Crazy things when you're in love

[PrincessKaty]

{The Next Morning}


~
​

Carter leaned against the counter, reading what it said on the muffin box. He was determined to actually make something for once and not have Rae take over although he could feel her looking at him from the living room, probably making a mental note of everything he was doing wrong. "I can see you," He chimed, looking up from the box with a smile. He shook his head and grinned, turning around to the counter. "I won't fuck this up. It'll be great," He assured her as he began to measure and mix everything that he needed too. They were cinnamon streusel muffins so once he'd actually made the batter and horribly shoveled it into the muffin tin, with the majority of it falling either on the counter or in the spaces on the tin where it wasn't suppose to be, he had to sprinkle all this sugar stuff evenly throughout. Ha, evenly.. Basically the suckers went in the oven looking like a hot mess. Maybe they'll taste better than the look..


He walked over to the fridge and pulled it open and then sighed dramatically. "Raaaae," He whined, walking over to the couch,"We don't have orange juice and, like, how can you have muffins without orange juice? Sooo, I think you should go to the store and get some. I mean like, maybe the outside air will make your mouth feel better and I have to watch the oven since I'm the one cooking and all." He plopped down and smiled over at her. It was obviously all bullshit but he just didn't want to have to go to the store because he was lazy as hell.


~


Charlotte had ended up falling asleep on the couch next to Ethan while they watched Netflix, starting with Inception and just confusing themselves further from there. When she woke up, she was feeling a little laggy from the late night and then the two days previous where she'd been up and walking around constantly. She went to her bedroom and changed into a little pink sundress, then combed her hair back into a ponytail and brushed her teeth. She grabbed a pen and paper from the room and wrote Ethan a quick note that she left on the coffee table just in case he woke up before she got back.


Went to grab breakfast. Be back soon x Lottie.





She grabbed her purse from the counter as well as her phone then her keys. She slipped out the door quietly and locked it behind her, then headed to the elevator. It was already waiting when she got there so she hopped in and pressed the button for the parking garage. She really didn't feel like walking today. Adventure and nature and all that could wait...


Once on the level, she stepped out and hummed as she made her way to her parking space where her darling little white VW Cabrio was waiting. It was from the 90's and a manual, but she still thought it was like the best thing ever. It kind of reminded her of what a Barbie car would be if it was pink.

 

[Raerae]

"You're so full of it, I swear," Rae told him, and laughed at all of his silly reasoning that basically translated as laziness. Not that she minded, Rae was a queen procrastinator, everything happened in juuuust a little while later. Perfect match, right? "I'll probably come back to catch the fire department swarming this place. But I'll go, we're running on empty, anyways."


She shifted info his lap and planted a big kiss on face, before slipping off and heading to grab her little black purse, regretting the movement of her jaw every second. It was unbelievably worse today, puffy too, and an ugly shade of purple had spread literally to the corner of her eye and along her chin. It was kind of cool, admittedly, though she had indulged in four pain pills since last night. "I'll be back in a little bit, then. Be good, text me if you think of something," She chided, and gently closed the door behind her. On the other side of the door, she suddenly got the impulse to drive a little slower today, just to remind herself to breathe and absorb everything now.


---


Went to grab breakfast. Be back soon x Lottie.


Well that was a bummer. With her gone, he actually had a cleared schedule, no work to occupy himself, and a chance to get his shit together. But after spending yesterday bawling like a chump, he honestly didn't feel like being responsible, he just wanted to stretch out on her kinda comfy sofa and fall asleep with her again.


When he'd freshened up in the bathroom, he'd pulled his shirt up and winced as the ugly discoloring of his skin from Carter's follow up punch, though his face was remarkably unscathed- sore, but just that handsome tan tone like always.


He'd wandered the apartment, peeking into this and that, like her fridge, and small movie collection, though they couldn't compare to the assortment of books she'd brought. Everything just emanated Lottie, and he found it more comforting than his own place in a way, though of course he felt out of his element in a complete bachlorettes pad, adorned with soft colors and Pinteresty things.


As the silence ebbed he rummaged through his bag for his phone, sighing with exasperation when he realized he must have left it in the car during his little bold act to engage the breakup. Much procrastinating later, he finally decided to head out, propping her door open so he wouldn't lock himself out of the apartment, and pausing to adjust his shoes, ignorant of the adversary a few doors down.

 

[PrincessKaty]

Carter smiled and laughed. "Maybe, but it works," He pointed out playfully. Not really though. If she didn't want to go, she wouldn't. "I think this place could use a little singeing. A little black never hurt," He joked with her. He grinned when she moved into his lap and kissed him, then walked away. His eyes trailed down her body as she did so. Damn. Her ass. Those legs. Ugh, this girl would be the death of him.


"You're the best," He chimed as she left and then chuckled to himself. He pushed himself up from the couch and walked to his bedroom where he changed into something he could wear for the day, which were some cut offs and a white t-shirt, and then headed to the bathroom to do all his normal morning things; run his hand through his hair, brush his teeth, but on cologne. It was really tough..


Once he was done he walked out to the kitchen and looked around for the mail key, realizing that he hadn't checked it in a while and he was suppose to be getting an issue of Game Informer which was suppose to talk about all the new stuff in Fallout 4, which he was dying to play. He pocketed the key when he found it and then headed out the front door. He looked to his right when he heard a footstep and nearly laughed when he saw that it was Ethan. Of course. Coming out of.. Oh..





