Where is Louise Bauman? + Original, Book 1 ✔

26

- Overdrive; Post Malone -

Waking up the next morning was different for Charlie. Of course, she'd woken up in Renfrow Hill's bedroom before, the familiar organized bedroom a usual sight to her now. It wasn't the fact that she was in his bedroom, or even the fact that he had his arms wrapped securely around her like he had done a few times before that. It was the fact that just the night before, right when they got back from a very stressful homecoming night, they'd kissed.

Ren had gained up the courage and the guts to just go for it, and press his lips against hers. And Charlie, of course, kissed back. It was the best experience either of them had in a while, and somehow put a kind of happy ending to a very shitty night.

Of course, it didn't change the mood completely. They were still both pretty bummed their friend group had fallen apart almost completely, only leaving them two and Mikey being the three main people interested in continuing the search for Louise Bauman. It didn't change the fact they still needed to go find Louise's diary or see if they could make up with Trystan. It didn't change the fact everyone was still mad at each other. And it most certainly didn't fix those things, and both of them knew that.

But, in that tiny little moment of happiness shared between the two, they forgot. They forgot about Louise and how she'd gone missing, and how she could be alive somewhere or even worse, dead. They'd forgotten about someone breaking into Charlie's house, and all of the drama with not only their own friend group but with Nadia and the others also. It was as if for just a split moment they felt like teenagers again, living normal lives and feeling what they were supposed to be feeling. Living, catching feelings, and experiencing life as teenagers do.

That's all they had really wanted all along, was to be teenagers. Experience relationships, love, and things like that. That's all they really wanted to do that night and even the night before. But they couldn't even get two simple nights to themselves. So in that split moment of happiness shared between the two, and as Ren smiled at Charlie and they went inside, changing and getting ready for bed, they dwelled in that little moment as they knew that it wouldn't last, and soon enough they were going to go back to their fucked up lives the next day.

Looking over at the sleeping boy next to her, she couldn't help but smile the tiniest smile. Although there was a lot of hurt in Charlie's heart, whenever she looked at Ren she couldn't help but smile a little bit and feel happiness. He made her happy, a happiness that nobody else had ever made her feel in her years of living.

Of course, the tiny thoughts of this only lasting until they find out what happened to Louise flashed through her mind, but then Charlie would remember that even before Louise had gone missing Ren would always try to muster up some type of conversation with Charlie, even if it was about the dumbest stuff. Somehow, she knew, deep down that he wasn't in it just for the case, and that he truly really does care about her.

"Are you staring at me?" Ren's raspy morning voice caught Charlie off guard. Her cheeks immediately turned red, and she looked up to the ceiling as she cleared her throat.

"Don't know what you're talking about, bud."

"Bud?" Ren asked, his eyes shooting open. "Bud!" He exclaimed again, his head popping off of the soft mattress. He propped himself up to get a better look at the girl lying next to him. "We kissed and you're going to call me bud! I didn't know you're supposed to kiss your buds!"

"Shut up," Charlie spoke, rolling her eyes as she pushed Ren off of her. She got out of his bed, stretching as she stood up. "We got a lot to do today." She added, looking over at him. He sat up, running a hand through his messy brown hair.