Charlotte's head felt dizzy, and her vision blurred as she reached for the door frame to steady herself. She finally regained my balance and vision as she once again heard her best friend Lacey moaning her fiancé's name.
She peaked through the cracked door to see him at his release before falling on top of her: Are you sure Charlotte isn't coming by?
"I'm positive, I told her we shouldn't see each other at all until our wedding night. He said breathlessly before he continued: But I really only said it so you and I could be together before I'm ya know, a "kept man". They chuckled making her blood boil as they continued talking about her.
She felt her body turn cold and her mouth water as the last thing she ate threatened to come up. She burst through the door and let out a yell: How could you! How could either one of you do this to me. She looked at Mark as tears started to well in her eyes: We were supposed to get married in two days. So you were what, going to promise to be faithful to me only two days after sleeping with another woman?
Charlotte then turned toward Lacey, her face turning from sadness to anger as her cheeks turned red and her eyes narrowed into slits as her words came out low and calm: Lacey, I've known you since we were in fifth grade, I've loved you like a sister and you betrayed me.
Lacey immediately started crying: Oh Charlotte I never wanted to hurt you, I'm so sorry it's just that I…
Charlotte took a few steps closer clinching her fists as Lacey went silent and her lips pursed together: Not another word Lacey, I'm not interested in your excuses or your apologies, I don't want to see either one of you ever again.
Charlotte turned to leave the house that she was supposed to start a life in when Mark jumped out of the bed and ran after her yelling: Charlotte wait, don't go, let me explain, please.
She was devastated by the betrayal two of her favorite people. She jumped in her car, turned the key and drove off as fast as she could. Glancing in the mirror just in time to see Mark run out into the street as she sped away.
Both Mark and Lacey knew that getting caught was a possibility and that they could hurt Charlotte but neither of them really thought she would ever get this angry. Charlotte is a people please that is both shy and quiet and tends to go with the flow in order to make others happy, even if it means that she goes without. She has pale skin and freckles with brown hair and nothing remarkable about her. Mark counted on her not doing any better then him, a young handsome and moderately wealthy man who was to inherit his father's successful car dealership, Silver Motors.
Lacey, however, had always wanted whatever her friend had and would constantly manipulate situations to take whatever it was at the time, but Charlotte was always too kind hearted to see anything but the best in her friend. Lacey genuinely thought Charlotte would just blame Mark and continue on thinking the best of her like she had always done before.
Once she got home her head was spinning and she decided to take a shower to wash the day off along with her tears and smeared makeup. Charlotte was now in the kitchen, cooking a massive meal that could feed an army, she always cooked or baked whenever she was sad or upset. Cooking was her dream and the thing that sent her to college where she had met Mark as a first-year student where she had gotten an AA degree in business management in hopes that she would one day own and manage her own her own restaurant.
She decided to cook her wedding dinner for one hundred and fifty-two guests and bring the meals to the homeless shelters. Her father always did say that there was more happiness in giving so maybe feeding the homeless population in her city would be enough to help get her mind off of Mark and Lacey. Just saying their names in her mind made her queasy and her legs shake. She shook off this feeling and started loading the car with the dinners.
After an exhausting day she made it back home only to find Mark darkening her doorstep with his head hung low. She looked at him with disgust before alerting him to her presence: Mark, you broke my heart and made it so I will never be able to trust another man again. The least you can do is leave me the fuck alone.
Mark jumped off the step and grabbed her arms: I know you hate me right now but I can fix it, I just picked up the tickets to our honeymoon, I think we should go together and reconnect. He pulled the tickets from his pocket and pointed the tickets at her continuing: I think you should give me this chance Charlotte, after all, if you hadn't been working so much then I never would have even looked at another woman.
Charlotte's face instantly went red and her mouth dropped open, she was speechless. Did he really just blame her for his affair with her best friend? Did he really have the nerve and worst of all, did he really think she was dumb enough to believe that she was at fault in any way? She reached out without even thinking and grabbed both tickets out of his hand. She shoved him out of her way, went inside and slammed the door without saying a thing, she was too furious to even speak.
The next day she went to the travel agency to see if she could return the tickets, she walked into the office which was void of color save for the one plant in the corner of the office by the one window. Charlotte's first thought was that this would be the perfect place to work for someone who'd given up on their dreams. The place was depressing, and she wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible.
There was only one travel agent working, a middle-aged woman with glasses and a nasally voice and she was already helping a man.
"Ill be right with you hun" she said to Charlotte. The agent turned back to the man and said: One moment Thomas, I mean Mr. Parker.
Thomas rolled his eyes and sighed impatiently. Charlotte couldn't help but look the man up and down, he was incredibly handsome and the way the agent spoke to him, he seemed important, he wore a dark blue suit with dress shoes and his cologne made Sam heave a sigh of infatuation. Sam quickly came back to reality when she realized he was looking directly at her. With stern brown eyes he gave her a look that made her feel ashamed although she didn't know why. Charlotte turned her head and started studying the plant in the corner pretending she didn't notice him
The agent said: Mr. Parker I do apologize but we don't have anymore tickets for the Caribbean cruise, it's just too short of notice, I'm so sorry but if you would like to try going t...
He interrupted the agent: Thank you for your time. He turned and glanced at me with his brows furrowed as he walked by me and out the door.
Charlotte, in a rush to leave asked if she could return the tickets and be refunded.
The agent replied: I'm sorry mam but tickets cannot be returned within two weeks of the departure date.
Charlotte thanked the agent for her time and left. As she walked out she overheard Thomas on the phone yelling, he was sitting in the back of his black Lexus with his window down and his driver was standing outside the car to give him privacy.
Was he really wealthy enough to have a driver she thought? Just then an idea had crossed her mind, he was wanting a ticket on the Caribbean cruise, and she happened to have two, maybe that's how I get my money back. As he hung up, his eyes were narrowed and his forehead wrinkled with stressful discontent, he motioned for his driver to get in the car.
Charlotte ran up to his window before he could roll it up: Excuse me, Mr. Parker, is it? My name is Charlotte, well, Charlotte Miller and I overheard you saying you wanted a ticket on the Caribbean cruise.