Meant to Be

Chapter 16

Charlie

"Charlie, mate." I took my eyes off Ren for a split second to let Andrew know I acknowledged his voice. "What's going on with you and Rhylee?"

"What do you mean?" My eyes still on the dragon, my wand in the air, levitating his dinner towards him.

"She seems...distracted." Andrew chose the last word carefully. "And as if she's avoiding you."

"I don't know." I shrugged my shoulders. "Haven't noticed."

"Don't give me that. What's going on?" He persisted.

"I noticed it too. She's a little off lately." John joined the conversation. "What's up with her?"

"As I said, I don't know," I said through my teeth as Ren started paying more attention to us than his meal.

"Has something happen between the two of you?" John didn't stop.

Ren finally jumped for his piece of meat and I turned to them.

"Look, I am not having this conversation for the third time this week." I rubbed my fingers against my temples. "Peter asked me the same thing yesterday. And Evan and Theo the day before and I am sorry to disappoint you but I don't have an answer for you." I went to grab the box with food and walked past them to go feed the next dragon.

I wasn't lying and they weren't wrong. Something was going on with her. She missed work twice in the past two weeks and she has been avoiding me to the point that it was obvious to the rest of our team.

I gave her two days off so she could go to London as she insisted on talking to Nick. I don't know if she did it because I haven't seen her until the second she had to show up for work again.

She doesn't talk to me and if I say something at work, she simply nods her head and follows my order. She never makes eye contact and eats at a separate table from ours. She hasn't been out on a Friday or Saturday ever since that party and she doesn't talk to anyone if she doesn't have to. All and all, she looks completely miserable.

I don't know what to do about it. Peter tried talking to her, being her boss, but she said she was fine. I knew he wouldn't get a word out of her, at this point, I don't think even I could.

I miss her. Her energy at work and her playfulness. The way her laughter fills the room and how she ignites something in my chest when she smiles at me.

I haven't seen any of that since her two days off. I don't know what happened between her and Nick if she ever made it to London. It was frustrating because, for the first time, I felt as if I couldn't read her. The look in her eyes was foreign to me. She didn't feel guilty like that morning when she woke up at my place. She wasn't happy either. She looked tired, to be honest, and full of regret.

I just wish I would know what for. I tried talking to her a few times but she always made some dumb excuse and hurried off to Merlin knows where. I was concerned for her as her co-worker and as her friend. I miss talking to her and going for a run and I hate that she completely isolated herself from everybody and I hate it even more that I am struggling to get through to her.

"Don't you think you should talk to her? Ask her what's wrong?" John disturbed my train of thoughts.

"You think I didn't try that?" I chortled.

"She looks miserable. We have to do something." Andrew scratched his head, thinking.

"I'll try talking to her again. Perhaps I can get through to her this time." I sighed.

If my co-workers were concerned for her, I had to do something about it. They know I still have feelings for her and they are not going to stop pressuring me until she is back to normal. The thing is, I'm afraid that that might not happen. What if I ruined everything by sleeping with her after that party? What if she completely shut down because of it?