You belong to me

Chapter 1 - Charlotte

I hate how dark and cold Edinburgh is this time of the year, the air is crisp and the wind quite literally takes your breath away. My day shouldn't even be this long really, I brought this upon myself. I'm my own worst enemy when it comes to procrastination. I told myself I would be done with my art and that my portfolio doesn't need anything further added to it but the more I look at it, the more I can't stand it. As I walk out of the art building on campus I only then realise the time, checking my phone for the first time since lunch and it's now 6pm. I have 4 texts from my roommate Georgia, the first reads 'what time you home babe? Xxx' bit late for that reply, oops. I read the next 'omg Char I'm in love' quickly followed by another text which is funnily just a red heart. The final text reads, 'Chinese for dinner? Xxx'. I laugh at the array of messages Georgia sent to my phone, each one sums up her personality perfectly. I simply reply to the texts letting her know I'll pick up the food on the way home and get the wine ready. I call the Chinese and place our order and then place my earphones in my ears and drown out the noise of the streets, ever so slightly bobbing my head to the beat of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

The Chinese takeaway is only a 10 minute walk from my apartment building, so I inform Georgia I won't be long and she replies within the second of the text being sent. Sometimes, I envy Georgia, she's always home before it gets cold like this and she doesn't have to feel the sting of the cold air hitting her cheeks. I head into our apartment after I fumble around trying to get my key in the door, one hand holding the Chinese food and the other trying to warm up to even grip the key. "I'm home!" I shout. Placing the food on the kitchen bench and placing my keys on the table. "Ooh yes, come to me baby," Georgia says eyeing up her noodles. We sit together on the couch watching the same shitty show we watch every night about this girl who is in love with her best friend and doesn't have the balls to tell him. This reminds me of the text Georgia sent me earlier today about how she's fell in love, I'm assuming its nothing serious and it's just another celebrity that she stands absolutely no chance of even meeting let alone be in love with them but I decide to ask her anyways. "So, who are you in love with now?" I ask with my eyebrow raised and a slight laugh in my tone. Georgia switches her whole position and almost jumps onto me and pulls out her phone, practically shoving it in my face. "Char he's literally our age! He's from London, he's 6 foot 2 and just look at his face!" she squeals. "He's the main character in that new Netflix film that's coming out, y'know the one I have read all the books of." Georgia can hardly contain herself, she literally thinks because this guy is 22 and from London that she stands a chance of meeting him and them two falling in love.

I finally properly look at the image of the guy she is showing me and my heart drops. I feel this pit in my stomach and a hot flush surges through me. My reaction doesn't go unnoticed, "I had that reaction too, this guy is so beautiful, holy shit, what's his name," I interrupt Georgia before she finishes her sentence, "Parker Kingston" Georgia looks at me startled that I would even know his name. "I know him," I correct myself "Did know him." I can't believe Parker has been casted in the big new rom-com, chick flick, teen movies whatever you want to call it as the main heartthrob. He looks so different now, his signature long messy black hair is now cut shorter, still messy but just shorter. He seems to have lost his chubby cheeks as his face is now structured with very prominent cheek bones and a strong jaw line. His eyes are still the soft bluish grey they have always been and it looks like they're piercing right through me. "Hello, earth to Charlotte," Georgia sarcastically says waving her hand in front of my face. I shake my head and get the image of Parker out of my mind. "You know him? Does everyone in London just know each other or what?" she asks laughing. I often forget that Georgia isn't from London, I am just so used to her Glaswegian accent that I don't even think about it. I laugh as I realised I still hadn't answered her. "No actually, not everyone in London knows famous people," I snap in a sarcastic tone, folding my arms across my chest, "I just happen to know Parker because well, our mum's. They went to school together." There's more to our story but I'm not sure I want to tell Georgia or not just yet anyways, I don't want to get her hopes all up and plan shit in her head that has zero percent chance of happening, I'm a stranger to Parker now. "So just school? That's it? How come he lives in New York then? Well it says so in this article anyways," Georgia asks, still facing towards me but she's made her way onto eating the left over prawn crackers. I contemplate again how much to tell Georgia, Parker Kingston is the last person I thought I would ever have to discuss again. "Well, our mum's dated two best friends and well my mum married one and had me and Julie, Parkers mum, married the one but Parkers dad had an accident on his motorbike and sadly passed away when Parker was only 8 months old, but Julie met this American guy who worked at the same banking firm as Julie when Parker was 3 and they've been together since and got married and well then he was offered a bigger better job at the American branch and he took it, they all moved when I was like 17," I tried to keep that as short as possible because I really don't want to talk anymore about Parker, I just don't have the emotional strength to conjure all those emotions back up again. Before Georgia even has the chance to say anything, I stand up off the couch and place my plate in the sink and excuse myself.