"Walk of shame already? Don't you think it's a little too soon for that? Does your cute little friend know what she's getting herself into? Or not into? You're probably never going to be around," He remarked with a smirk, obviously referring to the fact that Rae had left him for the simple fact that he wasn't there for her.


~


Charlotte climbed into the driver's side of her car, started it up, and was on her way. On the walk down, she'd done a little bit of Googling and found that there was a bagel shop called the Bagel Shop like 15 blocks away that apparently had strawberry cream cheese that was to die for and pretty decent coffee so she decided to try that out.


It was actually really nice outside so she took the liberty of putting her top down and cranking up the radio to enjoy the ride there. She was finally started to feel like the city could actually be her new home. It wasn't really where she'd expected herself to be five years ago but she liked it. It was a good change.


Back in her home town she would've been stuck with her waitress job until she eventually married one of the like the five decent guys in the place where then they'd move into a house a mile away from their parents and she'd be a housewife. Don't get her wrong, she was all for being a housewife and stuff. She wanted to be one day. But she also wanted to do something with her life and actually live before popping out some kids being tied down forever.

 

[Raerae]

"Bite me, drunk," Ethan scoffed, feeling his muscles tense as the memories of last night flickered through his mind like a film reel. There he stood, in his doorway, residing in his apartment, linked to his... Ex, girlfriend; disgusting was all he could deem it as.


And it made him sick to think Rachel had actually had anything to do with him, there wasn't any way in hell this guy had anything over him, if anything he'd be hospitalized by his thirties and leave her pregnant in a ditch somewhere.


"Fuck off, Carter. She picked me over you since day one, if I stuck around and put up with her shit, it'd still be that way. Don't boast over rebound, and don't act like she's a prize. Rae's screwed up just like her mom," He adjusted his blazer and backed away from her apartment door, regretting the fact he'd have to walk around the bastard in order to get to the elevator.


That had to have been the absolute most vile remark anyone could ever make about her personal life, and it stung the atmosphere, and surprised himself a little. Again, with the shock. But why should he spare her feelings? What did she care?

---


I've lost my goddamn mind


It happens all the time


I can't believe I'm actually


Meant to be here


Trying to consume


The drug in me is you


And I'm so high on misery


Can't you see?



​

Rae's mode of transportation? A Wrangler, sage green with every add on she could afford, from covers that kept your paint from chipping to those little black nets that hung behind the front seats, of which she never used. She'd only recently purchased it, brand new with payments that'd make anyone else faint, but it was problem free, purred like a lioness and was hella fun driving through the canyon.


Even with the radio blaring and her eyes on the road, her mind had covered so much before she'd even stopped at the first public light. What actually made Ethan leave? Could it really have just been sex? Boredom? Change of pace? Or was there something wrong with her? She wasn't the curviest thing and she bruised like a toddler. She didn't have a normal diploma, much family or a brag worthy socio-economic upbringing. Her tastes were picky, she had severe anxiety nestled in herself and she happened to crave intimacy constantly. Could those actually be bad in the long run? Would Carter have the same urge to leave and latch onto someone new?


As a horn came blaring, she swerved and felt her heart leap in her throat at the near miss. She had to park somewhere and think, just for a few minutes, and then the store and back to the apartment, before she crashed out of contemplation. Where she calmed down didn't matter, and the first place she'd chosen was the Bagel Shop, not necessarily in her tastes but a chair was a chair. She parked, breathed, slipped out of the car, breathed, slipped into the shop, breathed, and waited in line to order, focusing on her breathing and the menu above best she could.

 

[PrincessKaty]

Carter laughed and put his hand over his heart as if Ethan had really hurt him with that insult. "Ooh, ouch. That's a new one," He remarked in fake pain. People called him in a drunk all the time. He didn't really care. It was what he was. A drunk. He'd been drinking before it was even legal for him and had no real intentions of stopping. He wasn't hurting anyone but himself.


He raised his eyebrows at Ethan's comment, the last part striking him most. He felt the anger surge through him just as much as it had yesterday when he decked Rae right in the face. Being that Rae and Carter had basically grown up together, insulting her mother was like insulting his own. He loved the woman and looked up to her despite what she was into. As Ethan stepped to move past him, Carter grabbed the collar of stupid, expensive blazer and slammed him into the wall between the two doors across the hall from theirs.


"Fuck you, dick!" He yelled,"You know that was fucking low. Rae is nothing like her and you know that. And if you actually think that, why the fuck would you be with her!? You're so caught up in your own little world all you care about yourself. God, you're so stupid! You let the one person that actually cares about you walk out of your life because you don't know how to be in a fucking relationship and now you're going bad mouth her?! Seriously?!"


He was almost positive that Ethan was just butthurt about losing Rae to him, thinking that he stole her right from under her but he was seriously blind if he thought that was the truth. The only thing Carter did was take her out to the beach and everything else just fell into place. Rae was the first thing to say anything. It hadn't been him at all. He almost felt bad for the guy for being that fucking stupid.


~


Charlotte eased into the parking lot of the little place and parked, then gathered her belongings and exited the car. She hummed as she walked up towards the door and raised her eyebrows as a girl came out of the Bagel Shop, glaring for no reason. She was wearing ripped thigh-highs, high waisted shorts, and a band t-shirt that was nearly as long as the pants with holes sliced in his. Her makeup was smeared, had about three piercing on her face and about her whole ear, and was caring a cup of coffee in one hand and a pack of cigarettes in the other. Wow. Someone had a rough night. She'd never find people like that in her own town. Everyone was rather... Well, boring and conservative. It was refreshing in a totally terrifying way.


