Goodnight Hollywood Boulevard

“You look like shit, Charlotte.”

She knew it was coming. Once they had gotten home last night, they went straight to the band’s apartment and crashed. Charlotte woke up early to go home and change for work. She was exhausted from the drive, and the feeling carried over to the next morning, so she wore a loose-fitted kimono-style dress and black flats. She quickly did her makeup; nude lipstick, eyeliner, mascara, and a light brush of blue and brown eyeshadow colors. She grabbed a random bag, tossing her personal items into it before leaving for work. She knew she looked a little rough today, and she knew she was going to get her ass chewed, so as she walked into the office she dropped her purse on her desk and went straight for the chair in front of Leslie’s desk.

“Thanks,” Charlotte said.

“Why did you go to Arizona, Charlotte?”

Charlotte looked to her left. Wyatt was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed. She looked helplessly at Leslie, begging with her eyes to make Wyatt leave. All Leslie did was shoot a warning glance to Wyatt before she continued asking questions.

“Why did you go to Arizona?” Leslie asked.

Charlotte folded her hands in her lap. “I got in an argument with Garrett.”

“Jesus, Charlotte,” Wyatt groaned. He pushed himself away from the wall and towered over her. “You argue with your ex and then you drive 6 hours to go back to your home state? Who does that?”

“Can you just leave?” Charlotte barked. “I don’t need you here while I’m being reprimanded.”

Wyatt looked to Leslie, but she only nodded her head toward the door. He wasn’t happy about being thrown out, but he left anyway. Leslie stared long and hard at Charlotte, who looked relatively happy considering what she just said happened.

“What happened?” Leslie asked softly, her facial features softening.

Charlotte explained how she had met with the guys at the studio and Garrett left early, obviously in a mood. She thought nothing of it, took the guys to dinner, then waited at their apartment while they changed to go out for the night. Garrett walked by and they started arguing – he called her a whore and that’s when her heart really broke. She left, fully intent on going home to her house on the beach, but ended up driving all the way to Arizona.

“I’m sorry I didn’t call,” Charlotte apologized.

“What happened in Arizona? There’s no way you can go home to your bitchy Mom and come back this happy,” Leslie asked. “There’s this gooey aura around you that says something good happened after all of that.”

“Well, uh, Garrett, John and Jared drove down after me. I talked to Garrett’s ex, then he and I talked things over. I think we’re okay,” Charlotte said slowly.

“Charlotte,” Leslie sighed, pausing before she continued. “There’s a reason why fashion and family don’t mix.”

“What are you saying?” Charlotte asked, confused.

“Look, Charlotte. Your relationship with Garrett started out wonderful when you were in Arizona. But you can’t deny that once you moved out here, things went downhill between you two. That’s a sign. You two can’t be together anymore if it’s going to cause you to miss work like this. I had to cover your ass yesterday when I was asked where you were. I had to lie and pretend like you called out sick.”

Charlotte felt her chest tighten. She wasn’t going to risk anything with Garrett now, after they’ve made some progress. “I don’t think I understand still. You want me to forget about the boy I love because of this job? I’m sorry I missed yesterday but I think it’s a little drastic to say I need to stop trying with Garrett because of it.”

Leslie shuffled some papers on her desk as a buffer when another assistant walked in. They exchanged words and more papers were added to the pile on her desk. The assistant left and Leslie looked at Charlotte once more.

“I’m saying this industry isn’t made for family,” she said slowly. “You’re better off with Wyatt, someone who knows the industry. Garrett doesn’t. He won’t be able to understand.”

Charlotte’s heart was pounding. She couldn’t believe she was hearing this. She didn’t say anything as she stood up, grabbed her bag from her desk, and left the office. She fished her phone out as she took the elevator down, and when she stepped outside she dialed Garrett’s number.

“Char?” he grumbled, voice coated with sleep. “I didn’t even know you left.”

“Gar, I dunno what to do right now,” Charlotte said frantically, her head in her hands as she sat on a bench a few feet away from the entrance to her building.

“What’s wrong?” he demanded. “Char, what happened?”

“I just can’t do this. California, this job, all of it - I can’t handle it,” she sniffled.

“Slow down and take a deep breath. You’re okay. Tell me what happened.”

As Charlotte began telling Garrett about the talk Leslie had given her, someone sat beside her on the bench. She knew instantly that it was Wyatt when she felt her heart drop into her stomach.

“We’re going to figure it out, alright?” he soothed. “Go back upstairs, tell Leslie you’re working half a day, then come over. I’ll make you lunch and we can watch movies all afternoon.”

