Breathe Me

14. Play Nice, Boys

Charlie's P.O.V.

I hear him say that and immediately find myself disagreeing. I'm pissed at him, yes, but he never meant for me to go back home. Well, to my old home. I was stupid to think he hated me that much when he's the one that took me out of that situation in the first place. 

"No." It comes out in a whimper. I can tell he's deciding whether to leave the room or not, he seems on edge like he's about to get up. I don't really know if I want him to go or not, so when he gets up, I don't stop him. No one does. 

"Little Kitten, how did this happen?" Ace replaces where Aiden was. I had almost forgotten they didn't know anything about my father. Ace meets my gaze, his chocolate brown eyes reveal a mix of fury and worry. He places a warm hand on mine which is about the best thing I've felt in a while considering I just spent forever out on the cold. I can't wait for the after affects of the storm to go away. 

It took a while, but I eventually succeed at explaining to them about my father without crying. I don't want to cry in front of them. Not a face in the room shows emotion other than pity, which I despise. I've made my decision, I wish Aiden hadn't let. He doesn't look at me like he pities me. He may pity me, but he masks it well when he looks at me. I'd ask if one of the guys could go get him, but the garage door is open, so I assume he's gone. 

Jack must've caught me looking to the door to the garage, "He's not here. I doubt he'll even come home tonight. When something's wrong, he disappears." He reassures my thoughts. "He'll come back eventually though, don't worry."

"I've never really handled something like this, I hate to ask, but do you know what we should be doing?" Ace asks. Aiden would've known what to do. Aiden's not here, stop thinking about him.

"I just need rest right now." I respond. Ace moves to pick me up as Aiden had before but I stop him. "I'll be fine. I don't like being helped, I can handle myself." I say. It's true, I hate being helped, but as I think Ace is about to listen, he goes against my words. 

He picks me up, starting towards the stairs. "Where's your room?" 

No clue. This place is way too confusing. "Um... well-"

He interrupts, "Let me guess, you have no idea."

"Not a clue." He smiles at my response, continuing up the stairs and down the first hall. 

"I assume he would put you near his sister's room so probably down here." 

"How do you know this place so well?" I ask.

"All the guys practically live here, we spend most of our time here. We spend so much time here that we all basically split the cost of the house. It's how Aiden manages to keep the place. We grew up here most of our time. Liam and I actually genuinely live here too but we stayed elsewhere because you're staying here. Aiden wanted you to get comfortable before you found out other people live here. Liam's parents live in France because they're rich and got bored but he refused to go with, so they send him a money for 'rent'. I have a fund from my grandparents in Nebraska who want me to continue living where I'm happiest. My dad died before I was born and my mother died giving birth. So everyone here is just a bunch of misfits with terrible lives.  Carter and Jack chip in as well to help, but not as much. Obviously a place like this would be expensive to keep." I'm confused but I guess he's making some sense. We get to my room and I point towards it as we go in. 

Wait though, Aiden said he had a fund from his parents which paid for the house. If I remember his exact words, 'that money basically never stops coming'. So was he pretending so I didn't know other people lived there? Or was he lying? I don't know. It's possible he was saying that about just his part of the bills, not the rest of the guys.