Keep the rain [CL16]

Chapter 11 - Athena's P.O.V.

I didn't tell Mick what happened.
I didn't have to and he didn't push me to.

He knew something wasn't right and he stayed by my side for the whole trip back.
Once Lewis found out, probably by a text from Mick, I was surrounded by the two.
Lewis gave me one of his hoodies that was big enough to cover my neck and face from the public and once again I used the flight back to sleep.
They didn't leave my side until we arrived at my apartment.

I wasn't heartbroken.
It was one night that ended badly and I would get over it.
What pulled more on my heart strings were the words Charles said to me.

He knew it would hurt me. He was cruel and proved that we would never change.
I tried to do as much good with the money I had as possible.
I tried to be friendly to everyone.
I tried to be a good person.

Words like his made me uncertain, if I really was a good person or if it was just something I told myself.
I could handle them if they came from the public, because what does the public know about my real character, but I couldn't handle them when they came from someone I knew.

Sometimes I believed him.
I saw where he was coming from.
Grieving made me selfish, I realised that I treated him bad after Jules's death.
But in the end I was just 16 and hurt.
He was the one that left me.

And now he was the one holding up the mistakes we've made 5 years ago.
His words just proved that our night didn't mean anything, which made it easier for me to move on.

It's been 3 days since I came home.
3 days since I left Charles alone in his hotel room.
3 days since I've returned to my Brighton apartment.
3 days since I last heard from him.
3 days for the hickey to fade.
3 days in which Charles has been spotted with a new girl.
Sierra was her name, I think.

They've been caught on a dinner date in Monaco, walking home, holding hands, his blazer over her shoulders.
She was beautiful. Blonde, blue eyes, my age, model.
I wasn't proud that I stalked her social media.

I hated the jealousy that flooded my chest the first time I saw the pictures.
I told my self time after time to ban him from my mind but somehow he always found his way back there, like I was infested by him.
I didn't understand how one night with him had me in such a chokehold.

I checked my phone again but no new messages were shown.
"Whose text are you waiting for?"
Lilly teased me from the seat next to me.

We were sitting in a little boutique in London, shopping for dresses.
Tomorrow was the closing gala of the season, a lot of important people showing up to celebrate the last season.
Obviously we were all expected to dress up, so Lilly, Carmen, Isa, Heidi and me went dress shopping.

I was grateful for any distraction.
With every day it was easier not to think about Charles.

Carmen wiggled her eyebrows.
"Is it Charles?" She sang.

"No, definitely not Charles." I lied, when he was exactly the one, I was waiting for. I desperately wanted to see him text me, ask me to talk about what happened. But he was probably too busy with Sierra anyways.
"Why? I saw you guys being all close in the club..." Heidi took a sip from her champagne flute.
So, I told them.

About what happened in the club, what happened at his hotel room and about the morning after.
I was only interrupted by their gasps but they listened closely to every word I said.
Surprisingly they didn't sting when leaving my mouth.
Prove that I was over it.

"What a dick!" Isa swung open the curtain of the dressing room she was in.
She was dressed in a beautiful dark blue gown, flowing down her legs.
"Oh my god, Isa! You look beautiful!" I exclaimed.
"She does, but can we skip back to what a dick Charles was being?" Lilly circled back.
I just shrugged my shoulders.