As soon as Jasper got up and went upstairs to check on Henry, Piper quickly stood up and followed him. The entire atmosphere in the house had changed and she was sure that everyone was thinking the same things that she was. Before Jasper could slip into Henry's room, she ran up behind him and smacked his back. He winced and turned to stare at her.

"Ow! What the hell was that for?!"

"What the fuck is going on?! Char's engaged? And do she and Henry have a thing going?!" she asked as she gestured around frantically. The raspberry blond sighed and ran his hand over his face. He only just realized that Piper had no idea about Henry and Charlotte's relationship years ago and she definitely didn't know about the complicated dynamic they had now.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, trying to play dumb. She rolled her eyes and folded her arms as she glared at him.

"Oh, I don't know. My dad asked where Charlotte's fiancé is. Henry looked like he was kicked in the nuts then stormed upstairs, and she came up here then went back downstairs in tears. So, clearly, something is going on between the two of them and I want to know about it."

"Look," he sighed, "I can't talk about it right now, alright? I gotta check on Henry." He quickly opened the door and slipped inside, closing it behind him before she could ask any more questions. She huffed in annoyance and hesitated a moment before quickly going downstairs. She grabbed her jacket from the coat rack and pulled it on.

"Piper? Honey, where are you going?" Kris asked curiously as she watched her. The blonde looked at her mother briefly as she opened the door.

"I'm going to check on Charlotte. Bye!" she answered before quickly leaving and rushing down the sidewalk to Charlotte's house.

Inside, Charlotte lay on the couch, sobbing against the arm. She was completely devastated. It wasn't supposed to happen like that. In an ideal world, he was never going to find out about Eddy and she'd just break up with him quietly then enjoy a life with Henry again. But she knew that was stupid, she knew Henry would find out eventually, she just didn't want him to find out at dinner in front of everyone. A part of her wondered if she was right about them not being good together because it seemed like they constantly crashed and burned. She didn't move when she heard the front door open and a series of rushed footsteps litter in.

"Charlotte, honey? What happened?" Diana asked as she rushed over to her daughter and knelt in front of her, gently placing a hand on her shoulder.

"He was so angry, I've never seen him like that before," she choked out between her shaky sobs. "He demanded to know if I was really engaged and I tried to explain what happened but he was just so angry that he wouldn't even let me!"

"Oh, Char," Jasmine sighed and sat next to her, patting her leg gently. Tati shook her head.

"You really got yourself deep in some shit now," she said. Jasmine shot her a miffed look and she shrugged her shoulders dismissively. Charlotte sniffled and wiped away her tears despite the fact that they continued to fall.

"I don't know what to do. He wouldn't even talk to me! He just kept cutting me off and telling me to go," she explained with a sigh.

"So, kinda like you did to him?" Tati retorted and Jasmine sent her an angry glare.

"Tatiana, for fucks sake!"

"No, no she's right," Charlotte mumbled. "This is all karma. I messed us up years ago, I messed us up again. I'm just…a disaster…"

"Charlotte Ruth Page," Diana said sternly, "you made a mistake. Yes, you should have told him about Eduardo, but he's also just angry and confused. You are not a disaster, you're just human." She grabbed some napkins that she quickly took from the table and gently wiped away her daughter's tears. It broke her heart seeing her like this. She never wanted her to feel pain, to feel such heartbreak, but it was part of life and being an adult. A part she always dreaded her daughter knowing.

"Yeah, you just have to talk to him. Explain that you and Eddy are done," Jasmine said softly.

"Look, Char," Tati started with a sigh as she went around the couch to face her. She knelt down and looked at her. "I'm just being a bitch, okay? I'm sorry. Your mom and Jas are right. This will blow over in no time. Just give Henry some time and talk to him, explain what's going on and he'll be back in your arms in no time." Charlotte sighed heavily and closed her eyes as she tried to calm down her shaky breathing. She knew they were all right. This was just a messy situation that would easily be fixed once she sat down and talked to him. Just like she needed time (and to be ambushed) he needed time as well. Accepting her fate, she sat up straight and nodded her head quickly as she sniffled.

"Okay, yeah. Yeah, I'll talk to him tomorrow," she said mostly to herself. She relished in the comfort that her mom and friends brought her, Tati sitting on the other side of her and rubbing her back as Jasmine rubbed her knee gently. Her mother helped her to wipe her tears again before standing up and walking into the kitchen to fix her some tea. A knock on the door earned their attention and Jasmine went to open it, blinking when she saw Piper.

"Hi! Sorry, can I see if Char's okay?" she asked and Jasmine let her in. The blonde made her way to the couch and Charlotte sighed when she saw her. She swallowed the urge to yell at her for not telling her about her relationship with Henry and instead sat next to her,

placing a comforting hand on her shoulder and opting to speak gently. "Hey…you alright?"

"No," Charlotte admitted with a sniffle, "but I will be. Everything's just…a mess." Piper nodded in understanding and held her hand, rubbing and squeezing it gently.

