(Trigger warning: mention of panic attack and death in this chapter, it's very brief and doesn't heavily describe anything... but better safe then sorry❤️)

Aubreysummers.xo posted a photo!

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Aubreysummers.xo
So many reasons to be thankful💛🎃

tagged: charles_gillespie

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lilly.young
THE BABY CHICK🥺

themadisonreyes
Y'all are so cute... it makes me sick💛

savannahleemay
I am thankful for YOU Aubrey summers💛

thejadahmarie
I miss you Bree🥺

carolynnrowland
Happy thanksgiving you two💛💛

aubreysummers.xo
So thankful for all of youuuuu🥺 @lilly.young, @themadisonreyes, @savannahleemay, @thejadahmarie, @carolynnrowland

owenjoyner
Are you thankful for me?🥺

jeremyshada
^^ yeah what about us?

aubreysummers.xo
Obviously I'm thankful for you guys❤️ @owenjoyner, @jeremyshada

toricaro
Whatta happy bean🥺

meghan_gillespie
How is that we took so many pics for Charlie, but got none of us at the pumpkin patch??

charles_gillespie
I can't help it if I'm photogenic... @meghan_gillespie

owenjoyner
so your saying ur own girlfriend is not photogenic...

user1
^^ girlfriend!!!

user2
I've been waiting for them to confirm!!

aubreysummers.xo
Ouch... @charles_gillespie

charles_gillespie
That's not what I meant!! Ur way more photogenic then me... y'all were just too busy running around!

aubreysummers.xo
Mhmmm... good save @charles_gillespie

🤍

"Boys," Charlie's mom's voice called through the house, "dinners ready." Since we got back from the pumpkin patch, Meghan and I had been helping her get dinner ready. She kept telling us we didn't need to and that we could go hang out with the boys outside, but I reassured her it was okay; It's been a while since I've had a real family Thanksgiving, I feel like the least I could do was help prepare it. I had prepared myself for this weekend to be awful, but besides the whole sharing a room thing, everything had been going well; I was kind of having fun.

"Mm, smells good, mom," Charlie complimented, kissing his mom's cheek; if I learned one thing about Charlie so far, it was that he loved his mom more than anything.

"I had lots of help," His mom answered, smiling over at Meghan and me; in reality, the two of us hadn't done much; we talked a lot more than we helped, but I think she just enjoyed having our presence in the kitchen with her. "Okay, everyone, go sit," We all obeyed, shuffling into the next room to take our seats; I sat in-between Charlie and Meghan, his three brothers on the other side, while his mom sat at the end of the table. As we ate dinner, his mom shared stories of past thanksgivings and what her kids were like when they were little; I couldn't help but wonder what my life would have been like if my parents were here? Would I be with them right now? I've been trying to push away thoughts about my family this weekend, but it was hard, especially when his family was so amazing.

"Okay, I'll go first," Charlie's mom announced, clapping her hands together; We had just finished eating dinner and dessert, and all retreated into the living room. I furrowed my brows slightly, first at what?

"We go around the room and say what we're thankful for after dinner," Charlie must have noticed my confused expression because he leaned in to whisper an explanation, "doesn't your family do this?"

"Uh, no," I fidget with the rings on my fingers anxiously, trying my best to stop the anxious trembling that began. Charlie nodded, his eyes squinting slightly in confusion, but he didn't question my response; he just turned his attention back to his mother.

"I am thankful for all of my children," She began, smiling fondly at her kids, "even ones that are new to the family." She looked at me as she said the last part; my heart hammered in my chest at her words, and I tried my best to muster a thankful smile in return. Charlie's siblings all went next, and I tried to listen to them; but between my heart's rapid beating and my trembling hands, everything they said was kind of a blur.

"I'm thankful for my job," Charlie spoke from beside me, slightly breaking me away from my thoughts, "and all of the people it's brought into my life." As he said that, Charlie placed his hand on my knee, squeezing it lightly, gesturing that it was my turn.

"Um," I stutter; I took a shaky breath; all of his family watched me, patiently waiting for my answer, "C-can you excuse me."

"Of course, sweetie, are you alright?" His mom asked; I didn't answer, though; I shuffled out of the living room as quickly as possible, rushing up the stairs into Charlie and I's shared bedroom. I sat on the bed, leaning my head into my hands; my breathing became heavier, and tears began to pour down my face; I was practically gasping for air.

