"Shit," Jasper grunted quietly. His eyes squeezed together tightly as the sunlight invaded the bedroom through the large bay windows, shining directly onto his face and disturbing his sleep. He rubbed his tired eyes and face as he yawned, his eyes slowly blinking open and squinting as he adjusted to the light. He laid there a little confused because usually, the sunlight didn't hit him so directly when he usually woke up in the morning, both because Henry usually kept his curtains closed at night and the couch he slept on was next to the window. Then he remembered.

He wasn't in Henry's room, he was still in Piper's. It was then he became aware of the weight on his arm and the warmth radiating next to him. His heart sank to the pit of his stomach as he remembered the events of the night before. It started with them simply messing around and teasing each other, then after showering they smoked together in her room, they talked, and then… Oh fuck. He looked down at the sleeping girl next to him and swore under his breath. Her back was to him but he could see her bare back that was left uncovered by the blanket, and he could feel her bare skin against his own.

His mind was reeling. Last night really happened, it wasn't just a dream. He actually had sex with…Shit. Henry was going to kill him. He swore repeatedly in his head as he gradually pulled away from her, slowly removing his arm from underneath her sleeping frame and climbing out of her bed as calmly as possible. Fuck, fuck, fuck, shit, shit, shit. He carefully walked around her bed until he found his underwear and pajama pants, pulling them on as quietly as he could. He eyed her sleeping figure, making sure she didn't wake up as he got dressed. Once he was finished, he grabbed his phone and quietly left her bedroom, closing her door slowly so it didn't make any noise.

Once he was in the hallway, he exhaled heavily and ran his fingers through his hair. What the hell did he do? He couldn't believe he slept with Piper. Yes, she was attractive and he enjoyed looking at her and spending time with her, but he was never supposed to take it there. Henry was absolutely going to kill him if he ever found out. He groaned in frustration and looked at his phone to check the time. 8:27 am. Shit. Henry was probably asleep in his room and was bound to ask questions once he woke up after he snuck in. This was definitely going to be it and he would have to somehow have to explain to his best friend that he slept with his little sister.

He hesitated for a moment before walking down the hall to Henry's bedroom. He gripped the doorknob and turned it slowly, slowly pushing the door open and poking his head in gradually, and looking around for the blond. Much to his surprise the bedroom was empty and left the way he had it last night. He let out a breath of relief, glad that he didn't have to tell Henry anything just yet. He slipped inside and pulled on a thermal shirt before grabbing his cigarettes and leaving the room again to go downstairs.

He pulled on his sherpa-lined corduroy jacket and slipped on his slippers then stepped outside into the cold air, sighing contentedly as he breathed in the fresh air. He pushed his hair back and out of his face before his eyes settled on the BMW parked in the driveway. Raising an eyebrow, he walked over curiously and blinked in surprise when he peered inside the window and saw Henry slumped over in the driver's seat and his head laying on the steering wheel. He scratched his head and walked around to the driver's side. He knocked on the window, causing the blond to jump up in surprise and look around in a panicked confused daze. He looked out the window and relaxed upon seeing Jasper, slumping back against the seat as the other opened the door.

"Dude, did you sleep in here?" he asked and Henry nodded with a yawn.

"Yeah. Last night was crazy, I was high as hell and when I got home I just crashed."

"You drove home? High?!" he questioned with raised eyebrows. The blond groaned and rubbed his face before climbing out of the car and nudging the door closed.

"Chill dude, I managed to get home in one piece didn't I?" He waved him off dismissively and locked the car before trudging towards the door. Jasper pursed his lips together in a tight line and shook his head before following him. Usually, Henry wasn't stupid enough to drive while under the influence and put people at risk like that. But he wasn't going to poke or pry any more than he needed to.

"Whatever. How was your date with Tati?" he asked. He glanced down the street towards Charlotte's house. If she knew what Henry was up to, she'd lecture him for hours on end. The tall blond turned to face his friend, a smirk on his lips.

