A/N: This chapter is very reminiscent-heavy than any of the other chapters I've written so far because after this one and the next one, the mood will be switched gradually because everything has been revealed for the most part and I wanted to make sure I'm delivering everything correctly, along with filling you guys in with everything that's happened. It's also much more longer as you can tell lol, mostly because there are a few (many) flashbacks in this and I tried to be as descriptive as possible. Tbh, I just needed to make sure everything was progressing nicely so when I go into chapter eight and so on, nothing will be left behind and I won't have to back peddle.

This chapter is also very Henry-centric in regards to his feelings for Charlotte along with their current situation. Honestly, it took me a while to figure out how to make the right approach with this chapter because I had soooo many ideas but none of them suited what I wanted until I finally had a brain blast a few days ago lol. I was going to start off with the stuff that happened between them, but I decided against it because I wanted to show everything Henry was going through internally as he and Charlotte explain it—hence the (second) flashback in this which happens before they tell Jasper they need to talk to him. I felt like that would be more organic and it would help you guys see more into how he feels about her. Not just starting everything straight out with what happened lol.

A lot of things will be exposed in this chapter too! Fun!

And thank you guys for the love! I appreciate it so much!

Hope you guys enjoy. :-)

P.S. - This has not been edited much. It's almost 4AM where I am but I stayed up because I wanted to get this chapter out for you guys because I wasn't going to be able to post it if I didn't for the next few days. I'm exhausted lol, I apologize for any errors or if something doesn't make sense. I'll be going over things soon.


Chapter Seven Part One / No one (Henry-heavy though)

FIVE DAYS INTO TUTORING / CHARLOTTE'S ROOM

So far into their tutoring sessions, Henry knew he was doing a pretty good job at keeping his feelings for the curly headed girl at bay, tucking them far deep into his brain to the point where during their one-on-one interactions, he could strategically calculate how long he should stare at her whenever she'd carelessly ramble, or threw her head back in frustration whenever he'd push away the textbooks from boredom, or, when the harsh sunlight hit her just right through the window's glare, casting a natural highlight across her velvet skin.

Sometimes he'd have to physically adjust his position to stop himself from staring, because he knew that this was Charlotte he was talking about, and he'd be in deep shit if she ever caught him ogling her in any way shape or form.

But during times like this, he couldn't help but gape at the girl laying next to him.

The curls he's always seen since he's known her were now straightened, her dark tresses falling graciously down her back, loose strays falling into her eyes whenever she'd dip her head far too low or shake her head too aggressively. With even the slightest movement she made, her hair would move along with her as if it couldn't get enough of her.

Henry knew today was the day he couldn't help how often he stared at her, because she looked so proud of herself for straightening her hair all by herself and the smile she was wearing was just so damn beautiful.

It was halfway into their studying when Henry had looked away from the book and at her, sighing softly when she scooted closer to give him better access to see the pictures. She was discussing the difference between red and blue stars, her fingers slowly caressing her hair before tucking a few strands behind her ear.

"It's pretty simple, even for you to understand," She remarked playfully, tilting the textbook slightly more towards Henry. "The blue stars are the youngest type, see?" She pointed to a random one (which he recalled to be Rigel—yes, he does actually learn from her). "And the deep, deep reddish ones like UY Scuti, Betelgeuse or VY Canis Majoris for example, are the oldest types. Stars are defined by their temperatures. The hottest ones are always the bright blues ones and can have a surface temperature of about 20,000 to 40,000 kelvin, but that's for the brightest ones. On average, the ones not as bright typically have a surface temperature of approximately 7,500 to 11,000 kelvin. They always vary. And the deep red ones you see here—"

"Charlotte—" Henry called softly before he even realized what the fuck he was doing, watching her eyes meet his once she finally looked away from that textbook.

Henry hadn't listened to a word she said to him—not when he was so easily distracted from the way her hair fell across her like a gleaming curtain and she was quick to ease a bunch behind her ear, displaying her side profile, her eyelashes kissing the top of her cheekbones whenever she'd blink, the pout of her lips tempting him and the smolder of her vibrant skin doing things to his leaping chest.

