Rewritten (Unwritten Book 2) (23 page)

“You’re my family now. Let’s start our own family tradition, like we did with Thanksgiving. I loved cooking all day with you.” I try to sway Charlie my way.

“Allison, of course we’re family, you have no idea how much that means to me to be able to say that, but I don’t want you to leave your actual family behind. Especially…”

I stop him, “Hey, don’t go there. You can’t compare the two.”

“Allison, I just want to see you put all of this behind us. You need to forgive her eventually. You said it yourself that ‘everything happens for a reason.’ So do you really believe that? Or do you not practice what you preach?”

“Charlie, that’s not fair. This is different.”

“Is it? I mean, if you truly believe that then this baby happened for a reason. And you came into my life for a reason, too. I have to believe that. And I hope you do, too.”

Charlie is sitting on the bar stool at the kitchen counter and I walk up between his legs, wrapping my arms around his neck. “Charlie, I told you, I need time. I’m coming around to the idea but let me get over the baby idea first, then I can deal with my mom. I just thank God I don’t have to deal with the crazy woman birthing your child. That would push me over the edge,” I joke.

Charlie tenses up and I feel the tightness in his shoulders. “Whoa, what was that?”

Charlie tries to blow it off, “What?” he looks to me shrugging his shoulders.

“Charlie, if there is one thing I have learned about you in the past few months it is that you’re a terrible liar. What aren’t you telling me?”

Charlie moves to sit up and walk to the kitchen, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m just trying to figure out Christmas.”

I grab his arm, stopping him from walking away from me, “Charlie, look at me. Why did you tense up like that? I felt it. Don’t act like I didn’t.”

“I just want you to have your family back. I know you were close to them before all of this happen.”

“No Charlie. It was something else. Wait,” I try to re-think what just happened. “You were sitting here, your arms around my waist talking about everything happening for a reason. Then you mentioned the baby and you were still calm. I said I was coming around to the idea more then, wait, when I mentioned the crazy woman you tensed up. Why Charlie? Why did you tense up?”

Charlie turns around, digging in the refrigerator, and I know it’s just to avoid making eye contact with me. I walk up to the refrigerator, closing it so Charlie is forced to face me. “Have you gone to the hospital lately? Is there something you aren’t telling me?”

“I did go actually,” he is uplifted a little and smiles as he says, “I… we should be able to find out the sex of the baby the week after Christmas.”

I tilt my head, squinting my eyes, “That’s great, Charlie, but that’s not what made you tense. What else did you learn?”

Charlie sighs loudly, “Ok Allison, you’re right. You need to remember that the odds of this happening are really 50/50 so please don’t jump to conclusions.”

“Ok Charlie, you’re freaking me out. What’s going on?”

“They’ve been doing studies and comparing her case to other similar cases and there was one other case where…” he reaches to me, placing his hands on either side of my arms, “where the woman woke up from her coma after she gave birth.”

I push his hands off of me, “What?! You mean she could live through this?”

“No Allison. Well, I mean, um, there is a small chance. We won’t know until the baby is born. She will either come out of it or officially die. They say her body is in limbo.”

“Limbo?! And when were you going to tell me?” I storm off into our bedroom.

Charlie runs after me, “Allison please, please don’t be mad. I didn’t know how to tell you. And there is such a small possibility that she could wake up, I hoped I wouldn’t have to tell you. Please don’t be mad.”

I grab my purse and put on my shoes, “Charlie, I still deserved to know. We can’t have secrets between us. Not any more. Look where secrets got us the first time. How can I trust you’re telling me everything?”

Charlie kneels down beside me, “Allison, I am. I swear. There are no secrets. I’m just trying to protect you. I didn’t want to upset you with something that might not happen.”

“That’s the problem Charlie. It might actually happen. So what would you have done then? Huh? Say, ‘Oops, sorry Allison. I guess she’s going to live. Now you can be step-mommy with this psycho.’” I get up, storming out of the room.

“Allison, please, don’t leave mad. I wasn’t trying to keep it from you.”

“But you did Charlie. You did…”

“Don’t leave. Not now,” Charlie reaches out, holding onto my arm desperately.

“I told you Charlie, time… Let me go.”

He lets go of my arm letting me walk away, “Where are you going?”

I take a deep breath in and out, trying to calm my nerves. “I have to go to the studio. Alex wants to look at proofs today. Again, Charlie, just give me time. I have a lot I need to think about.”

Charlie steps closer, looking straight into my eyes. “But you’ll come back here right?”

“Yes, Charlie, I’ll come back here when I’m finished. Unless I bring it up when I get back, please don’t. Let me deal with this internally, ok?”

Charlie kisses me softly and pulls back. “Ok, Allison. I love you. I’ll be here when you get back. I’ll make us dinner.”

I turn around and walk out the door, not saying another word.

Our apartment is not far from the studio but I take my time, taking unnecessary turns, slowly walking as I fight tears from flowing.

God, this adds a whole different element to this situation. There is no way I could be a step-mom and have to deal with this woman the rest of my life. But will she come out of it? What if she doesn’t? Then I gave up Charlie for no reason. Can I wait till May to find out? I know the longer I stay with him, the harder it will be to walk away.

The thought of walking away makes me physically ill and I have to stop, putting my hands on my knees to calm my breathing and stop the pain building in my chest.

