A/N: idk if you guys even remember anything after a year lmao, but no matter. here is a new chapter, i hope you enjoy! feel free to abuse me for being gone for so long lmao. also, i've become ashamed of the intensely cliche, lack of diversity ridden work that has for so long plagued my writing, and as such, i'm going to be working on fixing that after SAAS and TBHH are over. also, keep in mind that Rick most recently appeared at the end of chapter 39 I believe, or somewhere in that chapter. happy reading :-)

also, dedicated to because of the bloody adorable cover she made that's on the side! she made another one that's also really good, so it was hard to decide between them!!

"Look, I'm not one to point fingers," Lottie said cheerfully after half a minute of dead silence, "but this is totally, completely your fault."

I turned around and shot her a flat look. "Who came in here in the first place?"

"I told you not to shut the door!"

"So you're saying this is my fault?"

She laughed. "I literally did just say that, Ben." She walked over to the door and jiggled the handle, as if that would help at all. "Do you have a credit card on you or something?" she asked me.

I dug in my pocket and took out my wallet, handing her one of my credit cards. "Do you know how to unlock locked doors like that?"

"No, but now I have your credit card," she replied, grinning at me. I scoffed while she slid the card between the door and the frame and wiggled it around to no avail. "Okay, this isn't working. Can you call Clark or Ginny? I left my mobile in the back room."

I pulled out my phone, but then clenched my fists and blew out air in frustration. "I definitely could, but I locked the front door like you told me to, so I don't think either of them would be able to get in."

Lottie turned and blinked at me, her eyes filming over kind of vacantly. "Oh swell," she said blankly. "We're stuck in here? Yikes, yikes, yikes."

I waved a hand in front of her face. Should I do it now? Maybe I should do it now. While we were waiting, possibly left to freeze to death, just go ahead and do it. No time like the present, I always so. Even though I never say that. Because I don't do things like this. "Charlotte, listen to me."

She blinked again, looking like she didn't know what exactly to do. When she breathed out, a small cloud of fog gathered around her face because of the cold.

"Lottie, come on. Someone will get us, okay? Just chill out and look at me for a second."

After a second, her mouth twitched, and just like that she was grinning again. I felt relieved because I really didn't know what to do when she got all stiff like that. "Chill out?" she repeated. "Poor choice of words given we're stuck in a freezer unit, Benny, don't you think?"

I rolled my eyes but couldn't stop the smile, and I handed her the sunflowers that were in my hand. I'd accidentally crushed the stems a bit, and they were quite small since our part of England didn't generally have the ideal climate for wildflowers. However, their bright yellow colour reminded me of her, and so I couldn't help but buy them to accompany the question I had for her. I was going to get roses, but along with being pretty much bankrupt, I thought she'd appreciate the sunflowers more.

"Ben!" she exclaimed, burying her face into the sunflowers. She sheepishly looked up and wiped the pollen off her nose, and I smiled softly at her astounded expression. A fucking doll, she was. "These are sticky," she said, but smiled widely. "I love them. Oh, thank you, Ben! Thank you!"

I scratched the back of my head nervously and looked at the floor. I could feel the cool starting to creep in under my skin even though I was wearing a big jacket, since it was winter and all. But Lottie wasn't properly clothed, she was just staring at her flowers happily wearing a dress that looked like it couldn't keep her warm no matter how much she tried. "Lottie, I have a question for you."

She looked at me, her eyes crinkling at the corners in a way that made my heart unconsciously clench up. "Yes, precious person?"

Her words caught me off guard for a second, so much so that it took me a second to remember what I was going to ask. I opened my mouth, but then I noticed that she was shivering slightly. "Are you cold?" Dammit, that wasn't my question. I wanted to ask her if she wanted to be my fucking official girlfriend, but of course I had to chicken out.

She kept smiling even though her teeth were chattering. I started to feel really bad, because it really was my fault we were locked in here with no foresight of release. "A little, but you just gotta look at this in a positive light, you know what I mean?"

