Love Drunk: Chapter Eleven

Andrew Mitchell and Charlotte Kennedy have become close over the past few months. But there is a deeper, hidden force that has brought them together. Their friendship may have grown during these months, but for Drew...their story began long before that...

Drew and Charlotte sat awkwardly in his secret lab. He had no idea how much time had passed but to him it felt like a hundred years! Charlotte was confused, why had he brought her here just to sit? He said they needed to talk, and still he sat! Finally she could take no more and blurted out "Those are lovely flowers Andrew!" 

"Yes! They're...uh...they're for you actually, you like 'em?" Drew replied shyly.

"Oh yes, they are lovely!" She beamed, then cut to the chase, "Why are we here? You said you wanted to talk and all you've done is sit and stare at those flowers!" Andrew cleared his throat and straightened up in his chair.

"I...er...I need to tell you something Char..." 

"What?" She interrupted him.

"Well...how do I say this uh...you and me...we're getting along really well right?"

"Right!" She agreed and nodded enthusiastically.

Drew shifted in his chair and cleared his throat again, "Yeah, well...thing is...I have feelings for you, strong feelings. Feelings that have grown over the past two years that...you see for me you've been in my thoughts ever since the boys moved into their flat, the first moment I saw you I knew..." Charlotte felt hot, light headed as she talked over him,

"Knew what Andrew???" She leaned forward in her seat and stared into his big brown eyes.

"...that I...Charlotte I love you!" He blurted out, there...he'd said it! And it felt good, even better when he saw the expression on Charlotte's face...

...a look of surprise combined with sheer joy. He continued, "I've loved you since you barged into Dex and Ash's flat that day and told us we were the noisiest boys you'd ever encountered, remember that? Well I could never forget, because that's the day...you changed my life forever, I'm in love with you and...I always have been!"

"You..." She choked back a sob as Drew looked at her expectantly, but all she could muster up was "...that's nice!"

Despite her rather disappointing reaction to his declaration of love, Drew and Charlotte talked well into the early hours of the morning. Looking at his watch and yawning, the time read 5:34am. He looked at Charlotte as she shrugged her shoulders and let out a satisfied sigh. "I wrote a song about you!" He smiled and she looked at him with her eyes wide.

"Oh Andrew!" She exclaimed, "I want to hear it, sing it for me now, please?"

"Dex is the singer, I merely play guitar. I'll let you hear it someday but first there's somewhere I wanna take you. It's a half hour drive, it's a bit early but...well this is kinda special!"

The drive over there had taken longer than half an hour, Charlotte was more than happy to jump into Drew's car and drive away, but she insisted that they have breakfast and some coffee first. Two bacon rolls and lattes later, they had arrived. Drew parked outside Moonlight Falls Nursing Home and guided Charlotte through the wide doors where a pretty receptionist greeted him by name. 

He smiled and asked her "He up yet Louise?" to which the young girl nodded and pushed a button to open another set of wide doors.

Down a long corridor almost to the very end, Drew held her hand the whole way. As they entered the room Drew took a deep breath and announced "I don't bring anyone here Char, so this is a big deal!"

Sitting at a large window looking out to the bridge was an old man, he looked content, he looked completely happy to be there!

Drew called out to the old man, "Hey gramps!" and the old man grinned from ear to ear! "I brought someone to meet you!"

"Well come on in then Joe! Don't stand in the doorway lookin' pretty! Come into the light where I can see ya!"

Drew brought Charlotte forward and began his introductions, "Gramps, this is Charlotte, she's a very special friend of mine! Charlotte? This is my grandfather, Winston!" 

Charlotte eyed Drew's grandfather and enquired in a quiet voice,

"Why did he call you Joe?" Drew laughed sadly and explained,

"He thinks I'm my father, it happens all the time! Remember I told you he has alzheimer's?"

"Oh yeah!" Charlotte nodded and smiled.

Old Winston Mitchell looked up at the young lady in his room and grinned even wider, "My you're skinny! But a looker, you've fallen on your feet there Joe!"

"Gramps behave!" Drew blushed and chided his grandpa for being inappropriate, but he couldn't stay mad at him for long as he smiled along with him. "Char and I are..." Drew began to explain as Charlotte finished his sentence for him,

"...a couple! We've just begun courting in fact!" she blushed as Drew was lost for words!

