before the rain [Chase]

[Chase McKinney-Jackson]

Chase wanted to slap himself. He shouldn't have told her that. It just made everything so awkward. They didn't even know what to tell each other. They couldn't even look at each other, and they were supposed to be friends. Chase felt bad.

Dumbfounded when she said she had someone too, all Chase could think to say was, "Thanks great, Charlotte! I'm happy for you!" He hoped this would lessen the tension between them as he brought her in for a hug. He really was happy for her, even though he figured she was single before because of the mention of cats, and her being lonely. He didn't think it was best to dwell of that. Don't think, that's what Brent always tells you.

"I wouldn't say a congratulatory is conducive. We're not together. We're...." Chase was going to say sneaking around while Brent was married. Or something to that degree, but that just sounded harsh and even more awkward.

"It's complicated."

[[Charlotte Barnard]]

Charlotte winced as she returned Chase's awkward albeit good-natured hug. What had she been thinking?

Too soon Charlotte freed herself from Chase's grip.

Complicated.

That got Charlotte's attention, Charlotte frowned as she tried to discern any complications between Chase and...Brent. There were the obvious ones but Charlotte had a feeling it went deeper than that.

Charlotte hated beating around the bush, it was too tightly woven until it was too late to ask any questions. So rather tactlessly she exclaimed, "why?"

[Chase McKinney-Jackson]

Chase felt Charlotte hug back, but it felt weird. Like it was forced. This whole situation felt weird, but Chase decided not to dwell on it too much. Maybe she was just still in shock about Chase being bisexual. It would be the first time. Then again, Chase had never really had to confess it before. So he wouldn't know how they react.

"Way to cut to the chase." Chase smiled at his own little joke. He was trying to lighten the mood a bit. When he tried, he got cheap puns to come out.

"Well. You see... well. Brentmightbemarried." Chase said the words close together and in a low mumble. Half of him hoped she wouldn't be able to figure out what he said, but he knew that she probably would. Then Charlotte would think Chase was a horrible person. He didn't think this through completely.

[[Charlotte Barnard]]

Charlotte blinked.

She didn't even realize the crack Chase had made on his name, she was more focused on the fact that well Brent was apparently married and Chase was...involved with him!.

It was a lot to take in as far as Charlotte was concerned, her friend was bisexual, involved with someone married and her life was depressingly romance free.

"Might?

Try as she might Charlotte couldn't keep the incredulity out of her voice, how could someone might be married?

"How exactly did this happen?"

Charlotte was conflicted, her moral values asserted that what Chase might be doing was wrong but her inner turmoil to be accepted shouted out that whatever Chase did she had to accept it because she was his friend.

Basically, Charlotte was way in over her head and she didn't even anticipate any of it, well perhaps the old spinster part where she died alone because she had no romantic entanglements bit she predicted but Chase? Not even if she saw a seer could she have foreseen that.

[Chase McKinney-Jackson]

Chase looked down. He couldn't look at her right now. He knew what he was doing was wrong. But he couldn't help it. He had waited for this his entire life. It wasn't fair for him to just sit aside when Brent had started it. Brent had kissed Chase first. Not the other way around. But it was still wrong.

"Okay. He is married." Chase said with a low voice. "But before you say anything, I'll explain everything. Okay?" His head snapped back up to her as he said that. He knew what he was going to tell her probably didn't matter really. But he was going to say it anyways.

"Me and Brent have been best friends since I came to Hogwarts. We met on the train even and were immediately best friends. Us and two other guys from Ravenclaw made a group you could say." Chase didn't want to mention the band, as that was a secret. "But it was always me and Brent that were the closest. We were best friends." Chase felt bad. But had to continue.

"After we had both graduated from Hogwarts, we dated for about a year. I knew I was bisexual probably in my third year. But Brent didn't. So he thought he would try, and tried with me." Chase took a deep sigh. "I fell in love with him, Charlotte. His eyes, his smile, the way he looks when he gets confused and mad-which is often. Just everything about that man is the reason I love him." Chase gazed off when he went on about Brent. Like he often did.

"But Brent didn't think he was Bisexual. So he broke it off after a year. He then met a girl name Maryn Lovegood. A girl who teased him for being a muggleborn in school. But he said she had changed. He dated her for a while, then married her." Chase's face scrunched into a glare. Man did he hate that woman.

"But a couple weeks ago Brent and me came... well, here... And he told me he had to tell me something. Well... Brent is kind of the nervous type. And so he didn't actually tell me. But showed me. He kissed me. Telling me that he still had feelings for me." Chase looked the other way. Away from Charlotte.

"I haven't dated anyone since we broke up because I'm still in love with him, Charlotte. I haven't been able to look at anyone the same as I look at Brent. He knows that now. It's only been a few snogging sessions. But it's still cheating. And I know I'm a horrible person for it. But can you blame me? I love him, Char." Chase looked back at her then. His side finally told. He hoped she wouldn't think he was a horrible person, but he wouldn't blame her if she did. He was.

[[Charlotte Barnard]]

Charlotte was stunned. Flabbergasted. Bewildered. Astounded. Confounded. All those synonyms related to surprised, and basically taken aback.

It was more than she expected, more than anybody had ever told her in her life. Charlotte was bad at keeping secrets so nobody had ever told her that much, even her closest friends, which, Charlotte admitted to no one but herself, hurt.