I stared at her. "How can you see getting trapped in a freezing storage room in a positive light?" I asked, questioning her already on-the-brink sanity.

Lottie sat down and pursed her pink lips thoughtfully, drawing her knees into her chest. I watched her carefully, aware of every single move she made. My mind whirred and I just wanted to ask her my original question to see what she would say. "Well," she started. I sat down beside her.

I raised my eyebrows expectantly as she rubbed her arms self-consciously, her shivering becoming more obvious the more she tried to hide it. "See," I told her. "There's no positive way to look at this. We're trapped in a freezing cold room with nobody to come look for us for hours." All of which was my fault, if we were being honest.

She showed me one of her breathtaking grins. "C'mon, Benny. You should stop being so cynical all the time! Just think, now you get to spend time with me!" she exclaimed cheerfully, pulling herself even tighter into a human ball.

"That's not a good thing to be stuck with an annoying splodge like you," I taunted, even though I was lying through my teeth. I scooted closer to her, my eyes taking in the subtle way she shivered so that I wouldn't notice how cold she really was.

"Y-you're lying," she giggled, her teeth chattering slightly. "You know you adore me. Dare I say, you looove me."

I faltered, my throat closing up. God help me. Instead of answering, I rolled my eyes. "Just shut up and come here," I suggested.

"Wha-" She didn't even have time to protest before I grabbed her elbow and yanked her onto my lap.

"You're cold," I said when I saw her shocked face. "And I'm wearing a coat. Hopefully this will at least warm you up a little bit."

She smiled adoringly up at me, making my heart clench painfully at the beautiful sight I had in front of me. "Thank you," she said softly. "Hey, can I see your phone for a sec? I wanna see if there's any reception."

"What about spending all this time with me? You're such a poser," I teased, but gave her my mobile anyway.

"As much as I love you, and love taking up all your body heat, I would rather take up all your body heat while not inside the bakery's freezer."

I chuckled and rubbed my hand down her back. She curled into me, and I tried to remember it was because she was cold, not because she liked me. And then I remembered I didn't have to think self-deprecating thoughts like that because she'd already admitted she loved me. "Fair enough."

"Ginny, you answered! Oh my goodness, Ginny, I'm so sorry for interrupting your date, but Ben and I got locked in the freezer, and the front of the bakery is locked. We don't know what to do, do you have a key? Can you please come help us?" She listened for a bit, and laughed. "Okay, I promise, I will. I will! Oh my god, please stop talking! Please, for Chrissakes, just come! Bring your date too if you want!" Another pause. "Okay, I love you, Ginny, you're awesome! Thanks, best frieeend."

"She coming?" I asked.

Lottie gave me my mobile back and laughed. "Yes, and I feel gross saying this, but Ginny told me to tell you that you..." She stopped, her face turning red.

I raised my eyebrows, always interested in whatever insults Virginia had to give to me. "What is it that she told you to tell me, Lottie? Tell me, I want to know."

She covered her bright red face with her hands, and that made me start laughing. "I can't!" she wailed.

"No way, you gotta do say it now!" I said, poking her sides. She giggled, and I started full-on tickling her. "What did she say, Lottie? What did she say? Come on, come on, tell me!"

"Oh my God, no, no, stop!" She laughed so hard tears came out of her eyes, and she clutched onto me like a monkey so that she wouldn't fall down on the freezing cold floor. "Beeeeen!"

"Beautiful little princess, please tell me what that leviathan friend of yours said about me so that I can return the favour when she comes to get us."

Lottie buried her cold face into my neck. "Ginny's not a leviathan," she scolded me. "You guys should be nicer to each other."

"Don't change the subject, what did she say?"

"Fine!" She was quiet for a moment, and then she looked at me. Her face started turning red again as soon as she met my eyes. "Oh my god, I can't even looking at you. She said, youbettermakemefeelgoodandnotjustfinishyourselfoff."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "What? I didn't quite catch that."

