chapter xi.

     During the three days following Charles and Kat's kissing scene, Charles had been going back and forth with himself about whether or not he should just ask Kat out. He really liked her, he kinda always had. He never wanted to admit it, but he had a little thing for her after the first time she came to L.A. He knew Jordan really liked her so he didn't go for it, but they were broken up now. Charles always felt guilty for the little crush, and if he was being honest, he was feeling a even more guilty for being a little more than platonic with her now. He knew Jordan could see it, and he didn't know if he should say something or not. He really liked Kat, he wanted to ask her out. But, every time he tried, he ended up getting cold feet due to his guilt.

Charles had been going over lines when Kat approached him, all cheery and giggly. "Hey Charles!"

"Hey Kat, what's got you in such a good mood?" He asked, smiling a bit himself. The look on her face was just too precious, he couldn't help it.

"We film more together today, and then we have free time." She said, grinning widely at the man.

"That sounds cool," Charles said. They stood there for a moment, just staring and smiling at each other. Everything in him was telling him to go for it, to make a move. He could've sworn he even saw her inching towards him. And "what did he do?" you may ask; "I gotta use the bathroom, be right back!" He then scurried off, leaving the girl confused and slightly disappointed.

Charles knew in that moment that he needed to talk to Jordan. There was no more being indecisive, no more going back and forth about it. He needed to. Out of respect for his friend, and to clear his conscience. He practically sped walked all the way to Jordan's trailer, knocking on the door as his heart was pounding against his chest due to his nerves.

The man opened the door, "Charles? Hey, what's up?" He asked. Charles opened and closed his mouth a few times, mustering the courage to say what he needed to say. "Are you okay—"

"I really like Kat." He blurted, cutting his costar off. Jordan quickly shut his mouth, practically staring through Charles' soul. "I um, yeah. I like her, and I wanted to talk to you about it because I know you two broke up months ago, but I feel really bad because I don't know how you feel about her now. I really want to ask her out."

"So... is this going where I think?" Jordan asked, one eyebrow raised in suspicion.

     "I wanted to know if I have your permission. To ask her out, I mean. If you're not okay with it, I won't. But if you are..." Charles trailed off, scratching the back of his neck while glancing down at his feet.

     A few moments of silence passed, "Yeah," Jordan said, though his mind was screaming at him to say no.  "That's— that's fine, no worries." It wasn't fine. It absolutely was not fine. The other man chuckled a little, smiling widely.

     "Thank you, really. It means a lot. If at any point you get uncomfortable or feel any certain way, just let us know, okay? I wouldn't want to put you in an awkward situation." Charles said, patting Jordan's shoulder. Jordan forced a small smile, returning the shoulder pat.

     "Right, thanks. Don't worry about me, though. Go ask her out, it's all good, bro." Apparently his forced smile was believable because Charles did not suspect an ounce of deception. The man thanked him once more before heading off to find Kat again. The moment he was out of sight, Jordan dropped his phony, happy attitude. He closed the door to his trailer and practice slumped on to his couch. He rested his head on his palm which was being supported by his arm resting on the couch, feeling his eyes sting with tears. He wiped his face, not wanting to give in to his emotions.

     Jordan knew full well if he showed any sign of discomfort or unhappiness when talking to Charles, he wouldn't have went for it. As much as he wanted to tell him no, and to back off, he knew deep down he didn't have the right. Kat was not his girlfriend, not anymore. She was not his, he was not hers. He had no right to decide who she could or could not go out with, and who was he to get in the way of her happiness? That's how he looked at it. Long ago, he told her he wanted her to be happy no matter what, or who it was with. This was him sticking to his words, no matter how hard it was for him.

     Charles, on the other hand, was searching all over to find Kat again; he didn't see the need to wait any longer now that he had permission. He searched and searched until he found her with Cami outside of Lili's trailer.

     "Kat Morgan!" He exclaimed, running towards her with an enthusiastic smile. She looked in his direction and immediately grinned.

     "Charles Melton," she mocked. "I see you're back from your bathroom trip."

     The brunet laughed, "yes, but that's not why I'm here bugging you again."  Lili and Cami shared a glance, half confused and half intrigued.

     "So what does bring you here, bugging me again as you put it?" The Latina giggled. Charles sucked in his bottom lip for a split second before stepping closer to the girl, looking down at her (since she's super short).

     "I really like you. And I like hanging out with you, a lot." He stated, watching the way Kat blushed and glanced over at Lili and Cami.

     "I really like you too, Charles." She responded softly.

     "That's good," he chuckled. "Would you be interested in going on a date with me?"

     Kat thought about it for a moment. She knew in her heart what her answer was, however, for a brief second, she thought about Jordan. She wondered how he would feel, if he would be upset or if he wouldn't care. She knew she had to think quick, and blurted out, "Yes," the way Charles' grin got wider than she thought was possible made her heart melt on the spot and she knew she made a good choice.

     "Okay, cool. Does— does tomorrow work? After our scenes are done for the day?" He asked, both giddy and a teeny bit nervous.

     Kat nodded, "Yeah, definitely! I can't wait,"

     Once the man was out of earshot, Camila and Lili started teasing their friend. "You and Charles are going on a date! Eeeek!" They shrieked, making Kat blush.

     "Shush! So what if we are?" She responded, the three of them continuing to walk around set together.

     "It's exciting, duh!" Lili exclaimed. The three girls laughed before going quiet for a few seconds.

     "Do you think Jordan will be upset?" Kat asked timidly, staring at the ground below them. "I like Charles a lot don't get me wrong, but I'm worried it'll put us in a weird spot. Or that it'll hurt Jordan."Cami looked over at her, shrugging.

     "I mean, I don't know. I didn't think about that, actually." She said.

     "You could talk to him or Charles, just in case?" Lili suggested.

    Kat nodded in agreement, "I think I just might."

—
raise your hand if you still miss kardon ✋