Falling For Your Antics (Editing)

Chapter 34- Don't Ruin The Cinderella Moment/Rowan's POV

Rowan's POV

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I walked into Carter's house with Jack calmly, but I guess my nerves showed on my face because Jack slipped his hand into mine and gave it a squeeze. I turned to him, and gave him a sweet kiss on his cheek.

Everything with him was so tender, it was like nothing I had ever had before.

Anyway, enough about that. We walked into Carter's living room, Jack acting like he owned the place, before we found his parents.

"Ah, Jack!" Carter's mum, Penny came walking over. "Please tell me you know what is wrong with my son, I can't get him out of his state."

The look in her eyes made my stomach churn, and guilt to swell in my chest. Couldn't Branwen and Carter see what they were doing to each other?

Jack gave a quick glance at me, but I shook my head no. He couldn't tell Penny the truth, that was Carter's place and his decision to make. I could see it pained Jack to lie to what rightly were his 'second' parents, being best friends with Carter for so long, but he did it anyway.

Penny sighed, then Darren, Carter's dad walked over. I only knew their names from everything Branwen told me.

"Rowan, right?" He asked me, and I nodded in return. "Now, I know you're Branwen's best friend- and I've got a feeling this whole mess with Carter has something to do with her. So, do you know why we suddenly don't see her anymore? What happened? Has she told you anything?"

I swallowed, my throat taut and dry. "She won't tell me anything." I lied. "That's why Jack and I are here to give Carter a shot."

He nodded, pulling his wife into his side. "Good luck with that."

Jack and I walked up the flights of stairs, him leading me to the third floor for Carter's room.

"Why is he all isolated up here?" I asked, eyeing the walls as we walked down the hall.

"He was a bit of a pimp, wasn't he?" He joked, but in all honesty there was a bit of dark truth to it.

He knocked on Carter's door, and in turn Carter yelled at us to go away.

"Mate, I've got a key, you muppet." Jack called back, before he quickly unlocked the door and led me inside.

Woah, what a state. Clothes were dumped everywhere all over the floor, and there were bottles of alcohol dotted around the room. Then, at last, Carter sat on the side of his bed, lifting a bottle of whiskey to his lips as his glazed eyes stared out over the city through his glass wall. He hadn't shaved in days, a dark stumble crawling all over his jaw.

"Carter, what the hell, man." Jack let go of my hand to walk over to him and take away the bottle of whiskey. Normally Jack was such a light and joking person, but it appeared all this mess was weighing down his spirit, too.

"Hey, I was drinking that." Carter gruffly spoke, but it was obvious he hadn't drank much since it was 9 in the morning. This was good, because it meant we could talk sense to him.

"Why won't she talk to me?" He turned to me, pleading. "Man, I'm so desperate. No girl has ever gotten me desperate before. What is she doing to me?" He rambled, turning his face away into his hands.

Jack gave me a look of encouragement before I started to talk. "Carter, listen. I know why she is ignoring you, and honestly, I think she needs the space at the moment."

He looked up and began to protest, but Jack slapped his hand over his mouth.

"She said listen, bro, don't disrespect my girl."

My heart warmed at his comment, before I continued. "In fact, we both know. So all I'm going to say is that I don't feel it is our place to tell you what's wrong or what has happened. You need to find out from Branwen."

Jack let go of him and he shook his head, muttering to himself. "God, I mess everything up, I've messed everything up." He abruptly stood up and started pacing.

"Word of advice, alcohol isn't going to tell you what you did." Jack sarcastically commented.

In all other situations, I would have laughed, but this was serious. Branwen almost landed herself in A&E that night at the party from all that she had drunk. Although I knew Carter wasn't drinking out of pain, like her. He was drinking out of confusion.

"You need to go find her, and you need to be sober." I told him. "And I don't mean go to her house, I mean I will tell her to meet me somewhere and instead you will be there, waiting."

However, I had a niggling feeling of doubt that she would turn up. She was completely a different person.

"Okay, deal." He said, then put on some trainers. "Let's go."

He walked out the door, Jack and I being slow to follow.

"Are you just going to let him go to her like that?" I asked him with raised eyebrows.

"Why not? He thinks he's a god, you don't want to bruise his ego by telling him he needs a shower and a change of clothes."

I laughed, and he pulled me into him.

"If you came to my house looking like that-"

"Don't lie! You'd love it." He winked at me.

"No! Actually, I think I'd-"

"Shh." He pressed a finger to my lips. "Don't ruin the Cinderella moment."