"You...you mean it?" he eyed her in disbelief.

"Of course Andrew! This, what you've allowed me into, your family, it means so much!" Winston was chuckling away to himself as the new couple stammered and stuttered at each other.

"Oh Joe! Love is grand eh?" he shook his head with a smirk on his face, "I remember when Elsie agreed to be my girl! Best day of my life! Well it was until we had you, and then you havin' little Andy of course!"

"I sometimes wonder how he's doin', that little boy! Do you think Tara will ever let us see him?" Winston's voice broke and a single tear rolled down his wrinkled cheek. Drew knelt down beside his grandfather and replied softly,

"Yeah, she will! Andy misses you too much!"

Suddenly Winston's expression changed, as if a cloud had cleared from above his head, and he exclaimed affectionately "Andy! Oh it's so good to see you boy!" Drew's eyes stung with tears as his grandfather recognised him for a moment.

"Yeah, it really is! You remember my girlfriend Charlotte?"

"Yes!" Winston beamed, "Pretty girl!"

"I'm so glad you came by, I kept your guitar! The one your mother bought you when you were 14! I got one of the nurses to tune it! Go on, play it!"

"Oh gramps I..."

"Please boy, I love to hear you play!"

Drew picked up his old guitar and held it for a moment, so many memories! His mother, Tara, had bought it for him after he saw it in a shop window. He and Dexter were always talking about forming a band, Dex was learning the piano and he wrote his own songs. Ash, being a little older was already in a band at school playing the drums. He began to strum, thinking about how much he pestered his mother, his friends all played instruments and he felt left out...so one day it was sitting on his bed, and he was delighted!

As he played an old tune his Gramps was fond of, he remembered the day his mother was killed six months after buying him that guitar. She was hit by a drunk driver and died instantly, she was only 36! For a while Drew couldn't even look at it, but with a little coaxing from his grandfather, he soon picked it up again. Dex and Ash were good friends to him, they encouraged him and they even began jamming in the Maloneys' garage. Drew struggled to cope with his mother's death, even more so when his father left and Winston was all he had! As he continued to strum and his grandfather sang along, he was glad he'd brought Charlotte to meet him...

...and Charlotte was honoured and humbled to be there! She perched herself on the edge of the little couch and realised she had never really witnessed Drew playing guitar properly, only when she was going next door to complain about the noise. But he was a very talented guitar player, she regretted not paying attention before. And his grandfather was thoroughly enjoying it!

As Winston Mitchell sang his heart out to his grandson's guitar, Charlotte thought about going home to her mother. How having a relationship with her own father was hard because of her! When Drew stopped playing Winston clapped and laughed happily. What a lovely old man, Charlotte thought to herself.

It started to rain the moment they reached outside, but Charlotte didn't mind. There was a lovely painting on Winston's wall that had made her curious, "Andrew? That painting of the girl lying among the flowers..." before she could carry on Drew replied sadly,

"My mum! Dexter did it for Gramps, a long time ago! DO you like it?"

"She was very beautiful Andrew! I see where you got your lovely skin from!"

"Thank you for bringing me to meet your grandfather Andrew! He really is a lovely man!"

"Yeah, he's alright!" Drew winked, "But it's hard when he doesn't know me. Today he recognised me, it doesn't always happen, I visit him every week and call to check on him every second day. But he's in his own little world most of the time. He means everything to me, and so do you...it was only right that you two meet! Did you mean what you said in there?" Drew looked at her with a worried expression.

"Yes Andrew! We are courting now, are we not?"

"Can I kiss you?" Charlotte screwed up her nose and took a step back as Drew's face fell, "I'm sorry I..."

"No, no it's okay! Let's just...learn to walk before we can run how about that?"

They drove home in silence, but as Drew walked Charlotte to her door, she turned around and said "I had a lovely time, now I really must sleep!" Drew gave her a wink.

"Me too! So I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"Hopefully my mother should be gone by then, yes!" she sighed in frustration.

"Char, I don't care about your mum! I'll still love you!"

Charlotte groaned and rubbed her throbbing neck, "Oh Andrew she is an abomination! She breaks the spirit of even the strongest person! She has a way of making you feel miserable just by saying hello!" Drew laughed and gazed into her eyes,

"She won't break me! Not as long as you're my girl!"