She walked into the Bagel Shop and hopped in line, looking at the menu to try and determine what Ethan would want. She really didn't know him that well so she thought maybe going for something simple would work. Play it safe. At the cash register, she ordered a plain bagel with cream cheese, a cinnamon sugar bagel with strawberry cream cheese, and two lattes. She paid for her meal with her card and then just because she was feeling nice today, requested that she pay for the person behind her too, which was a girl she'd seen wander in out of the corner of her eye. She looked like she was having a meh day. She took her receipt that had her order number on it and wandered over to a table where she sat down to wait for her food and drinks.


It was a cute little bagel shop that's decorating was trying to mimic a typical surf shack or something. It was cute.

 

[Raerae]

Ethan didn't hesitate to bring his fist up and slam his knuckles right into Carter's face, pushing himself off the wall and letting the adrenaline cloud his judgment. "Where were your balls eight years ago? I've been the one supporting her, while you, what, played advocate and slept around to get your fill? And you want to say I'm the creep?"


"And why not? Why shouldn't I just point out the obvious? You're nothing, and she's on her way- runs in the family," Now he wasn't even saying what he wanted to, he was just mad, and really hurt, and felt like tearing down every second he devoted to building her up. Fuck her, that's what he thought. But at the same time? He was fighting for nothing more than his pride, Carter had his points. Even in the rage, he just shouted out whatever fucked up slams he could to feel better. "Letting you move in was the worst move I've ever made, don't think either of you are staying in my apartment."


He didn't mean that, either he'd hopednto talk it out, even amidst the hurt, he wasn't a monster, nor had he done more wrong than neglect. But he was so angry and Carter was such a weasle.





---


When the Barista called out both girls orders simultaneously, Rae decided she'd contribute to the young woman's kindness and lifted the tray, both of them, and wandered over with impressive balance. Every now and then, she had to remind herself that, although it may seem like the whole world is in turmoil, it's really just all in her mind, someone out there was relatively decent.


With a soft smile of acknowledgement as she placed it down before her, she chimed, "Thanks. I actually left my wallet on the counter, go figure." She noted the two lattes and wondered if it was too bold a question to inquire sitting here, but what could it hurt?


"Mind if I sit here till Charming arrives? I have to leave in a few minutes anyway, but sitting alone is... Awkward." Her doe eyes fell to the window where a few dogs were being walked past and greeted them though the glass like a child. She was beyond ecstatic that Carter agreed to the husky, she could already see its red copper fur and gorgeous blue eyes whilst it slept in their living room and terrorized neighborhood animals.

 

[PrincessKaty]

Carter wobbled backwards when Ethan's fist came in contact with his face and his hand shot up to put pressure on the spot. He mumbled some curse words and glared at him. He guess he was just getting even from yesterday but he hadn't realized that he was going to take the cheap shot right then. "I had my reasons. Because I actually cared about Rachel and wasn't about to fuck it up if she didn't feel the same way. And then you came along and I figured I shouldn't ruin that because she's happy- Ha! Should've fucked your relationship up a long time ago when I had the chance," He responded.


As soon as Ethan began to badmouth Rae again, Carter swung, and hit his cheekbone but only because he stated to move. He was going for his jaw, to fuck it up like he'd done to Rae but that worked too. "Not a fucking problem. We're moving in together. To a house. Far fucking away from here and you. So you can have your stupid apartment next to your fuckbuddy. Maybe she'll move in with you and then her best friend and you just relive this shit over and over again," He suggested with a little smirk. Ha, wouldn't that be great? Karma for being such a dick to Rae.


Part of him thought that maybe he should feel bad for Ethan. Everything fell apart for the guy pretty fast but he also was a total asshole to Rae so then again, no.


~


Charlotte was so in her little world, thinking about the different parts of the city that she came to like the most. She liked the skyscrapers and lights at night but then the little suburbs were super cute too. Just depended on her mood, she supposed, and that was what she liked. There was something somewhere that would give her a fix of whatever she wanted.


She didn't even realize her order was called until a girl, the one that had been standing behind her, brought her tray over and Charlotte smiled at her. "Oh, thank you. And it's seriously not a big deal," She assured her with the wave of her hand. She was glad that she could help her out.


She laughed a little bit and shook her head, gesturing to the empty seat on the other side. "No Charming here, actually. I'm just taking this home," She said with a little shrug as she picked up her coffee and took a sip of it. Yeah, not half bad. She followed the girl's gaze outside and smiled, seeing the dogs walk by. "So cute," She commented,"I have a rotwiler back home. Sweetest thing ever. We raised him from a little puppy." Denis was is name. Super lame but it was the first thing she thought of when she'd named him on Christmas when she'd gotten him. It sucked leaving him but he honestly liked her mom way better anyways and he was getting older so traveling probably wasn't too great for him.

 

[Raerae]

"Don't, call her that. Charlotte has absolutely nothing to do with this," Instinctively he touched his face, which throbbed from the swing that landed harder than the ones yesterday, or so it felt. He absolutely hated Carter, and there was a bitterness brewing inside him that encouraged him to fight...


...And to leave.


