Page 28

"Please, Charlotte! I'm only in town for tonight! The guys said you come here all of the time, why won't you come to see me?"

I sighed into the phone. Because your best friend broke my heart?

Because I don't want to risk seeing him?

Because I'm pretty sure if I have to look at his cold eyes one more time, I'll lose it?

"Because Oliver... I have a lot of homework.

If I had known you were coming to town I could have finished it earlier," I lied.

"Sorry, Lotty." Oliver's voice was muffled by the music in the background. "James literally called me tonight after dinner and I just hopped in my car right away and drove here. But I really want to see you! We don't really get to hang out like this anymore."

The sincerity in his voice shook me. There was no excuse I could give Oliver that would justify not wanting to see him. Not without driving a wedge between him and Archer—which I wasn't ready to do. "Okay," I sighed. "If I can get Mads to walk over with me, I'll come by. But only for a bit, Ollie."

Twenty minutes later Madeline and I were walking up to the football house arm-in-arm. "You're strong okay? Just relax and if it's too much, we leave. No questions asked," she spoke into my ear as we approached the front steps.

"Thanks, Mads." I smiled up at her. "Let's just find Oliver and get this over with."

This party was much more intense than the last one we came to. People spilled out of the house everywhere. The front lawn had clumps of party-goers standing in thick streaks of smoke. The front door flew open as more people came pouring out. The open door created a frame for me to peek through.

The lighting was low, but party lights cast bursts of colour over the crowd. Everyone inside looked like sweaty sardines shoved into a can. Anxiety prickled my spine at the thought of getting trapped in that many people.

We walked through the front door, angling our bodies to slip through the people leaving.

I took a moment to gain my barrings as I peered around the party.

I couldn't see Oliver but there was a large group of the football guys crowded near the kitchen, which had once again been turned into a bar.

Drunk people crammed into whatever small spaces they could find in the living area, dancing and yelling.

Madeline's hand shot to my wrist and tightened, pulling my attention back to her. Her hard eyes were locked on something on the outskirts of the crowd. Confused, I traced her line of vision to see what had her so tense.

A phantom hand reached into my chest and squeezed my heart as I found what she was looking at.

Archer was sitting in a recliner pushed up against the wall.

He was twisted so his back faced us, but I recognized his broad shoulders and messy brown waves immediately.

Teela was propped on the arm of his chair, whispering in his ear.

Archer's hand came up and grasped her arm for a moment, his head shook as he said something to her.

Teela looked up and our eyes connected. She smirked at me, sending a chill down my spine, before shifting her attention back to Archer.

She leant forward running her finger over his shoulder flirtatiously before getting up and walking away.

I stood frozen, unable to comprehend what I should do. Tears stung my eyes making me blink rapidly to keep them at bay. Coming here had been a bad idea. After everything that happened between us, how could I not have assumed that he'd be here with someone else?

Pain shot through me as I stared at him.

I couldn't bring myself to look away even as I felt Madeline yanking on my shirt to pull me outside.

Seeing Archer now—after almost a week apart—made my invisible wounds feel fresh and raw again.

But a sick part of me was also grateful to see him at all. I guess I was a glutton for punishment.

He stood then and turned towards us. As his gaze fell on mine, the oxygen levels around me dropped.

It didn't matter how much air I sucked in, my brain still felt hazy and lost. Archer's face twisted in what seemed like pain.

That confused me, I looked back at Teela as she walked away. Had they gotten into a fight?

Archer twisted back to watch Teela go too, and finally, the spell that kept me frozen was broken. I rushed back out the door as fast as I could, leaving Madeline and everyone else in my wake. I could hear random shouts as the cold night air filled my lungs, but I just wanted to be alone.

I cut across the front lawn, racing towards the side of the house where I knew there was a small unkempt garden I could hide in.

An old iron bench sat up against the house, but instead, I pushed farther back to the overgrown rose bushes.

I stumbled in the darkness as the shouting got closer before dropping my body behind a bush.

The chill from the cold grass permeated my jeans but I didn't care as I tucked my head into my knees and tried to breathe.

