CHARLOTTE "Good day sir," I greeted a customer as I took his payment, while wearing the best professional smile I could muster. I worked as a clerk for one of the hotels’ restaurants in the area. Right then, I handed the receipt over, watching as the customer went back to his seat. It was a Tuesd
Thankfully it was time to head home. "Bye Micah," I waved to a colleague of mine, as I hugged the sweater tighter on my body, heading home. It was quite late, and I had to take a shortcut through the back street. I never worked this late but it was a last minute shift that freed up, so I took it.
CHARLOTTE Madeline sighed, "I’m just glad Caeson showed up when he did, and that nothing bad happened to you." We went silent, and it lasted for a long time. I was deep in my thoughts. I had no idea how Caeson knew I was there, or when to arrive, but I was glad nothing happened. Last night I ha
CHARLOTTE"My gosh Charlotte, you look stunning in that dress." Madeline gushed, as she went round me in circles, and I blushed, staring at myself in the mirror.I was having a date with Vance in a couple minutes, and I couldn't help but want to look my best. I straightened a crease on the side of m
"How are you?" Vance suddenly asked, and I snapped my head up at him."Good, what about you?""Splendid." He chuckled, his dimple popping out. "I figured we'd have dinner first before we do anything.”"Mhmm," I was feeling kinda hungry, so I guess it was a win for me. I rubbed my clammy hands, picki
CHARLOTTEMadeline opened her eyes, staring dazedly at me.She rubbed her eyes, blinking slowly. "Uh? Is that you Char?"I pursed my lips, my heart clenched and my mind spiraled with questions.How long had she been doing this? And I didn't notice it?"Madeline?" I called, and perhaps she was a litt
CHARLOTTE“And if I were to cash in that second date request right now, what do you think your answer would be?”I chewed my bottom lip as Vance’s question bled through the receiver.He was asking me out on a second date already.Goddess.My gaze shifted to Madeline’s corner of the room right then,
"I knew it wouldn't be a good movie but you didn't believe me."He gripped my waist, slowly leading me to a corner, "Watch it Char, or I might bite you." He growled playfully at me, amusement flashing in his eyes."Oh yeah?" I followed, lowering my voice, "I'd like to see you try."My voice was bar
CHARLOTTE I pulled my curls into a bun as I walked down the stairs, my feet moving slowly against the wooden steps. The house was quiet, too quiet, but that was normal these days. My thoughts were scattered until a flicker of movement caught my eye. A flash of black streaked across the foyer. I st
CHARLOTTE Taide was growing out his hair. I sat on the edge of my bed, watching him lean over the mirror on my dresser. His hands combed through his dark hair, smoothing it back and letting it fall forward again. It was longer than I’d ever seen it, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about it yet. S
A childish part of me felt like defending that Emma had started it, but why did it matter? It shouldn’t matter and I tried to make myself believe that. Taide’s attention shifted away from the menu to me, and I cleared my throat before turning my gaze from Caeson and down to the menu like I had
CHARLOTTE After a short drive, Taide pulled up in the parking lot of the small restaurant that was a hotspot amongst students in the area. The main area was rowdy and full of students eating and talking loudly, but Taide led me past there and into a quieter, more ambient area. It was still c
CHARLOTTE Taide held the door open and shot me a knowing look. But I didn’t move, I remained in one spot, crossed my arms and pouted. “But Taide—” “I don’t want to hear it,” he cut me off, his expression deep and serious. My lips snapped shut, I sensed that there was no point in arguing. So, wi
I pulled them both back into the house and then to the kitchen. With a small exhale, I let go of their hands, immediately missing the comfort and warmth their touches gave me. “I need to find Madeline,” I told them. “Do you know if she’s back?” Just like Taide, she’d been gone almost all day. Rei
CHARLOTTE Caeson walked further outside, his hands buried deep in his pockets as he eyed the three of us with distaste. He drew closer and said with a slight bite to his tone, “Don’t let my interruption stop you,” then lowered himself onto the bench and met my eyes. “But then, you didn’t seem to
CHARLOTTE I thought about how a whole day had passed since the big sibling swap, and I still hadn’t fully processed it. As I sat in the living room, lost in thought when I heard a noise coming from the backyard. Curious to see if it was who I’d been waiting for all day, I got up and walked thro
CHARLOTTE My life… might have been in danger. It echoed in my head, but like a muted siren. Maybe it was because I’d been overloaded with more information than I knew what to do with. Maybe I was just having the world’s slowest reaction to the scariest possible news a person could ever hear.