She stared up at him. "Henry," She mocked playfully, the small grin she had on her lips slowly diminishing after he didn't return it. "What is it?"

It must've been him staring into those warm dark eyes of hers, or maybe the way the sun hit her like it was made to do just that, that made him want to forget about everything but her. "You're a thinker." He said finally, and he feared that she wouldn't understand what he meant.

But then she nodded, her hair swishing and her eyes on him. "I am. That's why I am how I am. I think that's my problem—I think too much."

Henry didn't want to discuss astronomy anymore. "I think it's nice. The way you think influences the way you view everything—including," Henry shrugged shyly. "Including when it comes to things like love. Romantic.. um, love."

Charlotte adjusted her position so she could lay closer to him. "Without thoughts, there is no love."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes," Charlotte said softly, staring passed him suddenly. "In order to fall in love, you have to think—and to think deeply. The person's flaws, their strengths, their passions, their dislikes, everything that they could possibly encompass. And if your mind doesn't fall in love with all of that along with your heart, it'll never last."

"Blind love," Henry murmured. "The heart resembles blind love."

"And your thoughts are what keeps you from going blind. If you truly, truly, care for someone romantically, you ponder on the traits of that person to make sure infatuation and true, undeniable love doesn't have the line blurred. The ones who know in their minds that this is it, this is their person and not just their heart telling them it is, those are the ones that last."

"The classic passion versus reason debate," Henry said. "It all makes sense now."

Henry wanted to tell her that every part of his body, including his mind was telling him she was his person, that he felt more than just a leap in his chest or heat in his cheeks. Over the years, he's grown to know Charlotte more than he'd ever admit to either her or Jasper. He knew her flaws, her dislikes, her passions. And he knew that after today, there was no more suppressing his feelings about her. Not when his thoughts aligned completely with his heart.

"What makes sense?" She asked, nudging him.

Henry waved dismissively, "Why my parents are so ooey gooey," He pretended to shudder. "Remember that time we caught them making out in the kitchen after school a couple days ago? It was scarring."

Charlotte blinked at him, unimpressed with his answer, but didn't push it. She waited a couple seconds before replying. "I think it's cute. Not everyone can truthfully say they're still attracted to their partner once they've reached a certain age."

Henry scoffed playfully. "You hopeless romantic."

"Guilty as charged."

Charlotte never really expressed her opinions and beliefs to him, not even when he told her his. She never spoke about herself unless he asked, an open book once truly allowed to be. She spoke with such solidarity, such assurance about everything she said, that Henry couldn't help but wonder just how much she's experienced in her lifetime.

She watched him stare at her for a long, long time and said nothing.

Their dynamic had shifted after that brief conversation, Henry inching himself closer to her until their arms brushed softly, and she never pulled away.


Henry knew that there were a million more worse situations than the one he was in, which, in all honestly, has helped him cope with all the things he had weighing him down constantly. He would consider himself a pretty decent and insightful human being with an open-mind, which weren't bad characteristics whatsoever. However, over the years of the constant pressure to constantly do good and make righteous decisions, the stress, insecurities, and exhaustion he dealt with from school and his job, he'd lost himself in the mix, and he wasn't sure how to piece himself back together.

He was good at masking his troubles. Cracking a joke or two periodically to avoid any interrogations from either Jasper or his family or even Ray, commenting on things in the most upbeat, believable tone he could muster, and smiling as much as he usually would, it was easy to mask everything from them.

He allowed Jasper to continue to think he knew him through and through. Jasper did for the most part, he's his best friend, but some things Henry dealt with he wanted to keep to himself and figure it out on his own.

Charlotte tore down his wall before he could even attempt to seem content with everything going on in his life whenever he was with her.

And she had done it in the most respectable, subtle way. She never tried to pester his troubles out and make him spill his guts out to her, no, all she'd do is wait a second or two before laughing at his jokes or comments, her eyes shining knowingly as her lips curved into an unimpressed smile.

