Goodnight Hollywood Boulevard

Charlotte hadn’t turned in her resignation yet, still toying with the idea. She thought she had been completely ready to give up the job, but she started to think about how premature it really was. She had a long time to go before her apartment lease started, she couldn’t just quit her job until then.

Wyatt dropped Charlotte off at home after a rather quiet night on the pier. She was too quiet tonight but no matter how many times he asked if she was okay, or if she wanted to talk about what was on her mind, she always said she was fine and it was nothing. But he wasn’t stupid.

“I’ll see you at work tomorrow?” he offered, standing awkwardly in her doorway.

Charlotte nodded, glancing at the clock on the wall. “Bright and early.”

She had made dinner plans with Garrett for his 20th birthday and the reservation time was slowly creeping up on her. Wyatt didn’t seem to get the hint that she wanted him to leave.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked again for the hundredth time.

She sighed. “Yeah. I just miss Garrett, you know? But there’s nothing I can do about it, so I’m gonna go to bed now.”

Wyatt straightened up slightly and nodded. “Right. See you tomorrow, then.”

Charlotte smiled tightly at him, watching as he shuffled down the walkway and to his car. She closed the door when she heard the fumbling of his keys and then ran upstairs to change. She had found a new dress at work and borrowed it for this occasion; it was silver sequins on the bust, and white, flowing ruffles on the skirt. After having her contacts in all day, she decided wearing her glasses would be the best option for her tired eyes. She quickly applied some eyeliner, mascara and a light dusting of blue eye shadow. She slicked her lips with her favorite lipstick – the shade she wore every day last summer. She spent no time in her closet; she grabbed a white clutch and stepped into a pair of floral high heels.

She made her way downstairs and waited until she saw Wyatt’s bedroom light flicker off and the blue screen of his TV turn on. She typed a quick text message to Garrett to inform him she was leaving as she slid into her car and then dropped her phone into the cup holder before driving off. When she arrived at the boys’ apartment, she couldn’t get upstairs fast enough. Garrett obviously couldn’t wait to see her, either, because he opened the door right before she could knock.

Charlotte grinned, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him. Garrett grinned into the kiss and wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her off the ground. “Hi,” she giggled, the grin a permanent fixture on her face. “Are you ready to go?”

“Almost,” he said, set her down and grabbed her hand to pull her inside. She said hello to the boys sitting on the couches as Garrett dragged her through the apartment and to his room.

“Happy birthday,” Charlotte whispered, lips against Garrett’s as she spoke. He closed the bedroom door and gently pushed her against the wall.

“Thank you,” he muttered, kissing her neck and shoulder. “You look absolutely gorgeous, Char.”

Charlotte smiled, running her hands through his hair. “Gar, get ready to go. We’ve got reservations.”

Garrett’s nose scrunched up as he looked into her eyes. He didn’t want to get ready, but he didn’t want to be late, either; he reluctantly moved away from her and grabbed a jacket from his closet. He shrugged into it before grabbing her hand and pulling her out of the room.

They said a goodbye to the others as they rushed out the door. Garrett insisted he drive to the restaurant, even though Charlotte said it was his birthday so he shouldn’t have to, and they arrived on time for their reservation.

They quietly looked over their menus and ordered before they actually started a conversation. “Did you give your letter to Leslie yet?”

Charlotte tilted her head to the side slightly. “No. Honestly, I’m afraid to.”

“Why? I thought you had this all planned out?” Garrett asked, severely confused.

Charlotte sighed softly. “I dunno. Lets just talk about you. It’s your birthday.”

“Well, the record is almost done,” Garrett started. “I think, you know, by the end of this month we’ll be completely done.”

Garrett continued to explain their new sound to her, and how he began to love each song more and more with each day that passed. He had high hopes for this CD and their summer tours, too.

“It sounds a lot more grown up from the last one,” Charlotte said. “From what John played for me and the way you’re talking about it – I’m proud of you, Gar.”

They ate their dinner, continuing with light conversation – how the weather was rather nice for February, how Bobbie was doing in school, if Charlotte had started to work on her own clothing line yet. It was after dinner when Garrett suddenly became quiet and reserved. They didn’t want to go home just yet, so they drove to the pier to walk around for a while.