"You can have her, I pray to God I never see you two again," And as his voice broke, on came the pathetic array of tears. He was bruised, tired, humiliated and obviously not winning this, his ego really wasn't helping him anyway. Why he was fighting for this, he didn't even know. It was over, she was leaving and he'd get the apartment and his single life back to himself.


...Woo?


"I call the g'damn fuzz if you don't knock it off!" Came a sudden voice that startled them both, an old man was in a fuzzy blue robe with a cane and a yorkie at his feet. He waved his cane angrily, "You go outside and kill each other, just get out of the g'damn hall!"


"Yeah! Some people are TRYIN' to sleep!" Came another shout, further down.


A cacophany of angry voices filled the half and Ethan debated on whether or not hitting Carter was worth it. But in that moment he was reminded of himself and Gary and fighting on the blacktop over his baseball, the teachers took it away and they were both left bloodied. There really wasn't a way to win this and get his pride back, was there? And considering what he'd said, he couldn't even tell Carter to take care of her. He didn't know how he felt. He wanted to drink heavy and pass out. Like him.





"This will never happen again," He mumbled, and started down the hall towards the elevator, wiping at his eyes. "If she didn't stay with me there's no way she'll stick around for you. Have fun gloating while you can."


---


"Our apartment wanted three hundred and fifty dollars as a down payment for a dog. The dog I want, specifically, is a little more than a thousand. Guess who took up gardening instead?" She smirked and raised a hand when they finally finished her smoothie. She swiped it immediately and slurped on the fresh, chilled mango.


"Back home- does that imply you're new around here? I don't get out much, so I wouldn't know who is and who isn't. Honestly you could live next door and I'd probably miss you," She laughed lightly, unaware of the irony.

 

[PrincessKaty]

"You won't," Carter hissed. The last person he wanted to see was Ethan for making Rae hurt like he did and even more so because he didn't want Rae to go back to him after seeing what a wreck he was. She had a soft heart even if she didn't come off like it. She was extremely forgiving too, which wouldn't be a good thing in this situation.


He looked up quickly when a symphony of voices began yelling at them for causing a ruckus and waking them all up. He mumbled some type of apology and shifted his eyes back to Ethan. The guys face was pretty fucked up already. He wasn't sure if another bruise was worth going to jail over and he could assume that he was thinking the same thing. He wasn't one to back down though so he waited for him to do something first.


He shook his head and crossed his arms. "Yeah, we'll see about that," He said simply, watching as Ethan sulked away towards the elevator. Good. There was no point in fighting anymore. Rae had made up her mind. He shook his head and headed back into the apartment, knowing that there was no way he was going to go downstairs if that was where he was heading.


He slammed the door behind him and groaned deeply, frustrated with the whole thing. Frustrated that he'd badmouthed Rae, even just because he was just mad, and because he'd had to fight over it again. He walked to the bathroom and leaned against the counter, making a face when he saw the disgusting bruise forming on his dark-freckled face.


~


Charlotte laughed and shook her head. "That's way too much. Gardening is awesome too though. I've actually always wanted to. Just never had the time or space," She said with a little nod. By always she meant she'd considered it recently after moving because she needed a hobby but the only place she had was like, her windowsill.


"Yeah. I moved here like, three weeks ago? Almost a month? I don't know, not long though. I just kind of started looking around the city. It's beautiful here. I love the city way more than my little town. How long have you been here?" She asked her curiously. The girl seemed nice and she thought that it might be nice to have a girl as a friend. Ethan was great but so far all she'd been introduced to was mostly guys. Other than Nina and briefly Joss.

 

[Raerae]

"I know what that's like. It's relaxing, unless you can't maintain the plant. I found a little bird a few years ago. Injured, blind, and didn't make it through the night, so my mom suggested we put'm in soil and I planted these pretty little pink flowers. They grow amazing because of the ashes," She didn't really know why she was talking about this, and to an absolute stranger no less. But she had a very open and warm vibe about her, so talking between the two wasn't hard at all; Rae wasn't the super guarded type either, if you didn't want to hear it, screw you.


"Since senior year, actually. I'm not used to being anywhere so long, my ex kind of grounded me here and I thought we'd planted our roots. Now he's my ex," She gestured towards her swollen jaw, which was an ugly shade of purple even underneath her concealer. "And I'm moving with my permanent boyfriend to the hills, more of a countryside vibe."


She was solemn and thrilled all at once. New starts and genuiness excited her, but the recent turn of events just made her with itch to move away. She always moved away if it got to bad, at least this time it wasn't alone. "We'll be closer to the beach in a way. If you're ever looking for something to do, you should head down there. There's a crazy huge amusement park and dolphins, sometimes."

 

[PrincessKaty]

Charlotte smiled at the girl's little story about the bird and the plants. "That's kind of awesome, like in a poetic way," She said and then laughed. Although the bird didn't make it, at least it was being put back into nature technically. It was pretty cool.


She raised an eyebrow slightly when the girl mentioned having an ex-boyfriend and then gestured to her jaw. Instantly, she thought of Ethan. He'd said that he'd hit his girlfriend but not on purpose, only when she'd jumped in front of whoever she was defending. And then when she said that she was moving somewhere with her new boyfriend, it just seemed... Way too big of a coincidence? "I would've dumped him in a second... Did he mean to do that?" She asked her curiously, looking almost at the bruise with shock on her face. She knew it was kind of personal to ask but she was kind of nosy that way. She got comfortable around people way too easily.