However much it was "touching" that finally someone was confiding in her Charlotte had to rationalize the situation. Technically she had no business in the problem directly even though Chase was her friend, so it would be okay, sort of, if she just overlooked the moral dilemma Chase was presenting.

Charlotte sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, the moment she had stepped back in to the wizarding world problems had had a party and launched an avalanche on her. Everywhere in Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade there were children, making her nostalgic of not only her childhood when it was so much simpler and could fix things with a wave of her wand a Reparo, but wishing she had her own child.

No matter what happened though Charlotte knew she had to be there for one of the only friends she possibly had left. Charlotte was just like everyone else, she had no desire to be alone she thrived in company, silence was awkward.

Charlotte geared herself as if preparing to condemn herself by throwing herself off a cliff.

"First things first Chase, you are not a horrible person, millions of people do this all the time not giving a rat's arse, at least you have remorse." Charlotte felt queasy as she spoke the word remorse it sounded like Chase had done something unforgivable like homicide. Despite this Charlotte pushed on, feeling like she was on a roll, "anyway, it's not entirely your fault, it takes two to tango remember? What about this Brent? He's the one who's married."

Charlotte was mentally horrified with herself she had unwittingly just declared that it was Brent's fault, and she didn't even know the man! Nevertheless slight stirs of dislike churned within Charlotte as she thought of this Brent, she blamed him.

[Chase McKinney-Jackson]

Chase couldn't even watch Charlotte after he had finished speaking. All of what he said was one hundred percent true, but it sounded so horrible when Chase actually spoke it. He hadn't actually had to speak it before. Well. He did to Hunter, but that wasn't the entire full story even, this was.

Chase's head snapped up when she talked though. She had said he wasn't a horrible person. She didn't think he was a horrible person... Then she spoke again and Chase's eyes got big. She couldn't blame Brent.

"No. Don't blame Brent for this. It's hard to really explain to someone that doesn't know Brent very well." Chase spoke quietly before continuing. "Brent has had a hard life. He kind of disowned his parents early in life and now everything is turning around to bite him in the arse. He's gone through his whole life and hated it. Brent has always been a bit confused about life. It's just who he is. I truly believe he didn't want to cheat on Maryn. He loved her. He was in love with her. But if you ask him now, he's in love with me too."

[[Charlotte Barnard]]

Charlotte breathed in and out.

She wasn't good at solving problems, she was good at creating them. Accidentally of course.

In a gentler tone than before Charlotte responded to Chase, fearing that if she spoke any harsher she might just suddenly break whatever pieces of friendship they had left.

"I'm not, it's just...I want to meet him Chase."

Charlotte closed her eyes, just waiting for a no from Chase, she didn't know how else to reply to the rest of Chase's little reveal.

[Chase McKinney-Jackson]

Chase's eyes became wide and he didn't know what to say to that. She wanted to meet him.... Would she yell at him? Would she make Brent feel worse than he already did, if that were even possible. Chase didn't want that to happen. But they were friends. If she wanted to meet him, then he supposed that could be arranged. But there had to be rules first.

"Okay. I'll have you meet him, but first answer me this. Are you going to yell at him? If so I don't know if I can let you. He already feels horrible and I don't want him to feel any worse about this than he already does. He's been through a lot, and a random person yelling at him would not make things better.

"I don't care if you wanna meet him. Actually, I can send him a message right now and we can head over there. I doubt he'll be busy or anything. And then I can show you some of the creatures. Whatever ones you want." Chase smiled a bit. He thought that sounded like fun.

[[Charlotte Barnard]]

The absence of the word no made Charlotte open her eyes. She did really want to meet the elusive "Brent", for a number of reasons, but curiosity being the main one.

"I'm not going to yell at him Chase, it's not the way I work through things." Charlotte paused at the offer, she needed time, time to mull it over, time to collect her thoughts. "I would like to meet him, but not right away, how about next Saturday?"

Charlotte hoped Chase would say yes, but say no at the same time, she restrained herself from leaping out of the stool she was sitting on, she needed to stay there, hear the end.

[Chase McKinney-Jackson]

Next Saturday should be fine.... Chase mused. There was no reason she couldn't come to the Castle and hang with them a bit. Was there? She wasn't going to yell... that would be a good thing. Something Brent wouldn't need. Maybe by then they would know what was happening and everything would be as deceptive. But Chase doubted it. But then again, Brent always surprised him.

"Sure. Next Saturday sounds great, Char." Chase shortened her name without really thinking. "Thanks for... you know. Not jumping to conclusions and making me seem like a horrible person. Brent too... He's just going through a lot. And this is what I've wanted for so long. I couldn't let him go again." Chase smiled at her again before getting up and giving her another hug. "I mean it. Every word of it."

[[Charlotte Barnard]]

Charlotte rolled her eyes at the shortening of her name, she didn't really mind it, but she liked having something to mind at times, which only made sense to her.

When Chase hugged her Charlotte hugged back without hesitation, that was how it was meant to be. Letting herself revel in the "moment" Charlotte then pulled back, and gave a little smile. Which was always an indication for the end.

"It was great Chase, catching up with you I mean it too. We'll owl each other yeah?"

Without waiting to hear what Chase would say next Charlotte stood up and disappeared into the crowd, the time for mulling was arose.

OOC: The end yeah?