Don't Cry Over Spilled Milk
Seven and a half months until the wedding
There's no place like home.
Yeah, that was for sure.
If you had told Charlie Delgado, a twenty-five year old drummer-turned-architect, that he would ever (and he really meant ever) set foot back in his hometown again after moving to New York City, he'd think you were insane. Who would want to come back to a small town in Arizona when you've lived it up in The Big Apple? No one normal, that's who.
But he had to admit, now that he was older and he took time to appreciate when things were simpler, he realized nothing could compare to the feeling of walking down his town's streets, smelling the bakery from down the road and casually saying hello to a few of the old shop owners he had known back when he was a kid.
When he was home, he wasn't Charlie, Lemonade Mouth's retired drummer, or Charlie, the rookie architect. He was just Charlie, and he'd never thought he'd admit it, but it was nice to be just Charlie again after nearly ten years of being someone else.
Back in the day, he had held so much contempt for this place. Until the band, he was just a loser at a prejudiced high school, and of course it wasn't until his name was famous, and others started to notice his potential, did the people here truly start to accept him. He thought that after the band had made it big, and they were suddenly playing at all the major capitals in the world, that he would never come back here after he had left it behind for good. He was ready to leave his overbearing parents and bittersweet memories of high school behind at the time, but now? There was no place he'd rather be than here.
Home.
He felt at ease here, and comfortable. Nostalgic, and in a positive way, to his surprise. After all, you know what they say.
Home is where the heart is, and to Charlie especially.
Because home is where their story began.
And he had a feeling a new one was about to begin, but whether he would like where it took him or not, he didn't know. Charlie had a bright outlook after coming home, and he was determined to keep it that way, even with Mo's wedding invitation being what brought him here in the first place. He felt good, for whatever reason. Maybe it was a jumbo sized chocolate chip muffin he had picked up from his old favorite bakery, but he was completely at ease walking back down the street to his car.
That is, until he saw Scott.
It was through a window of an old cafe across the street; he was sitting at table right next to glass. He was still tall, Charlie mused, and he had filled out over the years. He looked rugged, but in a sexy way, as he always had, and Charlie immediately felt a pang of envy course through his body. Scott Pickett had always been a good looking and incredibly charming guy, and many hated him for it, including Charlie for a short amount of time. He looked dashing, even clad in just his casual maroon t-shirt and jeans.
The two were never close friends for obvious reasons; he had a hardcore crush on Mo all throughout high school and could never get over the fact that she had chosen Scott over him. But as much as he hated to admit way back in the day, Scott really wasn't such a bad guy. He was a good person to hang out and have fun with, and was one of the bros since day one. No matter how stand offish Charlie ever was towards him, Scott never failed to offer his friendship to him until he finally accepted. It wasn't until Charlie had realized that his immature, teenage crush he had on Mo was nothing but an immature, teenage crush did he finally accept Scott and forge a relationship with him.
Prior to him getting a phonecall at two in the morning from Mo after he hadn't come home on time for the third night in a row.
Then it was all back downhill from there.
...
"Hello?" Charlie answered groggily, rubbing his eyes and trying to roll the knots out of his neck. He had camped out with his pillow and blankets on the floor, since the moving van was going to be a few days late with the rest of his furniture, including his bed. It was his first official night away from home since he'd moved for his first real job and he was already feeling melancholy, and not just because of the moving van.
But because he missed someone.
"Mo, I don't know if get the time difference between home and New York, but it's after two here and I've got to drive up to-"
"Charlie," He heard her whimper on the other line, and he immediately shut up.
"Mo? What's wrong?" He sat up abruptly, and he blinked rapidly, suddenly wide awake. "Are...are you crying?" What a stupid question.
She didn't answer him right away, and all Charlie heard was shaky breaths in and out. His heart was racing, wanting nothing more to know that what had happened and if she was safe, but he wouldn't dare pressure her at a time like this. When he left a few days ago, she had been completely fine. Happy, even. She had come to bid him goodbye, and although that was an emotional challange for both of them, still nothing had been wrong with her, at least nothing so extreme that she had to call him at this hour, bawling.
Charlie stayed completely silent, not knowing what to say or do. It made his heart ache, hearing her soft weeping on the other line. She tried to speak so many times, but she just couldn't find the strength to finish a sentence before she burst into tears again.
