Goodnight Hollywood Boulevard

“So, remind me. Where do you work?”

Charlotte couldn’t remember ever hearing Wyatt speak specifically of where he worked; just that he had a good job with good connections. They were walking hand-in-hand down the street, Wyatt leading the way to his building.

“A place called Workbook,” Wyatt answered, holding a door open for her. “We are dedicated to providing the creative community and meeting the demands of an ever-evolving industry to ensure up-to-date information and high quality talent.”

Charlotte nodded slightly, having never heard of Workbook before. They passed by a building covered in vines and she realized she had never been in this part of LA before. Wyatt opened a gate and allowed Charlotte to walk in first. He closed the gate behind them and then continued toward the little brick building. They stepped inside, a wave of heat hitting them in the face.

“Well, it’s cute,” Charlotte commented as she shrugged out of her black peacoat. Wyatt bit his lip when he took in her skintight gray dress. Her hair was sitting in a bun low on her neck; her lips were bright red and her cheeks were a light blushed pink; her eyes were accentuated by the dark grays and black shadows she had used. She wore a pair of black stilettos and on her arm she carried the blue purse she had earlier in the day. Wyatt managed to tear his eyes off of her long enough to check their coats.

As she linked her arm through his, she wondered exactly what Wyatt did for a living. It was an unknown feeling, not knowing exactly what someone did or for whom they worked. She never had that hitch before; she always knew what her friends were doing or whom her parents interacted with. She was never left out of the circle before. She decided to push it aside and enjoy the night when Wyatt handed her a glass of wine.

The night dragged on for an eternity, but Charlotte didn’t dare tell Wyatt she was bored. Sure, she was meeting photographers and editors, but she just wanted to go home and spend some time alone with Wyatt. She was checking her email when she received a call. Garrett.

She reluctantly answered, barely squeaking out a hello. What she heard on the other end was not Garrett’s warm voice, but rather a raging party. His voice could be heard but the other voices she heard mixed in with his caused her heart to tighten. He was with girls. Rachael and others. They were laughing and joking and flirting.

She hung up and grabbed Wyatt’s arm. “I want to go home.”

Wyatt was ready to question her, since they had only been there a little over two hours, but the look in her eyes said she wasn’t kidding. She needed to leave, so he nodded and escorted her to the coat check window.

“What’s wrong, Charlotte?” Wyatt asked softly as the girl searched for their coats.

She shook her head and leaned up to kiss him. “I just need to go, okay? To your house?”

“Charlotte!”

Charlotte tightened her grip on Wyatt’s hand as she turned around at the sound of Leslie’s voice. Leslie wasn’t invited, how had she known about the party? And as far as Charlotte knew, they had absolutely no connections with Workbook.

“What’re you doing here?” Charlotte asked. Wyatt helped her into her peacoat before slipping into his own jacket.

“My boyfriend is an illustrator,” Leslie gushed. “Just got a job here and said we had to come. Is this Seth Cohen?”

Wyatt’s lips curved into a slight smirk as Charlotte grasped for words. “Um. Yeah. Wyatt, this is Leslie, my boss. Leslie, this is Wyatt.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Wyatt said to Leslie, shaking her hand.

“I say,” Leslie admired, tilting her head slightly. “Bring him in to the office next week, Char. We could use him for a shoot we’re doing.”

“I- I mean, it’s- that’s a lot to ask,” Charlotte stuttered, looking back and forth between Leslie and Wyatt. “I don’t know if Wyatt wants to? I mean-”

“No, it’s fine, I’ll come in,” Wyatt laughed. “I’ve never modeled before.”

Leslie smirked. “You’ll be perfect. Have a great night, Char!”

Charlotte didn’t know what to say. She definitely hadn’t expected that. Wyatt took Charlotte’s hand, leading her outside and back to his car. The ride back to Wyatt’s house was silent except for the soft music playing on the radio. Thankfully it was music she had never heard of before, so she wouldn’t have any more conflicting emotions confronting her tonight.

“So, what happened?” Wyatt asked when they were safe and sound in his bedroom. Music could be heard blaring from the end of the hall in Sasha’s room.

“Garrett buttdialed me,” she sighed. “I know it’s stupid but it just.. I don’t want to hear him having a great time with other girls.”

Wyatt kissed her softly. “Don’t let it get to you.”

Charlotte sighed, carefully taking her heels off. She became several inches shorter than Wyatt and he smiled. “It’s hard. He didn’t go home to go to parties.”

“I know,” Wyatt soothed.

“I’m sorry,” she apologized. She crawled onto his bed and pulled the comforter over her legs. “I’m not dating Garrett. Garrett is not my concern anymore.”

Wyatt sat next to her and pulled her close to him. He kissed the top of her head. “I know how you feel. You’ll never be able to let go, no matter how hard you try.”

Charlotte looked deep into his eyes. How could he be so understanding? Wasn’t he jealous? Hell, she was jealous of the girls around Garrett.

“Do you want some clothes to change into?” Wyatt offered. “I know I’m uncomfortable in these clothes. I can’t imagine you being comfortable in that dress.”

Charlotte shrugged. The dress wasn’t as uncomfortable as it probably looked. It almost felt like she had nothing on, it was hugging her so tightly. Wyatt tossed a t-shirt and pair of shorts at her anyway, in case she did want to change later. He unbuttoned his shirt, tossed it aside and pulled on a wrinkled white t-shirt. He did the same with his dress pants, replacing them with a pair of basketball shorts.

When he turned around, Charlotte was watching him intently. “What?” he asked, eyebrow raised playfully.

Charlotte slid off his bed and stood in front of him. She unzipped her dress and stepped out of it, leaving it in a pile on the floor. Wyatt was confused, to say the least, but he didn’t question her actions. She stood on her toes to kiss him, her arms wrapping around his neck to pull them closer together; his arms instinctively fall around her waist.

When Charlotte pulled away, Wyatt licked his lips nervously and stared at her. “What was that?”

“I’m tired of being hung up on Garrett,” she mumbled, and kissed him again, with more force this time. She pulled him toward his bed, “If Garrett can move on, so can I.”

“Are you sure?” Wyatt asked as they sloppily fell onto his bed. He was lying on top of her, looking down at her to make sure this is what she really wanted to do. He had been shut down once before by her, he had learned his lesson in getting ahead of himself. He could definitely wait.

“I’m positive,” she answered with a nod. “I trust you.”

And from their previous conversations, Wyatt knew she didn’t trust many people. She had her close group of friends that she trusted with her life, but other than that it was incredibly hard for her to open enough to trust anyone else. To hear that he was now in that group of trusted friends, he couldn’t even begin to explain how that made him feel.