It was starting to get a little windy, so Garrett took his jacket off and gave it to Charlotte. She smiled in response and slipped her hand into his. They walked out to the very end of the pier to overlook the dark, roaring ocean. With the winds picking up, the waves grew larger and they could easily be heard crashing against the support beams.

Charlotte didn’t know what to do anymore. She had everything planned out a few days ago; she would give her resignation two weeks before her apartment lease started up and then she’d move home to be with Garrett. But now – now it all seemed childish and poorly executed. She started to think about college and how she should at least go somewhere; she had never heard back from FIDM, so she needed to start sorting out other options. Maybe that meant keeping a job with Leslie so she could work her way through school.

Or maybe not hearing from FIDM meant she could start over fresh somewhere else. She had been at the same company since high school. Maybe it was time to move on and start building onto her portfolio and résumé with new credentials.

“Char,” Garrett said softly, his body angled toward her. She turned her head to look at him, elbows still resting on the railing. “I- I don’t know how you’re going to take this, but I’ve spent some time thinking, too. About us and everything that’s going on.”

“What?” Charlotte asked, faltering slightly. She didn’t like the sound of this – at all.

“God, Char, don’t – I mean, it’s not bad,” Garrett stuttered out in a rush. His cheeks burned red against the lights of the rides and games behind them.

“Oh,” she said, pursing her lips slightly. “What were you thinking about, then?”

Garrett inhaled deeply. “Just, you know, about how much I love you and how much it sucks that you’re out with Wyatt all the time, even if it’s fake on your part. He doesn’t know that it’s all made up, you know? I’m just afraid he’s going to eventually get the wrong idea and think that you guys are dating for real and- and I don’t want that to happen.”

“Gar, I can stop doing this, then,” Charlotte offered softly. “I thought it was okay with you. But I’ll stop.”

“No, it’s what you have to do for your work,” Garrett said with a shake of his head. Charlotte was confused now. He didn’t want her to do this anymore, but he did? Garrett scratched the back of his neck. “I’m just saying… It’s going to be a little harder now.”

Garrett stepped closer to Charlotte. Before she could question what he meant by that, his hand slipped into one of the jacket pockets and slid onto one knee after retrieving what he needed. “Oh, God. Garrett Nickelsen, don’t you dare-”

“Charlotte Marie,” Garrett started with a grin, cutting her off without a second thought. He knew she hated being interrupted, but she’d have to make this an exception. “I love you. I know we’re young, but we have the rest of our lives ahead of us. I want you and only you, and I’d be honored if you would marry me.”

Charlotte’s hands were shaking as she covered her mouth in shock. She wanted to cry; she was surprised and mad and ecstatic and flat-out happy. The ring was beautiful; a sparkling white diamond in the middle, and a blue diamond on the sides. Charlotte knew it was expensive; it was an art deco replica from the 1930s.

Some people had cautiously stopped to watch by now. Families and other couples all had their eyes on the two. Charlotte couldn’t help but blush at how much this felt like a scene directly out of a movie. She was now the girl everyone had their eyes on, and everyone would be holding their breath until she answered. Her head started to spin and her lips formed a small hint of a smile.

“I- I- Garrett,” she sighed, frustrated at his surprise. He took her left hand in his, eyes never leaving hers. “Of course I’ll marry you, Gar.”

Garrett grinned, slid the ring onto her finger and stood up to kiss her. As her hands tangled in his hair, they heard their little audience clapping for them. Charlotte pulled away, biting her lip as she grinned at him.

“I know everything is kind of a mess,” Garrett said softly, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist, “but I need you. And I want you to know that you’ll always have me no matter if I’m a thousand miles away or if we get into an argument. I’ll always love you and, well, cherish you.”

Charlotte kissed him. “I love you, Garrett. Tomorrow, I’ll tell Wyatt that he and I are nothing more than friends. Hell, Gar, I’ll tell him the truth if you want me to.”

Garrett shook his head, “Do what you have to, okay? I don’t want you to mess up your work situation.”

Charlotte was preparing to answer when she felt a vibration from inside of Garrett’s jacket. She fished out the source: a ringing cell phone. She caught a glimpse of the caller ID as she handed it to him and realized it was almost 11 at night already.