So he waited. Because, let's be honest. He would wait a lifetime for this girl.
And right now, he was. In more ways than one.
"S-Scott..." He heard her choke out, her voice so quiet, it was barely audible. "...H-He was with someone else..."
"What? Mo, what happened? Did you see something?"
She inhaled sharply twice, and Charlie knew that was a yes. "I-I went to give h-him his lunch at work..." He was proud of her for stumbling through her words, pushing past her sobs enough to try to explain to him so he wasn't completely in the dark. "...He forgot it on the kitchen counter...He's been working on this woman's greenhouse for the past year, some woman named Tracy Caldwell," She hissed out her name as if it was poisonous. "...B-but when I got there..." Charlie massaged his temples, a headache immerging when he heard her start to cry again. "He was working hard."
He perked up for a split second, finally finding a bright side to this situation. "But that's great! He was doing his job, not screwing the-"
"He was working her hard, Charlie. Greenhouse glass is clear."
"...Oh..." His cheeks heated up, and he didn't know what to say from there. How was he supposed to repsond to that? He was never really good with...sex...stuff... "What did you do when you caught them?"
"I threw his thermos as the back of his head."
"Al-right!" He whistled.
He could almost hear her rolling her eyes, but it was worth it, because it was the first time he heard anything sounding remotely like a laugh all night. "We got into a huge fight, right in front of her." She scoffed. "That bitch had the nerve to say she had no idea I existed until a few days ago and Scott told her he called to end things last night, but I think that's a bullshit excuse. Because yeah, like Scott would ever break up with a girl like me over the phone."
"Mohini," He gasped, pretending to be offended. "Language!"
She laughed through her nose, before slowly falling silent again for a few short moments. She sniffled again, letting out a soft whimper. "I just...How could I be so stupid? I mean, how long does it honestly take to build a fucking greenhouse? And all the nights he didn't come home...He told me he was crashing at Ray's house because it was closer than driving all the way back from Pheonix! I-I actually believed all of his shit!"
She wept uncontrolably now, and it killed Charlie to know that all he could do was listen. He couldn't hold her, or run his fingers through her hair as she cried. He couldn't kiss her forehead until she stopped because she would remember she was loved, but he can't because he's not there.
Mo was all alone in her empty apartment, no one to comfort her and tell her it was going to be alright.
She would continue crying to him about how lost she felt and how much she wished he was there with her, and Charlie cried, too. He wished he was home just as much as she did, if not more, and he would never forgive himself for not being there for her when she needed him the most.
He knew moving to New York would be a huge mistake.
And he's regretted it ever since.
...
Charlie was about to walk across the way and go in to greet his old friend and congratulate him on his engagement, just to be polite, but his eyes slowly trailed across the table to see he wasn't alone. Charlie's grip loosened on his muffin and he was surprised he didn't drop it. Now that would've pissed him off even more than he already was.
She was beautiful, he had to admit, with her curly blonde hair falling gently around her shoulders and her sparkling smile. She wore her humble pink sundress and little ankle boots in a very non-flashy, modest fashion, truly making her not the usual type of girl Scott would pursue. She laughed and smiled genuinely, not trying too hard to get his attention or purposely show off her features. She was subtle and respectable, from what Charlie could see from where he stood. He really hated to concede, because he knows how Mo would feel if she was here, but this girl looked and seemed really sweet.
She didn't seem to be trying to flirt with him, but when Scott reached his arm across the table and gently took her hand in his, Charlie felt his own heart drop. His eyes bore into them, a mixture of anger, disappointment, and confusion errupting inside him. Suddenly, his gaze caught Scott's when he glanced out the window for a brief moment, then taking a second look after he had recongized him. His smiled slowly faded and he carefully pulled his hand from hers, excusing himself before getting up and making his way to the door.
It was then that Charlie started towards his car again, this time faster than before, with a scowl on his face. He heard his name being called from afar, but he ignored it and kept walking on his way down the road. He thought he was going to away with it, but then he felt Scott's large, strong hand clap down on his shoulder and forced him to turn out. "Charlie," He panted, a bit out of breath from chasing after him. "I...didn't know you were in town." Was all he said.
"Yeah..." Charlie awkwardly scratched the back of his head, not really knowing where to take this conversation either. "It's kind of...a recent development."
"Are you moving back into town?"