"Seriously, go away!" Madeline shouted from the outskirts of the garden.

"Please," a deep voice begged. My heart skipped a beat as I recognized who it belonged to. "I need to see her. I need to fucking explain!"

"You had your chance and you fucked it up," Madeline spat.

"It wasn't what it looked like." Archer's voice was quiet and defeated now. It barely reached me in my hiding place.

You are so weak, I chastised myself as I softened at Archer's tone. He sounded so broken. My natural instinct was to help him but that just made me more disappointed in myself.

"Charlotte!" Madeline called into the darkness. "Please come out, we can go home."

"Sweetheart, look—if you don't want to see me I get it.

I'll go back inside so you can leave. But please, I really just want to explain myself.

I feel like shit and I want to make this better.

I don't know how... but f-fuck," the tremble in Archer's voice shook me to the core as he coughed and continued, "I'm so fucking sorry. "

The cool night air was thick with silence as we all stopped and waited. The low thuds from the music outside vibrated over us, as the suspense of what would happen next grew. Finally, Archer let out a soft sigh before a rustling sound alerted me that he was walking away.

My pulse raced as I panicked. I was terrified to face Archer but every step that he took away from me burned my throat. I was so hurt by how he acted, and yet all I wanted was for him to make it better. To kiss my forehead and hold me in his arms. Weak.

"Wait!" I called as I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping I wouldn't regret this.

I stood up from behind the rose bush and took a moment to wipe the grass off my legs as I collected myself.

When I looked up Madeline and Archer were both standing near the edge of the house, staring at me unsurely.

The light from inside cast a light gloom around the otherwise dark garden.

"Five minutes," Archer said as he stepped towards me. "That's all I need."

I nodded to Madeline, letting her know I was okay then walked over to the bench and sat down. I purposely sat in the middle so Archer wouldn't be able to sit next to me. I couldn't handle him that close yet.

"Alright," Madeline said. "I'll just go try to find Emmett. Text me if you need me, Charlotte."

I kept my head turned down, knowing I was now alone with Archer.

His footsteps approached me slowly, then stopped in front of the bench.

"I don't even know where to start," he said lowly.

A scoff escaped my lips before I could stop it.

All of that and he doesn't even know what to say?

"Well, for starters... That whole Teela thing was bullshit.

She just sat down on my chair and I told her I wasn't interested and to leave.

I can see where it looked bad but I swear—"

"I don't care," I cut in. "I just need to know what happened last week," I spoke quietly, determined to keep my voice strong.

"That's... complicated," Archer sighed.

Frustration boiled within me at his evasiveness. Was he not the one who followed me out here wanting to talk? "Uncomplicate it then," I snapped.

"When we got home that night, my dad was back," he whispered.

I could hear the pain in his voice and it broke my resolve.

I looked up to see him standing a few feet away.

His head was hung low as he slipped back into the memory.

"He'd gotten home pretty early in the day I guess, but decided he didn't need to come see his family on a holiday.

I can't tell you how, but I knew he'd had a woman there.

When we got home everything just seemed.

.. I don't know. Tainted? I knew my mom could tell too but she just shut right up like always. "

I stayed quiet. I wanted to tell Archer to stop talking, that it was okay and he didn't need to relive it, but I was frozen in shock.

Archer rubbed his hand over his face aggressively before continuing.

"Once Mom took Annie upstairs I confronted him.

I told him he was a loser who didn't deserve any of us.

That it was fucking pathetic that he was so desperate to get laid that he'd bring someone home.

He uh... he didn't like that." Archer lifted his head, just now noticing that I had been watching him.

I sucked in a breath as the light from a window shone on his face.

His eyes were rimmed red and his cheeks were wet.

He looked hollow, but he kept talking. "He started pushing me, saying a bunch of shit that he knew would hurt me.

I could have fucking flattened him. But he's my dad.

Pretty pathetic huh? He's shoving me and talking shit—and I just took it. "

"No," I said firmly. "It sounds like you have more respect than he does."