"Okay, I get it. But just so you know, when you calm down, I'm so going to yell at you for not telling me that you're engaged and that you have some kind of thing going on with my brother," she said and Charlotte breathed out a soft chuckle. They had a lot to go over.

Back at the Hart household, Henry laid on his back on his bed as he stared at his ceiling. His mind was reeling and he felt sick to his stomach. Engaged. Charlotte was engaged. She was going to marry another man and live her life without him. The news made him feel like last night meant nothing. He bared his soul to her for nothing, she didn't feel the same way he did, and them having sex was just that…sex. A fling. He felt so stupid. He should've known that they couldn't easily get back together after being apart for four years. He should've known that someone else would've fallen for her and made her happy. He just didn't understand why she didn't tell him.

"So, she's really engaged?" Jasper asked as he sat on the couch atop the loft. Henry kept his eyes on the ceiling as he nodded.

"I asked her and she said yes…"

"Fuck," the other breathed out. "Why didn't she tell us? Tell you?!"

"I don't know!" the blond yelled in frustration and got up from the bed. "I don't fucking understand how she could just not tell me this! I mean…I literally asked her last night if there was anyone else and…" He breathed out heavily as he ran his hand over his hair. Jasper watched him curiously.

"Did she say no?"

"I mean…she didn't really say. She didn't say no but she didn't say yes either, you know?"

"And what did she say tonight?"

"I was so pissed I barely even let her speak," he admitted with a sigh. "I just couldn't get over it. Fucking engaged…"

"Look," Jasper started as he stood up, "you and I know Charlotte well. She wouldn't keep something like this from us. Not even Piper knew she was engaged. Maybe something's going on, you know? Maybe it's all a misunderstanding." He tried to reason both for Henry and himself. It didn't make sense that she would hide this from them. It seemed as if she and her friends knew something that they didn't, which is why this guy wasn't brought up at all. He made his way down the stairs as Henry anxiously cracked his knuckles while pacing the floor. He shook his head as he let his words register.

"No, she's definitely engaged. She said so. She said something about not marrying him though but I stopped listening," he said and the raspberry blond sighed.

"Okay. You need to calm down. Smoke a joint or something and when you relax, go and talk to her. And actually let her speak this time." Henry let out a heavy breath and nodded reluctantly. He did start to feel a little bad for not letting her explain herself. It would only be fair to get her side of the story. He continued to pace around the room as Jasper prepared a blunt for him. He'd smoke it and go over to her house later to talk to her. Maybe Jasper was right, maybe they were just missing something and she could easily help quell his anxious thoughts. Maybe.

Later that night, Tatiana sighed softly as she pulled on a robe, covering her pajama shorts and tank top. She tied it closed and slipped on her slippers, grabbing a box of cigarettes before making her way downstairs. She made sure to move quietly so she didn't wake anyone up, especially Charlotte who had basically cried herself to sleep. Seeing her so devastated made her feel bad. A part of her held onto the idea that she didn't really want to be with Henry and wanted to only have a platonic relationship with him, but the way she cried for him tonight told her that was completely wrong. She definitely still loved him. It was disappointing because she found Henry attractive, but she also didn't want to hurt her friend that way.

She patted at her curly ponytail as she made it to the door and slipped outside into the cold night. She sat on the bench on the porch and took out a cigarette, placing it between her lips and lighting it before taking a drag. Releasing a pleased sigh, she placed the cigarette between two of her slim fingers and held it as she relaxed against the back of the bench. As she enjoyed the nicotine invading her lungs and the silence of the November night, she heard footsteps approaching and looked in the direction of them curiously. She was surprised to see Henry walking towards the house then climbing the stairs to the porch. He pushed the hood of his hoodie down and flashed her a small sheepish smile.

"Hey, Tati."

"Uh, hey," she replied and snickered a little. "What are you doing here? It's 3 am…"

"Oh, my dad gets up super early to go black Friday shopping, and his bustling around woke me up so…" He trailed off and shrugged his shoulders, looking down at his Vans. She nodded a little and watched him curiously as she took another drag of her cigarette. "Um. Is Charlotte awake? I wanted to talk to her," he finally said as he lifted his head to look at her.

"No, she's been crying since she left your place and now she's asleep. Crying kinda wears you out," she explained with a dismissive shrug of one shoulder. Henry let out a mirthless chuckle and nodded.

"Alright, hint taken. I'll come by later. Thanks," he mumbled and turned around to walk down the stairs. Tati bit down on her lip as she watched him. She wanted to be a good friend to Charlotte, she really did. But damn he was so cute, and Char didn't properly appreciate him when she had him. And like she told Jasmine, they were both single and grown. They could do whatever the hell they wanted to do.

"You want a smoke? You look like you could need one," she offered and he glanced at her. He smiled a little and turned back around, walking over and plopping down next to her on the bench.

"Yeah. I had a blunt to calm down but I could still use this," he said as he took a cigarette from her. He placed it between his lips and leaned over as she lit it for him. Once she did, he took a deep drag of it and leaned back against the bench, blowing out the smoke from the corner of his mouth. The two of them smoked in silence for a few moments before Henry inhaled deeply and slowly let out the breath.

