Loves Me Not

*REVISED* Alternate Epilogue: May 13, 2019

IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE!! MAKE SURE TO READ THIS!

This chapter is for everyone who didn't already hate me!

So when I first started rewriting this story, I intended on changing the ending of the story drastically. I was going to make Kaiydeen end up with Charlie. I didn't know how, but I was going to do it. But as I kept editing it, and making the characters more complex and changing the interactions between them, I realized that if I did that I would be forcing an ending on you guys and Kaiydeen. But before I came to this realization I already wrote this ending, which is for everyone who wanted the two of them to end up together. But just so you know, this is what would have happened regardless of who she chose at the end of the official book.

So, to put this in context, in this version of the ending, the chapter where Kaiydeen and Charlie had dinner would have ended same, and all of the stuff with Jeremiah still would have happened. Next there would have been another chapter where she went back to campus and Charlie would be waiting outside her door, checking to see if she made it back safely. After that she would have kept her distance, but he would keep trying to be friends with her, checking up on her, trying to eat lunch with her, stuff like that.

The thing with Ellie is resolved once her parents find out she is dating Archer instead, so she somehow convinces them to let her go to Syracuse. So, since Kaiydeen doesn't have to worry about Ellie she finally relents in giving Charlie a chance a month or two later. But there are still some problems between them that you will see in this epilogue.

Now that all of that basic information is out of the way, enjoy (or maybe not enjoy) the true ending of Charlie and Kaiydeen.

"Well my husband is the CFO—I'm sorry, the Chief Financial Officer, since you might not know what that means— of Millennium Management, that's this hedge fund in the city." The woman stops, her artificially plump lips pursing in mock thought. "Do you know what a hedge fund is? Well, its—"

"I'm familiar with what a hedge fund is," I interrupt.

"Obviously not that familiar," she smirks, looking at the other people in the circle around us.

My smile wilts at her condescending tone, though I try my hardest not to let her see how much she is getting to me. My eyes flit to Charlie for help but he is locked in conversation with a gentleman in a ridiculous top hat on his left. So I try and showcase my knowledge, thankful that the brief amount of research I did during the week is coming in handy. "Well that particular fund—"

"Hedge fund, dear," she corrects, her smile growing as she glances knowingly around the circle of onlookers once again. "There are actually quite a few different types of funds, so you have to make sure to distinguish one from the other. Oh, don't worry honey, that's a common misunderstanding that people who aren't educated on the subject experience."

I try not to look annoyed, the smile frozen on my face as I force my posture to remain rigid. Light laughter fills the room as others move on with their conversation, and I allow my hollow laughs to mimic theirs. I try to tuck my hand into the crook of Charlie's elbow but he subtly moves out of the way once he feels my prying hand.

It's as if someone stabbed me in the heart, my lips pursing together as I duck my head away. I stand quietly by Charlie's side as I remain quiet, a decent amount of space between us as he schmoozes with some unrecognizable, but probably very important, people. I wait patiently for the party to be over, smiling at all of the jokes that go above my head and listening to all of the stories I can't relate to, not adding in little comments like the rest of them.