She knew him. And he wasn't sure how she ever discovered his mask when, at that time, they were simply friends who'd strictly talk about astronomy and astronomy only.

Charlotte had her moments where she'd interrogate him whenever he had to leave abruptly because of his superhero sidekick occupation but he couldn't tell her that. So during those times he'd let her bicker one-sidedly at him as she packed her things to leave earlier than arranged. If it were one thing Charlotte deserved, it was his time, and that was something he couldn't always guarantee.

But he couldn't tell her that either. He couldn't tell her anything about his job—she was a genius, a walking masterpiece—he'd be giving himself up with just simply informing her of the location.

But overall, Charlotte had never judged him, not even once. And he appreciated that wholeheartedly.

Henry interlocked his fingers loosely as his vision lowered to the floor, taking interest in his shoes. The silence hovering across the room had been ongoing for a good while now, he nor Charlotte instigating the topic. He knew Jasper was growing impatient, hell, he would be too if he were in his position, but Henry was feeling dubious, his brain buzzing with self-consciousness and partial reluctance. If just a single word came out wrong, it could ruin everything, including all the work he's been doing this passed to week to get Charlotte to talk to him again.

He wasn't going to allow him and Charlotte to revert back to how they used to be. Not after the way she's always made him feel and what he'd told her earlier, which he'd say again and again and again if he had to.

He knew she needed time—she needed to heal, rightfully so, so he was going to give her all of the time she needed.

Healing was time; it was patient and sometimes agonizing. Once you think it's over and telling you to move on, it's not and suddenly you're back where you started. Henry knew that well enough to realize it'd be a while before Charlotte truly came back around to him.


"I want to tell Jasper everything," Charlotte said from behind him, her brown eyes staring back at his. She had made sure to pull him aside once Ray left after telling him to stop by later and Piper went to her room once her friends came over uninvited and Jasper went downstairs to make some popcorn. He wasn't expecting her to say anything to him after his meltdown—especially after his meltdown, but here she was, a couple feet away with persistence written all across her face.

Then she looked away from his eyes to stare at his lips, his forehead, his nose, everywhere but his eyes to avoid his scrutinizing gaze. "I want to get over everything that happened between us and I'm sure you do too. After we tell him, he'll quit asking about it and eventually we can go back to how things used to be."

"Charlotte," Henry replied, licking his lips (which she had caught). "I don't want to get over anything. In fact, I've been wanting to talk to you about it, to explain why—"

Charlotte huffed in a sharp breath, her gaze piercing. "Henry. It's done. We're done. Let's just tell Jasper and get over it over with, alright? We can finally put it all behind us after this."

Her words stung. "No, Charlotte, I don't want to put this—" He gestured between them, "behind us. I've been trying to talk to you about us—about how I feel for you since we've split, and you just keep blowing me off as if we were just some fling—"

"Henry—"

"Let me talk about this, please. I'm tired of being disrupted. I want to talk about us to you before I do with anyone else," Henry said softly, tentatively. He wanted to inch closer to her, to grab a hold of her twitching hands and to kiss her pouting lips as she waited impatiently for him to continue, but he couldn't.

(So instead he thought back to their embrace and how he couldn't help how his fingers caressed the skin of her waist and how his nose buried deep in the crook of her neck to recall her signature scent. She didn't reject him, only pulled him closer to her, and that was all he needed for his anger to dissolve into relief and gratitude).

Finally. He could finally tell her what he'd been afraid to tell her during their relationship. What he should've told her during their relationship. Maybe then, they wouldn't be in the position they were in now. Maybe instead they'd be telling Jasper about their relationship and he'd be holding her hand and kissing her until she made him dizzy.

"During the time we spent together, you have never tried to fix me. You never viewed me as some broken, pitiful puzzle piece that you needed to mend back together. When I showed you the most jagged, eerie parts of my mind, you never tried to avert my dark thoughts into any sort of positive energy. Not even once. All you did was accept me. You accepted my dark thoughts and you made sure that I knew I was not crazy for thinking any of them. You touched parts of my mind that no one has ever been brave enough to even peek at—not even myself. I just—I want to thank you for all of the moments you've given me, Char. There is nothing in this universe that has ever made me feel this way," His eyes fluttered shut.

