Flat 64

Chapter 6

"If what... has something happened between you guys? And yes, it's a big deal! He's my best friend, Char. Do you not realize how awkward that would be for everyone here when he drops you? Because he would. God, if you like him, you are more stupid than I thought." he presses me, pacing back and forth. "Are you not gonna say anything? Do you like him?!" I can't lie to him, but I don't want to admit that it may be a possibility either. After last night, there is no way I can move forward and view jack as just a roommate and my brother's best friend. He's more than that to me now, whether I want him to be or not. I open my mouth to reply to Drew, but ultimately, nothing comes out, and I end up looking away from him to avoid his penetrating stare. "f*****g hell Charlotte, you do, don't you! This is messed up. Out of everyone you could have gone for, you choose the one person who's bad for you. Hell, even Marley is a better choice than jack" He speaks all flustered, back to pacing the room. "If he's such a bad person, why are you friends with him then?" I throw back at him. Jackson and Drew have been best friends since primary school. The three of us practically grew up in the same house, as Jackson was always over. We just never really spoke properly until last night, which is when I realized just how wrong I was about him.

He looks at me defeated, "you know that is different. He's like a brother to me, he might mess girls around, but he's a good friend. You just don't see that part of him. That doesn't mean I would ever support anything happening between the two of you. He might be a good friend to me, but he would not be good to you." he says sternly. He looks me dead in the eyes, before carrying on. "It would be a s**t move for you to go for him, Char. I would never forgive you." he walks towards my door and opens it, about to leave when he stops, and turns to me. "Think about what I've said, don't do anything stupid." and with that, he leaves, closing the door behind him.

I let out a shaky breath, and it's only then do I realize I am silently crying. I don't know if it is the guilt from doing what I've done, or the fact that I know he is probably right about Jackson being a bad idea. But it's too late now, I will never be able to forget what happened between us. I look up, hearing the bathroom door open, Jack is standing there, watching me. He seems conflicted, but in the end he looks away, and my heart hurts a bit at the gentle rejection. He moves towards my door, but he stops when I call out to him. "Jack...don't go." I plead. He doesn't turn to look at me, but he responds quietly. "They will notice that I'm not in my room eventually. Good night Lottie." then he leaves, and it's like nothing ever happened between us. The tears are falling freely now, but I just lay down, and try to force myself back to sleep until the morning.

The sun begins to shine through my curtains, but I haven't had an inch of sleep. I am beyond exhausted, emotionally and physically. After putting on my pjs that I was supposed to wear last night, I go to the kitchen desperate for coffee. When I walk in, Danny sees me and smiles sweetly, silently offering me the coffee he has just made. "Thank you", I smile back at him, taking it with me to sit on the sofa. After making himself another cup, he follows me into the lounge, taking the spot next to me. He eyes the wine bottle and glass that I never cleared from last night. "Fun night, huh?" he chuckles at me. The reminder of what happened last night causes so many emotions to flood through me, all I can bring myself to say is, "I guess so." I try to avoid his gaze, and just as I begin to think about him, Jackson walks into the room. He falters slightly when he sees me, but quickly looks away to find somewhere to sit. Danny pushes up close to my side, placing one arm behind my head to rest on the back of the sofa, then he lets it fall on my shoulders. "Here Jack," he says to him, looking pointedly towards the space he created by moving closer to me. Jack looks fleetingly at Danny's arm around me, shaking his head with a frown. He takes a seat, but just sits there silently, watching the TV while Danny rambles about what happened last night at the club. "Did you tell Lily where Drew was?" he asks me, curiously. "No, I told her all of you were going out and just to leave everyone alone for once." I say sighing, not really interested in having a conversation. My head is pounding, and the lack of sleep has left me very grumpy. Danny pats my shoulder, letting out another chuckle, "Yeah well, she must have figured it out herself then. She and Drew had a massive gossip in the corner, but they kept looking at me. I think she might like me or something." The impossibility of Lily liking Danny has me laughing out loud. "Danny, sorry but no, Lily has been gunning for my brother for, like, a hundred years. Sorry to burst your bubble, but I'm sure that isn't what they were talking about." he looks towards the TV, a thoughtful expression on his face. "That's good though, I have my eye on someone else anyway." he says, gently stroking my shoulder. I feel as if ice has been poured over me, and the extreme need to leave this conversation becomes overwhelming out of nowhere. I quickly stand up from the sofa, and start to walk, but my foot gets caught in something, and I end up tripping to the floor, the hot coffee spilling over my pjs. "s**t, that's hot", I release in a breath. In no time, both boys are at my side, fussing over me. "Here strip off, you can put this around you," Danny says, handing me the blanket off the floor that I was using last night. I hesitate, but he pushes it into my hands, he turns around, and Jack follows suit. Soon, I am in only my panties with the blanket wrapped tightly around me. The Déjà vu hits me like a ton of bricks, and I feel myself blush heavily. "Th-thanks. I'm covered. You can turn around now." Jack turns back to face me, his face showing his concern. "Are you burnt?" he asks me quietly. I shake my head, "No, I'm wet though." hearing how bad that sentence sounds, only furthers my blush. Jack notices this, and a familiar smirk returns, but I'm distracted from admiring him when I feel a tug at my foot.

Danny had pulled something out from under me. He holds up the towel I used last night, "Come on mate, how many times do I have to ask you to stop leaving your stuff lying around the flat?" he says to Jack accusingly. Jackson fleetingly looks at me, but doesn't hesitate when replying to him. "Yeah, I know, sorry I forgot to move it." he says, taking the towel out of Danny's hands. Marley walks in, yawning, but freezes in place when he notices us all sitting on the floor. Seeing me wearing the blanket, he raises his eyebrows suggestively. "What did I miss? You're not stripping for us are you Princess?" he says with a laugh, yet a hint of seriousness. I can't help but gasp at his audacity. He's always been a flirt, but never usually says things that are this out there. Pulling the blanket across me tighter, I start to feel incredibly awkward. Danny is laughing at Marley's joke, but Jack doesn't seem to find it that funny. "Seriously man, don't make her uncomfortable," Jackson grumbles out, helping me to my feet. Smiling at him in thanks, I quickly hurry off back to my room. As I'm walking away, I can hear the guys talking behind me. Marley laughs off Jackson's comment, "Jesus jack, what's got into you? You sound like a feminist." the guys chuckle, but all Jackson says is "Shut up Marley."