A/N: Dedicated to annabethlove because of the fabulous cover she made me that's on the side :)

Chapter 20: Sour as a Sour Punch Straw

Lottie looked completely flabbergasted, and I knew why, of course. I was an ass to her right when we were about to kiss and ruined any chances of doing that ever again.

I had been so close. And then I had remembered that Lottie deserved someone better than me. Someone that could take care of her. That wasn't me because I couldn't even take care of myself. Why would I destroy a girl's chance of making something of herself by being with me?

"Come with you?" she echoed, her big eyes dazed by my question.

I was already embarrassed enough from having to plead with her to come, I wasn't repeating myself. "Yes," I said quietly, not meeting her eyes.

"Are you sure I'm allowed?" Lottie said. "Because I'd never want to intrud-"

"Hey," I interrupted, my hand tilting her chin up so she would look at me. I dropped my hand down when I saw her maintaining eye contact. "Don't worry about it. I'm inviting you. Hell, Archer's inviting you." I raised my voice slightly and said, "Archer, you're inviting Lottie over, right?"

Archer walked over to us and I fought the urge to grab the kid in a bear hug. I hadn't seen him since he was fourteen years old. Three years. That was how long it had been since I'd been disowned. But Archer didn't know that. And he couldn't know either.

"You know her that well?" he asked, nudging me suggestively with his shoulder. I flicked his forehead and scowled at him, and he scowled back.

It made me feel a bit better to know that he was just as excited to see me as I was to see him. Fuck, I missed the kid. Alright? I'd missed my baby brother. Three years. Fuck.

"I'm his friend," I heard Lottie pipe up. I looked at her and her smiling face, and knew that my expression was slowly becoming pained. Friends?

Fuck me.

"Just friends?" Archer questioned after throwing a sly smirk my way.

Lottie nodded, her big eyes widening with excitement. "Maybe even best friends!"

I cleared my throat and fought back my depressed sigh. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Lottie."

Archer shrugged and grabbed the cake that Lottie had packed. "Whatever. I'm gonna go wait in my car, and I swear Ben, if you run away, I won't let you get away so easily this time."

I glanced at him and realised that he was genuinely worried that I would leave him again. I wished he knew that the first time I left wasn't by choice, and it wasn't by choice to not be in contact either. I ruffled his hair. "Don't worry kiddo, I'll be there in a sec."

"Don't call me kiddo, old man," he grumbled, frantically trying to smooth his hair back.

"Three years apart is not that big of a gap," I said, twisting his ear.

"Older than me still," he said, pulling away from my grip. "Let go, you boob, I need to go put this in the cooler before it melts!"

I released him and watched as he walked out with that awkward teenage strut of his. He was just as I remembered. Tall and gangly, wearing cargo shorts and V-necks because apparently the ladies dig the V on men as much as they dig the P. But he'd grown up some, and it frustrated me that I'd missed three years of his life.

When I glanced back at Lottie, she was looking at me warmly, with a smile that softened the already smooth edges of her face. I could feel heat creep up my cheeks, and I didn't want her to see it, so I turned away.

"Last chance - you sure I can come?" she asked. I noticed that she phrased it in a way that made it seem like she was the one who wanted to come and not the other way around.

I nodded, my frown fading. I couldn't be angry when I looked at her. She made it impossible to.

Lottie clasped her hands together. "Oh, this is exciting!" she said.

I scoffed. "Oh, come off it. It's my parents - not exciting in the slightest." I felt my lip curl and I scowled to myself. I didn't want to go back there.

Lottie didn't reply, she just bounced in place and then squeaked. "Wait here, I need to tell Ginny to cover for me!"

She ran into the back room and I sighed. It wouldn't be so bad if she was there. Right? Lottie would help me get through it without even thinking about it. Now that I was thinking about it, I could've asked Clark to come, but I didn't. I could've just pulled out my mobile and told the lad to get his bum here are quick as possible.

But I didn't.

"You fucking jammy sod!" I heard her friend - Winnie? - yell. "And it's Friday too! Fuck this job! That battle-axe Diana will never let me leave now! Where are her other workers, fuck's sake!"

Lottie laughed that bright, clear laugh of hers and skipped back into the shop, her uniform gone and replaced with a floral dress. My eye twitched.