"Awesome, dude. The ecstasy was amazing and we were all over each other. We pulled into some alleyway and fucked right in the front seat," he reminisced. Jasper's face scrunched up in distaste and he let out a loud groan.

"What?! Man, that's a rental! You can't be fornicating and getting your…fluids all over it!" he complained. Henry rolled his eyes and turned away from him, walking inside the house. As the two of them entered, Piper made her way down the stairs and paused when she saw them. She and Jasper locked eyes and he froze as well, the events of the night before washing over him like a tsunami. She swallowed hard and closed her robe tighter around her frame as she slowly descended down the rest of the steps.

"Morning, Pipes," the blond greeted casually and walked past her as he went upstairs.

"Hey…" she said quietly and kept her eyes on Jasper. The raspberry blond cleared his throat and licked his lips anxiously.

"I'll be up in a second," he told his retreating friend. He mumbled an incomprehensible response, clearly not really caring. As the two stood face to face, Jasper nervously looked everywhere but her. He couldn't face her. How does someone face their best friend's little sister after sleeping with her?

Piper could feel the awkwardness and she hated it. She didn't think the morning after her first time would be so…weird. She always had this picture in her mind where she would wake up glowing. The birds would be singing and the sun would be shining, and next to her would be her lover eagerly awaiting for her to wake up. They'd share their morning greetings, say how amazing the night before was, and share gentle loving kisses. But this morning she was struck with the harshness of reality when she woke up alone in her bed. Maybe she was naive, maybe she was juvenile, but it made her a little sad.

Hating the silence, she cleared her throat and finally spoke. "I didn't expect you to be gone when I woke up this morning…"

"Yeah. I, uh…I needed a smoke," he explained as he kept his eyes on his slippers. She nodded a little and looked around awkwardly. He rocked on his heels and rubbed his palms together before chuckling. "I didn't even get to smoke because I saw Henry sleeping in the BMW after his date." That caught the blonde's attention. She looked up at him and furrowed her eyebrows together.

"He had a date last night? With who?" Jasper looked at her, finally finding the ability to. He suddenly remembered his plan and realized this was the perfect time to enact it. He cleared his throat and glanced up the stairs before looking at Piper again.

"You know, that's a funny story…"

"Thank you so much for having me in your home, Miss Bolton," Jasmine said with a smile. Diana smiled as well and gave the young woman a comforting hug before pulling away and handing her the bag filled with leftovers.

"Oh, don't mention it, sweetheart. Thank you for spending Thanksgiving with us. Will I see you again for Christmas?"

"Absolutely, I'll definitely drive back down for the holiday," she confirmed. Diana nodded with a smile before leaving her and Charlotte to say their goodbyes. Once she left, the two of them shared a look before sighing and hugging each other again. Their time in Swellview was hard, especially on Charlotte, and she was sad that she couldn't show her friend a better side of her hometown before she left. Saturday had crept up on them faster than they planned and now she was going back to California and she was going to be left to pick up the pieces of her relationship with Henry with Tati's help. If she was even willing to help.

"Call me when you get there, alright? And don't worry about Tati, she just got home late so she's still sleeping. She'll probably text you when she wakes up," she said. Jasmine sighed and nodded, grabbing her suitcase and making her way outside with Charlotte.

"I don't care about that messy bitch. But I do have to tell you something and I guess this is the best time to do it." The curly haired woman looked at her curiously and wrapped her arms around herself to give herself a little more warmth.

"What is it?" she asked. The younger woman glanced at the house briefly then looked at Charlotte again.

"You need to keep an eye on Tati. I don't know for sure, but I have a feeling she's after Henry and I wouldn't be surprised if it was him that she went out with last night," she said carefully. Charlotte's eyebrows knitted together in confusion as she stared at her. That didn't make any sense to her. Tati was her friend, why would she go after someone she knew she cared about?

