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Embarcadero

Pre-Wedding Catfight

~ Charlie's POV (24 years old)

Sitting at my desk, waiting for the day to end today, was more painful than any being should have to endure - probably due to the fact it’s friday. Picking up my phone from the left and dialling some numbers, I let the handset rest against my ear and shoulder before spinning the ring around my finger as fast as I could, wasting time.

“Hello, Ms Walkers office, this is Taurean.”
“Tori.. hey…”
“Charlie, shouldn’t you be working”, Tori asked with a giggle in her voice.
“Yes, huge case coming up - but I figured it’s a friday and if you answered your phone, we could chat.”
“Well I have a class I should be getting to”, Tori explained with a huff.
“Fine, fine. I won’t keep you long then”, I promised, “Just wondering if you were still up for tonight?”
“Tonight?”, she enquired, “Of course you idiot. It’s not every day my best friend’s getting married.”
“Shhh”, she teased, “I just, wanted to spend my last eve of bachelorette-ness with you.”
“Awww, I’m honored”, she laughed, “Oh and I have a surprise for you.”
“A surprise hey?”
“You better believe it.”
“Ah whiz”, I let out noticing my boss walking the hall of the cubicles, “The Devil walks the halls. I’ll see you at 7.”
“See you then.”

It was going to be a long hour until work was over.




Luna Gardens wasn’t my first choice of venues for last minute drinks but Tori assured me it would be well worth it. Almost an hour of waiting to get through the queue, I was over thankful when I came face to face with my bestie and she had a drink in hand awaiting.

“What took you so long?”
“Have you seen the queue?”, I laughed.
“I though you know.. you’d bat your eyelids, twirl some hair.. get through sooner”, Tori laughed.
“I’m good, but I’m not that great.”
“So um.. your surprises should be here any minute now.”
“Surprises?”
“Yeah, got you two.”
“Please tell me they aren’t strippers”, I asked, a mini heart attach occurring.
“HA!”, Tori exhaled, “No.. I promise. That’s later.”
“Oh gosh..”

“Little Miss Charlie Lane.”

The familiar voice was enough to create some comfort within. I turned on my heels, meeting with smiles and eyes I hadn’t seen in years.

“Liam? Niall? What on earth!”

Hugs were shared, embraces kept and years lost rekindled.

“We couldn’t have little Charlie getting married and not be here to help celebrate”, Liam explained, briefly letting go of me.
“So where’s the lucky guy?”, Niall asked, hands shoved into his pockets.
“He wasn’t invited”, Tori explained with a smirk.
“What?”, I asked.
“Charlie, this is your night… you get to spend every other night with that loser James, you’re spending this one with us.”
“Tor, he’s not a loser, he’s my fiancé.”
“Babe, I know you think you’re in love, but you could do so much better.”
“Tori!”
“What?”

Feeling an argument heat up, Liam interjected and suggested we lay off the drinks and head out somewhere to clear our minds. Agreeing with nothing but nods, I decided to follow; heading down the main strip in town; following mother and father hen.

“So.. you’re really getting married?”, Niall asked for what must have been the 100th time between the engagement and tonight.
“Yeah..”, I let out without a smile.
“What’s with the down attitude?”, he pushed, stopping and letting Liam and Tori space a few steps ahead before continuing to walk slowly.
“Nothing. I just.. I can’t help but think she’s right.”
“Hey as long as you’re in love, that’s all that matters”, Niall tried to make me feel better.
“Yeah.. In love”, I hung onto the sentence.
“Oi, losers.. hurry up”, Liam yelled out, holding up a cab for us. We must have been travelling a distance, we were always ones to walk instead of catching a lift. Grabbing onto Niall’s hand, the two of us trotted down to meet the others, climbing into the backseat and I, once again, playing with my ring like nothing was bothering me.

The cab ride was the better of an hour, we travelled half way across the city to the house my parents had raised me in. To think they weren’t around anymore and it would be my brother walking me down the aisle was something.. disheartening.

“What are we doing here?”, I asked wanting answers.
“Trevor said you might wanna look at the old place before she get’s demolished.”
“My brother suggested something that considerate?”, I choked.
“Yeah”, Niall smiled, “He’s not always a dick.”
“He acts like it.”
“C’mon.”

Walking the halls of the place I use to once call home was, uncomforting. I hadn’t been back in since.. ‘that night’, my parents completely understanding why I wanted to go live with my aunt and grandmother. Maybe that’s what drove them to madness. The kitchen was still dusty, the microwave still with a second left on it’s clock; popcorn bomb analyst at your service. The bedroom had been left as I could remember, bowl on the bed, Mean Girls DVD on the floor, covers unmade.

“Guys, this is nice but..”
“But?, Tori asked with a smirk.
“It doesn’t feel right.”
“Of course it doesn’t”, Liam pushed, “We shouldn’t be grown up, we should still be kids.”
“Things should have worked out how we wanted them to”, Niall continued, scrummaging through his pockets.
“Charlie..”, he began.
“Yeah?”
“I um.., I wasn’t sure whether or not to bring this up, but.. I thought you might want these.”

