? The Deal ?
Written by Idara Kingsley
? Chapter 23 ?
? Brian ?
It was so ha-rd watching her leave. I couldn’t bear the pain I was feeling as she walked out of the door. The pain kept mocking me to man up and confess my feelings to her.
Was it too fast? I kept questioning myself till she walked past the door.
What if she rejected me? What if? .
I haven’t known Charlotte so well to the extent of knowing what goes on in her head.
I was scared of rejection. I was scared if making a fool out of myself.
She left.
The deal ended.
How would I face the world now, without Charlotte in it? Even though it was a short period of time, I still valued it. I valued every moment we spent together.
The door to my room was being pushed open, revealing Ashton. My jaw hardened just at the sight of him.
“Leave!” I blurted out even before I could stop myself. God knew I was boiling inside of me. It took everything in me not to punch him.
“Chill bro. What’s up with you?” He asked. Was it that he was just oblivious to the damage he had just caused or he was rubb-ing it in my face, mocking me, in different ways?
Ashton was annoying the f.uck out of me, especially when he wasn’t remorseful.
He was the reason I had that break up with her. I wouldn’t want him humiliating her again. She deserved better. She didn’t deserve all the hate and continuos humiliation from my bestfriend. He was beginning to go too far with everything, and it irritated me.
I gritted my teeth. “What part of leave don’t you und-erstand. I want to be alone.”
He rose his brow at me. “Okay. But don’t be mad me because of her.” He dragged.
Why was Ashton acting so weird all of a sudden. This part of him was starting to make me sick.
I ignored him till he left the room. I wasn’t ready to speak to him about what he did to Charlotte yet. We would have everything sorted out in the morning. But for that time being, I needed to be alone to process every thing that had just happened.
*****
In the middle of the night, I went to the kitchen to have a drink of water. My throat was so dry and needed some w-et liquid to make it w-et again.
I poured myself a glas-sfilled with water before pouring the liquid into my mouth. I swallowed, allowing the cold liquid fill my stomach, causing a warm feeling down my stomach.
My mind raced to Charlotte. How was she doing? Did she hate me now? What if she hated my guts now? I was positive she didn’t want to have anything to do with me, ever.
I laughed at my thoughts. Who was I kidding? Charlotte would be the happiest person alive to be away from me. I saw the look on her face. She looked extremely happy like she had been waiting for the day those words would leave my mouth.
Charlotte, did not feel the same way for me. Even if she did, she never showed it. She never acted like it, not even a bit.
I shook her off my head. Guess what, she was stuck in there, hunting me. It was so ha-rd to let go, but I had to. I valued her enough than to use her as my tool. No, she wasn’t a tool. She was someone I had grown to love.
“Can I talk to you?” A voice said behind me. I jumped up in fear, almost dropping the glas-swith almost hang filled water on the floor.
I turned around to meet Ashton standing by the door. He looked like he was trying to stifle a laughter.
“Not the right time to laugh, bro.” I hissed, dumping the cup in the sink.
He moved away from the door and walked into the kitchen. He sat on the counter. “I’m sorry bro.” He began. “I never meant for things to go that way. I just hated the way she was using you.”
I blinked repeatedly. Was he being serious? Charlotte, using me? Damn, who knew Ashton could be so dumb?
I shook my head and relaxed on the body of the fridge. “First off, you sound so st.upid and out of point.” His eyes wide-ned at my words, but he didn’t say a word. I went on. “Secondly, you do not just jump onto conclusion without clarification. Thirdly, Charlotte ain’t using me.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Why?” I asked.
He sat up and began. “at the court, you looked so in love with her, even when I asked you, you still admitted to loving her. Charlotte would never love you back.”
I shook my head sideways, as a laughter escaped my li-ps. “Dang it, you’re so dumb. Isn’t it so obvious that we both were acting all along?”
He narrowed his eyes at me. “Along the line, you caught feelings. I know you so well, Brian. You love that girl.”
I paused. “Wait, how do you know?” I questioned, suddenly suspicious of Ashton. He knew something, I was one hundred percent sure that he knew something.
He shrugged. “Well, I might have been at the clubhouse that day you both signed the deal.”
A gasp left my li-ps. “What?”
“Sorry. I couldn’t let you know, since you decided to keep such juicy gossip away from me. I had fun taunting you.” He chuckled softly.
Embarra-ssment flushed throu-ghme. Reason why he was so persistent about it.
“You shouldn’t have said hurtful words to Charlotte, regardless. I was the one that began the madness. She never wanted to agree to it.”
I saw quilt flashed in his eyes. “I know. I feel so bad now. She never deserved it.” He paused and swallowed. “I’m such a dummy.”
True. Such a big dummy.
“I don’t know if I may be correct, I have this feeling Charlotte might have a little bit of feelings for you.”
“How is that possible? She would never consider that. Charlotte is still in love with her ex.”
He shook his head. “I disagree. You needed to see the look on her face when she left. Trust me Brian, that girl loves you. I think she’s tryna bottle up her emotions since you haven’t made your intentions true to her.”
I paused. Could Ashton observation be true? Did Charlotte feel anything for me like he had said? Maybe, maybe not.
There was only one thing. I needed to see her.
? The Deal ?
Written by Idara Kingsley
? Chapter 24 ?
? Charlotte ?
“Are you okay?” Zoey asked, patting my back.
I nodded softly as I tried to control the tears that were threatening to fall off my eyes.
“Kinda.” I sniffled.
