CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
It was funny how Charlie had to console Cara after she’d given her best friend the news about her attack, and not the other way around. The woman was almost inconsolable as they both sat on Cara’s sofa. Sniffing into a tissue, her mascara had run. Eyes as black as night stared back at her, full of sorrow and concern.
“Are you sure you’re okay? My God, Charlie. How are you so together after something like that?”
“I promise I’m fine.” She wouldn’t mention the reoccurring nightmares and waking up in hot sweats every night since. At least those nightmares had replaced the others for now. Placing her hand on Cara’s knee, Charlie smiled, hoping to reassure her. It seemed to work. The hiccuping stopped and she no longer had tears streaming down her face.
“Do you want to stay here for a while? I can understand if you don’t want to be in that flat right now. The couch is really comfortable and we can go into uni together in the mornings. That way you won’t be alone.”
One of the things she loved about Cara was that she cared fiercely for her friends, almost to the point where it was smothering. As much as Charlie appreciated it, there was no way she could be mollycoddled right now. There was too much going on in her mind to deal with that kind of comfort.
“That’s okay. Thanks though, but I’m handling it.” Better. Handling it better. Last night when she’d returned to her flat after staying at Jake’s, anxiety almost knocked her off her feet as soon as she’d walked through the door. The mess had made it even worse, everything exactly how it had been after the police had left the night before. When she’d come back from the hospital to gather up some things to take to Jake’s, she’d been too desperate to get out of there to notice any of it.
It had hit her pretty hard when she’d gone back there. Her broken things had still been strewn all over the floor exactly as they’d landed in the struggle. There was black powder over things where the police had dusted for prints. She’d spent the whole night cleaning up. But at least when it looked like her flat again, it hadn’t felt too bad. Today, though, after struggling to feel comfortable enough to sleep last night, even with the added security of a new lock and a direct-line number to the police, Charlie had been exhausted all day, only surviving on strong coffee. Thankfully, she was currently drinking another.
“Want me to stay with you for a bit then?” The sorrow in her friend’s eyes had her fighting back tears in her own.
“No honestly, I appreciate your concern, but I’m really okay. It’s something I have to deal with. Since I sucked it up and went home to stay last night, it helped.”
“As long as you’re sure. You can ring me anytime, though. You know that. Even if you get scared in the middle of the night, I’ll get a taxi straight over.”
It warmed Charlie’s heart to have such a good friend. “Thank you,” she said, moving in for a hug. “I honestly don’t know what I’d do without you, Cara.”
Cara hugged her hard and Charlie sank into it, holding back the tears that she kept fighting on the regular. She hadn’t come here to break down all over again.
When they pulled back, Cara’s brows lowered and she looked past Charlie for a minute as if something had just come into her mind. So, if last night was the first night you stayed in your flat, where did you stay Friday?”
It was only a matter of time until Cara twigged to that, and with the way her friend was looking at her, eyes narrowed, pinched smile, her mind had already come up with an answer. Although Charlie doubted it was an accurate one.
“Jake came with me to the hospital and we didn’t get back until early hours. He asked me if I wanted to stay there.”
Those perfectly shaped brows jumped up into her hairline. “You stayed at Jake’s place?” The cogs were turning loud enough to give Charlie a headache, and she know there was no getting out of giving Cara the information she’d stop at nothing to receive. The woman would chase it down till the death.
“Mhmm,” Charlie answered casually, drawing it out on purpose.
Big brown eyes bore into hers, willing the information out of her. “And?”
“And what?” Charlie tried to keep the smirk from her face, but knew she hadn’t hidden it well enough when Cara smiled, dropping her head for a minute. But Cara was her best friend, and she was dying to tell her what went on in Jake’s flat.
“Did something happen between you two?” Her hand went on Charlie’s knee, squeezing it in delight. “Oh my God, it did, didn’t it?”
Charlie’s eyes moved up to meet hers, but she still said nothing, mostly because she liked to see her friend’s frustration.
“Char! Don’t go all silent. I need details right now. What happened?”
Smiling, Charlie slumped back against the couch, warmth filling her chest, her stomach fluttering. “He kissed me.” Her friend let out a squeak. “And we did some other stuff too.”
“Oh, my God, Charlie. I knew it was going to happen.” Her hands did tiny claps as she shifted to the edge of the sofa. “How? Tell me all the details.”
Bloody hell, she couldn’t believe how wide the grin was. Her cheeks actually ached. “So, first, he almost kissed me the night of his first gig.” Charlie explained what had happened in the woods and then the woman she’d seen leaving his place, as Cara leaned on her hand, enthralled by the narration of Charlie’s life.
“Then last Monday, when I got home, Jake was waiting for me to explain who the woman was.”
“Oh, he actually cared enough to wait for you.” The woman only bloody sighed.
Ignoring her, she continued. “Our conversation turned a little heated and well. . . we kissed. Cara, it was so good.” Her stomach tickled just thinking about it. “But then he got a little strange, like he shouldn’t have done it. He closed off, again, and we left it at that. We kind of made up in between then and Jake’s gig Friday. He got back later than me that night. Then came to tell me why he’d had to run out after the gig. We talked for a bit, and then stuff kinda just happened.”
Pausing on purpose, Charlie waited, watching as her friend’s expression changed. “And?” Cara pressed. “What stuff just happened? Come on Charlie. I need the deets.”
Laughing, Charlie relayed what she could without going all X-rated, just to give her an idea. The rest Cara could fill in herself, which she no doubt would.
“But wait. There’s something I have to tell you.”
Her hands still clasped in front of her chest, Cara paused in her elation, shoulders slumping. “You’re going to ruin my happiness aren’t you? Was he not good?”
“Cara! That’s not what. . . I am not going there with you. You’ve had enough details. But no, he was really good.”
They laughed until her friend’s curiosity got the better of her. “So what do you have to tell me?”
“Friday night, at the gig, when I went to the toilet I heard some girls talking about Jake in the next cubical. There were rumours he’d been in prison.” She watched her friend’s eyes widen. Charlie continued. “I asked him.”
“I knew it. You’re about to crush the fairy tale. He is a criminal, just like I said. I warned—”
“Cara.” Rolling her eyes, Charlie needed to stop her friend’s mind from racing ahead of their conversation. “He isn’t a criminal.”
“Oh, then why?”
“Well, if you’ll let me finish. . .”
Pressing her lips together, Cara mimicked zipping her mouth shut.
“Yes, he did go to prison, but he was wrongly convicted of murder.”
Her friend’s mouth dropped open. “Murder?” It came out in a whisper.
“Yes.” Charlie went on to explain everything that had happened to Jake, leading to his stepdad and telling her that it was him who’d attacked her. The whole time Cara had a profound look of horror on her face. “He has a little brother who he barely sees because while he was in prison, the foster family who had taken him in adopted him. Now, even though Jake was cleared of all charges, they are being difficult about contact.”
“Can they even stop him from seeing his own brother?”
“Legally, it’s the family’s decision. They allowed contact, but they are making it difficult. Every time they arrange something, the family moves the goal post. It’s always last minute; excuses that Jake said he knows are just that.”
Cara shook her head, looking as disgusted as Charlie felt. It wasn’t fair on Jake or his brother. Torn away from each other in the most horrific circumstances, they shouldn’t have to go through this after everything that’s happened. They needed each other.
It broke Charlie’s heart to think about it.