"Argh," she groaned. "Ginny said, you better make me feel good and not just finish yourself off, oh my God, I have to go take a shower now, I can't believe that just came out of my mouth."

While she sat scolding herself, I, meanwhile, was laughing my ass off. "Ginny doesn't have to worry about that one bit," I told Lottie, even though she was hiding her face from me and covering her eyes. I bent over and put my mouth right next to her right ear. "I will take very good care of you."

"Ben!" she complained.

"What?" I said innocently, even as I myself had to fight down the blood rushing to my face at the thought of having sex with Lottie. If it would ever happen and I didn't screw things up, of course, as I was liable to do. "Did I say something wrong?"

She wouldn't respond to me, and lucky for her, she didn't have to, because just then, the freezer door slammed open. We sprang to our feet. "Ginny!" Lottie exclaimed happily, her face still red from embarrassment. "You got in!"

"Yeah, you're lucky the back door was open otherwise you would've been stuck here until our demon boss got back from Hell, or wherever she is, I don't know." I didn't know whether to be grateful or annoyed at Lottie's crazy-eyed friend for interrupting us, but she did open the door when poor Lottie was probably freezing to death.

Lottie ran and gave Ginny a big hug, who returned it while glaring at me. I glared right back at her. What the fuck was her problem this time? "I'm sorry you had to miss out on your date!"

"It's whatever, Charlie. He's out front waiting for me, and we'll probably going to do it later." I gagged, and unfortunately she noticed and shot daggers at me. "Speaking of doing it, did you tell that human garbage bag what I told you to tell him?"

I grinned to myself despite her calling me a garbage bag as Lottie said, "Yes," with a meek expression on her face. She definitely did tell me.

"So, are you okay to lock up, or are you going to do something stupid again?"

"I won't do anything stupid," Lottie promised. "I'll see you when you get back from your date?"

Ginny smiled at her, which took me aback for a second because I forgot the she-devil knew how to smile, or even doing anything remotely human other than bark at me. "Yeah, actually, do you wanna meet him? He's a writer, too. But don't get attached, I don't wanna feel guilty for dumping him later."

Lottie laughed and agreed, and then looked at me. "Come on, Ben!"

"No way!" Ginny shrieked, shoving me back into the freezer and slamming the door shut.

"What the fuck!" I yelled angrily. "What the hell is wrong with you, you fucking frizzy-haired behemoth? Lottie, get me out of here!"

"Ginny, come on," I heard Lottie say. "Be nice to Ben! I love him, and I love you, and I want you guys to get along."

"Don't make me get along with that freak of nature," she muttered. "How could you fall in love with someone who looks like Grendel and his mother?"

"Virginia."

"Oh, for Chrissakes, stop scolding me, Dad, I'll open the damn door." The door opened, revealing Ginny pouting and Lottie with her arms crossed. I closed and locked the damn thing behind me, vowing to never set foot in there ever again.

I smirked at Ginny, throwing my arm around Lottie's shoulders. "She loves me more," I taunted her, sticking out my tongue.

"Charlie! Are you even hearing him?"

My smirk widened and I raised my eyebrows. Lottie shoved me playfully. "Come on, let's just go meet Ginny's date, okay, Ben?"

"Okay," I agreed, pulling her back to my side.

Ginny shot me one last deathly glare before leading us to the front of the bakery. "There he is, I just met him like last night or something. Rick, Rick, come over here! Come meet Charlie and her stupid boyfriend Ben!"

I had no time to revel over the fact that even Ginny called me Lottie's boyfriend before the man even turned around, I knew who it was by the way Lottie tensed up and let out a breath beside me. Her hand tightened on my arm.

I felt anger bubbling in my chest and red began to enter my vision. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

Rick smirked. "Hello Charlie. Hello Ben. Nice to see you two again."