Two fu-cking days without him. I couldn’t believe I had grown to love Brian over the past weeks we spent together.
It felt unreal. It felt so impossible. I couldn’t bring myself to believe I had fallen de-eply for him. Fallen de-eply for someone I never thought I’ll have any romantic feelings towards. It truly was unreal.
I should’ve known it was a fake before I attached my feelings. I shouldn’t have applied emotions. It was breaking me so badly.
Now, I had to tell Zoey. I had to tell her the truth. The world also needed to know of my break up with him.
I would be tagged an emotional wreck. Someone who couldn’t keep a man because of her crazy attitude. Someone who b-arely smile even at funny things. Someone who carried herself so high and tag others as useless.
Those harsh words were something I did not want to come across, at least for my mental health.
I looked up at Zoey, who was smiling at her phone. It was obvious she was talking to Jack. I felt a pang in my ch-est. That would have been Brian and I.
“How are you handling your mum and the Castle’s?” I asked, trying to bring up a sensible conversation before I started ranting about Brian and I, the lies, Ashton and my feelings..
Damn, Ashton, that boy irritated me now. He should’ve minded his business rather than sticking his long snort into my business.
She sighed, shoving her phone into her pan-ts pocket. “I haven’t had the chance to talk to them yet. Mrs Jade Castle had called me few days ago to ask of my well-being. I hung up on her.” She rolled her eyes, as if the woman irritated her. “Anyways, I haven’t spoken to my mum and dad, neither have I seen them.”
“So, haven’t they called to check up on you, at least?” I asked in disbelief.
“Dad did but I ignored it. My mum doesn’t give a shit.” She relaxed her head on my bed, moving up a bit. “You know, I think that woman isn’t my mother at times.”
I paused. “Why would you think of that.”
“Isn’t it obvious? The way she treats me. She would never treat her real kids like that. That’s fu-cked up and so stupid. I blame dad for not standing up for himself.”
I chuckled softly. One thing, I was glad she saw her mother like the way I portrayed her to be. The woman was wicked, selfish and hated people for absolutely no reason.
You know, I had thought about her really being Zoey’s mum. She never acted like she was one. She did things like a child everytime. It irritated me, do very much.
Silence engulfed us. It was fine to open up to my bestfriend, talk to her about my lie all along.
“Are you okay? You seem off. Do you want anything?”
I gulped. Was it so obvious I was going throu-ghsome emotional breakdown? Nah, I hardly showed emotions.
Zoey moved closer to me and holds me. “Tell me, I’ll always listen.”
“Promise you won’t get mad at me or judge me.”
She smiled and gave me a shoulder squee-ze. “Nope. I will never. I cross my heart.”
Knowing fully well that I wouldn’t be judged, I began. “I’m sorry I lied to you. I swear, it wasn’t my intention. I never meant any of it.”
She blinked in utter confusion. “I… I don’t get you.”
I gulped loudly. All my words were just on the tip of my tongue, ready to be spoken out. It was so hard.
How would she look at me after everything?
Would she ever trust me?
Would she ever tell me personal stuffs, ever?
Everything was going throu-ghmy head. I wished I had told her sooner. I shouldn’t have kept something like that away from her.
“Come on, Char. Tell me.” Her eyes were all over me, as if searching for my words.
I broke down in tears immediately. The tears I had been trying to bottle up, poured down freely down my cheeks. I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I wasn’t so strong like I thought I was. I had my vulnerable sides too. All I had to do was be myself and pour them out.
Zoey rubbed my back, continuously. “It’s gonna be okay. I’m always here for you. Shh. Pour it out. You’re not horrible. You have great things in you. I love you despite the rumors about you.” She muttered soothing words to me.
I took in a de-ep breath and looks to at my bestfriend. She had a smile on her face, with a single tear on her left cheeks, that had rolled down from her eyes. “Brian and I never had anything.”
It seemed like my words struck her. Still, she maintained her cool. “Elaborate.”
I sat up, hugging my knees. “We signed a deal. We had been faking. None of what we did was real. We only acted to get back at our exes, and have them come back to us.”
“Why? Why did you not tell me?” Her was voice was cool, calm. She didn’t sound upset or disappointed.
I swallowed. “It was in the rule book to not tell anyone. Brian didn’t tell his friends or family too.” I defended myself. I didn’t want to make it look like I chose not to let her know.
“I’m sorry.”
“At first, it looked unreal, but as time went on, I believed it. Why did you guys break up all of a sudden?”
All Ashton. It was Ashton’s handwork to have us go our separate ways. It was all his doing. “His bestfriend.”
She nodded and took her hands off me. I looked at her face. It looked hurt. She looked hurt. I hurt feelings. I hurt her trust for me.
“I’m not mad at you.” She stated, as if reading my mind. “I’m just confused why you’re crying that y’all are apart.”
“I…I…I put my emotions first.” I said. She titled her head to the side. It meant I should go further. “I grew to love him. I never intended for everything to happen. I just wanted a clean job.”
“This is so confusing. I’m trying ha-rd to und-erstand why you agreed to his offer first. How his bestfriend spoilt everything, how you’re suddenly in love with him. It’s all confusing.”
I knew this was the time I needed to come true to her. I needed to stop beating around the bush continuously and face my bestfriend who looked calm about everything I had said.
Truly, if I were Zoey, I would have been mad at her, but look at us, she was consoling me, speaking in calm voice, trying to take everything in without struggle, like she had promised.
I opened my mouth to talk, when the doorbell rang.
Zoey and I exchanged knowing looks.
Shit!!!