A few days later, Henry found himself at the mall returning the closet of designer items Tati had bought. While Ray was kind enough to give him the money he owed Jasper, he figured it would also be a good idea to try and get back as much money as he could so he could pay back Ray. Or, he could give that money to Jasper. He was rather indecisive about that since he still hadn't gone to see Jasper yet, because going to see him risked him running into Charlotte, and he didn't know what he'd do if that happened.

So, he distracted himself by returning everything Tati bought and completely removing any evidence of her from his life. He blocked her number and ignored all her calls and texts before that, and he wished he could erase all of the stupid memories he created with her. He sighed heavily as he stood at the counter of a jewelry store, idly looking through his phone as the girl behind the counter checked his receipt for a diamond tennis bracelet Tati bought for herself. He still couldn't believe he let her buy that.

"It's a gorgeous bracelet. Your girlfriend didn't like it?" she asked. Henry looked at her and shrugged as he gesticulated idly.

"She loved it but my wallet didn't and she didn't like my wallet. So she's gone and so is the bracelet," he explained. Her eyebrows raised a little and she nodded in understanding as she looked over the receipt once again.

"I see, I've seen that a lot. It's a shame." She put the receipt away before opening the cash register and starting to count out the money. "It's a shame, she must feel like such an idiot. She's lost a gorgeous bracelet and a cute boyfriend." At that comment, his eyebrows raised up to his hairline and he felt his cheeks heat up a little.

Was she…flirting with him? Well…of course she was! She probably didn't call all her customers cute…right? It reminded him a lot of when he met Joss and now he had to fight himself to resist the urge to start giggling again. It was hard though because he tended to turn to mush whenever he dealt with pretty girls flirting with him, and she was definitely pretty. She had gorgeous mahogany brown skin and dark chocolate brown eyes, along with long black box braids that just added to her beauty. He wondered how he didn't notice how gorgeous she was before she spoke up. Before he could respond though, she closed the register drawer and handed him his money with a small smile on her brown lipstick-covered lips.

"Your $2,500 refund, sir," she said. He grinned a little and took the money, their fingers brushing together lightly as he chuckled a little and put the money away.

"Thanks," he said with a grin. He placed the money in his pocket when he noticed something on the display. It was a silver bracelet with multiple Parisian charms on it, some in the shape of the Eiffel tower and some in the shape of little bistros and shoes. A small smile tugged on his lips at the sight of it, Charlotte immediately coming to mind as she had such a love for Paris and always talked about how she wanted to visit there. The young woman behind the counter noticed him looking and she walked over to it, taking it off the display.

"It's a beautiful bracelet," she began, "sterling silver with diamond and sterling silver charms. Anyone would be very lucky to have it." He chuckled a little, knowing she was just trying to sell it. But there was nothing wrong with maybe buying Charlotte a gift right? It was the holiday season after all and he could maybe give it to Jasper to give it to her. He chewed on his bottom lip as he thought it over then looked up at the beautiful woman.

"How much?"

"$399. They're real diamonds," she said. He nodded and took out the money she gave to him, counting out the amount needed and handing it to her. As she began to pack up the bracelet, he wondered for a moment if he should ask for her number. It would be nice to have but a part of him wasn't sure if he was ready yet. He was still pining for Charlotte - hell, he just spent four hundred bucks on her - and just got rid of Tati, would it be a good idea to possibly start something with this girl? After placing the bracelet in a box and placing that in a small gift bag, she handed it to him with a smile. He leaned in a little and read the nametag on her chest.

"Camille. Thanks, Camille."

"See you around," she said with a small wave. He returned the wave before leaving the store without getting her number. It wasn't the right time and he wasn't ready for it. Maybe he would the next time their paths crossed.

But now, now he had to do something he was dreading. He had returned everything and his choices were to either waste his time and procrastinate with Ray or finally try to talk to Jasper and risk seeing Charlotte. He groaned as he climbed into the car and ran his fingers through his hair. No use in delaying the inevitable anymore, he needed to get this out of the way both because it would be good for them and because he wanted his best friend back. He hated whenever they fought and usually they made up quickly, but this time Henry had caused too much damage and now he needed to fix it.

His leg shook anxiously as he drove and it shook faster as he turned onto his street and approached the familiar house. He hoped that he would be lucky and Jasper would maybe be outside having a smoke. The idea of knocking on the door and having Miss Bolton open it was a terrifying possibility. He had a lot of respect for the woman but after their last…talk, he knew he wasn't her favorite person at the moment and she wouldn't be happy to see him. He took in a deep breath as he pulled up to the car and stared out of his window as if he was trying to will Jasper to come out on his own.

And.

He'll be damned. The door opened and Jasper exited, shivering a little from the cold before he sat down on the porch and took out a cigarette. Finally, something was going Henry's way and maybe it was a sign of things looking up for him. He took another deep breath and opened the door, grabbing the envelope of money Ray had given him and climbing out of the car.

