Page 33 of Shadowing Charlotte
Chapter thirty-three
Charlotte
A lexander and I held hands as we left the house, locking the door behind us.
After so much time apart, it felt surreal to have him beside me again.
A piece of my jagged, screwed up heart had been missing, and he filled the space so fucking easily.
I leaned against his shoulder as we followed the drive down to the curb.
"I fucking knew it!" My hand dropped Alexander's at the sound of Adam's voice.
"I knew you were fucking around behind my back!
" Adam looked furious; his brown eyes nearly black as he glared at us.
His blonde hair was damp, pushed back off of his face, as though he'd recently showered.
I couldn't help but wonder if he had washed off someone else's perfume before coming to my house.
"Adam, please, can we not do this?" I asked, unable to hide my exasperation. "We aren't together anymore. It's been months."
"You think this is over just because you decided to fuck someone else?" he demanded angrily. Lex shifted, positioning himself slightly in front of me, shielding me from Adam's venomous words.
"I suggest you think this through and leave Charlotte alone…" Lex said, the threat evident in his tone. A sickening, amused smile stretched across Adam's face, making my heart rise into the base of my throat.
I tugged on Lex's arm. "Leave it alone. I can just call the police," I whispered, my grip tightening.
"Tell me, Lottie, does Daddy know what you've been up to?" Adam asked in a playful taunt, continuing to grin at me. My face grew warm, anger and embarrassment sprouting inside me. How dare Adam threaten me after what he had done .
"He knows that you fucking hit me. That you ruined my Jeep," I snapped back. How dare he use my father as some kind of threat after what he'd done?!
Adam scoffed and rolled his eyes. "The damages were already paid for, Charlotte. That's water under the bridge." He cocked his head to the side and stared at me like some kind of fucking meal.
"Nothing is 'water under the bridge,' Adam. You fucking hit me. I don't want anything to do with you." I clenched my hands into fists at my side. "Why don't you go fuck one of your other girlfriends? Don't tell me you don't have any."
"None of them matter to me, Charlotte. You do."
Lex snorted in disbelief.
"If you actually cared about Charlie, you wouldn't have struck her, you piece of shit.
" His words pulled a memory to the forefront of my mind.
Lex had struck me, too, but that had been different.
Heat coursed through me as I remembered the way he'd spanked me and fucked me in the dirt, a shiver sliding down my spine.
"I'm going to tell you this one time, Adam," Lex sneered his name like a disease, "stay the fuck away from Charlie, or you'll regret it. "
"Oh, Charlie, is it?" Adam smirked but his brown eyes burned with rage. "We'll see about that…" He turned and sauntered down the driveway shoving his hands into his pockets.
"I'm going to kill that motherfucker someday…" Lex muttered under his breath, sliding his hand around mine and giving it a reassuring squeeze.
"Don't say things like that, Lex," I whispered, lacing my fingers between his. The thought of anyone getting hurt on my account made me feel woozy.
"For someone as fucked up as you are, you certainly have a weak stomach for the horrors of real life, cupcake." Lex told me, the corner of his mouth twitching up into a smirk.
"And you look like a fucking frat boy," I countered impertinently, rolling my eyes at him. Lex tightened his hold around me, shaking his head in amusement.
"Do you really think he'll tell your father?" he asked as we climbed into the car.
"I doubt it," I replied. Adam could threaten us all he wanted, but I knew Daddy wouldn't give him the time of day after what he had done to me.
Lex began to drive, the car growing uncomfortably silent.
I flicked on the radio, finding one of the rock stations, filling the car with the sound of an electric guitar.
"I thought we were going for smoothies?" I asked as he passed the shop and drove through the green light.
"We are…" he replied carefully, like he was hiding some kind of secret.
He pulled out his phone, typing something, and then shoved it back into his pocket, before reaching over and settling his hand on my knee.
"Not here, though," he added. The only sound in the ca r as we drove was the music, alternating between popular bands and up-and-coming artists.
Eventually, we pulled into a parking lot and Lex shut off the engine. "We have company today, princess." He gave me crooked smile.
"Who?" I asked curiously, my brows knitting as I wracked my brain. Surely, he wasn't going to introduce me to Zane, not after the pictures I'd found in his phone. Lex didn't reply, pulling his phone open. I anxiously bounced my knee, his silence unnerving me.
After a few minutes, a red Camry tore into the parking lot, music blaring, and parked in the spot beside us, nearly hitting the Camaro in the process. "Come on, princess." he instructed, opening the door. I followed suit, climbing out of the car with my stomach churning anxiously.
"Lex!" The bright, cheery voice made me grimace, and I was unable to do anything but watch as a set of arms threw themselves around my boyfriend, pulling him close and sending a wave of unpleasant heat coursing through me.
I didn't recognize her until she finally released him, after the embrace that had lasted far too long for my liking.
It was the blonde—the one from his Facebook.
I was still frozen, standing by the passenger door.
"Oh, you must be Charlotte!" she exclaimed, releasing him and bounding excitedly around the car to pull me into a hug, as if I were a friend she'd known her entire life.
I blinked, my arms hesitantly returning her embrace.
"It's so nice to finally meet you!" she added, flashing me a dazzling smile full of white teeth. "I'm Jessica."
"Hi," I replied as she released me, feeling more than uncomfortable.
"Of course, I know all about you. Alexander hasn't stopped talking about you for the last year." A year? I looked at him over the roof of the Camaro, quirking an eyebrow. "This is Nadine," she added, holding out her arm and pulling a young woman into a side hug.
"Your… girlfriend?" I asked hesitantly, glancing at Lex and getting a short nod.
Nadine was much calmer than Jessica, the pair a harsh mix of quiet and extroverted.
Lex slipped behind me, entangling his fingers with mine as we entered the small breakfast nook; Jessica babbling excitedly the entire time.
We all slid into a cozy booth, and I immediately lifted the menu, unsure of what else to say.
I had lots of friends when I was in school, but I'd always had a hard time with starting small talk.
First time meetings were uncomfortable for me more often than not.
"They don't even have smoothies!" I huffed in complaint, my eyes narrowing at Lex.