"What? They barely even know each other, Jas," she countered. The other sighed and nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, but you know Tati. When has that ever stopped her? She sees a guy she thinks is fine and she goes after him, no matter what. She's messy with a capital M. And think about how she's been acting, especially when it comes to you and Henry." Charlotte felt her heartbeat quicken and her mouth went dry. Tatiana had been acting a little weird whenever she spoke about Henry recently. She noticed the eye rolls, the sighs, and the passive aggressive comments. But she figured that was just Tati being Tati. But maybe Jasmine was right, maybe she was just being blind this whole time and focusing on Henry. Did she have a snake living with her?

"I'm just saying," Jasmine continued, "be careful and watch your back. Because that bitch is slowly sticking a knife in it." She gave her a pointed look as her Güber pulled up. Charlotte pursed her lips together tightly as she thought about it and nodded, giving her one final hug.

"Thank you for telling me," she said. Jasmine nodded and rubbed her back gently before pulling away from the hug.

"Call me if anything goes down and I'll leave that job in a heartbeat and come down here to help you kick her ass," she said. The two of them shared a laugh and Charlotte walked her to the car. They exchanged goodbyes and she waved as the car drove off.

She sighed and stood on the sidewalk for a moment as she thought over everything Jasmine told her. A part of her said that it must've been a misunderstanding. Jasmine and Tati never really got along and were often at odds. She didn't want to actually think about the possibility of someone she considered a good friend doing that to her. But Charlotte had to be realistic. Tatiana was an absolutely messy person and never held any qualms about hooking up with taken guys and doing what she could to get whatever she wanted. Did she really want Henry? Was she the cause behind him not wanting to talk to her? The idea made her stomach twist up in anxious knots. She had to get to the bottom of it.

She turned on her heels and made her way back to her house. She was going to make it quick and to the point. Just go up to her room, wake her up, and ask her whether she was a fake lying snake or not. She walked inside and was about to head upstairs when her mother stole her attention from the kitchen.

"Char! Honey, go and get dressed so we can go to the soup kitchen," she called out. The young woman sighed quietly. She forgot that her mother had a tradition of going to the soup kitchen the Saturday after Thanksgiving with leftovers to give out to people. It was a kind and selfless gesture that Charlotte was always proud of but it came at the worst time at the moment. She looked up the stairs in thought. She could probably just talk to Tati when they got home later. It would also give her time to think about what she could say.

"Alright, I'll be ready in a minute," she called back to her mother before going up to the second floor. As she made her way to her bedroom, she stopped when Tati's door opened and the woman stepped out as she yawned. She rubbed her tired eyes and looked at Charlotte, giving her a sleepy smile.

"Morning. Did Jas leave already?" she asked with another yawn. "I don't know why she had to go so early."

"It's after 10 am," she chuckled. She bit down on the corner of her lip and folded her arms as she turned to her fully. "Hey, can I ask you something? Who did you go out with last night?" Tati looked at her and raised an eyebrow. She licked her lips a little and leaned against the wall, doing her best to appear as casual as possible.

"Why do you want to know? It's just some guy I know," she replied. Charlotte stared at her for a few seconds. Why wouldn't she just say who it was?

"Was it Henry?" she asked bluntly. The brunette blinked in surprise before scoffing.

"What?"

"Did you go out with Henry last night?"

"Girl," she scoffed again and rolled her eyes. "Why would I go out with your ex? I'm a messy bitch but not that messy. I went out with Sidney okay? I just didn't want to hear you guys judging me for going out with him." Charlotte's face didn't change as she stared at her. She wanted to believe her but for some reason, she just couldn't. Something wasn't right. Tati could tell that she wasn't buying it and she started to get a little nervous. Did someone snitch? Did someone see them and tell her? She lifted herself off of the wall and walked closer to her friend.

"Who put this idea into your head, hm?" she asked with narrow eyes. "Jasmine? You know that bitch has never liked me." Charlotte sighed and shook her head. She didn't want to name Jasmine and possibly cause a fight between the two of them. This was between her and Tati.

