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𝙄𝙏 𝙃𝘼𝘿𝙉'𝙏 𝘽𝙀𝙀𝙉 that long since Charlotte had been in Tannyhill ─ four months to be exact─ but somehow it felt like a lifetime.

It was as if the house knew she no longer belonged here. Everything felt strange...heavy.

The place that had once been essentially her second home, now felt like a foreign building that she had no right being in.

But despite Charlotte's feelings, nothing had really changed. Everything was the same. From the ridiculous decor that Rose had insisted on, to the various pictures of Rafe, Sarah and Wheezie as children that adorned the wall leading up to the stairs.

The house was quiet as Charlotte stepped through the front door, Rafe stumbling in after her. The rest of the Cameron family had yet to return from Midsummers, leaving the house vacant.

A year ago, this would have been Rafe and Charlotte's dream. A whole house to themselves? Amazing.

Now, Charlotte kind of wished someone else was here. Maybe if someone else was here, she could trust herself more not to someone how end up next to Rafe in bed.

Pushing the thoughts out of her head, Charlotte lightly shoved him toward the staircase. "Go upstairs. I'm going to get you some water."

Rafe turned to look at her, the same sloppy grin playing on his face as he nodded. "I don't think you can tell me what to do anymore, Lottie. Haven't we agreed on that?"

"Fine." She muttered, turning toward the kitchen. "Can you please go upstairs, Rafe."

He smirked, grabbing onto the banister as he began to drag himself up toward his room. "I love it when you ask me nicely."

Charlotte glared at him for a moment before moving toward the kitchen, her heels clicking across the floors as she went. The noise echoed throughout the empty house.

When she reached the large kitchen, she instantly moved around like no time had passed since she'd been here. She grab a water bottle before moving toward the fridge.

As she turned toward the fridge, her eyes snagged on a photo that had been hung with a magnet. It was a picture of the three Cameron children and Charlotte gathered around the dinner table.

She smiled softly, recalling the memory. It was two years ago, Christmas dinner. They had eaten, opened presents and played games. It was one of Charlotte's favourite memories.

The Cameron family was not your typical family, and Charlotte was vividly aware of that. But they were good at pretending most of the time. They had fooled most people. Seemingly the perfect family in the big house with all the money. But Charlotte saw past it. She saw the arguments, the resentment between siblings, the harboured hate between children and stepmother.

But that night the picture was taken, it didn't seem pretend. That night, all the kids got along with each other and with Rose.

Judging by the fact that the photo was still hung on the refrigerator door, Charlotte figured it was someone else's favourite memory, too.

With a shaky sigh tumbling from her lips, Charlotte turned with the freshly filled water bottle, the picture still hanging in her mind.

After a quick stop to the medicine cabinet to procure some Advil for Rafe, Charlotte was making her way toward his bedroom. She had taken this walk through the house hundreds of times, but now it felt unnatural.

"Rafe?" She called, rounding the corner to his bedroom.

His door was open, and when she peaked inside, Charlotte could see him emerging from the bathroom, now changed out of his suit.

"Advil and water." She announced when he turned to look at her. "Take it now...it'll help."

Rafe glanced at her for a moment before taking the water and pills out of her hand. "What are you doing here, Lottie?" He wondered as he took the pills.

Charlotte kept her gaze locked on him for a moment, concerned that maybe he was more intoxicated than she originally thought. "I just drove you home. Do you really not─"

"─That's not what I mean." Rafe interrupted, his face impatient as Charlotte furrowed her brows. "I thought that you breaking up with me was you deciding you didn't want to help me anymore."

His voice was low, almost as if he didn't want her to hear it. But hear it, she did.

With her heart hammering in her chest for a moment, Charlotte stood at the end of Rafe's bed, simply watching him. "Just because we broke up doesn't mean I don't care about you anymore. I know you may not care anymore, but─"

Rafe scoffed. "Oh, give it up, Charlotte. You're smarter than that."

"What?"

Shaking his head, Rafe's hand gripped onto the edge of his bed as if he were trying to restrain himself. "You really think I don't care about you?"