Placing his fist out, I cupped my hand and felt something light drop into my palm. Dice.

“Thanks..” I was at a loss for words.
“I’m sorry..”, he confessed, snatching the white cubes, “It was a mistake to bring these out.. I just, thought.. I’m an idiot.”
“Niall you’re not”, I called out, following him to the trash bin in my old room.
“I am..”, he claimed, dropping the dice into the bin.

BANG. BANG. BANG.

“Oh you’ve got to be fucking kidding me”, Liam sighed.
“Li, don’t swear”, Tori scolded him, hitting his chest.
“I just..”
“I don’t need this”, I claimed, rubbing my eyes with my palms, “I don’t fucking need this.”

With some swift decisions, yelling, dice grabbing and murderous glances, the 4 of us agreed to return to the treehouse and destroy the game for certain. Burn, rip, cut, gas.. anything to not go through what we had 10 years prior to.

Rushing across the road to the old meet up, as per usual, Liam boosted Tori up, he followed, Niall grumbled hoping the rope would hold his weight and I waited for the torment of Louis although it never followed; eyes filling slowly - I had to get rid of the thought inside my head.

The place was even more cramp and congested than the last time we’d been here. Then again from 14 year olds to 24 year olds - we’d all done our fair share of growing. Just as we’d left it, the game remained, untampered and untouched, exactly the same as we’d left it - apart from Niall’s piece having moved 5 spaces.

“I guess um..”, Niall let out.
“We have to finish it”, Tori concluded.
“No.. oh no..”, I protested, “This stupid game cost us our friend, I’m not playing it the night before my wedding.”
“Charlie..”, Tori’s voice pleaded.
“No. I was against it in the first place, and I’m still against it now.”
“Niall just pick up your card”, Liam pushed, wanting to end the bickering.
“Cold and wet just on this date, roll another 5 for your mate”, Niall read out.
“What the?”, I questioned with an annoyed look before it started raining; the treehouse seeping with water.
“Everyone inside”, Liam ordered, packing the game and the 4 of us rushing down to the ground floor, Tori opening up her parents house so we could at least be dry indoors.

Hands on hips and pacing around the lounge room, I watched the other 3 looking over and observing the game, trying to pick it apart and fool it.

“Can we please just get rid of it?”
“Charlie you know we can’t just…”, Liam let out, arms waving in the air.
“Just what?”
“We have to finish it.”
“If I wanted to play games, we could all play monopoly”, I offered.
“Well it’s your turn..”
“I’m not rolling.”
“Charlie..”, Tori argued with me.
“No.”
“Please?”
“Ughh.. fine.”

Picking up and throwing the dice in whatever direction would get them far enough away from me, I rolled at 5 and my game piece, as before, moved forward by itself to meet Niall's.

“Take a card.”
“Ugh..”, I snapped one up and let my eyes read over it.
“Need a hand to find your mate? Well you just wait, We’ll help you out.. we each have eight.”
“We each have eight?”, Tori asked before she felt a crawl on her arm.

“ARGGGHHHHHHHHH!”

Something that resembled a rain dance, came over the 4 of us as we swatted and jumped onto furniture avoiding the eight legged creeps which had infested the floor. Crying and screaming like the exorcist was after us, we followed Niall’s lead, hoping from furniture piece to furniture piece, dragging the game along with us until we’d made it out a window onto the front lawn.

“I just..wow”, Liam let out.
“Scary… but awesome”, Tori whispered with a smile.
“No, okay… no..”, I objected, “It wasn’t awesome, it was freaking terrifying. Now, I’m going home and..”
“Um.. Charlie..”, Niall coughed clearing his throat.
“Niall I’m trying to complain here. Oh fuck.. is one of them on me still?”, I asked dancing around in a semi circle before facing some shoes I’d remember seeing before. I followed the shoes, laces up to the jeans this person was wearing. Eyes tracing the pockets and shirt hem, all the way up to the collar, grazing over the unkept scruff of their chin and further more until our eyes met. Blue on blue colliding with a memory war.

“L..Lou..Louis?”
“I’m back…”
I swore I should have fainted..

Notes

:) ooohhhhh.. yeah, let us know xoxx

Comments

@Kay_Baby
Yay! I'm looking forward to it!

@ourboysRthebest
Actually, we will. I'm hoping to pick up this story again later this week or next week. Thank you :)

Kay_Baby Kay_Baby
4/8/14

Girl this is a great story! I've noticed you haven't updated in a while. Are you going to continue writing it? I subscribed because I really hope you do :)

OMG I LOVE THIS PLZ UPDATE SOON!!!!!! IM SO EXCITED ABOUT THE NEXT CHAPTER

Frogalaxy Frogalaxy
2/2/14

@Rebekah Knapp
Thank you :) Glad to hear it