Noah sits down beside Charlotte on the bed. “I make fun of you guys all the time for not locking your door when you’re getting it on.”
“We’re never getting it—”
Noah ignores my protest and continues. “B
ut the one time someone decides to walk in on me is the one time I forget to lock the door.”
He sighs and flops backward onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling.
“Does he hate me?”
No one answers Noah’s question, because out of nowhere, Charlotte bursts into tears. The look on Aiden’s and Noah’s faces would almost be comical if not for the situation; they look horrified. Charlotte sobs into her hands, putting her feet on the bed and resting her head on her knees. Aiden and Noah both look at me, silently pleading with me to take control of the situation.
I throw them a bone. “Why don’t you guys go see where everyone else is?”
The boys don’t hesitate to run out of the room as fast as they possibly can, closing the door behind them and barely giving us a second glance. Resisting the urge to roll my eyes at their ridiculousness, I sit down beside Charlotte and put my arm around her. I don’t say anything, I just let her cry and feel whatever emotions she needs to feel.
“I’m a horrible friend,” she says once she calms down a bit.
“You’re not a horrible friend, Char.”
She puts her feet back on the floor and shifts on the bed to face me. “But I am! Chase is my best friend and he’s never going to even be able to look at me again. He hates me now.”
I always thought Charlotte was oblivious to Chase’s feelings for her. Did she always know?
“I’m sure he doesn’t,” I reassure her as she wipes the tears off her face. “Why do you think that?”
“He walked in on me and Noah. And the way he reacted …” She sighs. “He has feelings for me, doesn’t he?” she finishes in a small voice, looking down at her hands in her lap.
A small part of my brain wants to yell Duh! but the other part says I shouldn’t be a hypocrite. Apparently, everyone knew that Mason was in love with me and I had no idea, or maybe I just didn’t want to accept it, so I can’t blame Charlotte for not knowing about Chase.
“Did you really have no idea?” I ask her gently.
“No? I mean yes?” She huffs out an agitated breath. “Maybe?”
A corner of my lip turns up. “Maybe?”
“Well, I don’t know! Sometimes Drunk Chase says things, but we all know Drunk Chase is a different person. It was never confirmed. It still isn’t.”
“That wasn’t confirmation enough?” I tease.
“I guess I’ll have to have a real conversation with him when he gets back from wherever he went off to,” she says.
What they’ll talk about and what she’ll tell him, I’m not sure.
“What about Noah?” I ask.
“I don’t know.”
She doesn’t know? She was ready to fool around with him and she doesn’t know how she feels about him?
“I know you’re dying to ask, but no, we haven’t slept together before. If Chase didn’t walk in that probably would’ve been our first time together.”
She tucks a piece of hair behind her ear, still looking down at her lap. It’s so weird seeing Charlotte like this. She’s usually so happy and cheery and filled with life. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her look this sad or conflicted.
“It wasn’t planned. It just kind of happened.” She pauses. “Okay, I guess nothing really happened, but you know what I mean.”
I nod. Everyone knows you don’t need to be in love with someone to have some fun with them, as long as everyone consents.