The thanksgiving trip...

"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to New Brunswick airport; on behalf of our entire crew, we'd like to thank you for joining us on this trip and hope you have a fantastic stay." The flight attendant's monotone voice rang through the plane. I sighed, glancing over at Aubrey to see if she'd heard the message, but her head was still rested on the window beside her; the plane's landing didn't seem to wake her at all.

"Aubrey?" I whispered, gently shaking her shoulder; everyone on the plane was rushing to get off, all anxious to see their families for the holidays; I was too, except I had to wait for the sleeping girl beside me, "we're here." I shook her shoulder lightly once more; Aubrey groaned, squinting slightly at the sun that was blaring through the windows around us. If this trip had happened a couple of weeks ago, I would have been dreading it; I couldn't stand being in the same room with Aubrey for an extended period of time then, let alone an entire trip; but now, I didn't mind it too much; ever since that rehearsal the other week, I can't quite decipher what it is I feel towards Aubrey Summers.

"Do you think they're gonna believe us?" Aubrey finally speaks to me, trying to keep up as we walked through the airport. I glanced back at her, chuckling at how adorable she looked when she just woke up; the ponytail she put in her hair was slightly messy, and she trailed behind me tiredly. I wasn't used to seeing Aubrey like this; she was usually the most confident person in the room, was meeting my family really that nerve-racking for her?

"What happened to you being a good actress?" I teased, confused feelings or not, bugging Aubrey Summers was still one of my favorite past-times.

"I am a fantastic actress," She corrects me, a proud smirk replacing the slight nervous expression she wore, "I'm more worried your family will be able to see through your lies."

"Nah," I shake my head, pausing so she can catch up with me, "my mom will be too excited to notice, and my brothers are oblivious." Aubrey laughs lightly at that, "Meghan's the only one I'm worried about," I admit, my younger sister was usually pretty good at knowing when someone was lying, "just follow my lead, and we should be good."

"Why can't you follow my lead?" Aubrey argued; I roll my eyes; this is what I mean about confusing feelings; sometimes I have moments where I think she's adorable or hearing her laugh makes my heart speed up; but then, there are moments like now, where she reminds me of all the reasons I never liked her in the first place.

"Because you're the reason we got into this mess in the first place," I remind her bitterly. I would probably be here alone if it weren't for her roommates bringing up the idea; they practically pushed me into a corner and made me say yes. "Okay," I take a breath, linking my fingers through hers; the baggage claim was right ahead, where mom told me she'd be waiting, "you ready to show my family your fantastic acting skills?" I ask, using air quotes around the word fantastic.

"You think you can keep up?" She countered sarcastically; I roll my eyes in response and open my mouth to argue back until I see a familiar smile in the crowd.

"Charlie," My mom waves me over; I quicken my pace, dragging Aubrey behind me, letting go once we've reached my mom and I've pulled her into a hug, "Oh, I've missed you."

"I missed you too, mom," I mumble, kissing her head.

"and you must be Aubrey," Mom greets Aubrey as we pull away from our hug; I smirk as Aubrey holds her hand out, and my mom ignores it, pulling her into a tight hug, "it's so nice to meet you, I've heard so much about you." Aubrey glances at me from over my shoulder, with a furrowed brow, she probably thinks I've told my mom stuff before we were forcing into this relationship, but the reality is I never even brought Aubrey up until this whole thing started, so all my family has heard is good things.

"It's nice to meet you too," Aubrey finally replied. Before I could overthink about the nervous expression that returned to her face, my mom gestured for both of us to follow her out of the airport. The car ride home was full of my mom asking us questions about our relationship; luckily, the two of us had come up with a believable backstory. Upon arriving home, all of my siblings and our dog, Taiga, enthusiastically greeted me.

"So, are you going to introduce us to your girlfriend," Patrick nudged me teasingly, nodding towards Aubrey, who stood next to my mom.

"Oh, uh yeah," I mumble, I feel weirdly nervous introducing Aubrey to my family, which makes no sense considering this entire thing is fake, "Guys, this is Aubrey," I gesture for her to step forward, and she does, awkwardly stepping closer to me and my siblings, "Aubrey, this is Michael, Patrick, Ryan, and Meghan." Each of my siblings' nods or waves at her as I point them out, "and our dog Taiga." Aubrey's nervous smile vanishes for a split second as she looks down at our dog, scratching behind her floppy ears.