She nodded and grinned. "I'll have to check it out. I haven't been there yet and I'm a sucker for an adrenaline rush and food that's so deep fried your body can't handle it," She said and then laughed, moving a wisp of hair out of her face,"I'll have to tell the guy who's been showing me around. Maybe he'll tag along and show me the way. I honestly don't know where anything is around here. I Google everything. It's almost pathetic.."

 

[Raerae]

"I don't think he meant to hit me, he's not... A bad person, at all. Just not the same guy I knew way back when. I forgave him though, so long as I'm moving on I don't mind so much." She did reach up and rub it subconsciously as that night flashed across her mind, it'd be one she prayed she'd forget.


"Someone's been showing you around? That's... Nice," Of course it wasn't Ethan, if it was him, this would officially top every moment of irony she'd ever encountered in her life. Her brown eyes fell to the table and she offered an unnerved smile; she rarely believed in coincidences, reality just had a twisted sense of humor. "I Google everything, too. Can't always trust the internet, but it'll tell you the best places to eat around here. There's a roller derby, a stadium where they hold baseball games, an aquarium outsids of... Of town..."


Just ask her you ditz!





The words piled in her throat and made it feel thick, and swollen. This was just freaking weird and uncomfortable, if it was true- she could be a total freak and over thinking this. But...


"Is his... Is his name Ethan?"

 

[PrincessKaty]

Charlotte nodded, listening to her explain that he just wasn't the same. Shit happened, she supposed. At least it wasn't on purpose? It sucked either way though and from the look of the bruise, he'd hit her pretty hard.


"Yeah. He's been really sweet and introduced me to his friends and stuff," She agreed with a little smile before taking another sip of her coffee. She figured she'd have to leave soon before Ethan woke up and before the coffee and stuff got cold. She guessed that she could just nuke in the microwave for a few seconds... She had honestly completely zoned out until she heard the girl across from her ask if they guy's name was Ethan.


The look on her face probably said it all. "Oh my God. You're Rae, aren't you?" She guessed. What a small fucking world, right? The one person she'd run into and have a conversation with would be with his ex girlfriend. She was the whole reason he was even sleeping on her couch right now. She could feel her face start to heat up with embarrassment, knowing that she had to be right. All the dots connected to form one big, awkward, circle. She just hoped to God that the girl didn't beat her ass right now for stealing her boyfriend. Not that Ethan and her were together or anything, because they'd just met, but that one day when they were out literally all day might've tipped her off. And then she'd basically suggested dumping her because they didn't have that much in common. She really wasn't looking like a great person at the moment.

 

[Raerae]

"Mhm, and I'd also like to introduce you to irony, he's kind of an elephant in the shop right now. Sometimes, I have to look over my shoulder to make sure there's no camera crew." She absolutely would have loved to grab all three cups and dump them on her, right here and now. But alas, that wasn't in her nature, and it'd make her feel awful to ruin someone's day, even if they'd intervened in her life. That, and regardless, this... Lottie, was it? Had indeed paid for her things. Bittersweet.


"For the record, he doesn't like bagels, you should get him a cinnabon instead. More cinna than bon, as he says," She added and managed to keep her anxiety restrained to her tense, thudding heart. Was that why Gary hadn't texted back? For who's sake was he being quiet? She fished her hand around in her purse and pulled out her check book, flipping it to a fresh page and stealing a glance at the receipt before she jotted down what the woman had paid, and then she handed it over wordlessly. What could you do? Cause a scene? For what? She didn't want to fight for Ethan, she was content now, there wasn't any need. "Welcome to the city."


As she adjusted her strap, she tossed the remains of her food in the trash and exited through the glass door, finally giving and feeling her face flush much like... Whatever her name was. The air was cold against her heated skin, but she only felt nervous. It hadn't dawned on Rae thathe was staying with her, otherwise she would have...


Ugh, done exactly the same. She wasn't afraid, but she didn't do catfights, either. One punch was enough to last her a lifetime.

 

[PrincessKaty]

Charlotte found herself at a loss of words. "I seriously had no idea. I'm so sorry about what happened. I didn't-" She began to apologize viciously but was quickly cut off by Rae making some comment about bagels and Ethan. Her mind was spinning so fast she didn't even know how to respond. She was just really embarrassed, honestly. Talking about how nice Ethan had been while his ex sat across from her with a huge bruise on her face. "I seriously didn't know that anything was going on between the two of you. I didn't mean to intervene. It just-" She began to say again but then stopped. Just what? Just happened?... That was probably worse than what she'd said already.


It didn't matter. Rae was passing over a check and leaving before she could even blink. She put the check down on the table and put her hand in her hands, feeling like the biggest bitch either. Saying that Ethan should break up with her was one thing but actually having to see her and meet her made it terrible. She seemed like such a sweet girl and just the little comment about the cinnamon roll made it obvious that she knew a lot about him and cared. Maybe she'd made a really big mistake...


She looked up and out the window as she watched the girl made her way to her car and then looked down at her breakfast which she suddenly wasn' hungry for. Just when she thought things were finally going to go well for her in the city, she'd became someone's enemy. Way to go Char.


Karma: 1. Charlotte: 0.