"Listen, um…I kind of freaked out on Charlotte and didn't really let her explain her side to me but maybe you can help me out a little. Is she really engaged? Is she really going to marry this guy?" he asked and looked at her. She glanced at him and even with the porch illuminated with only one warm light, she could see the sincerity and vulnerability in his brown eyes. She bit down on her lip.

This is it. You gotta make your choice. Whatever she said to him was going to make him forgive Charlotte and go back to her. She would get the second chance she talked about and they would be happy forever. Just like always, Charlotte would get whatever she wanted while she was left behind. Or, she could be selfish and finally get the perfect guy all to herself.

"Tati?" he spoke and pulled her out of her thoughts. She looked at him again and he licked his lips anxiously. "Can you tell me anything about him?" She sighed heavily and took another hit of her cigarette then blew out the smoke slowly.

"His name is Eduardo Ariaz," she finally answered and Henry felt his heart sink to his stomach. "She got with him a month after she started at Stanford." He closed his eyes slowly and leaned back, swallowing a heavy lump that grew in his throat.

"A month..?" he managed to say and she nodded.

"Yeah, and he proposed to her this past May at her graduation party," she explained. He nodded a little and his jaw tightened as he squeezed his eyes shut. He let out a shaky breath and opened his eyes to look at her again.

"But um…she said she wasn't marrying him. She said that a couple of times. Is that true? Did something happen?" he asked with an air of desperation in his voice. He needed a hint, a sign, any reason for him to hold onto his love for Charlotte. He didn't want to lose her. She was everything to him. Tatiana could see the desperation and vulnerability in his eyes and she could feel a pang of guilt in the pit of her stomach. This was it. She had to make her choice. She licked her lips and shifted so she was facing him more.

"Henry…I'm sorry, but she is marrying him. She loves him like crazy and he's a good guy. He's super smart, comes from money, and is really sweet. They've been going strong for four years. They're like…a perfect match," she said. It felt like all the air was knocked out of him when he heard that. He closed his eyes as if that would shut her words out and keep them from being real. He wanted her to stop and say she was wrong, but she kept going. "They've been happily planning their wedding too and I think they set the date for next year. The only reason he didn't come with us is that he went to visit extended family in Colombia and she chose to come here because of the letter her mom wrote."

"I see…" he said with a strained voice. He sighed and opened his eyes but stared down at the floor. "So, I guess I was just a fling huh?" She bit down on her lip and placed a sympathetic hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Hen. I told her to tell you about him but she said there was no need to because the two of you weren't staying here for long. She said you were only going to see each other for a few weeks then go your separate ways so there was no point," she said as she rubbed his shoulder gently. Her stomach twisted a little as she started to feel guilty. This was wrong, she was wrong. She was hurting him by saying all of this, but it was going to be okay. She would be able to comfort him. Henry looked forlorn as he shook his head a little in disbelief, his voice soft and broken.

"I bared my whole heart to her last night, I told her how much I loved her. And I…I thought she felt the same way. I thought last night was the start of something new…" He spoke mainly to himself as he tried to process everything. He didn't want to believe that Charlotte could be that cold and could lie to his face the way she did. But he remembered that years had passed since they last saw each other. He had changed, and clearly, she changed as well. He didn't even recognize her anymore. His heart shattered into a million pieces as he sunk back against the bench. He felt Tati's warm hand gently press against his cheek and he turned his head to look at her, meeting her warm brown eyes.

"If it's any consolation, I never would've done this to you. I would've told you about Eddy right away. Shit, there wouldn't even be an Eddy because I wouldn't have let you go in the first place," she said softly as she gently brushed away a tear that rolled down his cheek. He chuckled a little and captured his lower lip between his teeth as he looked down sheepishly.

"Thank you," he mumbled and she smiled a little.

"Hey, how about you and I go out tomorrow night? Or, well, tonight since it's technically Friday," she added with a chuckle. "You can take me to the coolest club in Swellview and I can help you forget all about Charlotte. How does that sound?" He thought it over. His only plans were going to be sulking in his bed and pining over Charlotte. But since she clearly didn't care about him, he wasn't going to care about her. And Tati was clearly the perfect person to help him move on. He grinned a little and nodded.

"Yeah, sounds good. I'll pick you up at 10?" When she nodded in agreement, he nodded as well and patted her knee before standing up. He put his cigarette out and sighed as he looked at her with a melancholy smile. "Thank you for being honest with me. I appreciate it."

"No problem, I'll always tell you the truth," she replied with a smile. They said goodnight to each other as he walked off of the porch and returned to his house. Tatiana grinned to herself and bit down on her lip, taking a few last puffs of her cigarette before putting it out. She sighed happily as she stood and made her way back inside.

She was finally starting to have fun in Swellview.

A/N: This was another favorite chapter to write, ha. Thank you to everyone who has been following, favoriting, reviewing, and reading! Ever since I changed the rating, the views have been amazing and I truly appreciate everyone who is giving this story a chance. I hope you're all enjoying it as much as I enjoy writing it and I would love if you shared your thoughts! I really love reading the reviews. Thank you!