"Hi," She finally speaks, holding her hand out for Meghan to shake; I smirk as my sister engulfs her into an unexpected hug.

"Sorry," Meghan chuckles, "I'm a hugger," Aubrey loosens up and hugs my sister in return; I can't help but smile as I watch Aubrey greet my siblings, each of them pulling her into a tight hug as if they'd known her their entire life. We all end up sitting in the family room for hours afterward, Aubrey curled into my side the whole time. I was shocked at how well this was all going; Aubrey wasn't her semi-annoying, self-centered self; she was the total opposite, in fact. She laughed and nodded along as my family went around sharing different memories; she even began sharing stories of her own too, all stories of the set and what we'd been up to the last few months. If I didn't know any better, I'd think she's enjoying herself. We only moved when it was time for dinner, but even then, the conversation never died. None of them seemed to question the relationship between Aubrey and me; in fact, my family joked about how she deserves an award for putting up with me, which I firmly believe should be the other way around.

"Oh, you must be exhausted," Mom commented; I glanced over at Aubrey to see her nod tiredly, "why don't we call it a night," She suggested; I nodded in agreement; we'd been so busy catching up I hadn't realized how tired I was, "Charlie, why don't you show Aubrey to your room." I shut my eyes, letting out a breath; of course, I had been hoping mom would put Aubrey in Meghan's room. I nod anyway, saying goodnight to my family as I guide Aubrey out of the room, she seems just as shocked about this as me, and I can tell she's waiting until we're alone to freak out about it.

"I have to share the room with you?" She whispers harshly once I shut my bedroom door, visibly cringing at the thought; I roll my eyes at how dramatic she's being and nod my head.

"I'd offer to sleep on the couch, but they'd get suspicious," I say, all I wanted was a good night's rest in my bed, but it didn't seem like that was going to happen, "I guess I can sleep on the floor," I sigh, I'm too nice of a guy to let Aubrey sleep on the floor, not that I think she'd allow that to happen anyway.

"Yeah, I guess that'll work," She shrugs, visibly relieved I'd offered to take the floor, "I'm gonna get ready," she informs me, awkwardly gesturing to the washroom attached to my room. While she's in there, I quickly get changed, then grab some spare pillows and blankets to make my makeshift bed. I'm nearly finished setting up when Aubrey walks out of the washroom; I glance at her out of the corner of my eye as I lay the blankets down. I wait for her to say something, but she remains silent as she gets into my bed, placing the comforter on top of her.

"They seemed to believe us so far," I say after a few minutes of silence, both of us laying in the darkness in our separate beds. "they like you," I admit. Seeing how well Aubrey and my family got along made me feel strangely happy. "somehow," I add in a teasing manner.

"Wow," She mumbles sarcastically, "that was almost a compliment." I chuckle lightly, "Goodnight, Charlie," She mumbles tiredly; I glance up to see her curled up in my bed, my comforter pulled up to her chin.

"Goodnight, Bree."

The Next Day

Today went surprisingly well; if you didn't know any better, you'd think Aubrey's known my family for years. She and Meghan acted as if they were best friends, she was able to keep up with my brother's jokes, and it was obvious my mom loved her already. I guess Aubrey was right about the whole being a fantastic actress thing because, despite the random sarcastic comments here and there, she even got along with me today.

"Boys," Mom called; the four of us had just gotten back from a hike; I'd tried convincing Aubrey to come, mainly cause I knew she'd hate it and it'd be entertaining seeing her reactions, but she insisted on helping mom cook, "dinners ready." I stroll in to the kitchen, taking in a whiff; man, I missed homecooked meals.

"Mm, smells good, mom," I complimented my mom, placing a kiss on her cheek; I noticed Aubrey watching us out of the corner of my eye, a small smile on her lips.

"I had lots of help," Mom answered, nodding towards Meghan and Aubrey; the two of them shared a glance as if they had some inside joke that none of us knew about. "Okay, everyone, go sit." Mom shooed us all out of the kitchen; we all obeyed, shuffling into the next room to take our seats. As we ate dinner, mom started sharing stories of past thanksgivings and what we were like as kids; due to how comfortable Aubrey's gotten, I expected her to share stories of her own childhood; but unlike last night, she remained silent, as if she was in deep thought.

