Goodnight Hollywood Boulevard

Three days had gone by since Charlotte came home from Hollywood. She yearned to go back, knowing there was so much more to see and do there, but she couldn’t muster up enough energy to get out of bed and get much farther than the kitchen. She knew she was letting it affect her more than it should, but the fact that two boys physically got into a fight over her made her sick to her stomach. The scene kept replaying in her mind no matter how hard she tried to erase it.

The day was coming to an end as she shuffled out of the kitchen and across the foyer. She stepped up onto the first step of the staircase but paused when someone knocked on the door. She had a feeling it was either Garrett or Wyatt, neither of which she had any interest in seeing, so she patiently waited to see if the knocking continued.

“It’s only me, Charlotte,” Jared sighed through the door. She felt her shoulders fall as she shuffled over to the door to let him inside.

“Hi,” she said sheepishly as he looked over her appearance.

She didn’t look too bad. She had showered and her clothes weren’t gross or dirty. She just looked defeated, like she had given up on everything. Jared frowned and helped her upstairs to her bedroom. She immediately placed her cup of tea on her nightstand and curled up in her blankets. Jared was the first one to show up to see how she was doing; everyone else text messaged or called to check in on her, but they had been too busy to physically stop by her house. And she understood; they weren’t there in California for her, they were there to record an album.

She watched as Jared climbed into her bed with her. He knew she was upset, he knew she was hurting. He wrapped his arms around her and gently hugged her; it was definitely something she needed at that point in time. No words, no excuses, just a warm embrace and a best friend.

They laid together for a little over an hour, lost in thought.

The more Charlotte reflected on her relationship with Garrett, the more she began to hate herself for not seeing where it was going sooner. Long distance only works when both people are stationary. She was stationary, while his life was traveling the world. He wouldn’t be coming home to her when his tours were done. Their relationship was doomed the day Charlotte decided to move to California.

But at the same time, she never expected to go from zero to 60 so quickly. She had longed for a relationship with Garrett since high school and when she finally got what she wanted, it all seemed to go wrong. They had a grace period, of course, where everything was perfect as perfect could be. She never imagined that their honeymoon phase would crash so soon, that hell was lurking close by, waiting and ready to rip them apart.

“What are you thinking about?” Jared asked, noticing the intense look on her face.

“Garrett,” she muttered.

He wanted to ask more about it but he knew if he couldn’t get anything out of Garrett about what happened, he definitely wouldn’t be able to get anything out of Charlotte. He hated seeing them like this, both suffering in silence, moping around in self-pity. From what he understood, they had both done wrong. Why hadn’t they apologized and moved onward?

“Hey,” Jared said softly, pulling her from her thoughts again when he noticed she was slipping back into the intense look. “We’re all going out tonight and we want you to come with us.”

“I don’t think so,” she said uneasily. “I mean, what with me and Garrett being kinda broken up, I don’t think it’d make for such a fun time.”

Jared shrugged. “Everyone wants to see you. Just ignore Garrett.”

She pondered for a moment. Jared smiled and added, “We’re going to dinner and a dance club. Two of your favorites, right?”

Charlotte laughed slightly. “Yeah, I’m such a club junkie,” she joked.

“Come on,” he urged. “Just one night. You have to go back to work on Monday, so who knows when we’ll be able to get you all to ourselves again.”

“I could use some of my besties right now,” she thought aloud.

“See? Perfect,” Jared announced happily. “You need us and we need you!”

Charlotte smiled at his enthusiasm. “Alright, I’ll go.”

She shuffled into her closet, closing the door slightly so Jared wouldn’t be able to watch her changing. Most of her good dresses were still at Wyatt’s Dad’s apartment in Hollywood, so she settled for a gray pleated dress with black accents. She pulled on a pair of darker gray tights and slipped her feet into her favorite gray boots. She grabbed a black Chanel purse and emerged from her closet. Jared cat-called and whistled playfully as she continued on to her bathroom, causing a blush to creep onto her cheeks. She quickly washed her face and applied her usual eye makeup. She glossed her lips, sprayed herself with perfume, and returned to her bedroom. Jared had picked out a multi-chain necklace for her to wear with her outfit and she smiled at how well it matched.

Jared drove back to the apartment where the boys were milling around, awaiting his return.

“Hey guys,” Jared called when he stepped through the door. Charlotte closed the door behind them and awkwardly stood in the threshold. The last time she had been there had been her first time, and she had been told Garrett cheated on her. The emotions seemed to have lingered and they came back in a rush when John sauntered into the room.

“Char!” he exclaimed, rushing over to her and engulfing her in a hug. He squeezed her tightly, lifting her from the ground slightly. “I take it you’re coming with us?”

