A/N: I'm sorry for the long wait! Enjoy this next chapter. thank you to all the readers and reviewers, y'all rock! Special thanks to ChasingMyDreams87, love you so much, dude!
Alex read the article aloud to Carlos who was crouched behind him, head in his hands.
"Carlos Pena has been sighted around his small hometown of Weston, Florida, numerous times in the past few weeks, but most often walking in and out of a temporarily closed bookstore, Hooked on Books, in the old-town area. For the past two weeks, the reason for his almost daily visits has been unknown, but a source that spoke to our head journalist, Jezebel Aurora, confirmed just this morning that Carlos Pena is the new owner of Hooked on Books. Details of this new ownership deal are yet to be announced. Below is a picture of Carlos walking out of the shop just this morning with a man who appears to be an employee, signaled by his name tag. The name has appeared to be unreadable, and he is yet to be identified."
Alex closes his eyes, muttering a curse under his breath. He hears Carlos's muffled groan coming from behind him and turns around to face his friend. Carlos rubbed his hands over his face before dropping them, sighing as he stares at his lap, shaking his head.
"Of course this happened. It just had to, didn't it?" Alex can tell it's a rhetorical question, but still responds.
"Well, it happened. Now what?" Alex questioned, genuinely concerned. Carlos had seemed off all day, but reading the article made it even worse.
"I don't know. I guess I should probably release a statement about it, I just don't know what to say," Carlos said tiredly. A second later, he groaned in realization. "Shit, Ryan is probably so pissed off!" He jumped to his feet and frantically looked around for his keys, slipping on his hoodie and sunglasses.
"We can deal with her after-" Alex started before Carlos cut him off.
"We need to go see her now! The media can wait, I don't owe them anything at all. They're lucky they'll be getting anything!" Carlos exclaimed, quite obviously freaking out as he scrambled to get his stuff together and rush out the door. Alex raised his hands in surrender, following his flustered friend out of the hotel room.
The car ride was tense and relatively silent other than the screech of the tires and purring of the engine. Carlos kept his eyes focused on the road, paying no mind to Alex's frequent worried glances. He barely noticed his friend; he was too anxious to think about anything but Ryan. He had confidently promised her he'd handle any publicity issues, but once the word was out about the bookstore, he had no idea what to do. He didn't even know how TMZ found out about his ownership, but he knew that whenever he found their "source" he wouldn't be able to refrain from exploding.
Alex watched Carlos's emotionless expression. He watched as Carlos wrung his hands tightly around the steering wheel for the entirety of the ride. For the short time he'd known Carlos, he had always seen him as a fun, out-going, open-book type of guy. Seeing him silent and stressed filled Alex with worry. The second he saw the headline of the article, he knew their day was going downhill, and he expected Carlos to start ranting about paparazzi. He was surprised when Carlos started worrying about Ryan. It was almost amusing to Alex; Ryan and Carlos seemed to have a bond that they hadn't noticed yet. Everyone could see it except for them. He sighed and shifted his gaze out the window.
The two men finally pulled up to Ryan's apartment complex, bracing themselves. Alex patted Carlos on the back before leading him to the apartment. Once they got to the door, Alex produced a key from his keychain and unlocked the door.
"Ry?" he called out.
"What?!" Alex and Carlos heard from the main bedroom. She sounded sick, annoyed, and frustrated. Alex sighed and walked towards the room before noticing Carlos wasn't moving. He looked at Carlos and saw a scared and helpless expression gracing his face as he shoved his hands in his pockets. Alex sighed once more, walking back to the Latino, and dragging him into the room by the arm. Ryan was sitting up in her bed, laptop on her lap, but her eyes were glaring at her friends staring in the doorway. Alex moved forward and sat on her bed by her covered feet, patting them softly from over her blanket.
"Look, Ryan, I know you're mad, but-" Ryan cut Alex off, knowing he was about to start ranting.
"Yes, I'm mad. I'm pissed. But I'm not gonna yell for this, I just wanna find out who this damn 'source' is," Ryan stated in a calm, even tone. Even though she was stuffy from being sick, she sounded cold and intimidating. Alex knew that when Ryan used that tone, her victim should be terrified.
"We'll find out somehow. First, I think we should deal with the public end of it," Alex responded, trying to word it in a way that wouldn't aggravate Ryan even more. She seemed satisfied with his response and turned toward Carlos who was still standing in the doorway. He was staring at the floor, hands stuffed into his front pockets.
"Carlos?" Ryan asked plainly. When he looked up, he looked broken. He looked everywhere except for at Ryan. "L-Los?" Ryan stuttered in a gentler voice filled with worry. His eyes met hers, and she saw tears filling them to the brim. They locked gazes for a split second before Carlos suddenly turned and ran from the apartment.
After fleeing from Ryan's apartment, Carlos found himself parked outside of the diner. Everything between leaving the apartment and arriving at the diner was a blur. He sped off without thinking of a destination, but somehow, he ended up there.
He sighed and threw his head back against the headrest. He wrung his hands around the leather steering wheel before letting them fall. Taking a deep breath, he turned off his car and climbed out. He walked up and into the diner, thankful for the emptiness. He fell into a stool at the bar, head in his hands.
"Carlos? Is that you?" Margaret asked as she stepped out of the storage closet. Carlos lifted his head, and Margaret gasped at seeing heavy tears streaming down his face.
"Hon, what's the matter?" she exclaimed as she ran to his side. He said nothing, just extended his arms. Margaret engulfed him in a hug, allowing him to bury his head in her neck. She whispered softly, rubbing his back in an attempt to comfort the grief-stricken boy, feeling the moisture of his tears on her shoulder.
"What's goin' on? Talk to me, baby," Margaret said as she pulled away, grabbing Carlos's face with both hands. He looked up at her, broken and scared. Drawing in a deep breath, he began speaking.
"Margie, th-they found out about the bookstore! Somehow, TMZ f-found out about it, and there's an article online. Someone told them that I-I-I'm the owner. Everyone knows that I own the place, and n-now Ryan is upset and-"
"Slow down!" Margaret requested in a soft voice. "Lemme get you something. Keep talking, but slow down and start at the top."
Carlos explained the situation to her through tears. She nodded as she listened to him speak, preparing two tall mugs of hot chocolate for the both of them. The diner reached its closing time halfway through the conversation, but neither payed any mind to it. Carlos finally stopped crying, but continued speaking as he sipped his hot chocolate.
"I'm honestly not that upset about the paparazzi," he stated, voice thick. Margaret crooked her eyebrow, listening as Carlos continued. "I'm really mad at myself for letting it happen. Margie, Ryan's gonna hate me!" His cracked at the end of his sentence.
"Carlos, I've known Ryan for years. She's got a strong personality and opinions, and if she has let you into her heart, you must mean a lot to her. She isn't going to hate you for anything except maybe taking off without an explanation," Margaret responded. Carlos nodded and stood up to give her a hug. She hugged him tight, rubbing his back.
He reached for his wallet, but Margaret swatted his hand, making it clear that he wasn't going to pay for the hot chocolate. That made Carlos laugh, and he gave one last hug to the old lady before walking out the door.
A/N: School's out in there weeks, so hopefully these bi-weekly updates will stop, and I can update more often. Follow/favorite/review, please!