─☼☼☼─

"SO, WHO IS HE?" Carson's voice was clipped as he spoke, his eyes focused on the calm water instead of his girlfriend.

Charlotte shivered, despite the fact that it wasn't even remotely cold out. But to her, it's like she'd settled in an ice bath, terrified of what was to come.

The two of them had broken away from the group, Charlotte pleading for Carson to let her explain everything away from the prying eyes and ears of her friends. Although, she could almost guarantee they were all doing their best to listen from inside.

There was no point in lying. Charlotte knew that.

"He's my ex-boyfriend," She finally answered, turning her head to catch the pained expression that settled on Caron's face. "Sarah's older brother."

Carson nodded, jaw clenched. "Your ex-boyfriend," he repeated, as if mulling over the word.

"Yeah." Charlotte's voice was quiet, teetering between emotions.

"How long were you together?" Carson questioned.

Forever, she wanted to say, because truthfully that's what it felt like. She could almost no longer recall a life before Rafe.

"Six years."

Hurt flashed across Carson's face as he closed his eyes, running a hand over his face. "High school sweethearts," he muttered, the words like venom on his tongue. "That's cute."

Charlotte winced slightly at the tone of his voice, words sitting on her tongue, but unable to be spoken. She didn't know what to say. She knew Carson wanted her to tell him that Rafe didn't mean anything to her anymore, that their entire relationship was in the past. But that was the biggest lie she could have ever told. Nothing about her relationship with Rafe was in the past. Hell, there wasn't a day that went by that she didn't think about him...think about how things ended between them.

Everyday she woke up and feared that she'd have a message telling her that he was in jail, or that he was dead. Everyday she feared that she had done the wrong thing by walking out on him again.

"Why'd you break up?" Carson couldn't even look over at Charlotte as he spoke, his eyes focused on the sign for JJ's Charters that hung on the structure above them.

None of your business, Charlotte thought initially ...but maybe it was his business, maybe he had at least some of a right to know. She owed him that much.

Pushing down the lump in her throat, Charlotte thought back to that night one year ago, and all the nights that led up to it. "He was...sick," she explained, voice catching. "He lost his father and he struggled."

Carson shook his head, "Struggled?"

"Drugs, alcohol...you name it." Charlotte said quietly, the guilt from a year ago resurfacing. "We'd been there before, and I─I didn't know how to help him. So I ran."

"Ran all the way to Duke." Carson muttered, eyes dark. "And then you met me."

Charlotte knew she should feel sad about what was happening between the two of them, but the only emotions she felt were residual from a year ago. "I wasn't trying to hide him from you...it just never came up."

Carson scoffed, "Are you kidding me right now, Charlotte? Never came up? So you're telling me in the three months we've been dating there has never been a moment that you thought, 'hey, maybe I should tell Carson about the guy I spent my entire adolescent life loving'? I find that really fucking hard to believe."

Defence was the first response that came to mind. "Maybe I didn't tell you because I knew you'd react like this." She shot back, fixing him with a stern look. "Maybe it was just better if you never knew."

Seeming at a loss for words, Carson pushed himself to his feet, shaking his head in disbelief. "You're insane, Charlotte. Just think if this was the other way around."

"I wouldn't care!" She argued, the words leaving her mouth before she really had a chance to think about it. As soon as they were out there, she felt the severity of them.

Shoving his hands into his pocket, Carson gave her a sad smile, "Yeah...maybe that's the problem."

She scrambled up after him, guilt finally creeping in. "Carson─"

He cut her off with a firm shake of his head, "Nah, I'm gonna head out for a bit."

"Where are you gonna go?" Charlotte called after him, knowing he had no idea where to go on the island.

He ignored her, his figure retreating down the dock.

Charlotte stood alone, the wind blowing her hair into her face as she watched her boyfriend walk away.

Somehow, it didn't hurt near as much as it should have.

─☼☼☼─

"Where's Carson?" Kiara asked as Charlotte stepped back into the surf shop, no boyfriend in sight.

Grabbing a beer from the cooler, Charlotte downed it before answering her sister, "He's...getting some air."

JJ looked at her with a raised brow, "Is there not enough air for him in here or something?" That earned him a less-than-pleased glare from Charlotte.

