T/W:Mentions alcoholism.

****

Two days later, Pedro, James and myself are boarding a plane to Los Angeles. I'm feeling much better, though I'm still having some minor headaches. Probably due to drinking so damn much. Pedro hovers, though he tries not to, knowing it'll irritate me if he does it too much.

I get settled in my seat, a dull pain still lingering at the back of my skull. Pedro sits beside me, leaning in, while James settles himself in the seat across the aisle. I'm instantly having flashbacks of when we first flew to Vancouver. Although this time, we're not leaving Los Angeles, but Hawaii and Mel is still MIA.

"You okay?" Pedro asks quietly, his head bent close to mime. I nod, shifting around in my seat, fidgeting with my phone, wondering just where Mel is and wanting to ask Pedro. But I feel extremely self conscious, what with James hovering so nearby.

"Yeah. Still struggling with faint withdrawals." Pedro takes my hand, holding it as the plane engines roar to life, rolling out on the runway and after we're cleared for take-off, roar into the sky.

"Would you like some coffee?" Pedro asks. "I could get the flight attendant to bring you a cup, if you want."

"That'd be great, thanks."

As soon as we reach cruising altitude and the flight attendants start coming around, Pedro asks for some coffee for me. Moments later, I'm sipping it and almost immediately, the pain in my head starts lessening.

"Better?" Pedro asks. I nod.

"Much. Thanks." Pedro smiles. I glance over at James, who has his earbuds inserted into his ears, eyes closed. I suppose now is as good as any to ask Pedro about Mel.

"So...you actually spoke to Mel?" Pedro doesn't respond immediately.

"I..did." He hesitates. "Is there a reason you're asking?"

"Did she say anything else besides where I possibly was?"

"Not really. She thought maybe you and I had..broken up already." I scoff. I'll bet she was crossing her fingers over that.

"Of course she did," I growl. Tears well up, but I refuse to start crying. "She didn't really care at all, did she?"

"On the contrary, she did seem somewhat concerned," Pedro says.

"Sure," I mumble.

"Let's change the subject," Pedro says brightly. "Just think, in two weeks, we'll have wrapped up with the movie. Maybe you and I can slip away somewhere private again."

I know Pedro means well, but truthfully, after the shit that just went down, I'm more interested in returning home, crawling into bed and locking the door, not coming out until it's time for the premiere of this stupid film.

****

After we touch down in Los Angeles, Pedro hails a cab, and we go straight to my place. I'm dead tired, wishing I could crawl into bed and stay there for a week. I curl up on the couch, while Pedro orders some food before joining me. He still looks worried, though I pretend not to notice.

"I ordered some pizza," Pedro informs me and I nod, closing my eyes, more interested in sleep than food.

"Charley?"

"Hm?"

"We need to talk about what happened." I crack open an eye, completely uninterested in this particular discussion. Especially after a five hour flight from Hawaii.

"No."

Pedro's facial features sharpen slightly. It reminds me of his role of Prince Oberyn. I smirk, somewhat amused.

"This isn't something to laugh about." Pedro sounds almost...hostile. He's trying to intimidate me.

"I wasn't laughing," I reply, closing my eye and burrowing further into the couch cushions. "I smirked. Not the same thing."

A sharp noise escapes from the back of Pedro's throat. He gets up and starts pacing. I don't see this, as my eyes are closed, but I hear him.

"Have you often struggled with getting drunk?" He asks.

"Occasionally."

"How long?" I don't respond. My brain is turning to mush. "Charley?"

"Shut up. I'm dog tired. I've been through hell in the last week."

"A hell made by your own hands," I hear Pedro mutter. I open my eyes, glaring.

"Why are you so damn judgemental? I know you enjoy drinking, too. I've seen pics of you, online, holding a can of beer or drinking something much stronger. So do. Not start. Passing judgment on the misadventures of my wild drinking sprees!"

Pedro stops in his tracks. Neither of us speak. We just have a stare down. Until the door buzzes and Pedro storms off, getting the food he ordered, while I silently brood. He returns momentarily, holding the containers of food. He sets the pizza box down in front of me, a peace offering of sorts. A beat passes before I reach over, snagging a slice.

"Thanks," I mumble between bites.

"You're welcome." He gingerly lowers himself down on the couch, putting a chasm between us, reaching for his own slide. He sighs. "I'm just trying to see where you're coming from."

"And I wanna why you insist on cross examining me about every single shitty choice I've made in life?"

Pedro looks away, silently chewing on his pizza.

In a more docile tone I say: "You say you wouldn't judge me for my past mistakes, yet here you are, picking apart every little shitty mistake I've made lately."

Pedro turns his head again, our eyes locking. I see the conflict warring in his dark eyes. "You're right. I have been an asshole about this whole situation."

