It's been nearly three months since I'd last seen Aubrey Summers; after around two months of non-stop trying to get her to speak to me, I lost hope in her ever giving me another chance. I think every one of our friends could tell I'd given up. I stopped calling Lilly and Savannah, I stopped asking Owen and Jeremy how she was doing, I decided she was never going to forgive me anyway, so why keep trying? It's only causing me more heartache. I knew it wasn't going to be easy, especially not when after all this time, we'd finally have to see one another; Jeremy and Carolynn were getting married, meaning she could no longer run or block me out of her life.

"So, you're not gonna try?" Owen frowned; the two of us were walking to his car, a few feet behind Lilly, who hadn't spoken to me since I'd gotten downstairs.

"I guess not," I shrug, today was supposed to be a joyous celebration, but I couldn't help but feel the exact opposite, "it's not like she's going to listen anyway; she's moved on. I guess it's time I do too."

"Hold up," Owen stopped walking; he spoke louder than the whisper we were both using, causing Lilly to turn back and look at us, "you're giving up?" I open my mouth to respond; it wasn't that simple, "but you love her."

"You still-"Lilly stopped herself as if she remembered who she was speaking to, the so-called cheating boyfriend of her best friend.

"I never stopped," I inform her; Lilly can be unpredictable; at this moment, I wasn't too sure whether she was about to come up and slap me or come up and hug me. Instead, she takes a few steps closer, searching my face for any indication that I might be lying, "I love Aubrey," I tell her in a serious tone, "Lilly, that night, I never kissed Tori; you have to believe me." I was practically begging for her to listen, even if Aubrey won't; I still didn't want the label of cheating boyfriend stamped on me by people I used to consider close friends.

"I-"Lilly hesitated, looking at Owen, who nodded his head as if he was telling her to believe me; from what I know, the two of them agreed not to talk about me, their relationship was still new to them, and they both knew I was something they disagreed on. "Believe you." She finally said, letting out a breath, "but if you hurt Aubrey again, I swear-"

"You don't have to worry," I held up my hands defensively, cutting off the threat that I knew was coming "it's obvious she doesn't want to listen, so why try."

"But," Lilly argued, but I just shook my head, walking towards the car; today is about Jeremy and Carolynn; I'll stay out of Aubrey's way, I know it'll be challenging, but it'll be easier on me in the long run. When we got to the wedding, Lilly informed us Aubrey and Savannah were somewhere upfront. Both had left the hotel earlier; Lilly reminded me in the car that it was because Aubrey had a fear of being late to things, and while I partially believed that, I knew it was mostly due to her prolonging having to see me.

"Isn't this so beautiful," I shut my eyes, taking in an annoyed breath as Tori slid into the chair beside me. Unlike before, when I used to be nice to her because I felt bad, now it was different. I had barely spoken to Tori since I've arrived in Florida, even last night at the extremely awkward dinner with her, Kenny, and Owen. I only talked to the two other people in attendance, knowing if I spoke to her, I'd snap. "I can't wait until I get married one day," She continued dreamily as if she didn't completely ruin the best thing in my life.

"So, Charlie," Lilly leaned past Owen, while Lilly was quick to hold a grudge; once she forgave me, everything went back to normal. the entire car ride, we filled each other in on the last few months, as well as she and Owen tried convincing me to talk to Aubrey about what happened; I shot down their ideas rather quickly, my goal was to get through today drama-free, "what have you been up to since we wrapped?"

"Thank you," I mouth; she chuckles, nodding her head; Lilly, Owen, and I talked amongst ourselves for a few minutes until the music began playing and the wedding started. I tried to pay attention to the words Jeremy and Carolynn were saying, but as the ceremony got closer to ending, all I could think about was the fact that I'd be seeing Aubrey again.

"You okay, man?" Owen asked, breaking me away from my thoughts; the ceremony was over now, and all I could think about was that Aubrey was somewhere in this crowd, making her way towards us.