“Okay. I’ll call you when I’m leaving,” she promised.

“Why are you doing this?” Wyatt asked.

“I made a mistake,” Charlotte told him. “I fell for your ridiculous charms and I started to believe there was no way I could have been so lucky to find the right guy for me on the first try. I thought I needed to fish around so I pushed Garrett away and spent all my energy on you.”

Wyatt didn’t flinch at her words. He listened calmly, even nodding along. He was silent for a few minutes as he formulated his next move. “We weren’t a mistake, Charlotte. Maybe we aren’t right for each other, but nothing about us was a mistake. And what you just told Garrett, that you couldn’t handle any of this, you’re wrong there too. You’re capable of doing more than whatever Leslie has you doing now.”

Charlotte stood up. “I’m not falling for it again, Wyatt. So please, just save it.”

She went back upstairs and told Leslie she was taking half the day off. She wasn’t going to fall for Wyatt’s kindness. She didn’t need him or his words. But as she started on the day’s work, she began to formulate a plan in her head. Maybe she didn’t need Wyatt but she could use him. Leslie had a soft spot for him now instead of Garrett, and Charlotte could use that to her advantage for a while.

“I’m going now,” Charlotte said to Leslie at noon.

Leslie looked up at her from behind a stack of competitor magazines. She sighed softly, setting one aside. “I hope you were listening to what I was saying. Wyatt may be a little pushy but he’s going to be the better choice for you in the end.”

Charlotte nodded. “Yeah, I know. It’s just hard to let go.”

Leslie nodded and resumed her research. “It’s like a bandaid. Just do it quick and get it over with.”

Charlotte nodded again before leaving. She called Garrett on the drive over, and when she got to the apartment she realized the van was gone. She knocked on the door, patiently waiting for him to answer.

“Hey,” he said happily as he pulled the door open. The apartment smelled like food and her stomach growled. “Sounds like you got here just in time.”

Charlotte smiled as Garrett pulled her through the apartment and into the kitchen. They ate lunch and she filled him in on what happened at work. She left out the little plan including Wyatt, figuring it wouldn’t sit well with him until she had it all figured out. But the plan was all she could think about. She needed to work out all of the details, and fast.

They were lying in bed, halfway through a movie, when Charlotte rolled over to look at Garrett. “Why aren’t you at the studio today?”

Garrett pressed his lips to hers lightly. “I asked them to let me have one more day away, so I could be with you.”

“I’m sorry about everything, Gar,” she apologized lowly, her eyes avoiding his.

Garrett pulled her on top of him, holding her close. “Don’t apologize. We both messed up and we both are working to fix it.”

Charlotte kissed him, running her fingers through his hair. Garrett’s hands moved to her hips and tugged at the fabric of her dress. Charlotte pulled his shirt up, and he complied by letting go of her and allowing her to pull it off. She locked eyes with him as she dropped the shirt on the floor.

“Do you trust me?” she asked.

“Trust you?” he repeated, confused. “Why wouldn’t I trust you?”

Charlotte stopped trying to undo his jeans and sat up, straddling him. “I’m just.. Do you trust me around Wyatt?”

Garrett sat up on his elbows. “What are you getting at?”

Charlotte sighed softly, “In order to do my job, I need to work with Wyatt.”

“I trust you, Char, I just don’t trust him,” Garrett finally said, placing a hand on her cheek. “He doesn’t care who he has to hurt in order to get what he wants. I don’t want him to hurt you.”

Charlotte leaned into his touch, eyes closed. “I’ll be fine. It’s only for a little while longer. But I need you to trust me and completely have faith in me that whatever happens with Wyatt, I still love you.”

Garrett didn’t like the sound of that. A little pocket of worry settled in his chest, even as she leaned down and kissed him. When her hands resumed unbuttoning his jeans, he allowed her to push them down before he rolled over and hovered over top of her. He took his time looking at her, taking in everything she was. Her tired eyes, sleep-matted hair, and slight smile; the way only one cheek had a dimple and how she could just emit love. He didn’t like the idea of sharing her with anyone, especially Wyatt. He was head over heels in love with her; he didn’t just want her, he needed her.

“I love you, Char,” he softly told her, lips brushing against hers as he spoke. One of his hands rested on her thigh. “I don’t like what I think you have planned, but I trust you.”

“I love you,” she whispered, and pulled him against her lips. “Just remember that you’re it for me, Gar. And in a couple of months, it’ll be like Wyatt never happened.”