by Q. B. Tyler
Two weeks later, I had sex with Charlotte Pierce.
Present Time
It’s been an hour and we haven’t said anything. Charley has barely looked at me. She’s been staring at a spot on the floor since Matt left, the slam of the door effectively kick-starting her shock. I held her, kissed her gently, stroked her hair, nothing. I’ve gotten no reaction out of her in over sixty minutes and it’s starting to worry me. The only words I’ve uttered were to Vanessa when I thanked her for the Chinese food that was now sitting between us on my coffee table. I finally muster up the courage to say something.
“Baby, you need to eat something,” I say, looking at her untouched food.
“I’m not hungry.” She takes another sip of the dark liquid that’s swirling around the tumbler I gave her.
I push her hair behind her shoulders and stare at her. She’s staring straight ahead and hasn’t so much as glanced at me. “Just a few bites?”
She shakes her head slowly and although I’m not looking at her straight on I can see the vacant look in her eyes. She’s in shock and almost catatonic.
“Charley,” I say grabbing her face, and finally, her eyes find mine. The warm chocolate eyes I’m used to seeing are replaced by foggy, lifeless ones. The tears have made her perfect lashes damp and smudged. “It’s going to be okay.”
She blinks slowly a few times before turning her head again. “I’m sorry that this happened.”
“Don’t apologize. We knew this risk. I knew it. It’s going to be fine. We’re going to be together. I know all of that shit he said isn’t true, about you leaving me.” The thought sends a chill through me, and although I don’t believe it, it did stop my heart hearing Matt speak my greatest fear. “I know you’re in this with me.”
“You shouldn’t want me in this with you. You shouldn’t want me at all.” Again, she doesn’t look at me.
Okay, Charley clearly needs a counselor more than her boyfriend right now.
“Charlotte,” I say, commanding her attention and she turns her head slowly, “you’re in a bit of shock. Which is normal, but you have to snap out of this. Now.”
“I should go,” she whispers, the tears building again in her lids.
“No,” I say instantly, “you aren’t going anywhere.”
At this point she doesn’t need to be anywhere but with me. There’s no sense in going to Lauren’s now. There’s no one left to hide from. Everything has been brought into the light.
“I’m sure you need to call your lawyer and do damage control. I don’t know…whatever you can do to minimize the damage to your reputation. It probably won’t help to do that while I’m here,” she says softly.
Gone is the fiery, confident Charley, and replacing her is a scared, devastated girl who believes that she’s not good for me.
“I need you here. You are my main focus right now. Everything else can wait.”
“Why?” she asks as the tears begin to fall down her cheeks. “This is going to ruin your life. I ruined someone’s life,” she says sadly, “and it’s the person I love most in the world.” Her lip trembles and it takes everything out of me not to lean forward and take the lip in between my teeth and nibble on it gently.
Even when she’s vulnerable, I want her. Need her.
“Say it again,” I say moving closer to her.
“What?” she asks, looking up again.
“That you love me.”
She wipes her tears and I move her hands away gently so that I can do it for her. “I do love you, which is why I hate myself so much right now.”
“No hating yourself,” I growl. “You’re still talking to a counselor right now. None of that in here,” I say, smiling at her, trying my best to lift her mood just a bit. “We both did this. We both got ourselves into this mess and we are going to get out—together. But I need my strong Charley. I’m nothing without her and I can’t do this by myself,” I say giving her another small smile.
She gives me a half nod before she’s in my arms holding me as tight as I’m holding her. “I’m in this with you,” she says so quietly. “I would never leave you. I don’t want you to lose anything…but if you do, I’ll still be here.”
I can’t stop the smile that moves across my face. “That’s nice to hear.”
“You didn’t actually believe what he said.”
“No.” I shake my head. “Doesn’t mean I liked hearing it.”
“He knew what to say to get in your head. He’s good at that. And I’m the only manipulative one,” she says, rolling her eyes, and I’m happy to see glimpses of my girl coming back to life.
We sit in silence for a few moments before she buries her face in my chest. “I love you.” The words come out muffled and choppy from the emotion in her voice.
“I love you too, baby, more than anything. Remember that.”
“You know this isn’t over, right? Matt isn’t going to let this go.”
“I know, but I’ll protect you, Charlotte. Always. No one is going to take you from me. That is a promise.”
* * *
This was the story that made me believe that I could do this. That I could be a writer. That I could have a vision and bring it to life. That other people could see that vision. I know I touched on sensitive topics and ones that may have disturbed or made you feel certain things. But I’m glad that you were able to appreciate this story for what it was—a love story that results in spite of inconvenient circumstances. A story that possessed me in a way that changed who I was as a writer and as a person.
For those of you that have been on this journey with me for quite some time, you know how much these characters mean to me. I hope I did them justice.
For the new readers, thank you for going on this ride with me and I hope you stick around for what’s next. We’re just getting started.
* * *
They say it takes a village to raise a child. It takes one to write a book as well.
Katherine and Carri: the people that were forced to share a space with me while this came together. You guys deserve medals. Thank you for being so supportive of my dreams and for helping me achieve them. And most importantly, for knowing when I need silence and when I need wine.
Carmel and Erica: I’m fairly certain I sound like a broken record at this point when it comes to you two. There truly aren’t enough words to thank you for everything that both of you have done. You inspire me every day and I wouldn’t want to be on this ride with anyone else.
Liz: The first thing I see when I look at this book—my first paperback book is your work. You shared something with me that I’ll never forget. I am so overwhelmed and in awe of what you did for me. Thank you for making my book so beautiful. All the love.
Helen and Kristene: The best betas a person could ask for. Truly. I hope you’re not sick of me yet, because you two are stuck with me forever. Thank you for your thoughts and ideas. Thank you for knowing and loving my characters as well as I do.
Meli, Suzan, Christelle, Alexis, Amanda, Jeanette, Kelly, Samantha, Kristina, Rachel, Harlipen, Paula, Leslie, Nani, Pat, Carol (x3), Kerri, Colleen, Gayle, Hope, Regina, Amber, Candice, Crissy, Aby, Kris, Karen (x2), Gloria, Julie (x2), Connie, Nichole, Tonya, Tatiane, Cindy, Lori, Shannon, Kim, Marie-Lyne and SO many more including Everyone in the Hive(s): Thank you for your friendship. Thank you for your enthusiasm. Thank you for the laughs and the love. I always repeat the saying that sometimes “family” is the one you’re born into and sometimes it’s the one you make for yourself. Thank you for being that family. That tribe. That village.
* * *
Write. Wine. Work. Repeat. A look inside the mind of a not so ex-party girl’s escape from her crazy life. Hailing from the Nation’s Capital, Q.B. Tyler, spends her days constructing her “happily ever afters” with a twist. Romantic comedies served with a side of smut and most importantly the love story that develops despite inconvenient circumstances.
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OTHER WORKS
My Best Friend’s Sister
Bittersweet Addiction (Coming Summer 2018)