I let my gaze travel all around the room and I don't even know if I've ever seen a bigger mess. There are wet cloths on the floor with oil on them, making the wooden planks under them shift in a weird color. The walls are painted in yellow but the wood can be seen behind the paint, making it look horrible. There's a box on the floor filled with hammers, saws and other things next to a hole in the ground that I guess they're about to fix.

"It's not the most beautiful place, but we are happy, and that's what counts, isn't it?'' Charles says, wrapping his arm around Christina's shoulder.

''Yeah,'' I say with a smile, making Billie smile at me.

''Let's go upstairs, I forced this old man to clean so you two could sleep in one of the bedrooms,'' Christina says, pointing at Charles who starts to go up the stairs. As we follow him, the steps under us squeek and it feels as if we're going to fall down at any time. When we reach the new floor, I actually realise that it's not as messy here. There are flower pots, curtains, paintings and other decorations that make it look cozy.

''Here,'' Charles says, opening up the door to a bedroom. ''Make yourself comfortable.''

After that, Billie walks into the room and Christina walks downstairs again.

''And you,'' Charles starts, putting his hand on my shoulder. ''I'll be downstairs when you are ready to talk, okay?''

I smile and nod before entering the room like Billie did. The walls are blue with small decorations on it, like a painting with some sheeps that are wandering across a bridge. Two beds are standing on the opposite side of each other with blue and white striped blankets over them. There are two light brown tables next to the bed with some candles and photos on them. A carpet with stripes of every single color in the world lays on the floor between the beds, filling up the empty space there.

''Thank god that this room was better,'' Billie grins from the bed to start a conversation, making me giggle.

''They were nice,'' I say as Billie shuffles on the bed, signaling for me to lay down next to her.

''I need to put my stuff in the closet,'' I start. ''I-''

''Bro, you're about to have a fucking heart attack, you're stressing yourself out,'' she says, interrupting me and I sigh before walking over to the old fashioned bed. She pulls me down by my waist when I come close enough and forces me to rest my head on her chest. She brushes my hair, using her fingertips to play with the dark brown strands.

''This is weird,'' I state, looking up at Billie who smiles.

''What?'' She asks, tickling the skin on my arm.

''I just called an unknown man and now I'm in Chicago, trying to get a place to stay. It feels like a movie.''

''Maybe we are in a movie, but we just don't know it?'' Billie suggests, making me smile.

''Yeah, that would be the beauty and the beast. I'm not a beast, but I'm as ugly as him,'' I say as Billie slaps my arm lazily.

''Shut the fuck up,'' she says, making me grin.

''Do you have a better idea?'' I ask.

''Fifty shades of gray. Or, fifty shades of Billie,'' she says before bursting out in laughter.

''I hate you,'' I say.

''I love you, too,'' she says, kissing my head while letting her lips touch the skin for a little bit longer than necessary.

''I literally thought that he would be a killer and that we would be dead by now, not even kidding,'' I say with a quiet chuckle, making her smile.

''Well, I'm glad you were wrong,'' she says. ''Thank you for letting me come here to be by your side.''

''Stop being so cheesy," I whisper with a grin before turning around so I'm facing her completly. She looks tired and exhausted but she's still the most beautiful person in the world.

"Shut the fuck up," she mumbles.

My gaze shifts between her lips and eyes before she connects our lips, kissing me slowly. Sometimes, kissing her feels even better than usual. When we've been talking about something emotional or something we usually comfort each other through the kiss which I find beautiful. After a while of kissing, I pull away, stroking her cheek.

''I gotta go and talk to Charles now,'' I say, standing up.

''Good luck! I know that you will do well!'' She says.

''No, I will probably die or slip down the stairs, but thank's anyways. Bye!'' I joke, walking out of the room.

''Bye, shorty,'' she shouts from the bed, making me blush a bit.

Thinking about what I said to Billie about slipping down the stairs, I try to be careful as I walk down. As I reach the end of the stairs, I look to the left to see a big room, probably a living room. I guess that Charles is in there, so I enter the room which looks pretty messy to be honest. I was right, though. Charles is sitting on the couch, reading the newspaper while smoking a cigarette.

''Hey,'' I say after a while of him not noticing me, making him tense a bit.

''Wow, you scared me,'' he chuckles. ''Sit down, please.''

I walk over the floor and sit down on the purple couch as far away from him as I can. I try not to show him how much I'm shaking because of how nervous I am.

''So, I understand that you are confused about this whole situation, I would be too. Your mom and I were never close at all. We had contact of course, but we couldn't understand each other in all ways. It started when we were kids. Your mom would do stupid things sometimes, things that would upset our parents."

"Like what?" I ask immediately and I can see how Charles shifts uncomfortably.

"She started to take drugs and she would also... sell them at a pretty young age," he says slowly, as if he realises that every word hurts.

"When?" I ask. Did she take drugs before everything happened?

"Oh, before you and your brother were born," he answers, making my heart drop.

"Oh," I say, looking down.

"When you were born, I tried to contact the social services to take care of you because I did not want you to live with someone who took drugs, but that made both your mom and dad go crazy. She said that Tristan had changed her and that she didn't do drugs anymore, but I knew that she still did. I guess that I didn't feel like breaking Tristan's heart by telling him about it, so I just gave up and left town. I still feel guilty."

I look at Charles, trying to take in the words that slipped out from his mouth. I can't decide if he did the wrong or right thing, but something about it just makes me feel so fucking weak. I didn't know about this at all, I literally didn't even know that this man existed. I bury my face in my hands and let out a sob, almost feeling the apologetic look on Charles face. I could have a better life, if he took care of us, maybe Evan would still be alive? The thought makes me cry even more, tears streaming down my cheeks. I feel how Charles moves closer and rubs my back a bit.

"I'm so sorry. You can stay here for as long as you like. We have time, space and a lot of love for you, Ember," he says, making me nod.

What the fuck is going to happen now?