Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Charlie
"Really, Char—I don’t have to go. I can stay as long as you need me.
" Odessa hasn't left my side for the last two weeks.
She was there for every tear, every breakdown, and every moment of anxiety I'd had.
Not only was my safe place taken advantage of, but the man I love walked out of my life.
Slamming the door behind him and locking it as he left.
“You do. I have finals to take, and you need to get back to New York. I'll be okay." I say, trying to convince Odessa as well as myself. She has a huge campaign coming up, which could be career-changing. I can't be the one to hold her back from this dream.
She nods and places her arms around my shoulders. She's always towered over me, my 6-foot-tall best friend, and she's been the pillar of strength for me more times than I can count. If it wasn't Hayes, it was Dess. Now apparently, it’s only Dess.
"Call me. Anytime. Please."
Nodding, I let her go.
I need to stand strong, on my own.
Carter told the police that he thought I was interested in him, and in some grand gesture, he was trying to win me over.
It’s like he stole the words from Hayes’ mouth.
They seemed skeptical but told me their hands were tied.
It's infuriating that on all fronts I'm the one getting blamed for someone breaking into my apartment.
Hayes won't answer my calls, emails, or texts.
He's successfully blocked me from everything and completely shut me out of his life.
I've even tried to call Drew, but he's pretty much taken Hayes' side and won't let me explain.
He's short and distant with each phone call, and all it does is enrage me. I want to slam my fist into both of their noses. The abandonment and betrayal hit me hard, and I let it. I need something to fuel the anger that I want to feel. I don’t want to be scared anymore, I want to be ruthless.
Devoting every spare minute to studying, making sure I'm eating enough food, and not thinking about Hayes has been exhausting.
I've avoided Carter like the plague, and luckily he's been doing the same.
My apartment door stays locked at all times, and I do a small perimeter check the second I walk through the door.
No psychos in my bed or hiding in closets here.
With every passing day, I start to feel safe again, and begin to think that maybe Carter isn’t actually psychotic.
I haven’t seen him since the incident, and my apartment is starting to feel normal again.
I’m trying to convince myself that it really may have just been some weird grand gesture.
A very creepy, over-the-line gesture, but still, maybe not as dangerous as I initially thought.
My phone rings, and I see it's Ava. She was one of Hayes and mines biggest supporters, giving me as much time off as I wanted to visit him. When I told her what happened with Carter she was both equally pissed off at Hayes and Carter.
"Hey, Av's. What's up?" I ask as I answer her call.
"Oh my gosh! I'm so glad you answered. I know you are swamped with finals and it's a Saturday, but is there any way I can get you to the office?
The Barnaby's just moved the deadline to Monday morning, and Noah needs to review everything before he submits it.
He's losing his mind right now because he has to be on a flight by 3:30.
I need these docs proofed, scanned, and sent to him in the next two hours, and I'm only a third of the way done. "
"I'll be right there." I say, grabbing my keys and sliding my feet into my vans. I usually go for a more professional appearance in the office, but it sounds like Ava's drowning in paperwork and needs me now.
I make it to the office in under ten minutes and get right to work helping proof a stack of documents.
"Thank you so much. You have no idea how stressed I was."
I grin back. "All good. I was just sitting on my couch anyway. I needed a break from reading over the same notecards a million times."
She laughs, "That feels like a lifetime ago for me. I don't miss the stress one bit."
One eyebrow raises on its own toward her. "This job is a thousand times more stressful than any class I've ever taken."
"True, but at least the money makes it all worth it."
She's got a good point there; Noah pays well above what anyone else in the industry would.
I'm lucky that I even got the job, considering my lack of experience. I’m pretty sure it was only because my brother and Hayes played football with his younger brother when they were in high school.
Being from the same small town gave me a very small connection with Noah, and I made sure to leverage that link during the interview process.
Maybe more than leverage. I exploited the heck out of it.
"Think Noah's still reeling that the deadline got pushed up?" I ask as she finishes scanning the last document.
"You have no idea. He was using his growly voice at me as if I were the one who changed it."
"He only uses that tone with you. Everyone else uses his business-professional tone or his angry, 'you're fired' tone."
She rolls her eyes, but I see a small smile. "I've been here for so long that I think he knows I won't take it personally."
"Mhm, sure. You're also the only one I've ever seen him smile at."
She pauses mid-typing, her eyes flicking to mine. "It's not like that. I'm just his assistant."
I nod and try to give her a reassuring smile. "Okay, well, if that ever changed, you've got my vote. He is H. O. T., hot."
Her eyes widen just a fraction, and then she's laughing. "You're not wrong. I love my job, though. I wouldn't want to jeopardize that, even if there was something."
"I get that. It's hard to jump headfirst into something that will change the dynamic you're already used to."
Her shoulders sag just a fraction and she nods once. "How are you holding up? Everything still quiet around the apartment?"
Ava was one the first people I called after the incident.
She showed up to my apartment, helped calm me down, and then gave me a few days off of work so that I could go stay at Connies.
She must have filled Noah in as well, because my first day back, he called me into his office.
I thought for sure he was firing me, but instead he gave me his personal cell phone number to call if I needed anything.
It was the first time he'd acknowledged me in a personal way, and I almost cried right there.
The whole situation felt a lot more real now that the always-stoic Noah was offering his help.
"It's been quiet. I haven't seen or heard from Carter since that night. If it weren't for the fact that Hayes isn't talking to me, I would've thought the whole thing was a dream."
Her eyes fill with sympathy as she looks at me. "I'm sorry. Men can be such morons sometimes. Can't see what's right there in front of them."
"Yeah, they’ve already left too. Drew, at least, sent me an email to let me know.
He's giving me a pretty good cold shoulder right now.
" It's always been his go-to when things get complicated.
He gives me enough conversation to let me know he's still alive, but not so much that he has to actually engage with me.
Ava lets me continue to rant, knowing I need to get it all out.
"He’s such an asshole. I’m the only family he has left and he won’t even hear my side.
And Hayes? He blocked me! Everything I send bounces back.
I’m so pissed off but at the same time, it’s killing me that he left thinking I would cheat on him. ”
"You can't control what other people choose to believe. Do you think there's more going on with him? A reason that he would jump to that conclusion so quickly?"
"Yeah, I know there is. The guys on his team get cheated on all the time." It's the culture that surrounds them. They spend so much time together, in high-risk situations, under constant pressure. He’s told me how hard it is to rely on people outside of his team. When he's deployed, those are pretty much the only people he can trust. When they’re home, the circumstances change but the wariness doesn’t. Apparently I fall under the “can’t be trusted” category.
The shittiest part is that I haven't done anything for him to have trust issues.
That's all the U.S. Navy and whatever cheating hoes his teammates are with.
Ava reaches out and touches my arm, bringing me out of my thoughts. "I'm so sorry, Charlie. Idiots, all of them."
A small laugh escapes; she’s spot on. Hayes, my brother, Carter. Even Noah for not going after Ava. All a bunch of idiots.