"I am, but you'll have to be patient with me. There are things..." she trailed off, it wasn't time yet!

"We have all the time in the world!" he assured her, "Bye Charlotte!"

"Goodbye Andrew!"

Drew watched her go into her flat and grinned, they were "courting"! Bed, yeah that was a good idea but...Charlotte was his girl! He could hardly believe it!

 When Charlotte arrived back in her flat, she was greeted by the sight of her mother in her pyjamas and a very silly hat! "Where have you been Lottie? You went to water your plants and disap...are those the clothes you were wearing yesterday??? Have you not been to bed???"

"MOTHER!!!" Charlotte yelled.

"Lottie do not raise your voice, I am your mother!"

"Have you been out with that shaggy boy??? Lottie??? You have, haven't you? I forbid you to see him he is nothing but trouble and..."

"MOTHER!!! I am 35 years of age! DO NOT TELL ME WHO I CAN AND CANNOT SEE!!!"

"Lottie..."

"AND MY NAME IS CHARLOTTE!!!"

"I'm just trying to protect you..."

"Well don't! Andrew and I are courting now so you can keep your thoughts to yourself from now on!"

 "He is no good! He is a grungy punk! He's a bad lot!"

"He's a scientist mother and he plays guitar in a band!" Charlotte could feel her blood pressure rising as her mother continued to down Drew!

"A-ha! Boys in bands are always trouble!"

 "Mother I want you to leave, NOW!"

 "You don't mean that!" Temperance gulped and stared down her daughter with those big bug eyes of hers.

"You have to go, and you have to go now!"

"Well if that's what you want Lottie!"

Charlotte winced at her mother insisting on calling her Lottie despite constant requests for her not to. "Yes it is! And take your stupid Ficus plant with you!"

 Drew arrived home still with that grin! Ash was about to leave for an emergency, but Drew was so happy he didn't care whether he was lying this time or not! "Hey guys!" Drew announced as he threw open the door.

 "Hey yourself, I have a flood across town to attend, and he's moping there! Are you wearing the same clothes from yesterday???" Ash eyed him up and down.

"Yes Ashton! Yes I am!" Drew laughed, "Charlotte and I...are a couple!"

 Dexter sat up and shouted "WHAT???"

"Dexter Dexter Dexter! I am taken taken taken!"

"How come...what...huh!"

"Now now younger Maloney, you usually have a way with words!" Drew could not contain his glee!

 Ash rushed out the door as Drew joined Dexter on the couch. "Any chance you could get Lainie to couple up with me?"

"Oh Dexter, my dear boy!" Drew sighed, "First you need to actually tell her how you feel, so you lose!"

"How did you do it?"

 Drew found it extremely amusing that Dexter Maloney, ladies man extraordinaire was asking HIM for advice. "Well I just told her outright, I loved her! I took her to meet Gramps and...well you know the rest! I am in a relationship! Can't wait to update Facebook!"

 "So it's really that easy huh?"

"No Dexter, it's not! But you gotta try or you'll never know!"

 "So you two..." Dexter started but didn't get to finish.

"God no! Get your head out of the gutter Maloney Junior! We just...talked and then went to see Gramps!"

"Oh!" Dexter seemed disappointed, how boring.

"So I really should get some sleep!" Drew yawned.

 Dexter wrinkled his nose and mumbled "And a shower!"

 Taking a leaf out of his friend's book, Dexter thought he would go and meet Lainie as she opened up the diner for 10am. His timing was fortunate as she stood outside her door looking bewildered, "Hey Dexy!" she called to him cheerily.

 "So have you told that lucky girl how you feel yet?" she gave him a sweet smile as he shrugged.

"No not yet!"

"Why not?" she squeaked at him and punched his arm playfully.

 "I'm...kinda shy!" Lainie let out a high pitched laugh.

"Oh Dexy, have you looked in the mirror lately? If there's anyone around here that should NOT be shy, it's you!"

"Well...I am okay?" he huffed.

"And anyway, if you don't tell her and get your act together, then how am I going to meet her?" Dexter gave her a coy grin.

"Oh you will, you'll meet her soon..."

 "...sooner than you think!"

Oh the tension! So at least one couple are official eh? What will chapter twelve bring? Bombshells my friends, bombshells! ;)