begin again - charlie gillespie

chapter 24

we got home and i said goodbye to owen, knowing charlie will be coming over again tonight.

i walk towards my room and start to remove my shoes. my mind starts thinking of owen, wondering how he'll react towards charlie telling him about us. i love owen so much, i don't want him to be upset i didn't tell him myself. 

i was about to start undressing when i hear a knock on my front door. it confuses me because it doesn't sound like charlie or owen's usual banging.

i open the door and i feel my body go cold.

"since i haven't received so much as a call from you the two months you've been here, i thought i'd pay you a visit" my mother says walking into my apartment, her heels clacking loud against the floor.

her judgmental eyes scan across the entry way, the kitchen and the living room.

"mija are you not going to greet me? i've raised you better than that come here" she pulls me into a quick hug before pulling back. she holds my chin and examines my face.

"you're getting eye bags olivia, you need to sleep more and use eye cream" she pats my face and steps back, making her way towards the living room.

"this apartment is okay, it needs more decorating." i hold back an eye roll at her comment.

"mom why did you come here?" i say my voice low, i feel the rage building up in me.

"olivia, i dont like your tone. change it. like i said, you seem to forget you have parents who miss you. i wanted to see how you were doing. how's your job going? please don't tell me you went to work looking like that." she says making a face at my outfit.

i look down at my oversized sweater and leggings. i close my eyes and take a deep breath.

"do you even really care?" i say, my tone unchanging.

"olivia!!" she scolds me, anger now evident on her face.

before i'm able to say anything else, a familiar banging on my door interrupts me.

charlie

i open the door, his smile is big and his cheeks are flushed pink. he takes a look at me and his expression changes to one of concern. his eyes look behind me, his eyes widen when he realizes who it is.

"oh now i understand why you haven't called me or visited." her voice now loud and irritated.

charlie walks in anyways, his eyes glued on me as he closes the door and stands next to me, his hand now on my lower back.

"mother i know what you did." i said looking back at her. i try to control my voice to refrain from yelling.

"what did i do olivia? please enlighten me. what did charlie tell you?" her voice taunting as she looks over at charlie. looking at him with a now angry face.

"you told him to leave me! how could you do that to me? you knew how much i loved him, how much he meant to me. just.. why?" my vision blurred now by the tears in my eyes. my mother's face is stern, emotionless.

"olivia, you're overreacting. i simply did what was best for you." she crosses her arms against her chest.

"but it wasn't! all those months of trying to get me to simply get out of bed or eat something or even smile! and you had the AUDACITY to hug me as i cried knowing you were the whole reason?" my voice cracks and the tears won't stop streaming down my face.

"YOU WILL NOT RAISE YOUR VOICE AT ME OLIVIA." she yells so loudly both charlie and i jump back. she closes her eyes and sighs loudly before continuing.

"i do not expect you to understand. you won't until you have a child. all i ever wanted was for you to be successful. you were distracted with him! you would've thrown your future away if i hadn't done what i had done!"

"THAT WASNT YOUR DECISION TO MAKE!" i yell back unable to comprehend her thought process.

"WHY DOES IT MATTER NOW OLIVIA? LOOK HE'S BACK." she yells back just as loud.

"THATS NOT THE POINT! I COULD HAVE BEEN HAPPY THIS WHOLE TIME! YOU TOOK THAT FROM ME! DO YOU EVEN UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU DID TO CHARLIE?"

her eyebrows are now furrowed looking at charlie and back at me.

"charlie felt betrayed by you. you got into his head and made him feel like nothing, when he thought of you like a second mom. do you understand how cruel that is?"

"i only told him the truth." she says, her voice now quiet.

i feel myself start to shake from anger. how can she just be so heartless?

"i don't understand why you're so angry. you went on to college, you got your degree, and you're working your dream job. you reunited with him and you're obviously back together. you should be thanking me." she says now looking at charlie.

"i'm glad you made it charles, let's see how long your fame will last." charlie and i both gasped at her words.

i storm towards the door and open it wide.

"GET OUT!"

she grabs her bag and walks towards me, stomping her heels furiously.

"don't come running back to me when he eventually breaks your heart, again. this time, i won't be the one to blame. you think you'll be able to handle all the girls who will be after him when the show airs? guess again olivia." her voice low but filled with anger.

i slam the door shut and lean against it.

"come here baby" charlie says grabbing my hand and pulling me towards him. in his embrace, i let it all out, crying uncontrollably.

i can't believe what just happened

charlie picks me up and carries me into my room. he sits me on the bed, wiping my tears as he steps back a little bit.

"let's get you into something more comfortable" he looks around my room and i point at the dresser, too tired to actually talk. he pulls out some black biker shorts and walks back over to me. he puts the shorts on the bed and pulls off his own sweater, leaving him shirtless.

"is it okay if i help you change? or do you want to do it yourself?" he asks me softly. i only nod and stand up, not being able to say anything.

i pull down my leggings, my eyes feeling heavy from how swollen they are. charlie places my legs in the shorts then pulls them up. his worried eyes never leaving mine.

"you can wear my sweater" he says with a small smile, he knows how much i use to love stealing his clothes. i manage to give him a small smile back, lifting my arms up as he pulls my sweater over my head.

he gasps a little when it comes off, my face becoming red instantly. he puts his hoodie over my head, my arms finding their way through the sleeves as he pulls the rest of it down.

his scent from his hoodie gives me a sense of calmness. i sit on my bed again and he does the same. he lays down and pulls me to him, my head now on his exposed chest and tangling our legs together.

his arms wrap around me, one of his hands playing with my hair. my crying stops and my breathing normalizes as charlie softly sings tenerife sea by ed sheeran. my eyes starting to shut and drift into sleep. i don't know what i would've done if charlie wasn't around.

"thank you" i manage to mumble. the last thing i feel is a kiss on my head before everything turns black.