"You've encouraged me to fix myself. And us being together, all of the time we've spent together, you've helped me do just that. You've been patient with my mood swings and me in general. And I—I can't just pretend none of this ever happened, I can't pretend that I can just get over you," Henry grew shy. "I'm in love with you, Charlotte. I've always been in love with you. I've been trying to push it away for years. During our first couple of tutoring sessions, I tried to convince myself that what we were doing was appropriate and that I'd get over you, that you weren't so special after all," He shook his head. "But once you spoke to me, actually spoke to me about love and the beauty and the curse of thinkers, I realized there is no way I could ever get over someone as lovely as you are. I don't—I can't have us end like this. I'm not good at voicing how I feel but I just needed to tell you this before you decide to walk away from me permanently. And.."

When he reopened his eyes, nervous yet relieved, he stared into her own. This time, though, he was fearless. He's finally told her what he's been holding in.

Being in love with a girl he's always had to be around because of the curly haired boy was the most difficult task he'd ever come to encounter. He'd have to see her glowing in the sunlight during the day, rambling about her art association and upcoming events or tests she needed to study for to them, her essence glowing effortlessly and exposing itself to him in ways not even he fully understood. All he knew was that Charlotte was beautiful—she always has been, and because of that, there was no way he could allow himself to get closer to her.

She'd break him without even trying—god, she'd break him. He was fully aware of that.

But that never stopped him from falling in love. He spent entirely too much time with her because of Jasper—too much, and after their many study sessions, he realized there was no going back to completed canvases after he's become enchanted with a breathtaking yet incomplete masterpiece.

Henry Hart could hold galaxies upon galaxies and fucking brown dwarfs in his possession, and he'd still want her heart.

Henry moved towards her. "And I know you believe it, too."

He watched Charlotte's expression transform into disbelief, the tremor in her voice undeniable.

"Henry, stop."

"I'm not saying any of this because I want us back together. I'm saying it because I should've said it when I had the opportunity to. When there was an us, when Andreas had came into the picture and instigated our issues."

Henry knew how to push his emotions deep down to the point where he could pretend he felt nothing at all for no one if he wanted—but once he truly realized his feelings for Charlotte, there was no shoveling that.

"Henry.." She said after a hesitant pause, her glassy eyes circling through his. "I cannot do this with you right now. I've been looped into this tangle with you and Jasper for the passed week because we've been keeping this from him, but once he knows everything, I can't and I'm not going to fall back into your arms just because you realized you made a mistake. All I'm believing from you right now is that everything we did meant nothing to you. The words you just said were beautiful, but you'd be a fool if you assumed I'd believe any of it for even a second."

The sincerity in Henry's voice was undeniable, along with the way he looked at her when he spoke, but all Charlotte could see was when he debunked everything they'd ever done or said to one another the night they split. She could still hear the frustration in his voice and feel the break of her heart, and it was enough for Charlotte to build her wall back up and force herself to believe that Henry Hart couldn't love her—that he didn't love her.

Henry nodded stiffly, "I understand," And he did. "I did this. I just wanted you to know it was never a game to me, and I truly realize that I made a mistake. I'm sorry, Charlotte." The crack in his voice made him to cringe. He'd done this to himself. He could never forget that.

Regardless, Henry felt his heart swell with discomfort, the tears in his eyes stinging as he blinked them back continuously. Henry was so focused on Charlotte breaking his heart—so focused on her sharp tongue and her power to destroy him with a single utter of rejection—that he never realized until it was too late that he was one of the reasons hers was broken in the first place.

The burning swell of his heart had never felt so good. Not when her name would longingly murmur repeatedly from its compacted frame and his distressed thoughts.


Charlotte's scent was different today.

Instead of that typical moisturizer she always had that smelled of tropics and Charlotte, her hair smelled of jasmine and rose absolute. The heavenly elixir was a distinct scent and he hadn't even recognized it until she was secured in his arms (twice today) with his head buried deep into the skin of her neck that he's claimed so many times before. Henry swore he's never inhaled a sweeter combination.