"No, just visiting family and friends. I was going to call you guys once I got settled in, but...I haven't...yet..."
Scott laughed, the way he's acting reminding him of how they were together back in high school. Charlie had grown up, sure, and anyone could see it. But here, in this moment, he looked like the sheepish kid he was in the 9th grade. He never would've expected a comment like, "That's a cute blonde you've got back there. Sure doesn't look anything like Mo, though." escape his lips.
He let out a laugh again, trying to keep the situation light. "Tracy is just an old client of mine, we were just talking about her giving me a reference for an upcoming interview I have with another company."
"Well that's really nice of her," Charlie nodded, putting on a fake smile. "You know, I think I remember Mo mentioning a Tracy a few years back. Wouldn't it be a conincidence if it was the same one-"
"We were just talking about business, Charlie." Scott said in a firm tone, catching Charlie off guard, but he wasn't shaken.
"The same kind of business from two years ago? Because to me, it seems pretty dragged out. I think this case should've been closed a long time ago."
Scott shurgged, giving him a charming smile. "I have nothing to be ashamed of. This is my job, and Mo knows that-"
"Oh, so Mo knows you're here?" Charlie asked him, just waiting for him to slip up.
"Well...no, she doesn't, but it's not like I'm trying to keep it a secret from her," Scott responded calmly. "But I would appreciate it if we kept our little encounter today between us, if you don't mind."
"Seems kinda like a secret to me."
"She doesn't tell me about every waking moment of her day at work, and I don't tell her mine," He raised an eye brow at him, all the while still keeping that damn smile on his face. "Wouldn't want to ruin your great surprise arrival, after all."
He could've sworn he was threatening him.
"Well if what you say is right, and you've got nothing to hide, you woulnd't mind telling Mo where you were today." Charlie reasoned. He had to fight back the urge to grin. Here it was; the moment of truth.
Scott nodded, understanding his angle and how this game was being played. "Now Charlie," He conceded. "You know I can't do that. And assuming Mo has told you all about our private past, you would agree that this looks pretty bad, doesn't it?" Yeah. Extremely bad, idiot. "But I promise you, that I really don't have anything to hide. I just think it'd be sparing Mo a lot of unnessecary stress if we just kept this on the down low for awhile, just until all this crazy wedding planning stuff is done and over with."
He sounded like a hunter, wanting to cage in and trap his prey only after it was too late.
"Now come on, you're a sensible guy, right? You've gotta know that I'm not that man anymore. I know I've made mistakes, and I've hurt the most wonderful girl in the world, but you have to believe me when I say I really do love Mo and I'd never do something to hurt her ever again. I've changed, Charlie, and coming to terms with my past is something I'm not going to be ashamed of."
"So that's what you call this?" Charlie snapped. This guy was unbelievable. Scott has always been a smooth talker, but neither of them were as dense as they were in high school; he wasn't fooled. "You broke Mo's heart.You didn't come home for three days after she caught you. Do you honestly think she'd let you come home again after she found out you're still seeing her?"
"I thought you out of all people would understand, Charlie." Scott looked at him with sincere eyes. "After all...we used to be friends."
"If we were really friends, Scott," He told him, unlocking his car door and getting into the driver's seat. "You wouldn't be asking me to do this." He started his engine.
"Oh, come on, Charlie. Why don't you stay awhile?" Scott asked him, shaking his head and leaning against his open window. "Where ya going?"
"I'm going to talk to Mo." He tried rolling his window up, but Scott reached for his hand a stopped him.
"Wait," He pleaded. "You're...not going to mention anything we talked about today...are you?"
Charlie merely shrugged, "I don't know. I'll have to think about it. But if you don't cut off all ties with that woman before you're married, I won't have a choice anymore." Before he hastily pulled off from the curb and drove far, far away until he couldn't see Scott Pickett standing in the reflection of his mirror.
He took it back. Scott wasn't a good guy. He was only when he wanted to be, and he never tried hard enough to keep his streak alive.
So obviously, this was a bit of a controversial chapter. Scott made a mistake, and I think he knows it. But whether or not he's honestly trying to get closure on his affair, we won't know for awhile. We'll get more insight on his relationship with Tracy in the future, but I'm really trying hard not to make Scott out to be the antagonist of this story.
Reviews are always appreciated and encouraged.