"I…just want to make sure you and I are good. You're one of my best friends and I need your support right now," she said softly. Tati offered her a small smile and hugged her tightly.

"I have your back, sis. You don't have to worry about me." As they pulled away from the hug, Charlotte smiled at her and nodded.

"Thank you. I'm going to get ready to go to the soup kitchen," she said. Tati nodded as she stepped away from her.

"Cool. I'm gonna wash up, eat, then probably stay in bed all day. That boy wore me out last night," she said with a laugh. Charlotte chuckled and nodded, watching as she walked off and went into the bathroom. As the door closed, her smile slowly fell from her face. She was lying about something, she knew it. She was just going to have to get to the bottom of it on her own.

It was 2:30 pm when Henry finally woke up. He yawned as he rolled onto his back and stared up at his ceiling. The memories of last night played in his head like a movie. A really trashy movie where he hooked up with a girl in a rental car while they were both high as hell. He groaned and rubbed his eyes with his fingers. It was starting to hit him that maybe it wasn't a good idea to sleep with his ex's best friend. That was just bound to get messy. His thoughts were interrupted by loud growling from his stomach. He grabbed his phone to look at the time and sighed. He not only missed breakfast, but he also missed lunch and he was starving.

He swung his legs out of bed and got up, stretching his arms above his head with a groan. He scratched the back of his head as he left his bedroom and made his way downstairs. As he entered the kitchen, he spotted Piper sitting at the round table typing away on her phone. He chuckled softly at the sight. Nothing had changed with her at all.

"Hey, Pipes," he greeted as he made his way to the fridge. He was met with silence but he wasn't surprised by that. He opened the door and stared inside the fridge to see what he could eat. It was mainly stuffed with leftovers from Thanksgiving and he knew he would be eating them for days on end. He took out some of the leftover turkey as he decided to make a sandwich.

"Where's mom, dad, and Jasper?" he asked as he started to fix his sandwich. He was met with silence again and he raised an eyebrow as he looked at her. "Piper?"

"What?" she answered sharply. He eyed her for a moment before rolling his eyes as he focused on his sandwich again.

"I asked where everyone was."

"Mom and dad went out shopping again and Jasper went for a jog, okay?" She rolled her eyes and turned her attention to her phone again. The elder Hart sighed and grabbed a can of soda after preparing his sandwich. He sat across from her at the table and popped open his can.

"What's your problem?" he questioned. She looked up at him with a scowl.

"You're my problem, fuckboy," she answered. He chuckled in disbelief and took a bite of his sandwich, leaning back in his chair and shrugging his shoulders.

"What the hell did I do?" he asked with knitted eyebrows.

"You went on a date with Charlotte's friend last night. That's so gross and backhanded!" she replied. He sighed when he heard her, figuring Jasper told her. He was going to kill him for blabbing.

"That's none of your business," he countered.

"Yes, it is! Char's my best friend and I have every right to call you out on your grimy bullshit!" she shot back at him. "How could you do that to her? Does she even know?" He rolled his eyes and grabbed his plate as he stood up. He wasn't about to be questioned like he was wrong when Charlotte kept an entire engagement from him. When he walked out of the kitchen, she quickly got up from the table and followed him.

"Henry!"

"Piper, she's engaged!" he exasperated as he turned to look at her. "Tati is single and we kind of hit it off, so we went out! It's not against the law!"

"She's not getting married, you dingus!" she yelled.

"Yes, she is!" he yelled back.

"No, she's not!" she yelled louder. "He fucking cheated on her right before she came back to Swellview! She's leaving him!" Henry took a step back and his face contorted in confusion.