He was expecting an answer, but Charlotte didn't give him one. Instead, she simply tilted her chin upward slightly, waiting for him to continue.

"Why do you think I didn't sleep with Kensington?" Rafe pushed, and deep down Charlotte knew the only reason he was still having this conversation was because he was drunk. She wanted to stop him, to tell him they could talk when he was sober, but the selfish part of her refused to do that.

"I don't know." She answered, her voice wavering slightly. She wanted to know the answer, but refused to seem desperate. "Probably too high to─"

Rafe cut her off once again, but this time his face flushed with frustration. "If I have to spell it out for you, then it's really not worth it." His voice came out harsh, and Charlotte knew that he was angry that she had made him vulnerable. 

He had wanted her to say the words he was too afraid to. But Charlotte Carrera was just as stubborn as he was, and she wasn't going to be the one to break first. 

So, rather than giving him what he wanted, she simply stood up straighter and fixed him with a challenging look. "Fine. Don't tell me."

Laying down in his bed, Rafe propped himself up with his hands behind his head. "Great." He challenged, tauntingly raising his brows at Charlotte. "Guess you can go, then."

Heat crept across Charlotte's face as she watched him. It took everything in her not to beg him to explain why he had refused to sleep with her best friend. She had an idea, but hearing it come from his lips would have felt like the biggest victory. 

"Guess I can." She agreed, trying to keep her voice even as she turned toward the door. "You're welcome, by the way. 

Rafe ignored her, just kept his eyes fixated on her as she turned toward his bedroom door and pulled it open with force. 

There was enough tension hanging in the air between the two of them to make anyone uncomfortable, and Charlotte could feel it heavy in her chest as she stepped into the hallway. 

"Char?"

Quickly closing Rafe's door behind her, Charlotte turned toward Mr. Cameron's office where Sarah had just exited from. She still wore her Midsummers dress, alluding to the fact that the rest of the family had returned home sometime during Rafe and Charlotte's discussion in the bedroom. 

An excited smile had broken onto Sarah's face as she approached the older girl. "What are you doing here?"

Charlotte returned her smile before nodding over her shoulder. "I gave Rafe a ride home. I'm just heading out now."

"So am I." Sarah announced, holding up a piece of paper that was gripped in her hands. "I have to give this to John B."

Charlotte furrowed her brows for a moment, unsure of when John B and Sarah had become amicable. "I can give it to him if you want." She offered. "I'm going to go meet up with them."

"No." Sarah argued, almost too quickly. "I─uh─I just have to talk to him is all. So we can both go." She suggested, a tight smile overtaking her lips. "If that's okay?"

More confused than before, Charlotte gave a slow nod. "Sure. Why not?"

Another voice cut through the hallway, causing Charlotte to glance over Sarah's shoulder. "Is that Miss Charlotte I hear out there?"

Ward Cameron came waltzing out of his office, a wide smile on his face at the sight of the Carrera girl. 

"Hi Mr. Cameron." Charlotte smiled, for some reason feeling wildly awkward in this moment. "It's really good to see you."

Ward stopped next to Sarah, the smile still on his face. "You don't know how good it is to see you here again. Rafe's been absolutely miserable since you two─"

"Dad." Sarah interrupted, her face tight as she shook her head in an attempt to get her father to stop talking. 

"It's okay, Sarah." Charlotte assured, giving the younger girl a comforting smile. "And I was just driving Rafe home, Mr. Cameron. We're not─we're just friends." 

Friends. Sure.

"Right." Ward smiled assuringly. "Well, thank you for getting him home. I believe you're the only one who can keep him under control."

Charlotte's smile flickered slightly, suddenly feeling like she had let everyone down when she broke up with Rafe. Had she been selfish? Should she have tried to help him more? 

Sarah noted the change in Charlotte's demeanour and instantly took a hold of her arm. "Dad, Char's going to come with me to meet that friend I was telling you about. I should be back soon."

Ward's eyes darted between the two girls, seemingly trying to analyze what was really going on. "Okay." He finally agreed with a small smile. "Call me if you need anything."