The smallest smile lifted the corners of his lips, but then he shook his head.

"Don't give me that much credit. I finally fucking snapped and pushed him back.

I didn't really want to hurt him, I just wanted him to leave me alone.

But I guess I put more power behind it than I thought because he went flying backwards.

That's when..." Archer's face crumpled as a small sob convulsed from the back of his throat.

"Annie saw," he whispered. "She fucking saw and started screaming. I fucking did that to her. So I grabbed my shit and left. I couldn't handle seeing her like that, because of me."

My heart shattered for Archer as I listened.

I wanted to take all of his pain and make it disappear, but I didn't know how.

He stumbled forward, falling to his knees in front of me so that our faces were on the same level.

He tentatively brought his hands up to rest on the bench, not touching me but caging me in.

"I'm so sorry, Charlotte."

"Please don't," I soothed as I stroked my hand through his hair. "It's fine, okay? Everything is fine. I am so sorry you went through that alone."

Archer shook his head, closing his eyes tightly. "It's not fine. I was so shitty to you and you didn't deserve it. I let my dad get in my head and I hadn't slept at all and I just lost it."

I continued to run my fingers through his hair, trying to show him it was okay. A question was at the forefront of my mind but it got stuck in my throat, refusing to be vocalized. His shoulders shook as he sucked in air, still not opening his eyes.

"You'd be better off just walking away from me," he mumbled. "It's not fair to you, you're so good and I can't be. I lash out. How many times have I fucking done that to you now? And it just keeps getting worse."

"Don't do that. Don't treat me like a kid who can't decide what's best for themselves. Not you Archer, I get it from everyone else but I can't take it from you too."

Archer finally raised his head again to look me in the eyes.

I shuffled forward on the bench so my calves rested loosely on either side of his hips.

His arms that had been caging me in moved the tiniest bit closer, still not touching me though.

"You can't push me away Archer, not because of this.

If you regret the kiss and just want to be friends then fine.

But you aren't going to push me away as some kind of hero act," I whispered as I rested my hands on his tense shoulders.

I smiled softly as his tight muscles relaxed under my touch.

He seemed to be mulling over my words as he searched for something in my eyes.

Slowly he raised a hand up to rest on my cheek, giving me a small smile of his own.

I was momentarily enamoured by our size difference.

I felt like a china doll with how softly his oversized fingers splayed across my face.

"I don't. I can't regret it. That was the best damn kiss I've ever had, Sweetheart. I just... I don't want to hurt you."

My hands that rested on his shoulders slipped to the back of his neck.

His soft waves twisted around my fingers as I ran my hands up, giving his head a small massage.

Archer's jaw slackened as he closed his eyes for a moment and tipped his head back.

Seeing the euphoric state that my touch could bring him was empowering.

"Then don't," I said simply. I used the fingers that were currently tangled in his hair to pull his face closer to me. Trying not to overthink it, I leant forward and pressed my lips to Archer's.

I had obviously shocked him as his shoulders tightened and his lips were unresponsive to mine.

I knew he was holding himself back, trying to 'do the right thing'.

A sting of defeat settled in my heart as I slowly pulled away.

Our eyes connected for a moment before Archer swooped back in, catching my lips again.

This kiss was very different. Our first was slow and hesitant as we explored each other.

This was fierce and demanding as though we were both starved for the other.

Archer's arms wrapped around my back, pulling me to the very edge of the bench, pressing our bodies together.

Every inch of my skin was overheating as my soft curves fit perfectly against his hard body.

I shivered as Archer ran his hands back to my waist. His fingers traced up my ribcage, around my shoulders, before settling on my neck.

His gentle hands were a sharp contrast to the scrape of his stubble against my chin.

He settled his fingers on the sensitive skin below my earlobes, tilting my head up to him.

This new angle naturally slackened my jaw, parting my lips.

My heart pounded in my chest as Archer's tongue swept inside my mouth.

I tasted whiskey and mint as he softly coaxed me to follow his lead.

Fireworks exploded behind my eyelids before travelling down my spine and swirling in my stomach.