"What the hell are you talking about?" he asked. He placed his plate and soda down before folding his arms and looking at his frustrated sister. She sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Jasper told me that he and Char talked yesterday, and she explained that her fiancé cheated on her and she caught them when she was on her way here. So, she was just so panicked and upset that she just got in the car and left without really breaking things off. Therefore, she's kinda still engaged but obviously, she's leaving him and wants to be with your stupid ass for some reason," she explained. He slowly placed a hand on his head and silently wished he still had hair so he could rip it out. Every word she said hit him like a freight train and his vision began to blur a little. There was no way, she had to be wrong.

"But- but- are you fucking serious?" he asked shakily. The door suddenly opened and Jasper made his way inside, removing the earbuds from his ears. Henry turned and stared at him with panicked eyes. "Dude! Did Charlotte talk to you yesterday?!" The broad blond looked at his friend then at the blonde behind him. She shrugged her shoulders dismissively and leaned back against the bar as she watched them. Jasper let out a heavy breath and ran his fingers through his hair. Maybe it was a mistake to tell Piper.

"Yeah, before we went to Sidney's," he admitted. Henry felt his stomach sink to his feet as his heart drummed against his chest rapidly.

"Bro, what the fuck!" he practically screamed. "Why wouldn't you tell me?!"

"She told me not to! She wanted to tell you herself!" he explained. "Plus, she literally tried to tell you before she told me!"

"Yeah, and you're a dick and didn't listen to her," Piper added. Henry glared at her before breathing hard through his nostrils. He shook his head quickly. This wasn't happening. It couldn't have been true. Tati told him the truth, didn't she? But why would Charlotte lie to Jasper about her relationship? His mind was reeling and he didn't know what to do. If they were right, then he made a massive mistake last night.

"No," he breathed out as he rubbed the side of his neck in an attempt to work out a sudden knot that appeared. "T-Tati literally told me that they're like crazy in love and Char didn't tell me because I was just supposed to be a fling."

"That doesn't even sound like Charlotte," Piper deadpanned. "I don't know what the hell happened between you two but I know Charlotte would never use someone like that or be a cheater."

"Did you even consider the fact that Tati may have been the one lying and not Char?" Jasper questioned. Their voices were so loud suddenly and Henry's head was pounding. He couldn't deal with this, he couldn't deal with the fact that they could be right. He stammered a little before scoffing and beelining to the door.

"I need some air," was all he mumbled before he left. The cold air hit him hard and it almost disoriented him more than he already was. His brain spiraled and his head pounded. All he could think about was what he did last night, the way he rejected Charlotte before, and the look on her face once she found out that he slept with her friend. He tried to tell himself that it wasn't really his fault and he wasn't really guilty of anything. He was single, he wasn't obligated to Charlotte in any way, and she does technically have a fiancé. He shouldn't feel bad about breaking some unwritten rule about hooking up with an ex's friend. It was a stupid and juvenile rule anyway. They were adults now and he had every right to do whatever the hell he wanted.

So why was he practically running to her house? And why was he hoping, praying, wishing that she would be there and they could set things straight? He didn't even know what he wanted the truth to be. If Jasper and Piper were telling the truth, then he fucked up massively and would have to repair the pieces of their shattered relationship by himself. If Tati was right, then he really did lose Charlotte and for him, that would be worse than death. No matter how hurt or angry he was, he never wanted to lose her. He needed her more than he would ever admit. When he reached her door, he began to pound on it rapidly and as hard as he could. He just needed to talk to her. He pounded on the door until it finally opened, but instead of Charlotte, it was Tati who stood before him.

"Henry? Why are you pounding on the door like that?" she asked, slightly annoyed. She was having a good nap when the loud banging woke her up.

"Did you lie to me?" he asked suddenly and caught her off guard. She blinked a few times then stared at him blankly.

"Uh, what?"

"Did you lie to me?" he repeated. "About Charlotte and her fiancé? Did he cheat on her? Is she actually going to leave him? Did you just straight up lie about everything?!" He breathed heavily as he felt himself panicking more and more. She narrowed her eyes briefly before scoffing.

"No, I didn't lie. Why the hell would I lie about that? They're getting married," she confirmed.

