Detriment

11. I dreamt I held you...

Ayden's Pov

"Charlie, I'm really worried about you, tell me something. Please call me back when you get this message. As soon as you get this message." I closed the call, throwing my phone back into my bag. It had been yesterday when Bradley had taken Charlie from my apartment and even though I knew not to expect a call from said male, it still worried me. I needed to know how he was and if he was okay.

"Ayden, we're about to start." Derrick said to me as the other dancers began to walk towards the center of the mirrored studio. I didn't want to be here rehearsing for something that might not even happen. I wanted to go check on Charlie.

"Have you heard from Charlie?"

Derrick barely spared a glance in my direction as he started to position people. "Not since last rehearsal but I have people trying to get in contact with him." He didn't seem to worried about the lack of communication, but it was only because he didn't know what I knew. Positioning me in my place, Derrick began to walk in front.

"But what if he's not okay? What if he's in some type of dangerous situation?"

Irritated eyes met with mine. "Then my people will figure it out, but for now, you have a number to go over so for God's sake Ayden, stop worrying about Charlie right now and worry about this. Got it?"

I glared at him, biting my tongue as he started the music. Like a good little dancer, I listened to him and followed the dance to the song without another word. Fuck Derrick, if Charlie was hurt in any way, it would be Derrick that I would murder second. Cameron would no doubt be first on that list.

Step, two, three, step, two, three

Step, two, rinnnnggggg

My eyes widened the moment that I heard my phone, instantly abandoning the dance and rushing over quickly to grab it. Other dancers groaned and Derrick snapped but none of it mattered as I saw Charlie's name flashed over my screen and despite Derrick's objections, I answered it.

"Charlie?" I breathlessly breathed out.

"Eh, not quite. It's Bradley, Charlie just sat his phone down as he went to get something." In the background I could hear another voice but I couldn't make out who it was.

I deflated slightly, wanting to talk to Charlie directly. Maybe his brother was the next best thing though, he would at least know if Charlie was okay.

"Please tell me that Charlie is okay. Where is he, I need to talk to him."

"Charlie is fine, Cameron ended up not being there. He's not really anywhere so that's good." Bradley reassured me allowing my stress to alleviate. This was good, Charlie was okay.

"Hey Ayden?"

My attention had drifted slightly away from Bradley but his voice had brought it back. "Yeah?" I replied, avoiding the way that Derrick was glaring at me. At least I cared about whether Charlie was okay.

"You know vaguely what my brother is going through." He started, a pause until he began his next words. "I think it would be better if you disassociate yourself with him. I know that you care about him but you're only making things worse for him. Please, for his sake, just leave him alone."

My heart felt as if it had stopped at his words, the weight that had been lifted off of my shoulders just moments ago, crashing down onto me again. Was I really making things worse for him just by trying to help? Was I causing him more unneeded pain?

"Can I just talk to him. Please?"

Silence filled the line and for a moment, I thought that he had hung up on me. That was until the voice in the background piped up, annoyance clearly laced through it as they incoherently spoke to Bradley. For a second, I thought about asking who it was but Charlie's brother's voice broke that thought.

"Charlie doesn't want to speak with you."

My mouth dried, my fingers slightly trembling against the smooth case of the phone. Was...was that Charlie that was in the background? The voice was one that I couldn't recognize but since it was over the phone, it could've been anybody. Even Charlie. Was he annoyed that I cared?

Bradley cleared his throat. "Is that all?"

Derrick was fuming at my actions, yelling things that I had just now managed to notice. Even as I noticed it, I honestly didn't even care. Not about him, not about if the other dancer's were annoyed at me, hell, I didn't even care of he fired me right at this moment. I didn't care. All I cared about, was Charlie. He was the only thing occupying my thoughts.

Once again deflated, I sunk down into the bench that I was sitting on, my grip on the phone loosening slightly.

"Yeah. That's it."

The moment that I had ended the call was the moment that Derrick had grabbed the collar of my shirt, spewing angry threats about me losing my job and yelling about my 'insubordinance'. I only stared away from him, looking at the mirrored wall, while muttering a half-hearted apology.

I was bothering Charlie. I've been bothering him since the very first time that I had met him and now, my bothering was causing him pain. Pain that he didn't need or deserve. I needed to stop, he was getting annoyed with it and that was the last thing I wanted.

"DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?!"

I brought my eyes back to the red in the face Derrick and nodded.

"Yes sir."

~

Fuck.

Moments like these made me wish that I had never quit smoking. I unlocked my apartment door, throwing the keys onto the kitchen counter before dropping down to a couch. The same couch that-

No, no, no. I shook my head as if the mere memory would go away with the simple movement. I needed to start a mental checklist.

One, burn this couch and it's memories.

"Ugh, fuck Charlie! I'm sorry!" I yelled at nothing in frustration.

Two, stop being such a fucking idiot!

I should've never told him about my feelings, matter of fact, I should've never became invested in him with my feelings in the first place. He was part of my job. A job only meant to pay bills and keep food in my stomach and like a dumbass, I had allowed my love life to intermingle with my job. Love and work didn't mix. It never mixed.

Even as I was beating myself over this, another thought was making its way to the front of my mind, a small voice with priority heavy in it.

'Charlie. He still isn't okay, not as long as he's with Cameron. He would never be okay with that abusive asshole and you know it, so stop bitching and complaining about your emotions and realize that you need to help him. If you don't, who will? No one else knows but you and Bradley and would you really allow someone younger than you to be endangered?'

I wanted to the voice to shut the fuck up and allow me to wallow in my own self pity. That was until I realized that the voice was just me. The logical side of me. The side me that wasn't clouded by emotions and could clearly comprehend the situation at hand before coming up with a plan. I liked this side of me. Shame, it only came out when I most needed it.

Tomorrow, I would go over to his house and talk to him. It didn't matter if he was annoyed at me or anything, he would get my help whether he like it or not.

I would help him because Charlie... he couldn't help himself.

._._._._._._.

Yay, finally updated, be proud of me! ^ ^
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