I felt clumsy and inexperienced as I flicked my tongue, tangling it with his.

But he didn't seem to mind as his chest heaved against me and his fingers tightened at the nape of my neck.

Archer slowed the pace, eventually pulling back completely with one last sweet kiss. A sigh escaped my lips as they mourned the loss of Archer's warmth. My eyes fluttered open to see him staring intensely at me with a crooked smirk.

"Oliver is expecting me." My voice sounded husky, shocking me as much as my words had. I hadn't really meant to bring up my brother the second our kiss was over, it just popped into my mind.

Archer groaned and dropped his head to my shoulder, "You're killing me, Sweetheart." I giggled softly as he lifted his face, cocking his jaw as he fought a laugh. "Is that really what you're thinking about while I'm kissing you?"

"No," I giggled, "it's what I was thinking about after you kissed me."

"Okay, ya little smartass, let's get you inside then," he laughed. A shiver ran across my collarbone as his deep chuckle rolled over me. It was such a pleasant yet rare sound.

Archer stood up, brushing off his jeans then offering me his hand.

My heart glowed with happiness as he walked in front, pulling me around the house.

My eyes greedily roamed over his back muscles as they shifted beneath his thin shirt.

The party was still in full swing as we approached the front door.

Shrieks of laughter blended with the pounding of electronic music popped our bubble from the garden.

Right before we got inside, Archer swung around quickly, stopping me short so I slammed into him.

His hands dropped to my waist to settle me as another low laugh rumbled out of him.

His eyes flicked over my face appraisingly as he swiped his thumb under my eye.

I raised a silent eyebrow in question, making him smile down at me.

"You—uh—we look a little tousled," he said bashfully.

I ran my fingers through my hair quickly as I scanned my body for signs of what we'd just been up to. My lips felt bruised and swollen as I tried to clean up my smudged makeup.

Archer gave me an approving nod before pulling me around to walk inside in front of him. I felt so safe as he tucked me to his chest, using his long arms as barriers between me and the crowd. He steered us to the back by the bar where most of the football team was still drinking and laughing.

Oliver and James stood off to the side in the corner of the room.

My lips pursed as I took them in. James stood with his shoulders set stiffly and his eyebrows puckered together.

Oliver was standing next to him whisper-shouting over the music into his ear.

His hands were waving around in the air, which he did when he was worked up about something.

James saw us approaching first and slapped Oliver in the chest to get him to look up.

When Oliver's glazed eyes met mine he stepped back from James and smiled widely. "Look who finally decided to show up!" He yelled as he pulled me into a hug. Sour beer stung my nose as my brother wrapped me tightly in his arms, lifting me off the ground easily.

"Easy, dude," Archer grumbled as Oliver stumbled trying to put me down.

Oliver rolled his eyes. "So, what were you guys up to?

" My shoulders tensed and my brain became jumbled with questions.

Archer and I hadn't discussed telling Oliver—heck, we hadn't discussed telling anyone.

Anxiety crept over my skin as I realized Archer and I hadn't discussed anything.

What we were, what we were doing... nothing.

Archer seemed to be thinking faster than I could because he jumped in quickly. "I just found her by the door and helped get her through the crowd."

I made eye contact with James as he quirked a smile at me and leisurely let his eyes drop to my lips then back up. A blush warmed my cheeks as I silently pleaded with him to stay quiet. Thankfully, he pursed his lips together and shot me a wink.

Oliver was clearly way too out of it to pick up on any of the silent conversations happening around him.

"Alright, shots!" He yelled as he fisted the air.

He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and guided me over to the bar.

The football team was there, and I sighed in relief when Emmett and Madeline saddled up next to me.

The rest of the night went well. I stayed next to Oliver for most of it, wanting to enjoy his presence even if he was wasted way past my comfort zone.

Archer kept his distance, but every time I looked up my eyes would find him right away.

Every single time they did, he'd be looking back at me.

We shared small secretive grins, or sometimes the tiniest touches in passing, but other than that—we stayed apart.