She was like the first intake of fresh autumn air, colorful leaves flowing constantly in rotation of the direction of the wind. She was winter; summer, spring, she was rain—calm, relaxing and so so exhilarating. She was all the seasons in one. She was everything. The good, the bad, the flawed, the beautiful.

"First off, I can assure you that Charlotte and I were never involved with each other prior to the tutoring," Henry's voice cut through the thick tension like a knife. "We never dated, never kissed, never anything."

"Well, I did see you two hug once on my birthday last year.." Jasper evoked, clicking his tongue.

"Well," Henry imitated. "You did want us to interact on your'special day.'"

Jasper rolled his eyes. "Don't act like you didn't enjoy it!"

Charlotte loosened her hold on Jasper's hand so she could clasp her hands together. "As we were saying," She reminded, "Henry and I's dynamic was a struggling two out of ten on a good day before our tutoring—"

"That rating seems a bit generous, don't you think? I'd say a good negative two. On a good day, of course."

"Oh my god," Charlotte groaned, hiding her face with her hands. "This is getting completely off topic. I have dance practice in a bit so can I continue please?"

Jasper bristled sarcastically, "Is Charlotte actually begging?" He placed his hand over his heart, feigning shock.

"Okay, I'm definitely not begging you-"

"You definitely are."

"I'm definitely not."

"You definitely are,"

"Am not!"

"Am yes!"

"That made absolutely no sense—"

Henry pulled at his hair in frustration. He couldn't take this anymore. It was like he was the only one who was caught up in the whole situation, despite Jasper practically begging them to spill the beans this whole entire week. "Charlotte and I dated."


(Charlotte was feeling good todayher mother had called her for the first time in five months, Henry was finally improving on astronomy, and she had treated Jasper to ice-cream earlier today. But the icing on top, however, was climbing into Henry's window after a bit of studying for her AP Statistics final and waiting for him to come home from work.

She was feeling squeamish, her stomach churning constantly as she attempted to calm her nerves. She had Henry's favorite flowerssunflowers, along with a bag of candy she knows to be his favorite in her hands. To be frank, she wasn't sure how he was going to react to her being in his room at 12AM with flowers and candy, 'Can't Help Falling in Love' by Elvis Presley playing softly on repeat on the Pear-speaker that sat on his dresser. She just hoped he'd like her semi-impromptu setup. But more than that, she hoped he wouldn't reject her.

She waited there for an hour, and halfway into it, she collapsed on his bed, the flowers and candy lay across her as her eyes shut.

It wasn't until Henry shook her awake around 1AM, his blond hair messy and a tiny smudge of dirt stained on his left cheek. "Charlotte?" He called. "What's going on?" He asked worriedly, eyes flickering across her body, spotting the things she had for him, and a smile curved on his lips.

She stood to her feet quickly, hastily grabbing the sunflowers and pushing them against her hammering heart. "Sorry, Hen, I was waiting for you and, fuck, I accidentally fell asleep"

Henry placed his hands onto her waist and kissed her forehead lovingly. "Don't ever apologize. You know I don't mind."

"I..." Charlotte swallowed. "Will you be my girlfriend? I mean boyfriend? Will you be with me? Like romantically? I brought these things for you regardless if you say yes or no, it doesn't matter to me, but I just.. I really like you and"

His lips smashed against hers as he removed the flowers from her hands and threw them on his bed carelessly. "You beat me to asking you," He murmured against her mouth. "But yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. God, yes.")


Their feud halted, Jasper's curls nearly slapping him in the face with how fast he turned around. "So," He mused. "My prediction was right."

Henry swallowed, "It wasn't supposed to happen, you know that right?" His eyes bore into Jasper's, trying to get him to understand. "The last thing I'd ever do is go behind your back about something like this without a logical reason."

Jasper nodded, "I know, man." He said softly, almost taken aback by how serious Henry looked. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Henry's eyes flashed to Charlotte's figure for only a second. Time. "I just want to get this conversation over with. I need—I need to be alone for a little while."