 

[Raerae]

The car ride home, after angrily shopping for essentials, had consisted of even louder music and enough pressure on the gas to earn her speeding tickets up the ass. But she didn't care, she just wanted to head back and curl up in her safety net: Carter. She didn't want to think about the woman's sweet face and curves, or how innocent she seemed amidst the scheme of things. Because it made Rae feel like hating Ethan, it made her want to throw up, honestly. Years and years of dedicating herself to him, all to watch him have another woman order him a latte.


"I'm back," She called out, and slammed the door though it didn't make her feel better. "Did the fire department come already?" She attempted humor, but wasn't really there emotionally to enforce it. Wait until she saw his face.


---


He'd spent half an hour in the car, angrily deleting anything on his phone that hinted at his and Rae's relationship. Some things he absolutely couldn't delete, but most everything was gone and other sentimentalities would go soon enough. After a while he'd come back to the apartment and iced his swollen cheek, attempting to quell the risen blood but it'd be as nasty a bruise as the one he'd gifted Carter. Hah. He'd like to give him a few more out of charity, but the prick didn't even deserve those.


He'd been tempted to head inside his place and get a change of clothes, this suit wasn't exactly befitting two days straight. But he didn't want to be in there, he actually was considering phoning Gary or Joss to come help him through the move and all that. He already called a few complexes and was contemplating on a decison. It was too unreal though, so he settled with letting work know he wouldn't be in, and then phoning mom and dad to explain why his on lines statuses all said single.


That didn't go very well. Maybe he should have left the punching part out of the conversation?

 

[PrincessKaty]

Carter had gone back into the apartment cursing Ethan and anything else that was somewhat related to the guy. He popped three Advil and tried to ice it but in the middle of that he realized that he still had muffins in the oven and had to pull those out. They were a little over baked but nothing too inedible. He was rather proud of himself actually for not burning them to a crisp like he thought he would.


After they were out and cooling, he returned to the bathroom to examine the battle wound. He'd punched him pretty damn good. That fucker. The bruise started a little bit from the corner of his mouth, like where the squishy part was between your teeth, and spread up to about his cheek bone and almost to his jawline. It'd take a while for it to fade.


Around that time, he heard Rae return back home. He scoffed a little bit. "Nope!" He called as he walked out of the bathroom,"But someone else did." He emerged from the hallway and strolled into the kitchen with his eyebrows raised and lips pursed together, obviously rather annoyed with the situation on his cheek. Rae didn't look too happy either, actually.


~


Charlotte felt like she just sat there for far too long, looking like an idiot while she tried to process what had just happened. Eventually though, she gathered up her belongings, the order, and the check and walked back out to her car. She slid in and drove the way back towards the apartment building. She stopped on the way at a bakery and picked up Ethan a cinnamon roll though just so he wasn't disappointed when she brought back bagels which he apparently didn't like.


She pulled into the parking garage 15 minutes later and with a huff and a sigh, carried her purse and her belongings towards the elevator. She paused though when she saw Ethan sitting in his car. Well, she saw someone in Ethan's car and she assumed it was him. She bit down on her lip and wavered a little bit, wondering what he was doing. He looked pretty focused down on his lap. Maybe she should just let him be. Yeah.


She continued on the walk to the elevator and pressed the 'up' button and then took a step back as she waited patiently.

 

[Raerae]

His follow up comment worried her, so she dropped everything she was doing and buried to meet him midway in the living room, eyes wide as he gestured to the swelling pigmented skin from his jawline upwards. She gently pressed a kiss to his bottom lip, pausing as her mind took the liberty of piecing together all the indications that Ethan was still in the complex, and quite possibly living next door.





"Oh my God, he's sleeping at her place? What a worm!" She placed her hands on her hips, "I went by the Bagel Shop, got you a maple syrup bar by the way, and I started talking to this girl who paid for our stuff-- it was her, can you believe it? And I wrote her a check and just bolted out there."


---


"Lottie! Hold the door!" He called suddenly, stepping out of his car and, after grabbing his things, slamming it shut.


She'd been carrying quite a bit, and even amidst his shitty circumstances, she looked a little overwhelmed and wanted to help. He owed her that much and more for putting up with his stupid situation. "By, hey, hey, let me help you with those," He stepped inside, and offered her a bashful grin despite the swollen cheek. "Do I smell cinnamon? Or is that just you?"

 

[PrincessKaty]

Carter grinned slightly when Rae came rushing over to him to look over the damage. He leaned down to kiss her back and then nodded with a rather amused look on his face.


"I thought he would've left, to be honest. Gone to one of his friend's places or something. They're all rich and shit, right? They could probably like, buy him a new place," He said. He laughed at what she said next. "No shit? So? Is she a total bitch and stuff?" He asked her curiously, wanting the dirt on this next door neighbor chick. She could've have been any good considering she'd gotten involved in a guy in a relationship and stuff. He actually kind of wanted to thank her though. For causing a distraction for him so that Carter could finally swoop in and safe the day.


While Rae began to speak, moved into the kitchen to start putting all the groceries away. It was the least that he could do since she'd gone shopping and had to go through the painfully awkward experience of running into this new girl. What was even her name?


~


Charolette was stepping through the door when she heard Ethan's voice and she grinned a little bit, pausing in the doorway so that it didn't close. She moved inside with him and then laughed a little bit.