I finally make it to the studio and walk in hoping that looking at proofs will clear my mind for the time being. The receptionist is off today so I walk straight into Alex’s office as he sits at the computer looking over proofs.

“Hey Alex,” I try to sound happy.

He turns around looking at me, “Hey Allie, everything ok?”

I turn around, fighting more tears as I place my purse on the chair behind me. My voice cracks as I respond, “Yeah, how do the proofs look?”

Alex stands up and walks toward me, placing his hands on my elbows. “Hey, talk to me. What’s going on?”

Tears start to fall down my face, “I’m sorry. This is so unprofessional. I should have been more composed before I came inside. I’ll be fine.”

Alex wipes a tear away from my cheek, “It’s ok. Is it Charlie?” his voice a little higher than it should be.

I sigh, “Yes. But it’s ok. Just a lot going on.”

Alex leans down to look in my eyes, “Allison, it’s ok. Talk to me.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t want to bore you with our drama.”
Because you would never believe me and we would be here all day.

“Allison, are you guys ok? This is the second time you’ve come in here like this. Does he treat you ok? You know you can talk to me.”

“Oh, no, it’s nothing like that. Yes, he treats me great.”

“Are you sure Allison? I mean, you deserve to be treated like the angel you are.”

I look up to him, surprised at what he just said. “I told you, we’ll be ok. It’s just normal things,” I sigh to myself as I say normal.

“Allison I mean it. If you were my girl I would treat you with the upmost respect and make sure you would never feel this way.”

My eyes go big.
Whoa, what did he just say?

I sit silently looking at him. Not sure how to respond.

“I mean it Allison. I would do anything to make your beautiful smile last a lifetime.”

Then he leans down and kisses me, holding me tightly by my arms while he shoves his tongue in my mouth.

I’m completely shocked and sit frozen just as the door opens and Charlie walks through holding a dozen roses.

I push away from Alex, wiping my mouth, staring at Charlie as his eyes fill with immense rage.

Charlie throws the flowers on the ground, turning to leave the room without saying a word.

I run to him, grabbing his arm, “Wait Charlie, it’s not what you think! Please Charlie, don’t leave.”

Charlie looks at me, screaming, “It’s not what I think? You mean I didn’t just walk in on you kissing Alex?”

“No Charlie, let me explain!” I plead.

He looks to Alex who is standing frozen, “You’re right, Allison.” He walks to Alex and socks him right across the face, knocking him to the ground before turning to walk away.

I try to stop him again, “Let go of me Allison.”

“No Charlie, listen to me. I wasn’t kissing him.”

“Goodbye Allison!”

I gasp, “No, no Charlie! You don’t say goodbye.”

Charlie looks straight into my eyes, firmly saying, “Goodbye!”

I fall to the floor as Charlie storms out of the room. Alex stands up and walks over to me. He reaches his arm around me and I stand up, yelling at him, “Look what you did! How could you? God, you said I was like a daughter to you. What kind of sick guy are you? I looked up to you. And you’re married!”

I grab my purse and run out of the office to try to stop Charlie again.

As I run outside, I see Charlie speed off in his Mustang with a look of death on his face. I fall to my knees again, crying into my hands in the middle of the busy San Francisco street.

I
drive a few blocks and am stopped by a boom truck putting up a new billboard around Union Square. I look up to see myself.
Are you fucking kidding me right now?

Before me I see an ad for Guess Seductive Homme cologne displaying the picture of Allison and I wrapped around each other with Allison’s neck tilted up and me kissing her neck.

Fuck me.

I turn up the radio already tuned to Live 105 rock station that’s playing Rise Against
Savior
right at the middle of the song where the music slows down to a very slow guitar as the singer slowly and calmly yells
I don’t hate you
.

I grab my phone, scrolling to my old client, Gina, and clicking the icon to call her.

“Well, Mr. Ashley. That’s a name I didn’t expect to see on my caller ID. Especially after our little Halloween incident.”

“Yeah baby, I’m back. You up for a movie? This one’s on the house. I’m in the mood to play.”

“Oh, I’m always up to play. What happened? No girlfriend anymore?”

“Fuck her. I’m on my way.”

“Can’t wait darling.”

I hit my head back against my headrest taking a deep breath in as I change the station before pulling into on-coming traffic to get by the boom truck and drive to Gina’s.

Allison calls my phone over and over again but I don’t want to talk to her so I turn it off and throw it on the seat next to me.

It takes me ten minutes to get to Gina’s house in the Sunset and I quickly turn off the car and jump out, trying not to listen to my mind that is yelling at me for what I’m about to do. My jaw is tense and my eyebrows are scrunched close together as my heart rate starts to pound.

Gina opens the door, “Well hello, Mr. Ashley. Looking hot. Come in…”

I grab her firmly, pulling her in and angrily kissing her. Gina loves it and returns the favor as we walk, wrapped around each other toward her room. Gina pushes me down on the bed and starts to unzip my pants like she’s clawing to see what’s inside.

I look up to the ceiling as my chest tightens so much I can barely breathe.

Gina grabs for my cock and is shocked when she sees I’m completely limp. Looking up at me she frowns, “Mr. Ashley… I’ve never seen you like this. Let me see if I can help with this situation.” She leans down and sticks my entire cock in her mouth, moving her tongue around.

I gasp as the feeling makes my chest burn and my stomach nauseous. I know I don’t really want this no matter what I just saw Allison doing.