Jasper nodded understandingly and adjusted himself, staring at Henry expectantly. Jasper wasn't stupid; Henry had lied to him. It was obvious his mood from earlier, when Charlotte had shown up, had diminished completely. Henry seemed stiff and emotional right now—uncertain, perhaps. "No worries." He said sincerely.

"We didn't date for long, but that's something we'll get into later." He proceeded, resting his elbows on his knees. "We were happy. I was happy. I felt like nothing could never take me down from this high I was constantly on whenever I was with Charlotte."


("Instead of tutoring this Saturday, I want to take you out to dinner. With my parents."

Charlotte choked. "No" She spluttered out. "You are trying to get rid of me, aren't you? I will embarrass myselfI willoh my god, no. We just told them we're together two weeks ago! Are you crazy? They'll think we're rushing into this too much!"

"I think," Henry grabbed her hand. "That you make me happy, and they see that radiating through me, and we all decided to take you out to dinner tomorrow night as a lame gesture to thank you. You don't have to dress fancy if you don't want to. We want you to just be Charlotte
the Charlotte you've always been."

"So your parents came up with this idea?"

"Mostly, yep," He popped the 'P.' "I guess talking about you so much made them see just how happy I am with you. They adore how you're influencing me. They think your intellect will somehow wear off on me too probably." Henry chuckled.

Charlotte could feel the heat radiating through her body. She had gotten so fucking lucky and she wasn't sure why she hadn't pursued Henry Hart before. But he was hers now, and that's all that mattered. She inhaled contently, pushing her body against his. "Okay." She said softly, her finger caressing his pink lips.

"Okay," He repeated through her finger, his hands lingering down to her butt as he leaned up to grasp her finger in between his teeth playfully. "Okay.")


"And I was too," Charlotte added, her eyes never daring to even glance in Henry's direction. "He was one of the reasons I was beginning to appreciate the little things in life. But we've all seen Kill Your Darlings. Not all good things last."

Jasper brought his hand to his heart fondly for the second time, "I gotta say, that movie is iconic."

Charlotte smiled sadly. "The next day, my mom expectantly came home sober, talkative, and happy. She asked me how school has been, about you, and she even ate breakfast with me. So, in the spur me being relieved my mom was finally talking to me again I told her I found a boyfriend. That I found someone who finally accepted me for me. That.. I was with Henry," Her head tilted slightly. "And she said she wanted to invite him to dinner before she left later on that night. So, I went the Hart's house for our tutoring session and when we were finished, I told Henry what my mom said. He accepted, obviously, and I swear I was over the moon that whole entire day."

She bit her lip, "When we got to my home, there were several cars parked outside of our house. All blacked out and foreign, not even I knew who owned such luxurious vehicles. Most certainly not anyone on my block. Those cars could all probably blend well into a night sky."

Jasper's eyebrows furrowed. "Did something happen?"

Charlotte's face scrunched. "When we walked in, our living room was surrounded by men with suits on and cigars, my mom sitting on the couch across from a man. It was Andreas's father."


("Charlotte Bolton. Henry Hart." Gevolli Diaz's thin lips curved into a crooked smile, gesturing the two next to Charlotte's mother as they walked in. "Please, sit. Help yourselves to some red wine. We've got plenty." His thick Italian accent echoed easily through the compacted home, his tan skin blending in well with the chair he was seated in. The man looked tough, that was for certain. Even while pushing sixty, his muscles easily strained his suit, the fabric squeaking with even the slightest movement he made. However, his hair wasn't as kind to him. The hairline he once had was long gone, replaced with a shiny, hairless head with a black fedora keeping it warm.

"Godfather, what are you doing here?" Charlotte stared around the room, her gaze connecting with all of his men probably loaded with weapons. "We have ten days left to pay off this months debt."

Gevolli Diaz's dominance was apparent the second his presence was detected in the room. "Hush, Charlotte. Don't disrespect me with your worthless retorts. I'm not here for your money yet. I'm here for a different reason." Gevolli Diaz stood from his seat, the cigar in his hands rising to his lips. "Henry Hart." He said through his cigar, turning his back to him. "I heard you scorned my son with your self-entitlement last weekend." It wasn't a question.