"Hey, Jasp!" the blond greeted as he closed the door. The other looked over at him and his shoulders deflated as he sighed in annoyance, effectively hurting Henry's ego. He licked his lips anxiously as he walked around the car and slowly made his way up to the house. "Uh…I was hoping we could talk."

"There's nothing we need to talk about," he said dismissively.

"Look, I get it, I'm a dick alright? I never should've said that shit about your mom and I was definitely wrong not to give you your share of the money. I have the 25k here for you…" At that, the broad blond looked at him curiously, his cigarette hanging between his lips as he was about to light it.

"How did you get that?"

"Ray," he answered as he scratched the back of his head. "I realized I was nearing rock bottom so I'm gonna be working with him again, and he was nice enough to give me the money. But don't worry! I also took back everything that Tati bought and got some money back so I can pay back Ray." He hesitated before climbing the steps to the porch and holding out the envelope to the other. Jasper stared at his hand for a couple of beats before taking the envelope from him and mumbling a thank you.

An awkward silence fell over them as Jasper focused on puffing on his cigarette and Henry stood there, looking around and doing his best to avoid looking at him. He didn't really think it through and he expected things to go very differently. Usually, he would just have to apologize and Jasper would easily forgive him and they would be best friends again. Sometimes he didn't even have to apologize, Jasper would just forgive him after an argument and things would go back to normal. Maybe that was just because the other had a crush on the blond or maybe this time Henry had gone too far. Either way, he wanted - needed his friend back.

"Dude, what can I do to fix this?" he asked as he finally looked at the other. Jasper looked up at him and shook his head.

"Henry, I know you. You're only apologizing because you want something from me or because you think I'll roll over and do whatever you want like I used to. But just like you, I've changed. You can't just give me an empty apology and expect me to accept it anymore."

"It's not empty, Jasp," Henry said with a sigh. "I really am sorry. I…okay, I've lost…everything. Charlotte is done with me, Piper never really liked me and now she has genuine reasons not to, my parents are disappointed in me, and I'm back where I started and working with Ray again and staying in Swellview. I haven't been as grateful to you as I should've been but you were right when you said you stuck by me through everything. You were my rock man, my confidant, my best friend and I genuinely don't know what I'll do if I lost your friendship forever. I'm trying to be better, dude, I am. Please don't give up on me too…"

The raspberry blond sighed heavily and tossed the butt of his cigarette to the floor, stomping it out and keeping his eyes on his feet. He stayed silent for a few minutes and Henry sighed, kicking his foot against the floor before turning away from him slowly. It was too late, he lost everything and everyone-

"Charlotte's leaving for six months," Jasper said suddenly. The tall blond quickly turned to face him, his eyes widening slightly before he cleared his throat awkwardly and tried to calm down.

"This…this isn't about her," he said.

"I know, but as your friend I figured I should tell you, you know?" At that, Henry couldn't help but smile a little. He walked over and sat next to him on the white bench, crossing his legs at his ankles.

"So we're still friends?"

"You're a piece of shit," the other answered, causing them both to chuckle. "But you've been dealing with a lot. And the fact that you're willing to stay in Swellview just to pay me back means you are trying, so I might as well take you back so you can stop looking at me like a wounded puppy." Henry laughed a little and slapped his hand against the other's back, rubbing gently as he nodded.

"Thanks, man. And really, I'm sorry about everything I said. I never should've brought up your mother."

"And I shouldn't have told you about me and Piper like that," Jasper said with a half-grin. The blond nodded quickly before making a sound of disgust.

"That was…a one-time thing right?" he asked as he looked at him. The other simply gave him a sideways glance and he groaned loudly, shuddering as he stood back up. "Ew, dude! She's my sister! I thought you guys hated each other?"

"I mean yeah, she hated me when we were kids! That was years ago and things are different now man," he said as he stood up as well. "I…I really like her, Hen. Yeah, she's…a lot sometimes, but she's matured and we have something good between us." Henry audibly gagged and shook his head. He didn't get it and he didn't see it, but he wasn't going to risk starting another argument after he and Jasper just reconciled. He didn't need to know just yet that he found it almost as gross as Ray's obsession with his mom.

"Whatever, dude. I just…don't want to hear about it and don't kiss in front of me. Ever." The broad male nodded with a dry chuckle as they sat back down. "Tati's gone, so you can totally move back into my room if you want," he offered. The raspberry blond shook his head as he offered the box of cigarettes to his friend.

"I like staying here. I have my own room, Miss Bolton is a way better cook than your mom, and I can hook up with Piper without you possibly walking in on us," he said, laughing when the blond next to him began to gag audibly. He shook his head and placed the cigarette between his lips, lighting it and taking a deep drag with a content sigh. Now sitting in comfortable silence, Henry was happy to have his friend back and that he was on track to being and doing better. Things were slowly but surely going to be looking up for him.