"Aubrey?" Charlie called from outside the door, gently knocking on it, "you okay?" I tried to stop my breathing and respond that I was fine, but it was useless; my thoughts were too loud. The door creaked open, and a few seconds later, I could feel the bed shift slightly, Charlie taking the spot next to me. "Shhh," He tried calming me down, lifting my face from my hands, so I was looking at him, "it's okay, just breath." I nodded, trying to slow my breathing, but I just chocked back a sob instead, gasping for breath, "let's do it together, okay?" Charlie begins to take slow breaths in and out, guiding me on what to do; I follow along, eventually calming down my irregular breathing. "You okay?" He asks, cupping my face in his hands, wiping away the stray tears; I shake my head, causing him to frown, "do you wanna talk about it?" I thought about his offer for a minute, I really did want to talk about it, but I was scared. "you don't have to if you're not comfortable; we can just stay here until you feel better." Charlie moves his hands from my face, clutching both of my hands in his; we sit in silence for a couple more minutes, him rubbing comforting circles on my hands.

"When I was a kid, my parents were my favorite people in the whole world," I begin, taking a shaky breath; Charlie squeezes my hands, encouraging me to go on, "We did everything together; we were always going on vacations and exploring new places; and one winter, they told me they had a surprise, we all piled into the car; and the entire way there it snowed and it was really icy." My voice cracked as I told the story, fresh tears beginning to brim my eyes, "we started sliding, and crashed right into a car driving the opposite direction; 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, Charlie placed his hand on the back of my head, pulling me into his embrace; I fell into his arms, crying into his shoulder.

"I'm so sorry," He mumbled, playing with my hair, comfortingly, "I had no idea."

"No one does," I mumble into his shoulder, "After they-" I pause, even after all these years, I still hated saying 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." After I finish explaining everything to Charlie, it feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulder. I pull away from Charlie's embrace, so we're looking at one another; I can't help but feel slightly embarrassed about crying in his arms, "I'm sorry about that," I say, wiping away at the stray tears that fell, "I'm a mess."

"You don't have to apologize," He reassures me, squeezing my hand lightly, "If I knew, I would never have agreed to you coming here; it's probably hard being around other families." I nodded in agreement; he perfectly described how I felt; as much as I loved being around his family, it was also a reminder of all the things I'd never have in life. "Why don't you get some rest, okay? I'll be right back; I'm just going to tell my mom you're okay." He squeezes my hand one last time before leaving the room; while he's gone, I quickly change into my PJs and wash my face before snuggling under the covers. I close my eyes, trying my best to clear my head of the thoughts that were flooding it, but it was harder than I thought. A couple of minutes later, Charlie entered the room, quietly entering the washroom attached to the room; he emerged a few minutes later in PJs, before heading to lay on the floor.

"Charlie?" I whisper, sitting up slightly so I could see where he laid on the floor; Charlie hums in response, sitting up, "Thanks for tonight."

"Of course," He nods, smiling up at me, "Goodnight, Bree."

"Night," I lay back down, moving around trying to get comfortable and relaxed, "Charlie?" I whispered after another minute or so, "do you wanna come up here?" Charlie furrows his brows in confusion, his eyes slightly wide in shock, "I still feel kind of anxious, and the floor looks uncomfortable."

"Yeah," He shuffles off of the floor, hesitantly walking over to the bed; I move over to one side, allowing him to lay next to me. "Careful Summers or I'll start thinking you don't hate me." He joked, sliding into the empty spot; I giggled at his joke, staring up at the ceiling.

"This is a one-time thing," I inform him, glancing over at him slightly; when I do, I see he's already looking at me, "I just don't wanna be alone, but I guess I can go see if Meghan wants to hang out." I begin to sit up, and he wraps his arm around my waist, pulling me back down, "Careful Gillespie, or I'll start thinking you like me." I tease, mimicking what he said earlier.

"Shut up," He mumbled, pulling me closer to him; I hesitantly lean my head against his chest, feeling relaxed for the first time tonight; I closed my eyes and was almost asleep when Charlie spoke again, "You know, you never told me what you were thankful for."

"I'm thankful for our cast," I answer, yawning tiredly; it wasn't even that late, but I was emotionally exhausted.

"Even me?" He asked; I thought about it for a minute, sure, Charlie got on my nerves sometimes, but he wasn't that bad; maybe we could be friends.

"Sometimes," I answer, shrugging my shoulders; Charlie doesn't say anything else; he just plays with my hair as I fall asleep.

🤍
This was definitely a hard one to write; I hope you all enjoyed it anyway though🤍
Love you all!