"Oh, thanks," She said with a tired sigh, handing over his cinnamon roll which was in a little black box and coffee. She nodded. "It's for you, I- Uh, heard you didn't like bagels," She informed him, holding up the two paper bags that held their bagels with The Bagel Shack printed on the side in the logo. She bit down on her lip and shifted her eyes downward. Did she tell him? What if he realized he'd made a mistake leaving Rae? That could kind of really suck. She liked Ethan. He was a good guy. Well, she was pretty sure he was. Putting aside the whole punching a girl in the face thing and not being around apparently.

 

[Raerae]

"I didn't get her name. He said... Charlotte, or Lottie, I can't remember... But I can't say. She bought what I'd ordered so I decided to sit with her and talk for a minute, of course she mentioned this sweet guy showing her around, and then she looked a little weird when I explained my bruise. Then I just asked if his name was Ethan and I swear, Carter, she changed like ten colors before red. She was apologizing and saying she had no idea, but I just paid her back and left. Oh my God, I can't believe he's staying with her! That's just... Classless."


She propped herself up on the counter, her shoulders slumped a little. "I don't want to fight over Ethan, you know? After what's happened I just... I just want to get away from all of this and call it a lesson learned. If I see him in the hall I am literally going to slap him for hitting us, stupid jackass throwing around punches like that. Did you ice it? Peroxide? Pain pill? Kisses heal, you know."


---


""That was really sweet of you, I-" He felt like his words had collided in his throat, like a bumper to bumper collision on a freeway. With a thick gulp he gabbed the box and coffee, silence heavy enough to emphasize the rumbling of the ascending elevator beneath his feet.


"...So you got cinnabons?" He struggled to laugh and barely twitched when the elevator opened, letting her head out first whilst he considered just shooting himself right there, but he didn't even have a gun. "Charlotte, I... Was she rude to you?"


He'd wanted to save what little she thought of him, if anything, but there was a faith in him that believed Rae would be above bashing him to anyone else. He hadn't been above doing so, and if Rae only knew what he'd said to Carter... Well, she still wouldn't do more than cry. "I only get into fistfights with Gary, Rae just got in the way. I'm not the bad guy," No, no, he absolutely would not cry in front of anyone else. Not the beautiful woman standing before him, she'd probably lose whatever respect that might be left. "I just lost touch, that's all."

 

[PrincessKaty]

Carter laughed at the irony of it all. Of all people to run into, Rae would run into the girl that Ethan had a sudden new interest in. "Well, it's Ethan, so..." He pointed out simply when she said it was classless,"I don't think he really cares right now anyways." He'd pretty much lost every battle in the whole ordeal. What was left for him to lose? His pride? Nope, that was gone too.


He chuckled and shook his head. "I don't know if that's necessary. His face his worse than mine. I say we just leave it and move the hell away from here," He told her honestly,"I took some Advil and kind of iced it." He gathered up the plastic bags into a ball and grinned over in her direction. "So I heard. You'll kiss away the pain then, yeah?" He asked her playfully, putting down the bags and then walking over to her to stand between her legs while she sat on the countertop. He wrapped his arms around her frame and drew himself closer to her. "How's your cheek?" He mumbled, wanting to make sure it wasn't killing her before he kissed her.


~


Charlotte looked back over to Ethan, taking sudden note of the huge bruise on his face. Well, like. He already had a bruise there but it seemed like it got... Worse? Maybe? It was bad either way.


"I ran into Rae," She answered simply when he asked about buying cinnabons. She stepped out of the elevator and shook her head, heading down the hallway. Her eyes locked on Ethan's door as she passed it for a few seconds longer than necessary before getting to her own which was propped open from Ethan, she assumed, when he'd gone downstairs. "She wasn't rude. She was nice until she realized who I was. Paid me back and got the hell away from me," She explained briefly with a sigh as she walked into her kitchen and put all of her things down.


She looked over at Ethan and gave him a small smile. "No, I know," She told him honestly,"You didn't mean it. She even said you were a really nice guy... She seemed nice. And that she cared about you a lot. Are you sure that she's like... Done?" She crossed her arms and bit down on her lip as she thought. She wasn't about to be a rebound girl while his ex-girlfriend attempted and then failed to get over him.

 

[Raerae]

"I like that sound of that," She was gripping the edges of the counter pretty hard from the anxiety of it all, animosity wasn't her style, and these past few months and then the sudden change in status was just kind of draining. Her childhood was a drama filled screaming match with everyone, all she'd ever searched for was a chance to chill out and relax. Had she found that yet? Considering how easy it was to just melt in his hold, she assumed the answer was yes. And then mentally gagged at being such a girl.





"Can't wash that side of my face, if that's what you mean. Even my throat hurts. But... It could be worse. Least he didn't break my nose, or your nose," She leaned forward and kissed that spot exactly, before attempting to kiss his lips, which was a little awkward but not as painful as she anticipated.


---


"I don't give a hell what she is, I'm done. Couldn't even consider anything when I know she'll settle for lowlifes, like who she's calling a boyfriend now. No, Rachel doesn't ever come back when she really decides to book it. And honest to God, I hope she doesn't. I won't forget what went down last night. She's no saint," He started to trail off, though for as angry as he sounded, he opened the little black box with gentle gestures, wrapping the pastry in a napkin and holding it up to her.


"Aaanyways, I wish that didn't happen. Im sorry if I screwed up a potential friendship for you. But... If you wanna bite, you've got five seconds before I inhale it. Going once, going twice," He flashed her a grin that actually met his slightly puffy, but always dazzling blue eyes. She just made him happy, he wasn't even thinking rebound or mooching, just hanging out here relieved that aching pressure in his muscles from all the shit.