“Jared talked me into it,” she replied with a slight nod.

“Well, good,” he said, nodding confidently. “Garrett’s coming, too, but I think it’ll be good for you two.”

“Where is he, anyway?” Jared asked John. Charlotte didn’t have to wait for an answer, she had already found him.

He was sitting on the back porch, his back to the inside of the apartment. He had his feet propped up on the railing, a book leaning against his legs. It was open to a certain page but Charlotte was sure he wasn’t reading anymore. His head was held high, like he was staring at someone directly in front of him; before him, however, was a bright orange sun lowering into the horizon. The sight was absolutely breathtaking and she wished she could sit there with him, quietly soaking in the view.

Her heart caught in her throat and she had to swallow hard to get rid of the lump. She admitted days ago to missing him but she didn’t realize just how much he was missed. Tonight would be tough to have him so close and not be able to hold his hand or laugh at his stupid jokes, rest her head on his shoulder when she was bored or sneak a quick little kiss for no reason at all.

“Char?”

Charlotte tore her eyes away from Garrett and focused on Kennedy. “Hey Kenny,” she greeted with a smile as he, too, lifted her off the ground.

“Long time no see,” he laughed. “I hear you’re coming with us.”

Pat joined moments later and this time Charlotte’s feet remained on the ground, for which she was thankful. She tried to pay attention to the boys chattering about the plans for that night but she could only think of Garrett and how her heart would literally stop the second she heard the glass doors slide open. She was almost dreading that moment.

“You look gorgeous,” she heard from behind her and she jumped. Her heart raced in her chest and her stomach churned. Why hadn’t she heard him come in? She had focused so hard on waiting for that moment, how had she missed it?

“Thanks,” she mumbled under her breath, avoiding eye contact with him.

“Are you ready to go, Gar?” Pat asked.

He shrugged a shoulder, pulled the door open and disappeared. Everyone took that as a yes and followed suit. Charlotte stayed close to Jared and John, somehow finding both of them more comforting than ever before. People were divided up into cars – the rental car the record company had given to them for their stay, and Garrett’s car.

“Sorry, Char,” John said to her. “You’re with Garrett.”

“You’re kidding, right?” she asked them.

“You’ll be fine, Char,” Jared promised. “It’s a short ride.”

Charlotte couldn’t understand why the boys had done that to her. Maybe this night out was one big plan to get her and Garrett back together. Maybe it was a trick. They had fooled her into going out, and now they were pushing her toward Garrett. They were forcing them together.

“Shit,” she cursed softly, slowly making her way to Garrett’s car. Her head starting throbbing as millions of thoughts came to life. He was standing by the driver’s side, waiting to hear how many people he would be responsible for. She quickly got in the car, buckled her seatbelt and rubbed her temples.

“Something wrong?” Garrett asked as he started the car.

“I have a headache,” she mumbled.

“What?” he asked again.

She angrily turned his metal music off, slamming her hand into the volume button so the radio would be muted. “I have a headache,” she said louder this time. “And the shit you call music isn’t helping.”

“Well pardon me,” he snapped.

Charlotte instantly regretted her attitude when she glanced over and saw the hurt expression on Garrett’s face. She knew how much he loved metal and she had a feeling that was one of his favorite metal bands. She was about to apologize when he pulled a CD from the visor and switched it with the one already in the player. He slowly turned the volume back up.

“I hope this is okay,” he said, his voice barely reaching above a whisper.

“Of course,” she answered weakly. “Ryan Adams is always okay.”

The restaurant was upscale and Charlotte had to laugh at how underdressed all of the boys were. Most of the men there were in suits, most likely coming straight from their offices, as opposed to the jeans and button-ups seen throughout her group. They were seated without a problem, though, and somehow she was sitting next to Garrett again. Kennedy was on her other side and she stared straight ahead at Jared, glaring evilly at him. They managed to order drinks and appetizers before any sort of conversation picked up.

“How’s that headache?” Garrett asked, watching Charlotte sip on her lemon water.

“Better,” she replied. “Thank you.”

“Do you think we could talk?” he asked. Her reply was on the tip of her tongue but he cut her off. “I mean, really talk. Like, when we get back to the apartment tonight could you just hang around for a while?”

Charlotte felt her throat tighten. “Yeah,” she choked. “Just for a little bit.”

Garrett offered her a small smile as a token of his appreciation and then went back to examining his menu. Jared flashed Charlotte a grin and a quick thumbs-up, to which she just shook her head and willed away the stinging in her eyes. She never imagined love could be such a hellish ordeal.