"Okay, I'll go first," Mom announced, clapping her hands together; we just finished eating dinner and dessert, and all retreated into the living room. I glanced at Aubrey to see her brows furrowed slightly in confusion.

"We go around the room and say what we're thankful for," I whisper to her; I thought all families did this, so why did she still seem confused? "doesn't your family do this?"

"Uh, no," She mumbles; I glance down at her hands, which are fidgeting like crazy, her slightly trembling hands playing with the rings on her fingers.

"I am thankful for all my children," Mom began, smiling at each of us. "even ones that are new to the family," I expect Aubrey to feel proud of my mom's compliment, but she seems to be the exact opposite. She smiled at my mother, but I could tell it took a lot of effort; something was wrong; I just had no clue what it was. I half-listened as the rest of my siblings went, keeping my eyes on Aubrey's visibly shaking hands.

"I'm thankful for my job," I broke my concentration away from Aubrey, looking up at my family, "and all the people it's brought into my life." I placed my hand on Aubrey's knee, squeezing it lightly, gesturing that it was her turn to go.

"Um," Aubrey stuttered, taking in a shaky breath, "C-can you excuse me?" She asked, her voice cracking slightly.

"Of course, sweetie, are you alright?" Mom asked, but Aubrey was already out of the room and rushing up the stairs; before mom could finish her sentence. My family sat in silence, all glancing at the stairs she ran up.

"I'm gonna go check on her," I say after a minute, standing up from the couch. I'm not really sure whether I'll make things better or worse, but I can't leave her alone upstairs, especially not after she ran out like that; she looked as if she was about to cry. As I approach my room, I hear the sound of Aubrey's muffled sobs coming from my room, along with loud gasps for air.

"Aubrey?" I called into the room, gently knocking on the door, "you okay?" I was met with more gasps for air in response; she definitely wasn't okay. The door creaks as I slowly open it; Aubrey sits on the edge of my bed, her head resting in her hands as she tries to catch her breath; even when I sit next to her, she doesn't look up, "shhh," I hesitantly place my hands on either side of her face, guiding her, so she was looking at me. My heart broke at the sight, her eyes were completely bloodshot, and her face was streaked with tears and mascara, "it's okay, just breath." I reminded her, unsure of how to help in this situation, Aubrey nodded her head weakly and tried slowing her breathing; instead, she choked back a sob, gasping for breath, "let's do it together, okay?" I begin taking deep breaths in and out, guiding her on what to do; I smile lightly as she begins breathing along a couple of minutes later, eventually calming her irregular breathing. "you okay?" I ask, wiping a stray tear that falls from her eyes; despite knowing the answer, I frown when Aubrey shakes her head no, "do you wanna talk about it?" I offer, of course, she doesn't; I've done nothing but judge her since day one; why would she want to confide in me? "You don't have to if you're not comfortable; we can just stay here until you feel better," I reassure her once I notice her nervous expression; the last thing I wanted was to make her more nervous. So instead, I move my hands from either side of her face, clutching both of her hands in mine; we sit in silence for a few minutes as I rub comforting circle on her still trembling hands.

"When I was a kid, my parents were my favorite people in the whole world." Aubrey broke the silence, taking in a shaky breath. Despite how shocked I am that she chose to confide in me, I squeeze her hands, encouraging her to go on, "we did everything together; we were always going on vacations and exploring new places; and one winter, we all piled into the car, and they told me they had a surprise. The entire way there, it snowed, and the roads were really icy," she explained, her voice cracking as fresh tears fell from her eyes; I closed my eyes, I had a feeling I knew what was going to happen in this story, I just hope I'm wrong, "we started sliding, and crashed right into a car driving the opposite direction," Aubrey choked back a sob, shaking her head sadly, "I had to watch the two people I love more than anything suffer during their last moments, and there was nothing I could do about it." Instead of replying, I place my hand on the back of her head, pulling her into my embrace. Aubrey falls into my arms, laying her head on my chest as she cries.

"I'm so sorry," I mumble, playing with hair; all those times Aubrey accused me of knowing nothing about her when I crossed the line, I never thought it was something like this; I'm an idiot. "I had no idea."