I finish my slice of pizza and reach for another. I study his body language. It speaks volumes. His shoulders are hunched up close to his ears, he's stiff and his left foot is tapping restlessly on the floor.

"We agreed to put this behind us," I remind him. "That's what needs to happen. Unless...this shit with me is too much for you to handle. If so, while it'll hurt like hell, you have my blessing to walk away and I won't hold it against you."

Alarm covers Pedro's face. He scoots closer to me, taking my hand, crushing it against his chest. "No. I don't want to walk away, Charley. I care about you too much. You've become a major part of my life and I can't lose that.

I nod, gently pulling my hand from his grip, hoisting myself up into his lap, arms locking around him. He buries his face in my hair, inhaling deeply.

"Then enough with the riot act," I murmur. Pedro nods, leaning back, gazing into my eyes.

"Yes, mi amor."

"Thank you."

***

Monday morning, we're back on set, filming the final scenes for the movie. I throw myself into it, and James appears to have forgiven me for my disappearing act. Although I'm not so naive to assume he's wiped the slate clean of my transgressions.

Pedro has kept his word and
stopped interrogating me about my past mistakes. Though I've learned something from this experience. That maybe Pedro isn't as trustworthy as I originally thought and perhaps Mel had him figured out from day one.

***

I've been mulling over an idea for the last several days now. Since we've returned to L.A, I'm considering going to Mel's place and seeing if perhaps she'll talk to me. I decide that arriving on her doorstep is much better than a phone call or text message. Not to mention, she still hasn't bothered returning any of my calls or texts.

I also decide not to mention this to Pedro, as I know he'll want to tag along and that's the last thing I need or want. Mel is jealous of Pedro and I's relationship and I feel, arriving with him in tow, would be like rubbing salt in a wound. So I'll make this trip.

Alone.

****
I pull up to Mel's apartment building, cutting the engine and taking a deep breath, mentally steadying myself for a face to face confrontation with my ex agent and best friend. As I climb out of my car, I slowly make my way inside and buzz her apartment number, hoping she's in.

"Hello?" Mel's voice throws me a moment and I nearly turn and bolt. Instead, I hold my ground. "It's Charley. Can we talk?"

Silence.

Seconds tick by, feeling like hours while I hold my breath, anxiously anticipating Mel's next words. She doesn't answer, but buzzes me in. I take that as a good sign. I head up the stairs and a few minutes later, I'm approaching Mel's apartment. She's actually standing in the doorway and steps aside, allowing me to enter.

Neither of us say a word. Finally, Mel moves, wrapping her arms around me. I relax into her familiar embrace as the tears start, soaking the cloth of her shirt. She holds me for several minutes until I pull away, still sniffling. Mel gestures for me to sit, grabbing some napkins from her kitchen, passing me one.

She sits down, dabbing at her own wet eyes. "I'm happy Pedro and James found you and that you're here."

I nod, wiping my face and blowing my nose. "Thanks for your help. I probably wouldn't be here if you hadn't."

Mel sighs, crumpling the soggy napkin in her fist. "I'm sorry. I let my stupid jealousy get the best of me. I don't know why I did that."

I reach out, grasping her free hand, squeezing. "You're forgiven."

Mel gasps out a shaky laugh, squeezing my hand back. "You're incredible, you know that?"

I chuckle. "So I've told."

"James didn't fire you?" I shake my head.

"No. For which I'm eternally grateful."

"You've hired someone else, though, haven't you?" I give her a curious look.

"How'd you know?"

"I was in the agency that picked you and overhead a conversation between your new agent and the head, Ms. Williams."

"Oh." I nervously twist the damp napkin in my hands. "Mel," I begin, but she holds up a hand, palm out, to halt me.

"I'm not upset. In fact, I'm kinda relieved."

I start, staring at her. "Relieved?"

"Yes."

"How so?" I ask. "Was my shit dragging you down that badly?"

"In a sense, yes." I frown.

"If you needed a break, all you had to was ask," I murmur. Mel sighs.

"Except I didn't want to ask. I wanted to stick close, make sure Pedro wasn't going to destroy you."

"He..he kinda did," I murmur.

Mel scowls. "Tell me."

"He's been so overbearing and judgy. Like he completely freaked out just because I took off. Then when he did find me, all he kept doing was cross examining me, drilling me about every single shitty choice I've made."

Mel shakes her head, frowning ferociously. "I trust you explained shit to him?"

"We talked and he's been doing better." I sigh. "Though I'm beginning to think you were halfway right about how trustworthy he really is."

"You still haven't shared about that stuff, have you?"

"No way. And after how he reacted about me running off, I don't think I ever will."