𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐅𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐃─𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐬

one hundred twenty three.

─☼☼☼─

GOING HOME THAT night was the last thing Charlotte wanted to do. She couldn't handle the smug looks on her friends as they tried to gauge wether or not she'd broken down and slept with her ex. It was none of their business if she did or didn't. Especially because she didn't and she was still pissed at herself.

She wasn't sure if she was more angry that she almost slept with Rafe or that she didn't actually sleep with him. Either was she was pissed off.

Charlotte's night had been spent driving around, trying to tell herself that she'd done all she could when it came to Rafe and the Goat Island deal. She wasn't going to argue with him, wasn't going to force him to back out of the deal. He was an adult, and he was right in saying he knew more than her when it came to real estate. But he was making his bed, Charlotte had to let him lay in it.

It was early dawn when she finally returned to Pogulandia 2.0. She'd figured she'd be able to sneak in unscathed at this time. No one should still be awake from the night before, nor waking for the new day. It was the perfect time.

As she stepped into the house it was silent ─ thankfully. Tossing her keys on the sideboard, Charlotte quietly walked toward the kitchen, desperately in need of some coffee. There was no point sleeping now, she knew they'd have a full day ahead of them trying to decipher the scroll. She figured they'd gotten no where last night, considering all but one were high the entire time.

After almost dozing off three times while she waited for the coffee to brew, Charlotte finally had the steaming cup of goodness in her hands. She took her first sip as he made her way toward the living room, not caring if it was still scalding hot. Maybe that would help wake her up.

She was seconds from lowering herself onto the couch when someone spoke from the porch outside, their voice travelling through the window. "Mornin', Charls."

Charlotte jumped, spilling some of the coffee down her arm which resulted in a stiff curse flying from her lips. Flying back into the kitchen, she shoved her arm under cold water, scowling at the laughter that was coming from outside. At least he thought this was funny. When she'd subdued her minor burn enough, she begrudgingly filled a second cup of coffee and carried the two outside. For a moment she'd considered just locking herself in her room─she wasn't exactly in the mood to speak with him. But then again, there was too much to leave unsaid.

JJ was leaned back in one of the chairs, feet propped up on the table as Charlotte joined him. She wordlessly passed him his cup of coffee, taking a seat on the outdoor sofa across from him. "Good night?" JJ wondered, raising his brows in what Charlotte couldn't decipher as mockery or judgement.

She took a sip of her coffee, keeping eye contact with him. "Not really any of your business, is it?"

"Isn't it?" JJ fired back. "Thought that's what friends did...told each other everything."

"Hm," Charlotte hummed, finding this whole conversation ironic. "That's rich coming from you."

JJ narrowed his eyes on her. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Charlotte shrugged. "Just that you disappeared for a full twelve hours without giving any of us a hint as to where you were. Speaking as your friend...I was scared shitless."

He didn't respond right away, just stared back at her as if considering how to approach his response. Charlotte knew why JJ was so upset, why he'd gone off the deep-end, but she couldn't sit there and excuse his actions. None of them were ever going to get anywhere if they kept splitting up and taking matter into their own hands.