“John, I told you not to–” Garrett started and stopped short. He listened, rolling his eyes slightly. Charlotte giggled softly, ruffling his hair. “Okay. We’ll be there soon.”

“What did John want?” she asked when he took her hand and started leading her back into the pier.

He shrugged, “I dunno, something about someone weird showing up for me at the apartment.”

Neither of them gave it a second thought. They got into Garrett’s car and drove back to the apartment, excited to tell the others their news. Garrett did tell her, however, that Pat already knew about it because he had been there when Garrett bought the ring months ago.

“You really planned this for months?” she asked as they ascended the stairs.

“Believe it or not,” Garrett laughed. He unlocked the door and pushed it open. But who he saw on the other side caused his face to fall. “What are you doing here?”

Charlotte looked up, her eyes widening. How had he found this place? She didn’t know what to say or do except stand there in shock. “Wyatt?”

“I came to get Charlotte,” Wyatt explained simply, partially sitting on the back of the couch.

“You followed me?” Charlotte asked incredulously. “You followed me. Of course you did.”

“Garrett, who is this?” Pat asked for everyone else.

“He’s just a douche,” Garrett replied, glaring at Wyatt. He protectively pulled Charlotte inside, purposely putting her behind him. “And he’s leaving now.”

“Really? Because I’m not going anywhere without Charlotte,” Wyatt said sternly.

“No, I’m pretty sure you’re leaving by yourself,” Garrett retorted.

Charlotte wanted to crawl into a hole and die. Of course he would have followed her. He couldn’t handle losing – anything, including people. The others were staring at the three, shocked and unsure of what to do next.

“Seriously, Wyatt, just leave,” Charlotte squeaked from behind Garrett. “Please.”

Wyatt pushed himself off the couch and practically towered over Garrett. Charlotte could feel the tension building and Garrett’s body tensing, and she knew what was about to happen wasn’t going to be pleasant. “Garrett, don’t,” she said to him, but he didn’t listen.

“Listen, I’m going to tell you to leave one more time,” Garrett warned.

“Or what?” Wyatt dared.

Charlotte closed her eyes tightly and held her breath. She grabbed onto Garrett’s arm, digging her nails into his skin. She didn’t want him to do this, she didn’t want to see him lose his temper on someone as stupid as Wyatt.

Unfortunately, Charlotte grabbed the wrong hand because when she opened her eyes, she saw Garrett’s tightly clenched fist collide with Wyatt’s nose. As Wyatt stumbled back from the contact, John and Jared both sprung to their feet to intervene. John grabbed Garrett, dragging him away from the situation.

“Oh, God,” Charlotte whispered when Wyatt’s eyes met hers. Jared had to shove him out the door, and he quickly shut and locked it behind him. Then, like a repeat of the pier, everyone looked at Charlotte, except this time instead of being proposed to, she was backed up in the corner like a scared puppy dog who had done wrong.

“Seriously John just stop!” Garrett yelled, yanking his arm away from his friend. He walked out of the kitchen, eyes scanning the room. His face fell slightly when he realized just how poorly he had reacted, but when he looked at Pat, he smiled slightly. Pat grinned, and the previous tension vanished just like that.

“Gar?” Pat questioned, still grinning.

Garrett walked over to Charlotte, lacing his hand with hers. He kissed her temple, whispering an apology in her ear. “Do you want to tell them?” he asked her.

“Tell us what?” Jared asked, leaning his back against the front door.

Charlotte looked at Jared, then at Kennedy and Pat in the living room, and finally at John standing in the kitchen entryway. “Garrett proposed,” she announced.

Like four brothers Charlotte never had before, they all swarmed her and congratulated her endlessly. Kennedy hugged her so tightly she almost felt like she was going to snap in half. Pat hugged Garrett and Charlotte at the same time, and Jared lightly punched Garrett’s shoulder and kissed Charlotte’s cheek. John hugged Charlotte and lifted her off the ground, saying he always knew she’d end up marrying Garrett in the end.

“Honestly, though,” John said a bit later, once the buzz had calmed down. “Welcome to the family, Char. Finally and officially.”