"Just not too sure what to expect," I answer honestly, shrugging my shoulders nervously; It's been months; was Aubrey still upset? Was she angry? Had she moved on completely?

"Just be civil," Lilly reassured me; it was still weird having her defend me, "Aubrey is probably just gonna be really quiet around you," She explained; that was something I was not used to.

"Aubrey Summers, quiet?" I joked, chuckling nervously, "Yeah, right, I'll believe it when I see it,"

"Well," Lilly sang awkwardly, she and Owen shared an anxious glance. "it looks like you're not gonna have to wait long." Before I could respond, Lilly placed a bright, excited smile on her lips, calling out to her best friends, who were walking up behind us. "There you are," Lilly sang, Owen nodded at me reassuringly, and I spun around, my eyes instantly connecting with hers.

"Hi," I greet her breathlessly; it was clear how nervous I felt to see her; she looked beautiful, as always; her hair had grown a few inches since we wrapped, and she had it styled into a high ponytail. Her dress was the shade of blue I remember her describing as her favorite color months before. She stood up straight, exuding confidence, something that I did not have.

"Hey," She nodded, greeting me dryly; she didn't sound upset or heartbroken anymore, not like the night it all went down; she sounded over it as if she wanted nothing more than to leave this awkward conversation and continue hanging out with her friends.

"I, um," I mentally cringe at how awkward I sound, seriously Charlie, get it together; it was hard though, Bree looked so effortlessly beautiful, it was hard not to be a rambling mess in front of her, "you look-"

"I'm gonna get something to drink," She cut off my rambling, moving her gaze, so she was looking at our friends and not me, "you guys want anything?"

"I'll come with," Lilly suggested, linking her arm through Aubrey's. As the two of them walked off, Owen trailed behind; both him and his girlfriend sending me reassuring thumbs up on their way, oh boy.

"Well, that went well," I remark sarcastically; the only people near me now are Tori and Savannah; Kenny is talking to one of Jeremy's relatives a few feet away.

"It could've been worse," Savannah shrugged; I furrow my brows at her, gesturing for her to elaborate, "You should have seen her during the anger stage, she probably would have slapped you or something," Savannah laughed, and I nod, hoping she's kidding; but honestly, I wouldn't put it past Aubrey. An awkward silence fell over Savannah and I, and I glanced over at Aubrey; she shook her head at something Owen and Lilly were suggesting, which probably has something to do with talking to me. "I know you didn't kiss her," Savannah muttered quietly, so Tori, who was standing a few feet away from us, now in a different conversation with someone else, couldn't hear her.

"What made you change your mind?" I ask her, glancing down at the shorter girl; she just shrugged her shoulders in response, "Lilly messaged you, didn't she?"

"She might have," She laughed, nodding in agreement, "listen, I never thought you were a terrible person Charlie," She admits, "but you hurt my best friend, and no matter how much I valued our friendship, Aubrey is basically my sister, and I know how much loss she's had in her life; I didn't want her getting hurt again."

"I know," I reassure her, I didn't want to her again either, another reason I'm not going to try and get her back today; one of us is going to end up getting hurt, and it's pretty clear it's going to be me. Aubrey looked happy, and I didn't want to mess that up for her, not when I was the reason she was ever heartbroken in the first place.

"I think you should try, though," Savannah told me, smiling up at me encouragingly, "It's been months; both of you have had time to cool down and grow on your own; I think you could work."

"Yeah, maybe," I shrug, not meaning a word I say; before Savannah can say anything else, Aubrey, Owen, and Lilly return, both girls dragging Savannah away for what they claim is to take pictures; I'm pretty sure it's so that Aubrey doesn't have to talk to me though.

"Yeah, maybe you talking to Aubrey is going to harder than I thought," Owen laughed, glancing at where the girls had just walked away.

"Exactly," I sighed, "it's best we just leave each other alone for the night; It's obvious she's over me."

🤍
Only one more Charlie POV and then rock bottom is finished💔