 

[PrincessKaty]

"Which reminds me. I guess Ethan wants this place and he's basically gonna kick us to the curb so I'll probably start looking at stuff in the Hills tonight," Carter remembered. Both of them were working full time this week so he wasn't sure how they were going to manage to get everything done but he was sure that they'd make it work like they always did.


He made a face at Rae when she described her pain. It was true. The both of them could've been a lot worse condition. Broken bones would've been a pain in the ass. He smiled when she kiss his cheek and then grinned into the little kiss. He didn't want to force her to be uncomfortable though so that was as far as he let it go. If they weren't all bruised up, he would've taken the opportunity to kiss her like he had the night at the motel.


"I didn't burn them," He pointed out to her, keeping his arms around her as he looked over at the muffin pan with the overly browned muffins with a little laugh.


~


Charlotte nodded a little bit, listening to Ethan. She supposed that it was good that when Rae was done she was done. It meant less competition, right? That was silly. They'd just met... And yet, Charlotte had caught herself day dreaming of what a awesome boyfriend Ethan would make. That was terrible and crazy though. He was just being nice to her and she was doing the same. Strictly friends... A friend that she was totally attracted to.


She laughed a little bit when he offered up his cinnamon roll. "You didn't ruin anything. If she comes around then..." She just shrugged to finished her sentence as she moved over to him. She was sure that Rae and her would've gotten along just fine but it wasn't going to ruin her life if they weren't friends. She smiled at Ethan before leaning down slightly to take a little bite of the cinnamon roll. In doing so, some of the icing, which there was way too much of for her liking, had gotten on the edge of her lip and towards her cheek. Probably super cute but she didn't even notice it as she stood up straight again and giggle a little bit. She gave him a thumbs up, indicating that it was good while she chewed it all.

 

[Raerae]

"Good boy," She affectionately ran her fingers through his hair for a few moments before hopping off the counter, and padding over to the muffins. "Mmm, not bad Remmy."


"Oh, don't do the searching without me! I have to find the perfect fit, I want something on a hill, obviously but with a little bar. And the toilet absolutely cannot be hugged up with the shower, shower head has to be at least six feet high, we need a balcony for morning glories and a yard for Angel- I think that should be our huskies name- and I want beige carpets, and we need a washer and dryer, carports and a two story place."


Rae was... A planner. Not always one to execute, but she could talk up a storm and solve something in seconds- though it usually wasn't practical. She nibbled in on the treat and then leaned against the oven, sighing dreamily, "And a king sized bed."


---


With a smirk, he reached out a hand and gently let his finger stroke her soft skin, a prolonged attempt to wipe the icing from her face, though he'd gotten a little lost in a, presumably one sided, moment. There was a part of him that thought indicating any kind of attraction would cost him this friendship, especially considering all this unwanted drama. Even as a sort of stranger, she held enough significance to him to enable his constraint. "I wanted you to eat it, not wear it."


But the greater part of him, the unfed flame, the lonely guy, the sweetheart that hadn't held a woman in a time embarrasingly long for his age, wanted to absolutely indulge. And she wasn't exactly pushing him away, either. If he didn't know any better, he'd assume she'd felt the tug almost as intense as he had. Seriously, it was intense, and that little sundress that made her eyes pop like gems didn't help either; he liked it on, he wanted it off, it was weird and the hypothetical possibilities quite literally torn him in half.

 

[PrincessKaty]

Carter grinned proudly and then leaned in and kissed her forehead. He shifted to his side and leaned his hip on the counter with crossed arms, watching Rae.


He raised an eyebrow as she began listing off all the things she wanted in said place. He smiled a little bit as he listened though, finding it cute that she'd thought of all this stuff. Probably not with him, but it was cute that she'd thought about it in general. "Oh, you need the perfect fit? And what about what I want?" He chimed in with a little smirk,"You're not the only one moving in, you know." He winked at her and smiled, really not minding much. The fact that he was moving in with her was enough to make him one hell of a happy guy.


"Are we still going to look for like a townhouse?" He asked her curiously, moving to leaned back on the counter with his back rather than hip,"Although, if you're looking for your own yard, you're going to be looking for a house, sweetheart." He'd take either. He was pretty sure that Rae was it for him so they could move into a house right now and be good for life, or you know, until they got bored.


~


Charlotte's eyes flicked up to Ethan when he reached a hand out and touched her face. Her heart beat a little faster and she tried to keep herself from turning red but she was sure that you could see it on her cheeks. "Oh," She said quietly when he spoke after a few long seconds. So, he was just getting something off her face. No big deal. Wrong. Their eyes locked and she could've melted right there. There was just something about his stare that made you want to kiss him. She probably could have too. Just lean in the few inches that were separating them before he really realized what was happening.


That was crazy though. He was just wiping icing off her face. Realizing that they'd basically just been staring at each other for a solid thirty seconds, she finally spoke up. "Thanks. I've always been a little messy," She informed him with a smile. She didn't budge though, which was weird, but his hand was still on her face and she kind of liked it. Okay, she really liked it. Why did he have to be so damn attractive? And why did she have to be so desperate? She hadn't been with a guy in... Damn. Probably close to two years. After the breakup with her ex-boyfriend, Kyle, she'd pretty much been flying solo. No one else had really compared to him until now while she was staring into Ethan's captivating blue eyes. Kyle who?