Henry Hart frowned. "He asked me to hold a gun for him, sir."

"And you didn't do it?"

"Well, no"

"You fool." Gevolli Diaz turned towards the boy sharply, his expression careless. "You disrespect my blood, my son, with your foolish fears. Then you have the guts to turn around and date the girl he's been in love with for years."

"What?" Henry breathed, his eyebrows knitted.

Gevolli Diaz waved him off. "I have no time to explain anything to scum like you. Now, I don't typically do business outside of my home. Usually when my boy tells me something has gone wrong, I take care of it with a gun, a bullet, and a body bag. Nothing more, nothing less," Gevolli Diaz stalked around the couch, his meaty fingers tucked securely into his briefs. "However, my boy is quite fond of you, Henry Hart. And so are my ladies here." He gestured towards Charlotte and her mother. "I'll never know why. I don't see the charisma you supposedly display."

"Godfather," Charlotte inhaled. "This has to be some sort of misunderstanding"

"Quiet!" Gevolli Diaz's voice shook through the thin walls, his cigar nearly falling from his lips as he stared her down. "If you cut me off again, I will not hesitate to shoot this boy in his kneecaps and let him sit there in excruciating pain for several hours until I finally decide to amputate his legs slowly. Hell, I should be killing him now after the audacity he has to reject my son! My flesh and blood! He has brought shame to his kin!"

"You know better than to speak when he's talking." Her mother whispered harshly into her ear, her stance disciplined.

Charlotte inhaled again, her eyes flickering to the floor. She knew how to calm the alpha male down, she's done it years before the fallout she had with Andreas. Despite her and Andreas not talking for several years, she had kept into constant contact with Gevolli Diaz. She's known him all her life, and before she even knew how to walk, she was taught to view him as her lifelong Godfather, no matter what. However, Gevolli Diaz was a man of pride, kin, order, and money, and Henry Hart was neither of those to him. She knew when she needed to shut up.

Gevolli Diaz's hard eyes stayed fixed on the blond unblinkingly. "You're a good kid, I can see it. A strong one, stronger than my boy, and probably faster, too. But you aren't faster than a bullet. You aren't stronger than me, and I'm your worse nightmare." He knelt down to his level. "My friends are politicians, lawyers, judges, policemen, thieves, murderers, millionaires. I only associate with the highest of authority, how else will I keep my boy and I out of those bars? Lord knows we deserve it," His laugh was an low-pitched cackle. "My boy may have been behind bars once, but I assure you it was only to avoid the accusations of favoritism from pathetic locals. He was out the very next day. But, I'm telling you this because it's pointless to try and turn us in. You turn us in, you write your grave. That's a promise."

Gevolli's tiny eyes squinted, his big hand expertly moving to Henry's knee and pinched a nerve uncomfortably, rejoicing at the soft cry coming from from the blond's lips. "I've never liked you, Henry Hart.")


"His father did all of that? What the hell were they doing holding a family reunion in your house? What the hell was he doing threatening a seventeen year old?"

Charlotte shut her eyes. "Andreas is his father's weakness. Everyone knows this. Gevolli Diaz will kill a newborn with absolutely no remorse if it means his son will have guaranteed protection from the law. Everyone who's close to him knows this. Family and connections are crucial when it comes to the mafia."

"What is their mafia even called?"

Charlotte shrugged, "My mom knows all the ins and outs but she refuses to tell me in the fear I'll rebel against the oath she promised Gevolli Diaz's father when she was younger. Godfather especially won't tell methey know I won't keep their secrets. All I know is a lot of their family members still live somewhere in the northern part of Italy and because of that, they still have powerful connections circling through both Italy and North America. To put it shortly, they're very wealthy, self-established people who's family tree has held their superior title for decadesillegally."

Jasper shook his head in disbelief as he turned to Henry, "And you didn't do anything? Nor Ray? I understand he has lookouts in the state executive system but there has to be something you can do, right?" He ignored the confusion contorting on Charlotte's face. This question was much bigger than his secret.