"Shall we?" she asked, her eyes twinkling brightly. She bent her elbow and looked at me expectantly.

I stared at her arm and raised my eyebrows. What the fuck was she waiting for? "What are you doing?" I asked.

She pouted and dropped her arm. "I was trying to be posh, but you wouldn't take my arm like a proper English gentleman!"

I spun around to walk outside. "I never said anything about being a gentleman."

Lottie laughed and scurried to catch up with me. "Can't even pretend for a second to keep me happy, can you, Benny?"

I looked down at her and frowned. Did she like gentlemen or something? So I had to be gentleman to make her happy? God fucking dammit. Why did this always happen? I was the furthest possible thing from a gentleman, and that was one of the reasons I was alone.

At my silence, Lottie tugged on my elbow. "Come on, Ben, I was just joking. I know you're not into that kinda stuff, come on!"

Calm the fuck down, Ben. You're acting like a little twat.

We were almost at my car when I flung my arm across her shoulders. She stumbled a little from the pressure, but I caught her and helped her straighten out. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Archer staring at us and making kissy faces. I flipped him the bird and kept walking with Lottie .

She was kind of small, quite a few centimetres shorter than me. She only reached halfway up my chest, but in a strange way, she fit.

And don't think I didn't notice the adoring smile she shot in my direction. Because I did and it made my stomach twist up. I really had to stop letting myself feel these things. I also really had to take my arm off of her. But I didn't.

"Get in," I said to her.

"Please!" she sang out playfully.

I narrowed my eyes as she stepped out of my grip. "Sorry?"

"'Get in, please, Lottie!' is what I should've heard." I stared at her until she laughed at me and swatted my arm. "I'm just taking the Mickey, lighten up, will you?"

I rolled my eyes and got in the driver's seat. "You make terrible jokes, Lottie."

She gaped. "You lie!"

"No, I truth." It was getting harder and harder to keep the smile from showing around her.

"I do not make terrible jokes, I actually wonder why I decided to study English instead of becoming a freelance comedian."

"Because you wouldn't have made any money?" I suggested.

"Gosh, Ben, stop ruining my dreams," she said, poking my cheek.

I simply pushed away her hand and pulled up next to what I presumed was Archer's car. I rolled down the window and said, "Nice ride. Birthday present?"

He looked at me and nodded. I could tell he was still kind of angry at me. Lottie leant over me and beamed at Archer. Her sudden movement shocked me, and my back slammed against the seat in an effort to keep from touching her. "Archibald, I really like your car!"

Archer laughed at her. It made me happy that he liked Lottie, because I wanted my baby brother to like my...friends. "Thanks. Lottie is it?"

"Don't call her Lottie," I said before I could stop myself.

"Why not? Isn't that what you call her?"

"My name is Charlotte, you can call me Charlie," Lottie offered weakly.

Archer's eyes widened, and then he smirked. "Why can't I call you Lottie like Ben does?"

My grip on the steering wheel tightened. "Just call her Charlie, Jesus Christ."

"Charlie Jesus Christ is a mouthful, you can stick with Charlie," Lottie piped up.

"Stop making bad jokes and sit down," I said, using my arm to push her back on her seat.

"That was a pretty good joke, you have to admit," she cooed.

I pointed at my straight face. "Do I look like I'm laughing?"

"That depends on what your definition of laughing is."

"I'm pretty sure laughing has a solid definition."

Lottie just looked at me with amusement. Why I was amusing her, I had absolutely no clue. I looked at her like that because she was being ridiculous.

"Lead the way, little brother," I called to Archer. He shot me a thumbs up and drove out of the car park, me trailing behind him. "The drive's pretty long," I said to Lottie. "Maybe two-ish hours - three if we get in a jam."

Lottie frowned. "Why did Archer come all the way to my bakery if he lives two hours away?"

I frowned too. "I have no clue."

Suddenly, Lottie let out a loud "Aw!" and clasped her hands together. "Maybe he was looking for you!" she exclaimed. "Aw, that's so cute!"

I rolled my eyes at her excitement. "Oh stop," I said. "That's a bad theory."

"You think everything of mine is bad," she said and then frowned.

I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye, at how, even when she was trying to be angry, there was still that telltale sign of a smile on her mouth and a twinkle in her eyes.

Not everything.