"He's mad at me," she reiterated, feeling the sympathetic stares from the rest of her friends. "Guys, it's whatever...don't be weird."

"I'm really sorry, Charlotte," Cleo apologized, "I didn't know."

Giving her a smile, Charlotte shook her head. "Do not be sorry...at all. Of course you didn't know. Anyone with more than one braincell would have told their new boyfriend about their ex...apparently I do not have more than one braincell."

"Well I could have told you that," Kiara teased, shooting her sister a wink.

"Real funny, Kie." Charlotte muttered, middle finger already raised.

Heaviness hung in the air for a moment as everyone tried to gauge how upset Charlotte actually was. Despite her being the oldest of the bunch, they all looked out for her as much as she looked out for them.

"Okay, don't be weird," Charlotte declared, fixing them all with a look, "I'm actually okay."

Sarah gave her a sad smile, "If you want to talk about it—"

"No." Charlotte interrupted, "Enough about me. Let's talk about this Genrette guy."

"Creepy," JJ shuddered, "Dude gave me the heebie geebies. Seemed pretty nice though."

Pope rolled his eyes, "She means let's talk about his proposal."

JJ nodded, pursing his lips. "Yeah, I knew that."

"I mean, we can take up his invitation. Doesn't mean we're committing." Kiara suggested, giving a small shrug. "Maybe it'd be worth it to hear what he has to say."

"Yeah," Pope agreed. "And having some more money in our pocket wouldn't be a bad thing...not after the last close call."

All eyes swivelled to JJ who was pretending he didn't know they were talking about him.

It had only been a few weeks prior when Charlotte has received a frenzied call from Pope, who was almost in tears, telling her that JJ has stupidly wasted the rest of their savings in some stupid dirt bike race. Charlotte had been livid when she'd found out, mostly because she knew JJ was smarter than that. Ever since they'd gotten the money, he'd acted like a dog let off leash for the first time in its life. He'd almost cost them everything, and if not for their sudden rise to fame, the Pogues would have had nothing left.

As soon as she'd hung up witn Pope, Charlotte had dialled JJ, reaming him out, all the while trying to decipher why he was acting the way he was. JJ had simply apologized to her over and over, to which Charlotte had told him it wasn't her he needed to apologize to. While it was her money too, she wasn't in the trenches like the rest of them were. She had her life path set up, and it didn't depend on the business they all built.

Now that they had narrowly avoided bankruptcy, it had been decided that JJ no longer had free rein of the bank account, which would hopefully save them from losing all their money...again.

"I don't know why everybody's starin' at me," JJ defended, raising his hands.

"Don't even start." John B warned, "You know damn well."

JJ muttered something under his breath as Charlotte looked around the group. "So we're gonna do it? Go to his private estate?"

"Why not?" Sarah agreed, "What could it hurt?"

"Well, he could kill us." JJ offered, once again really helping the situation.

Charlotte glared at him, "I hope he takes you first."

JJ feigned heartbreak, holding a hand over his heart, "Charls, I sincerely hope you don't mean that."

"If she doesn't, I do." Pope added.

"Wooow." JJ exclaimed, "I see we've still got some sensitive Sallies over here."

A snort fell from Charlotte's lips, "God, how I've missed you guys."

JJ grinned, wrapping his arm around her as he pulled her toward his chest. "Oh Charls, trust me. You did not miss us near as much as we missed you."

"It's true," Sarah confirmed, "Every night before bed I hear JJ crying over you."

Forcing a pout, JJ nodded. "It's true."

"Are you sure you can hear him over whatever you and John B are always doing in there?" Kiara challenged raising her brows.

"Okay," John B argued, cheeks tinted red. "It's a normal part of a relationship—"

Charlotte clamped her hands over her ears, "Don't need to hear about it!"

That sent everyone into a frenzy arguing about who was doing what each night and who was the loudest. Charlotte's ribs hurt by the time they stopped arguing to get more beer and something to eat.

This was how it was supposed to be, her and the Pogues, together again.

But she couldn't help but feel like a piece of her was still missing.

─☼☼☼─
-an-
welcome to season four!
im excited to get started with it. fair warning now, the first part of this season will mainly focus on Charlotte and the Pogues, but do not fret, we will see Rafe in due time.

everyone let me know what you thought of season four!

-maddy xoxo