Promise Me: Adopted By NateWantsToBattle

Chapter 14

Nate's POV

I opened up the curtains again after Charlotte left. Morgan left later that day. The house felt empty without Charlotte here. At 6 o'clock, there was a knock on the door. I opened it and saw Hale standing there. "I got Charlotte's text. Is she here?" "Sorry. She left a few hours ago." He looked down at the ground, defeated. "When is she coming back?" This hurt me more than anything. "I don't know Hale. It might be a few days, it might be a few years." "Oh. Thanks. I'll see you around." I shut the door as he walked away. I didn't eat dinner that night. I just went straight to bed. The next morning, I thought I would record a video. I turned on the camera and sat down. "Hey guys. I wanted to make this video to tell you about how things are going right now. Many of you know that five months ago, I adopted a 14 year old named Charlotte. She brought so much joy to the house and I hope you check out her channel. A link will be in the description below or right next to my face somewhere. Now yesterday, we recieved news that she would be taken back by her birth parents, Laura and James Fuller. It broke my heart to see her go. The main reason I posted this video is to tell you guys that I won't be posting videos for a little bit. So don't go pestering me on Twitter alright? I need to decompress. And now I'm crying. Wow. Breaking news, NateWantsToBattle cries on camera." I laughed and wiped away my tears. "Thanks you guys for understanding. I hope to upload a new video soon." I turned the camera off and leaned back in my chair. The internet will know soon. I got up and walked out into the hallway. Along the walls, framed photos of the two of us were smiling back at me. In a way, they were mocking me. I walked up to Charlotte's door and rested my hand on the door handle. I immediatly took it off and backed away. If I walked into the room, it would remind me of my broken promise to the daughter I would always protect.

Three weeks later

After a few weeks, I got into a routine. Wake up, get dressed, make breakfast. Clean what needs to be cleaned, free time. It had helped me keep my mind off everything. I passed her room everyday. I never went in. Morgan and I would hang out. Like we promised Charlotte, we wouldn't get married without her. And we were both fine with that. Morgan would go into Charlotte's room. She knew it hurt me too much to ask if I wanted to join her. One day, she walked slowly down the stairs with a smile on her face. "There's something you should see. She left it just for you." Morgan left without saying anything else. I shook my head and walked upstairs. I placed my hand on the handle of the door and walked in. The three red walls were much darker than the rest of the house. On her painting wall, she painted a wavy music staff. On it was the treble clef as well as a few notes. If you played the four notes, it was Rue's song from The Hunger Games. She left all the photos we took over the time she was here. The bed was neatly made like she had just left for school. The closet door was open. Inside was a pure white dress with a bow around the waist. I smiled at her geture. She would have worn that for special occasions. And her finding the dress when she came home was just as special.  Clipped to the dress was a note. Her pretty handwriting was inviting. I grabbed the note and read it outloud.

Nate,

I couldn't write in words what you brought to my life. I know it's cliche for me to say that, but it's true. When my parents abandoned me, I felt like no one thought of me as a person. Everyone I knew called me a mistake. And from the beginning, my parents said they never wanted a child. And if Laura did get pregnant, they always said they wanted a boy. So when the doctor said Laura was indeed pregnant, she wanted to get rid of me. She didn't want a thing growing inside her and ruining her body. My late grandfather told her not to and to carry out the pregnancy. He died the day after I was born. Laura didn't even want to hold me. I grew up and you know the rest. I was thankful for Mrs. Lane. Before you came to pick me up, she said I reminded her of her late daughter. She was the first to accept me in the world. I spent five years in the orphanage waiting for my chance to leave and learn about the world. When you came, you striked me as different. Someone I could bond with. And when you called me Charlotte Louise Sharp, I knew I had found a home. The song I wrote was all for you. It symbolizes your promise to me when you adopted me. That you would protect me with your life. You taught me so much on our time together. You never got angry. Even when I told you I snooped on your phone. You were there for me when no one else was. I'll never forget the fun adventures we had. Especially the time with the paint. I wanted to keep the dress in LA so you would always remember that me being here was a special occasion. And that special occasion should never end. Even if I'm not there. I love you Daddy.

Charlotte Louise Sharp

I set the paper down and smiled. She never fully opened up about her past to me. And she never told me she finished her song. As I looked at her desk, five or so sheets of paper were sitting right on top. The title was on the top of the page. It read Promise Me: A song written for NateWantsToBattle. On each of the pages were the notes to the whole song. Another note was sitting next to the stack of paper.

Nate,

This is it. The song you've heard so much about. I left this here for you to play whenever you want. It might brighten your day.

Charlotte

I smiled at her kindness. Just her saying this made my day brighter. I bundled up the papers, grabbed the two notes and went into my recording room. I picked up my guitar that had been sitting for over three weeks. It had a thin layer of dust on it. I turned on the camera and smiled. "Hey guys, I'm back. So today, I thought I would honor my daughter by singing her song that she wrote. This took her four months of hard work. And you can check it out on her channel that I will link down in the description. So without further ado, this is Promise Me." I sang through the song and played each chord. It had a piano part that I would play later in my own time. There wouldn't be a day that goes by that I wouldn't play this. As Charlotte said, it brightened my day. And I knew neither of us would stop until she was back in my arms.