment to glance back at him before she placed her hand on the knob and turned back around. Cole lost his temper and grabbed the closest item to him. He needed to break something.
The item he happened to throw was a glass vase, and he chucked it right at the door only a foot and a half from her head. Glass shattered everywhere, causing Charlotte to scream in fear as she ducked her head away so nothing would cut her face. A couple of shards hit her arm, cutting her delicate skin so that blood came oozing out. The scratches were small, but the damage to Charlotte's mental health took the heaviest blow. As she picked her head back up, her body began shaking as she looked at the shards of glass littering his floor.
Charlotte's knees buckled as she collapsed into a sitting position, sobbing into her hands as the memories all came back to her. As Cole snapped back into reality, he saw her breaking down on the floor in front of him. "Fūck." He whispered to himself, rushing over to her spot on the ground. "Charlotte, please. I'm so sorry." He lifted his hand up to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear, but she flinched away as if he was going to hit her. Cole frowned as he lowered his hand down to her arm, red blood staining his fingers.
She didn't want to cry in front of him, but she ended up sobbing her eyes out. As she felt Cole's rough fingertips touch her shoulder, she yanked her arm away. "You promised you wouldn't hurt me." She screamed at him, her entire demeanor breaking on the scene. She slouched back against the wall, sniffling as she tried to slow down her tears. "You promised." She whispered quietly. "You're just like every other man I've had in my life. You'll probably leave just like my dad, or take your violence out on me like my ex."
Cole shook his head as he stood up, walking away to his bathroom. A couple minutes later, he came back with a first aid kit. He opened the little box, taking a few wipes out to cleanse her wounds. Then, he got two small bandaids to place over the tiny cuts from the glass, giving them each a light kiss. After he tended to her wounds, he gently wrapped his arm around her, carefully running his fingers through her soft hair. "I broke my promise. I'm so sorry." He muttered, burying his face into the crook of her neck.
Charlotte didn't want to cave in so easily, but he made her heart melt. It ached, but she knew that his apology was sincere. "It's okay. I only have a couple of scratches." She said quietly, bringing her hand up to wipe both of her makeup smudged eyes. It brought so many memories back to her, and they weren't pleasant ones either. She was scared of him in that moment, and she didn't want to fear him like she feared the last one. "Cole, I'm used to broken promises. It's nothing new."
"I'm so sorry." He mumbled bringing his face back up to look at hers. It pained him to see those tears in her bloodshot eyes, especially knowing that he caused them. "Charlotte I don't want to be someone that you fear. I lost my temper, and I was completely out of line. I'm the one who you're supposed to trust and protect you, yet I just put you in danger. I'll never do it again. Please forgive me." His heart ached as he spoke.
Charlotte took in a deep breath as she played with her fingers. "I forgive you. Please don't do that again." She murmured, burying her face into the sleeve of his white shirt, leaving makeup stains on it. "It brings back really bad memories. My ex was a pretty violent person." Her voice was hardly audible between her strained voice and her face being buried in his arm.
This made Cole look down at Charlotte, concern written across his face as he furrowed in his brow. "Charlotte." He said softly, causing her to pick her face back up to look at him. "I have never pressured you to talk about your ex, and if you still aren't comfortable telling me then you don't have to." Charlotte had a feeling as to where this conversation was going, and it made the anxiety-filled pit in her stomach grow.
"Did he hurt you?"
OKAY so I didn't put a trigger warning in the chapter because it wasn't anything too bad yet. I mean, STILL BAD since Cole was such a jerk, but I mean I just felt like it didn't need a trigger warning.
So wow WHO HATES HARRY? *raises hand* CAUSE ME TOO. I kinda regret making her ex Harry though, like idk why I did that because I love Harry so much. He's such a cute bean.
Okay I have 3.47k reads and I couldn't be happier, thank you guys so much for reading, commenting, and voting!! You guys rock my world ;) cheesy I know.
BTW next chapter will still be Day 12 because it will give you some insight on Charlotte and her past.