More of You

Part II

Nicole flashed on your phone screen.

"Hello." Your voice shaking, memories from the previous night flashing in your mind. Did she know about the kiss? Did Charlie tell her? Was she right all along? You paused for a second, gripping the mattress under you, bracing yourself.

"Aunt y/n! When am I gonna see you again?" Henry's sweet voice shot through the phone, feeling a weight lift off your shoulders.

"Hey, kiddo." You sighed. "Soon, I promise." Rubbing your forehead with your hand as a wave of relief washed over you.

"Give me that. Hey y/n. Sorry, he got a hold of my phone." Nicole's voice was hesitant. You were sure there were a million things she would rather do than be on the phone with you right now.

"It's alright." The tension thickened in that moment of silence, neither of you sure what to say to each other.

"Happy Holidays Nicole"

"Happy Holidays y/n." You hung up the phone, throwing yourself back on the bed. Fuck. You needed to talk to Charlie.

One Month Later (Just Before Christmas)

Charlie seemed to be acting a bit strange lately. Ignoring your phone calls, not showing up for your coffee dates, so you decided it was best to pass by the bar Charlie frequented after rehearsals to surprise him.

Making your way through the cold, crowded New York City streets, you approached the bar, glancing inside to see Charlie at the annual Christmas cast party. Charlie's eyes widened when he caught yours through the glass. He made his way through the crowd to meet you outside.

"Hey. What are you doing here?" He rubbed the back of his neck and looked around as he spoke.

"I came to surprise you since you've been avoiding me...now I know why." You glanced inside, crossing your arms in front of you. "The Christmas party, huh? Did you not invite me because of what happened between us?" Nicole stepped out of the bar before Charlie could answer, taking you by surprise.

"Charlie, they're asking for you inside." She glanced over at you with a smirk before going back in. "Oh, hello, y/n."

"So she's here... Nicole got invited?" You huffed in disbelief. A pit formed in your stomach, the tightness in your throat practically suffocating you, making you choke on a small but audible sob.

"The cast invited her and I-" he cut himself off, his brows knitted in confusion as he turned to look back at you "wait, are you seriously jealous right now?"

"Oh, face it, Charlie. You don't want me here because she doesn't know, does she?" His mouth set in a hard line. "You don't want her to know. For your own fucked up reasons." Charlie looked at you with pleading eyes. He knew you were right, although he would never admit it to himself. "You don't want her to know that she was right all along. About us." His lip quivered, misty-eyed as he gazed at you. "So, where does that leave us?"

"I don't know." Barely a whisper escaped him.

"You don't know?... So that's it? You just don't know?" You raged at him, annoyed with his indifference.

"What do you want me to say?" Charlie shouted as he shook with fury. "I am going through a lot right now!"

"Going through a lot? Whatever you were "going through" in there seemed like you were enjoying yourself"

"Don't do that. You know what's going on with Henry." His tears were quickly overcome with anger.

"Yes, Charlie, I do. Because for the last 3 years, that's all I've had to do. Listen to you talk about her. While feeling like this." You wiped your cheeks with the back of your hand, but new tears fell before you can wipe the old ones away.

"What do you expect from me y/n? I don't know what you want!" Charlie bellowed, his frustration kicking in.

"The only thing I expect Charlie for you to care. Care about what we have. What we had." You shouted back at him, not caring if they heard you inside.

"I do." He cried out, getting close to your face, his eye twitching as he whispered. "I do."

"I don't believe you." You glared at him, inches from his face. "You're hiding because you're afraid. Afraid of her. Of course, you are. And I think you always will be." You threw your hands up in defeat, stepping back.

"Great, there you go assuming shit." Charlie lashed out again, clenching his jaw while running his hand through his hair.

"I'm not assuming anything. I'm telling the truth for once." You spewed in his face, raising your voice to meet his.

"God, you're just like her. Talking about shit when you don't even know what you're fucking talking about." He scolded through gritted teeth. You turned to walk away, refusing to spill any more tears in front of him.

"Y/n, please. Don't leave like this." Charlie stilled, watching you walk away, unable to process what just happened. As much as he wanted to run after you, beg you to stay, kiss you until you knew how sorry he was, and tell you just how much he loved you. He couldn't. Not now. He had to let you go.