Until he remembered what Jasper said. Charlotte was leaving again. He sunk back against the bench and exhaled heavily as the realization washed over him. There was a four hundred dollar bracelet sitting in his car but there was no use in giving it to her. She moved on, she was clearly happier without him in her life. He really was losing her all over again and there was nothing he could do about it.

Weeks passed in what seemed like a blur for Charlotte, most of her days spent with Piper and Jasper or off with Jack somewhere doing all she could to keep her mind off of Henry. And it was easy whenever she was with Jack. He was handsome, fun, and seemed to enjoy spoiling her with whatever she wanted and things she didn't even know she wanted. Some days she'd wake up to diamond earrings, Gherkin bags, and high-end shoes. And they were nice, who wouldn't like fancy things? But Charlotte was never a materialistic person and while things were nice, she needed and wanted more than that. Sometimes she wondered if he even know what she really liked and whether he was giving her things just to show off his wealth. But every time she told Jack that she didn't need them and that he didn't need to adorn her with expensive things, he insisted that it was Christmastime and they were just gifts. And while it was a little overwhelming, it did serve as an easy distraction from Henry.

Until now, where it was Christmas Eve and Charlotte found herself staring out the window. The house was decorated, the tree was up and fully decorated with presents underneath it and ready to be opened, her uncle Roscoe had returned and so did Jasmine, and it was even snowing outside. It was the recipe for the perfect Christmas but her mind was plagued with something, something she didn't want to say out loud. She twirled a strand of her hair around her finger idly as she stared out of the window, softly humming along with the holiday music her mother was playing.

In the kitchen, Diana poured a cup of eggnog for Jasmine but couldn't help but continuously glance at her daughter. She knew why she was so distracted but knew she wouldn't say it. Jasmine, now with a fresh set of long black box braids with loose hairs and wearing contacts instead of her glasses, also watched Charlotte curiously. When she arrived earlier in the week, the young woman was practically glowing as she happily talked about her time with Jack and their plans to travel through Europe in the new year. So why did she seem so downtrodden now?

"What's up with her?" she asked as she sipped on her eggnog. Diana sighed and shook her head.

"I know what it is…" she answered with a small wave of her hand. She left the kitchen and handed Roscoe his glass of eggnog before walking over to her distracted daughter. She looked out at the falling snow for a few moments before clearing her throat to get her attention. "Sometimes I can't believe that we get snow here."

"Yeah…" she mumbled.

"Ah, Christmas Eve…usually, we'd be at the Harts right now helping them decorate their tree…" she said with a pointed tone. Charlotte's finger froze mid-twirl of her hair and her eyes widened a little. Of course, her mother knew, she knew pretty much everything about her, even things she didn't want her to know.

She had been so distracted thinking about the stupid little childhood tradition they had that only started thanks to Henry's incompetence. But it became something they did every Christmas Eve and the Harts even started to leave their tree undecorated so she could fix it with them. But she was sure they probably abandoned that by now. Now she couldn't go over, and she really shouldn't want to. She made it clear to Henry that she wanted nothing to do with him. She made it clear to her friends and family that she was done. She told herself she was done and it was time to move on and forget all about him. She was supposed to live a Henry-free life. Yet, for some damn reason, she really wanted to go over and decorate that stupid tree, and she really wanted to watch the Harts begrudgingly play the holiday bells, and she really wanted to drink eggnog with them and sing Christmas carols. Diana could see how badly she wanted to go over but knew her pride wouldn't let her, so they would need an excuse.

"You know, Jasper is over there and is probably going to spend the night so he can be with Piper. Maybe we can take their presents to them," she offered. The young woman perked up and she bit down on her bottom lip, nodding her head a little. She hid her excitement though her mother could read her like a picture book and knew she had made her incredibly happy.

"Yeah…yeah," she said and looked at her mother. "And Mrs. Hart will definitely need help with that ham-"

"Ham?! Somebody having ham?!" Roscoe called out from the couch. Diana snickered and shook her head at her brother before looking at him.

"Yes! We're going to go to the Harts and help decorate their tree and have dinner with them!" she announced. The large man whooped and clapped excitedly as Jasmine raised an eyebrow and walked over to Charlotte while Diana went to cover up the ham she prepared.

"Uh…will you be okay with that?" she questioned. She looked at her friend and shrugged nonchalantly, doing her best to keep her growing smile at bay. This was just excitement over maintaining a tradition, nothing more.

"Yeah, we just have a tradition that my mom insists on," she replied. The younger woman nodded but wasn't fully convinced that it was something Miss Bolton insisted on. But she wasn't going to push it or argue. She just wanted Charlotte to be happy.

A/N: Hello! I know this chapter is a little short but I struggled with writing this week and almost wasn't going to update this week. This chapter was originally much longer in my head but I just wasn't feeling well this past week, I managed to finish this much today. That being said, I think I'm going to take a break for the next two weeks, so the next update will be on March 11th. I'm sorry, but I just need a little bit of time to catch up on some things and hopefully write ahead and write other things. I hope you can all understand! Thank you for reading!