If heart ache was a physical pain, I could face it.

Part Twenety One

Jess’ POV

After a little while Roxie walks back into the room looking a worried; poor Charly this must be almost as bad for her as it is for Max.

“How is she?” I ask as Roxie sits back down besides Siva.

“She’s worried Max is going to want Anne back.” She sighs.

“He wouldn’t though, he loves Charly.” My voice comes out more uncertain than I mean it to, and I can suddenly see why Charly’s having doubts. If he truly loved her one hundred percent why did he walk out instead of staying and showing Tom and Anne he has Charly now and they don’t bother him?

“Maybe we should all go out for dinner tomorrow night.” Jay says, breaking the silence, and we all turn to him shocked.

“Babe I really don’t think that’s the best idea.” We can’t all stay in the same room together for five minuets, how can he really think we’d all be able to sit around one table together?

“We're all living here now, we’re going to have to get used to it, we can't have  Max leave the room when Tom and Anne enter or vise versa everytime! And the sooner we get used to this the better. So why don’t we all agree to do this tomorrow in a place where everyone has to be civil to one another. It might not work, but it’s worth a try, and the sooner we do it the better.”

“Well we don’t have any other ideas.” Nathan says agreeing and soon it’s decided. Well as long as they can convince those upstairs to agree to it. And I hope no faith in the idea; things aren’t going to go back to how they were before. Too many people got hurt.

Charly’s POV

Just take a deep breath and walk in. I say to myself over and over trying to calm my nerves; I grab my hands tightly and notice they’re sweating, rubbing them on my jeans I take and deep breath, and then with out really thinking push the door open, deciding to brave. He loves you Charly. You know he does.  But all of my self-confidence leaves as soon as I see Max sat on the bed an old picture of him and Anne held in his hands. I suck in a shaky breath just as Max turns to look at me guiltily. I knew it.

“Hey babe.” Max says sheepishly to me, before putting the photo down and coming to take my hands. But I don’t miss the longing glace he gives the picture before coming to me or how his fingers brushed against it lovingly as he walked away.

“How come you left?” I ask, trying not to let my panic show through my voice but I don’t think it worked well as a look of regret flashes across Max’s face.

“It was just a shock seeing her like that.” He smiles at me, but it doesn’t reach his eyes.

“And that’s all?” I ask my voice shaking.

“That’s all.”

“Do you promise me?” I ask, feeling bad for not trusting him, but needing the reassurance.

“It’s getting late.” Is all he replies as he pulls me towards the bed. He tries to do it quickly and without my noticing, but I see as he pushes the photo under his pillow, before pulling me into bed with him. “Night Charly.”

“Night.” I whisper. Even as I'm lying in his arms pressed up against his stomach I have never felt further from him in my life. I can feel my life falling apart for the second time, but this time it’s worse. Much worse. Because for a short amount of time he really was mine. Or so I thought.  

Max’s POV

I’m doing it. I’m doing the one thing I promised myself I would never do. I’m hurting my best friend and I can’t think of a way to stop it. I should have never told her I loved her when I wasn’t over Anne, I was hoping she would help me get over her and maybe I would have if I didn’t invite Anne to live here again. And suddenly I find myself understanding what Tom did, he didn’t do it to hurt me, and he really did value my friendship, because I do love Charly, so much, just not in the way I led her to believe.  But when you love someone as much as Tom and I love Anne that’s all that matters and you’ll settle for anything to get that person, even if others get hurt in the process.  Because I know in my heart if given the chance I’d go back to Anne, and if she didn’t want me like before, but only every now and again, she’d have me; and I’d cheat on Charly for her because I’m selfish and I’d need someone for when Tom had her. So yeah, I understand exactly why they did it now, and I’m also aware that, that must mean she loves Tom’s more than me. Congratulations mate you may have won the battle, but feelings change, and I’m definitely not done fighting.