"We would've died." Henry stated knowingly. "We would've been shot before we knew it. I knew this as soon as I walked in. Bullets are faster than both of us combined. I couldn't be the reason for Ray's downfall. Gevolli Diaz is an intelligent man. He'd know something was up before I could even try and contact Ray after he finished threatening me."

"All over you not wanting to hold a gun for his son? That's pathetic. Andreas Diaz's is truly a man of pride, I see. But where does he still come into all of this?"

"Well," Henry heaved out, "After the whole thing with Gevolli Diaz, it was difficult for Charlotte and I to go back into our same routine as if nothing ever happened. They came to her house because they knew I'd be there and they knew Charlotte nor her mother would do anything about it because of the debt they owe and the oath Ms. Bolton took."

Jasper felt the air get sucked out of his lungs as he turned to Charlotte. "What?" He breathed, "You never told me about any of this but you told Henry?"

Charlotte shook her head. "No, I swear I didn't. Godfather exposed everything to him. Willingly."

"What the fuck is this 'debt' you supposedly owe, anyway? I didn't think this much happened in the spam of three weeks."

Charlotte shifted uncomfortably. "That's something completely unrelated to what we're telling you right now."

"A couple days after that, Andreas came over my house again, but it was different this time. He wanted to talk, and I don't mean about what happened with his father. I mean talk about things he predicted to happen." Henry explained.


(Andreas looked around Henry's room unimpressed, his dark eyes scanning the red and blue theme with disdain. "So... this is your room, huh?"

Henry wanted to do nothing more than kick him out. "What are you doing here, Andreas?"

Andreas looked at him and smirked. "What am I doing here?" He laughed. "I came here to talk to an old friend, is all. Is that suddenly a crime?"

Henry glared, "I don't know, aren't crimes your forte?"

Andreas Diaz gave him the same look the night he came over last, after Henry turned his gun-sitting offer down. "Maybe," He said monotonously, "But I'm not here to talk about what happened between you and my father. I want to talk about you."

Henry scoffed. "Me?"

Andreas nodded, flashing him a sickly sweet smile. "Let's talk about Henry Hart." He stalked towards him, his dark, leathery attire sticking out in his room like a sore thumb. The damp mud at the bottom of his combats left light trails of dirt across the hardwood floor wherever he walked. "Let's talk about the sensational story of Henry Hart and Charlotte Bolton."

Henry shook his head. "I'm not doing this with you." Andreas was the biggest headache Henry has ever met. Just when he and Charlotte began to grow closer, Andreas had somehow circled his way back into both of their lives, attempting to taint them for the worse, and so far, he seemed to be succeeding.

"Remember last year when we were friends, Henry?" Andreas wondered aloud, pacing slowly. "Remember when Charlotte was my best friend, Henry?

"She used to be my best friend. Before Jasper, before knowing you, before your infatuation for her grew into love that you kept in for years." Andreas clicked his tongue knowingly, shielding the emotion on his face behind a smirk. "I know her. I knew the Charlotte before she grew into her signature personality. And let me tell you, Hart, she'll leave your ass the minute she realizes you're nothing but a man who'll hold her back."

Henry balled his fists. He knew what Andreas was doing.

Andreas wanted Henry to hit him, to knock him out, whatever the case may be, so he report back to that musclehead father of his.

But he wasn't going to feed into it. Not tonight.

"Your taunts don't faze me." The snarl in his tone proved his comment wrong.

"Hm," Andreas murmured, unconvinced. "Who said I was trying to taunt you? You're putting words in my mouth. All I'm doing is telling you facts, Hart. Facts that you can't change."

"We both know you're trying to rile me up. Quit trying to appear innocent."

"You're right." Andreas admitted as he moved behind him, his smiling lips brushing against the microscopic hairs on Henry's ear.

"I was her first love, you know. She'll always have a place in her heart that'll always love me. Even if it's just a little. And one day she'll leave you for me. She will, Hart. She will.")