"No one does," She mumbles, not bothering to lift her head from my chest. "after they-"She pauses, unable to say the words. "After they left, I was put into the foster system, but no one wanted to adopt me; I wasn't little and cute like most of the other kids, so I went from home to home, never truly finding a real family. And when I turned 18, I left, desperate for some kind of work; I had always been pretty good at singing and dancing, so I started auditioning for things, I didn't think I'd make it very far, but Kenny watched one of my tapes and hired me for the first descendants." I think back to all the times I accused Aubrey of not working for anything, she lost everything in her life and had no one there to support her, but Kenny did; she worked harder than any of us, with no support system. Aubrey pulls away slightly, wiping away any stray tears, "I'm sorry about that," She apologizes, "I'm a mess."

"You don't have to apologize," I reassure her; everything about the way Savannah and Lilly kept changing the topic, to why Aubrey ignored all of Tori's questions about her family finally made sense. I just wish I'd known sooner; I would never have made her spend thanksgiving with my family if I knew it'd bring up sad memories. "If I knew, I would have never agreed to you coming here; it's probably hard being around other families," I say; Aubrey nods sadly in agreement; I can see in her eyes just how exhausted she is. "Why don't you get some rest, okay? I'll be right back; I'm just going to tell my mom you're okay." I squeeze her hand lightly before leaving her room, heading down the stairs to where we left the rest of my family; upon entering the living room, I see all of them still sitting there, concerned expressions etched on their faces. I explain to them briefly why Aubrey was upset, not going into too much detail; this isn't my story to share; Mom and Meghan both shoo me away afterward, claiming Aubrey needs me more than ever right now. I quietly enter the room, smiling lightly when I notice Aubrey is already snuggled into my bed, hopefully asleep. I enter the washroom, quickly getting ready before heading to the makeshift bed I'd made on the floor.

"Charlie?" After a couple of minutes of silence, Aubrey whispers, so I guess she's not asleep after all. I hum in response, sitting up so I can see her, "Thanks for tonight."

"Of course," I nod, sending her a reassuring smile, "goodnight, Bree." I can tell she's exhausted, yet when she lay's back down, she tossed around a lot, clearly unable to get comfortable.

"Charlie?" She whispers once more, "do you wanna come up here?" my eyes widen slightly at her request. I waited for her to crack a smile or do something to indicate she was joking, but her expression remained somewhat bashful, "I still feel kind of anxious, and the floor looks uncomfortable."

"Uh, yeah," I mumble, shuffling off the floor; I walk over to the bed hesitantly, ready to turn back if she changes her mind, but she doesn't; instead, she scoots over, allowing me to lay next to her. "Careful Summers, or I'll think you don't hate me," I break the awkward silence, teasing her as I slide into the empty spot; Aubrey giggles, staring up at the ceiling. I smile, glancing over at her; it felt good hearing her laugh after seeing her so heartbroken earlier.

"This is a one-time thing," She informs me, glancing over at me; I don't try to hide the fact that I was already looking at her, "I just don't wanna be alone, but I guess I can go see if Meghan wants to hang out," She begins to sit up, as if she's leaving the bed; but I wrap my arm around her waist, pulling her back down. "Careful Gillespie, or I'll start thinking you like me." She teased, mimicking the comment I made to her moments ago; I knew she was kidding, but I don't think she realizes how true her joke was.

"Shut up," I mumble, pulling her closer to me; Aubrey seems tense at first, but after a few seconds, she places her head on my chest, relaxing into my arms, her eyes flutter closed, and I know I should probably just let her fall asleep. However, there was one question I still had, "you know, you never told me what you were thankful for."

"I'm thankful for our cast," She answers, yawning tiredly.

"Even me?" I ask; she glances up at me, debating on what to say; I shouldn't have asked that; like she said, this is a one-time thing; this doesn't mean Aubrey suddenly likes me.

"Sometimes," She finally responds, closing her eyes as she lays her head back down on my chest; I don't ask her any more questions after that; instead, I play with her hair as she falls asleep, thinking over the events of this weekend. At the beginning of this weekend, I was confused about how I felt about Aubrey, but after tonight, I couldn't deny it any longer; I'd fallen for Aubrey Summers.

🤍
So now y'all know the exact moment Charlie fell for Aubrey!
Only a few more of these Charlie POVs left, and then Rock Bottom will officially be over:(