UNKNOWN [Lestappen]

A/N:

RAHHH OSCAR WINS IN BAKU!!!!! I'M SO HAPPY FOR HIM!

Also so happy for Charles!! Even if he didn't win, he still drove amazingly!

Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

Charles' POV:

I sat on the rooftop, my legs pulled up to my chest, my arms resting on top of them as I stared out into the distance. The neighborhood stretched out below me, quiet and still, the soft hum of the city in the background.

I could see a train moving in the distance, its horn blaring faintly. The sound blended into the night until. I thought about it for a moment, thinking about how easily it would be to jump onto one of the cargo containers.

Suddenly, I thought I heard my name.

At first, I wasn't sure. But then I realized it was my mom, calling from my room. Panic hit me. I quickly climbed down from the roof and slipped back through my window. When I stepped inside, my heart dropped.

My mom was in my drawer, the drawer with things I wanted to keep hidden from her. 

The razor and the lighter. 

She was rifling through my things, her hands too close to the things I wanted to keep out of her vision. My mind raced, and before I could think, I rushed to her, slamming the drawer shut.

"What are you doing?" I snapped, my voice sharp, panicked.

She looked startled, taking a step back. "I was just looking through your clothes, seeing if anything needed washing," she said, her voice too calm for the way my heart was pounding. 

She paused, then added, "I actually came up here to talk about Xavier."

For a second, I couldn't place the name. But then it clicked, that man from downstairs. The one on the couch. 

"Xavier?" I said, confusion giving way to frustration. "What does he have to do with anything?"

My mom's eyes flickered, guilt passing over her face. "Look, I wanted to tell you about him, Let me explain myself," I glared at her with an annoyed look, before nodding for her to continue.

"He's... someone I met at the bar, before I stopped drinking," She exclaimed.

My chest tightened. "Before Dad?"

She nodded, her expression heavy. "After your father passed, I was in a bad place Charles. I was depressed, lost, confused... and Xavier was there for me. He helped me through it."

I stood there, barely able to process what she was saying. "So, what? You've been seeing him this whole time?"

"It wasn't like that at first," she explained, her voice soft, trying to ease me into it. "We spent a lot of time together, and we became closer, we were best friends."

I tilted my head, confused. "Okay? So why are you telling me this? And why is he in our house?"

"We then became more intimate Charles, We began to see each other often, outside of the bar," She stated. I felt my heart drop, a lump forming in my throat.

"Have you...?" I started, before trailing off. She softly nodded, like she could read my mind, like she knew what I was about to say.

I didn't want to hear it. My fists clenched at my sides. "You promised," I muttered. "You promised Dad."

She flinched, guilt shadowing her features. "I know, and I'm sorry. I was going to tell you, but I didn't know how. I knew how much you loved your dad, and I didn't want to hurt you. That's why I kept Xavier hidden."