Shattered Hearts

Chapter 11

Charlotte woke up with a start. Her mouth was dry and the blanket was scratchy against her skin. She struggled to get her bearings. She wasn't in her own bed, she was in Louis's. What the heck...

"Hiya," Louis said, putting a cup of coffee down beside her as if nothing was amiss.

She sat up pulling the blanket tightly around herself, trying not to freak out as she remembered the previous evening. "I have to go."

"It's only early, I'll run you home later."

"You don't understand, I can't be here with you, like this." She took a couple of deep breaths trying to steady her nerves.

"Why not?"

"Louis I'm married!" Was he deliberately being stupid? Very possibly.

He arched his eyebrows. "Yeah, but you're getting divorced, we had quite a few conversations about it last night."

"But I don't want to be divorced on the grounds of my adultery!" She felt a surge of anger. "I'm the injured party and I won't have anyone saying otherwise."

He sat down next to her. "No one is gonna find out but why would you care if they did? I'd have thought if anything it'd speed things up." He laughed. "But I don't mind being named in your divorce, I'd consider it a privilege."

She sighed, she'd been complaining all night that her ex was being obstructive, no wonder Louis didn't get it. "If Nick got wind of this I'd be the guilty party. I'm not having that, and I'm not having my son thinking I cheated on his father." She closed her eyes feeling ashamed; technically she had cheated on his father.

"So you're gonna keep your life on hold until you're divorced?"

She frowned. "I can't get involved with anyone right now if that's what you mean." Surely he didn't think they could start something back up?

He gave her a crooked smile. "I think you're worrying too much about appearances."

"I have a child to consider," she said irritably. "Where are my clothes?" She knew they were on the floor but she couldn't get to them without getting out of bed. Thankfully Louis picked up on her hint and handed them to her.

"Could you at least turn around while I get dressed," she said still holding the bed sheet around herself in a belated attempt at modesty.

He grinned at her. "It's nothing I haven't seen before."

"I'd forgotten how annoying you were," she snapped glaring at him.

"Sorry." He turned his back to her. "Look about last night?"

"It should never have happened, forget it."

"Maybe I don't want to. I know the timing's all wrong and everything..."

"Louis please, I can't be having this conversation with you." She yanked at the zip on the back of her dress struggling to fasten it.

"You're gonna break that," he said appearing behind her.

"Fine, you fasten it."

"So how about we get together sometime?"

She held in a sigh. "It didn't work before when we had everything going for us, so there's no way it will now."

He slowly smoothed her dress down. "We're not kids anymore."

"We're too different." She turned around to face him. "And anyway, you cheated on me, I would never get back together with you."

He flinched. "I didn't cheat, we agreed to see other people, and it was your idea. I went on two or three dates tops."

"Well, I didn't go on any." She made her voice as cold as possible. "I'm sorry but last night was a mistake. I was drunk and over-emotional, it meant nothing to me."