“She was a mixture of pissed and crushed, which makes me think that perhaps there was more going on between you than just roommates and a fake engagement.”
My heart, which couldn’t possibly hurt anymore, does. I rub my hand over my chest, wishing I could be there to soothe Charlotte, but I’m the source of her pain.
“She tore up the check,” Theo says, his voice calmer, as if he senses that my world is falling apart.
“I’ll send you another one to give her. She can’t afford the place on her own.”
“I don’t think she’s going to take money from you.”
“Remind her of the deal, and that I’m trying to stick with my side of it.” Reminding her of the agreement would probably hurt her more, considering along with my paying half her mortgage, we were to be friends without benefits. The fact that she’s angry and crushed suggests that she’s hurt. Maybe she had deeper feelings for me than I thought, but of course, that makes me feel even more guilty for having hurt her.
If only I hadn’t taken up with Hayden, I think. But then I realize that if I hadn’t gotten involved with Hayden, there would’ve been no reason to move to New York, and I would’ve never met Charlotte. That scenario would have made my life much easier, but the idea of never having met Charlotte doesn’t sit well with me. If this torment is a requirement for having had the little time with Charlotte then it was worth it. I’m certain she wouldn’t agree. I’m sure she rues the day she ran into me at the elevator.
“What happened, Oliver?”
I close my eyes, wishing I was in a nightmare. “Hayden showed up in New York. I thought I had dealt with her, but then last night she sent me a text with a photo of me and Charlotte. I can handle whatever she wants to send my way, Theo, but there’s no way in hell I’m going to let her hurt Charlotte.”
The other end of the line is silent for a minute. “Is there something else you can do? I mean, the woman is stalking you. Surely you can get a restraining order or something.”
“I know, but as long as she’s only stalking me, I can deal with that. And while I can’t prevent any of this from hitting you—”
“I can deal with it, Oliver.”
“I appreciate that, even though I hate that you have to. The point is, I can’t let Hayden do anything that hurts Charlotte. I just can’t.”
“Why didn't you stick around to tell her?” he asks.
“Because the sooner I’m away from her, the safer from Hayden she’ll be.”
There’s another pause on the other end of the line. “Are you in love with Charlotte?”
I could’ve hemmed and hawed and denied it, but this was my brother. “Yes.”
“You need to fight for her, because I’m pretty sure the woman I saw earlier tonight has feelings for you too. I promise you, Oliver, that’s worth fighting for.”
I consider deflecting his comment by saying something like he’s talking like he’s in a rom-com, but it’s just too much effort. “I can’t risk it.”
“Risk getting your heart broken?” Theo’s tone is chastising, like he thinks I’m not being brave enough to follow my heart.
“I would risk everything for her, Theo, but I’m not going to risk her getting hurt. This is the best way to avoid that.”
“What are you going to do?” he asks, finally sounding resigned to my plan.
“I'm going to call Hayden’s bluff.”