"Okay, then why are my sister and my best friend telling me that she's not? You know what, I need to talk to Charlotte. Where is she?" Tati sighed and scratched the back of her head as she looked away from him. She was starting to panic as well because things were starting to fall apart and were going to blow up in her face. She needed to figure out how to get herself back on the higher ground because she was not going to let all her work go to waste. She soon got an idea and grabbed his wrist, pulling him inside the house.

"Come on," she instructed. She ignored him as he protested and asked for Charlotte, pulling him upstairs and to Charlotte's bedroom. He sighed and watched her as she rummaged through the vanity's drawers and looked all over the dresser.

"What are you looking for?" he asked with frustration dripping from his voice. He didn't have time for this. He just wanted to see Charlotte. The brunette continued her search before smirking to herself and turning to him.

"This," she said simply before holding up a diamond ring. Henry felt his heart sink to his feet at the sight of it. It was extravagant and flashy, not something Charlotte would usually like. She watched him for a moment before taking a deep breath. "This is her engagement ring, Henry. Still think I'm lying?" He scratched his forehead as he stared at it. He didn't want to believe it just yet. He wanted to hold onto that tiny bit of hope that he had.

"But, she doesn't even wear it-"

"Because she didn't want you to know she was engaged, Henry! For fucks sake!" she snapped with an exasperated eye roll. "Obviously she wouldn't wear it because she didn't want anyone to notice. You know her, she plans this shit out."

She had an answer for everything and Henry hated it. His head was just in a cloud of confusion and he didn't know what to do. He was being pulled back and forth by his emotions and his brain. How was he supposed to actually come to terms with everything when he didn't know exactly what was going on. The sound of a car door slamming closed yanked him out of his thoughts. He walked past Tati and looked out of the window, seeing Charlotte and Miss Bolton getting out of the car. His heart skipped a beat and he decided he'd get his definitive answer from her and her only. Without saying a word, he turned and quickly ran out of the room and downstairs.

"Henry!" Tati called after him and ran behind him. She let out a series of expletives in her head. She didn't think everything would fall apart so quickly. Henry ran down the stairs and rushed to the door, swinging it open just as Charlotte started to open it. She stumbled back at the sight of him and blinked a few times, unconsciously clutching the plastic bags she held even tighter.

"Henry? What- what are you doing here?" she asked as her mom walked up behind her and stared at him just as confused. He licked his lips nervously and cracked his knuckles.

"I really need to talk to you," he breathed out. He fidgeted anxiously and she found herself growing more worried as the seconds passed. She glanced over his shoulder and saw Tati behind him, looking almost as nervous as he was. She looked at him again and nodded slowly.

"Okay-"

"Charlotte!" a voice called out, stealing all of their attention. She turned towards it and audibly gasped, the bags in her hands hitting the floor. Henry's eyebrows came together in confusion and Diana stared curiously as well, while Tati couldn't help the smirk that grew on her face. She had completely forgotten about her backup plan.

Eduardo Ariaz stepped out of his car with his golden bronze skin glowing under the sunlight. His curly black hair fell over his forehead and dangled over his green eyes which became more visible as he pushed the soft tresses back. His full lips were stretched out into a charming smile that only seemed to get bigger as he approached her. Diana took a step aside as this gorgeous specimen approached her daughter, his eyes only on her before he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into a tight embrace. Charlotte remained frozen as he hugged her, her mouth agape as he squeezed her petite frame then pulled away to look at her.

"I'm back baby," he said with a big smile. He then shot a glance at the blond behind her before he cupped the back of her head and leaned in, pressing a passionate kiss to her lips. She yelped in surprise at the sudden kiss and her eyes doubled in size, her arms flailing slightly before she gripped his shoulders and tried to push him off.

As if the display didn't sting enough, Tati stalked up behind Henry and whispered in his ear, "Told you." His jaw tensed and he clenched his fists tightly, his head nodding slowly. He got the answer he needed.

A/N: Thank you for reading!