A New Home #2 (Mae <3)

Charles frowned. "It can't be, he was always fine." He said jokingly. "He's just messing with you, let me see the phone, I'll call him back! Haha, that old man, always cracking jokes, right? Come on, let me call him, I'll teach him a lesson!" Although he stepped back with a smile on his face, Charles could feel what Mae said was true and that neither the manager or her were lying. If she let him take the phone, he would hastily go over the call list and redial the number Mae just spoke with. With each passing second during which the phone kept quiet, he would feel his heart plummet deeper into dread. The sensation in his spine never left him. His heart would sank and he would back away several steps, nearly tripping over a stone sticking out of the park path.

And... the despair led to neglect led to anger.

"Liar! Stupid, idiotic... liar!" The phone dropped to the ground with a thump as Charles dug his face into his hands, clenching the fingers tightly as he bent forwards, as if in pain. He should've said something earlier! Why was he lying to him, why was he lying to him!? He thought Charles was weak, he thought that all along! He was taking pity on him and that wasn't right! Dammit!

Now Mae understood why the manager had decided to not let Charles know... "Charles... I understand that you are frustrated, and I'm sorry it had to turn out this way for you... Gao's already been taken care of, so there's no need to worry about her... And as for the manager... He's at the hospital..." Mae said, inching a little bit closer to him. "I... think he knew exactly how you would react if he had told you earlier... hence why he asked me not to tell you... But... I just couldn't lie to you... And I'm sorry things had to turn out like this..." His behaviour was worrying her. She had to calm him down somehow. Get him back to his senses... "He didn't want to cause you any unecessary pain... But... there's something else he asked of me... due to him being hospitalized... well... He still wanted our date to continue as normal..." Not that she really saw how things could go back now... And things were going soo well too! "Just calm down, please!" She yelled.

To tell the truth, Charles had stopped caring about the date the moment he heard the news, even if it was the manager's wish. It could just go to crap like everything else right now. He just wanted to find the manager and tell him what's going for him. And so he pushed Mae away with a frown, turning away and running off without uttering a single word. He ran as fast as he could, but if Mae were to try and follow him, she would realize he was heading directly towards the nearest hospital. Despite the angriness which burst outwards, Charles was being torn on the inside. Mae might've made a regrettable mistake by telling Charles about it, but alas, what's done is done.

But... maybe it still wasn't too late. Mae had always had a soothing effect on Charles. She was the pole which supported him, while he was the guarding that would try his best to protect that pole from harm. If anyone could solve the problem, it was Mae. But how? If she followed her heart, she would definitely reach the answer hidden deep inside...

"Charles! WAIT!" Mae called out desperately, trying to keep up with him despite being in a dress, which hindered her mobility significantly. "Please! Don't go! " Her voice was broken by this point, high-pitched and stressed out as tears began rolling down her cheeks while struggling to catch up. "If you really want to see him... then please... Take me with you... I don't want you to be alone at a time like this... and I need you too... I'm sorry Charles..." She couldn't take this anymore... Mae fell to her knees, looking absolutely miserable... She felt both guilty for not going with the manager's suggestion, and for causing this... Had she only kept her mouth shut this wouldn't have happened... But she couldn't have just lied to him either...

Right now, Charles has three options. Either he ignores Mae, and keeps on going, or he can turn around, and help Mae, carrying on the date to the best of their abilities... or go to the hospital with Mae...

The bond between Mae and Charles is in jeopardy... What do you do?

Charles didn't stop.

Charles didn't look back.

Charles locked his heart to Mae. He had to blame someone for what happened, and he childishly blamed Mae, despite her not having anything to do with what happened.

-Charles has left the scene...

Charles is in pain.

Charles never returned home. If Mae decided to come back to the apartment, she would find it empty. Gao was still at the vet's. The manager was still in the hospital. Would Mae receive another call from him in the future? Only time would tell.

She was left alone... Charles had selfishly turned his back on the one person left in his life who truly loved and cared for him... Mae remained where she was, sobbing quietly for what seemed like hours. When she finally gathered enough mental strength to stand, the sun had already set. How could he do such a thing? Sure, he was angry, but was that an excuse to just leave her there? Should she just give up on him...? Was he really not who Mae thought he was? A cold-hearted android who had just kept up a facade of lies to keep her happy? Or was he just blinded by his feelings?

Mae eventually made her way back to Charles apartment. She didn't expect him to be there, waiting for her... and sure enough, the apartment was empty. Not a soul... Why did it have to turn out this way? Everything had gone so well before that phone call... She fell down on her bed, hid underneath the soft blankets, drowning herself in sorrow... Awaiting his return of course... She needed an explanation... She needed to know if he truly cared for her...

Mae had to rely on her friends until the day Charles gathered enough courage to face her, and apologize for his absolute negligence...

-Jack... We need to talk... Could you meet me outside the radio tower tomorrow? I've changed my mind...-

Before Mae fell asleep, she sent a text message to Jack... He could perhaps help her out of this... If anything, at least he could maybe talk some sense into Charles...