Before Charlotte even had a chance to fully respond, Sarah was dragging her toward the staircase. "Nice to see you, Mr. Cameron!" She called over her shoulder as she rushed down the stairs with Sarah. 

After almost tripping three times, Charlotte finally made it out to her car with Sarah right beside her. "What's the rush?" She demanded, pulling open the driver's side door. 

Sarah huffed as she pulled herself into the passenger seat. "You know, don't you?"

Charlotte started the vehicle before glancing over at Sarah as nonchalantly as possible. "Know about what?"

She liked Sarah, she did, but she was not going to be the one to reveal the Pogues' secret. 

Sarah fixed her with a warning glare. "Don't play dumb, Charlotte. I know you know about the treasure."

Relief washed over the older girl knowing that it would not be her who would incur the wrath of Kiara and the others for letting a full-blown Kook in on their operation.

"I might know a thing or two." Charlotte stated coyly as she glanced over at Sarah with a neutral expression. 

"John B told me almost everything the other day, Char. No need for the secretiveness."

Charlotte rose her brows. "You were with John B the other day?" So, that answered the question of where John B had been while the others were at the movie in the park─the one that had ended in a fight. 

Refusing to meet Charlotte's eye for a moment, Sarah nodded. "Yeah. I helped him get into the archived at Chapel Hill...that's all."

"That's all?" Charlotte echoed, a teasing tone to her voice. "Is that why you're refusing to meet my eye?"

"You're driving!" Sarah argued, her cheeks tinged a light shade of pink. "How can I meet your eye if it's focused on the road."

The older girl was forced to bite back a grin as she shook her head slightly. "Okay, Sarah. I was just wondering."

She wasn't an idiot, she knew that there was more to the story. She'd ask JJ about it, he would know. And if he didn't, she'd ask John B. 

"I know you're just going to ask him." Sarah spoke as if she had read Charlotte's mind.

"Maybe."

"I'm breaking up with Topper." The Cameron girl blurted the words out as if Charlotte had forced them out of her. "Don't tell him."

Charlotte's brows shot up. "I'm not really on speaking terms with Topper right now. And even if I was, you come first. You know that, right?"

Sarah nervously pulled at her fingers as she rested her head against the seat. "He's going to lose his mind. He thinks that we're so much more than we really are. I mean, it's not like we're going to get married or something."

"Sometimes it feels like that when you're in high school, though. He's probably infatuated with the idea of you right now."

She knew that feeling all too well. If you had asked her two years ago, Charlotte Carrera would have sworn that she was going to marry Rafe Cameron.

"We've been dating for like two months." Sarah groaned, seemingly dreading the idea of having that conversation.

"So, just tell him how you feel." Charlotte shrugged as they pulled into the Hawk's Nest. "He has to hear you out...and if he doesn't, then he was never worth it anyway."

A grateful smile came to Sarah's face as she nodded. "Have I ever told you that I wish you were my sibling instead of Rafe?"

Charlotte let out a small laugh as she parked the car. "A few times."

"Well it's true." Sarah maintained as she reached over to undo her seatbelt. "He's been such an asshole since you two broke up."

That overwhelming sense of guilt rushed over Charlotte again as she killed the engine, her hand hovering on the key for a moment as she lost herself to the worrisome thoughts. She'd made everyone else's lives harder in an order to spare her sanity. 

For once, Sarah didn't seem to notice the shift in Charlotte's mood, as she seemed to be plagued with her own anxieties. "It doesn't look like he's here yet." She declared, looking through the front windshield. "I think I'm going to go out and wait for him."

Charlotte freed herself from her jumbled thoughts as she nodded. "Yeah. Okay. I'll wait here. Just be careful...it looks like it's going to storm."

"Thanks, Char." Sarah mumbled before stepping out of the car into the breezy night. Charlotte watched as a shuddered sigh fell from her lips, one full of nerves. 

She was pretty sure she was watching the modern-day Romeo and Juliet story playing out before her eyes...she just hoped it didn't end as badly. 

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