The Curse of Your Past // Charlie Gillespie

Chapter 10

"V..." I hold up my hand to stop her from saying anything. "J... we're not talking about this any further right now. Today is your last day and I will definitely not let that woman ruin it." She doesn't seem convinced. "I'm fine. Actually it feels kinda good to finally have stood my ground." 

Jenny nods. I can tell she isn't 100% convinced but, as I said, Evelyn isn't ruining our last hours together. I grab my purse from the couch and walk up to Charlie. Holding out my hand I say "Ready to go?" He takes my hand and smiles at me. 

Something feels off about him but I can't really figure out what. Maybe it's only because he just saw my so called mother slap me in the face. She barely ever did that before... but since I barely ever spoke up to her she didn't have any options to.

We drive to the Mexican place Charlie and I go to from time to time because it's on the way to the airport and the food is just really good. As usual, Jenny can't choose so we end up getting a beef and a chicken quesadilla as well as nachos with salsa and guacamole. You could think Jenny is preparing to never have a meal again because she wanted to get even more food. 

I'm pleased to see she enjoys the quesadillas as much as I do. I hardly get to eat any nachos because Charlie and Jenny pounce on them as if they were close to starvation. I watch them fight over who get's the last rest of guacamole and a happy smile forms on my lips. 

Charlie wins the battle but instead of stuffing the nacho into his mouth he holds it up to mine. "Fearlessly fought for this for you." My smile widens and I open my mouth. Once I finished my nacho Jenny pokes her elbow into my side. "Someone is trying to get on your good side." 

I look over to Charlie who looks like an innocent little boy. "Well... he has to work much harder than this if that's what he's aiming for." I turn back to Jenny so I can at least try to hide my smile. I can hear Charlie catch his breath which makes me crack and burst into laughter. 

Jenny turns to Charlie. "You'll have a lot of fun with this one." The same look as that night in Las Vegas appears on Charlie's face. "That's what I'm counting on." My cheeks blush a little at the memory of that night. I wonder if Jenny can feel the sudden tension between him and I. 

Quickly, I switch the topic before I turn into a full on tomato. "So J... is Josh picking you up from the airport?" She nods excitedly. "Yeah he is... can't wait to see him again!" I wonder if I have the same look on my face when I talk about Charlie. She seems so happy and excited and just like she is in love. It makes me so happy to see her that way. "Omg! Airport. Guys we have to go!" Charlie says, waving for the check.

I hug Jenny so tight I'm worried I might strangle her. "I'll miss you J!" I can see tears building in her eyes. I shake my head fiercely. "No! No crying! If you cry I will cry too!" She takes a deep breath. "Then we have to make it quick." She hugs me one more time. "See you soon V." 

Without looking back she heads over to the security line. That's how Jenny is. She won't look back because that would be way too dramatic. I can feel Charlie taking my hand. "Let's go Vic." We walk to the car in silence. Actually, we are silent all the way back to Charlie's apartment. Once again I can't shake the feeling that something is off about him. 

Once we get back we head over to the couch to watch some Netflix. Charlie holds out his arm so I snuggle up against his chest. "Charlie... something is up with you." I lift my head to be able to look into his eyes. "Everything is fine." I shake my head. "No it's not. I can tell something is bothering you." He wraps a strand of my hear around his finger a plays with it, lost in his thoughts. 

"You already had a hard enough day..." I sit up straight in front of him. "Charlie... please tell me? You're always there for me... let me be there for you too!" He thinks about it for another second. "Today... when your mother was in the club with you... I was outside... with Max." 

The second he says that fear starts creeping up my spine. "What did he want?" My voice is barely a whisper. "Told me to break up with you if I'm wise. He said you're crazy. That you abused him... mentally and physically." This isn't happening! 

Panic starts rising in my chest. I feel like I can't breathe anymore. Charlie senses my panic and reaches for my hands. "Vic... I told him to f*ck off and leave me alone. That I know that he's the psycho and that nothing... and I mean nothing... will ever make me break up with you." 

I can hear what he says but the panic wins over, consuming me. Charlie reaches for me, pulling me into his arms. "Vic I love you... so much... we'll get through this." I cling onto him like my life depends on it. He gently strokes my back and after a while I'm slowly starting to calm down again. 

It's crazy how much power Max still has over my emotions. "Vic..." - "Mhm..." I mumble against Charlie's chest. "I really wanna help you with this... I wanna be there for you... but I need to know what happened back then... I know this must be insanely hard for you but... I just need to know." I nod against his chest. "You're right."