I’m dying to ask him what he’s thinking, and it takes all my willpower to keep the words inside.
Liz brings over our drinks and we both thank her.
“I should take Hailey up on her offer of a night in a lodge and go back to Bristol tomorrow.” Fucking finally, he looks up and meets my gaze. “But I’m not ready for this to be over yet.”
I don’t know whether he means this thing between us or his holiday. Doesn’t matter. “Neither am I.” His expression remains wary, and I don’t want to scare him off by asking for something he’s not willing to give. So I swallow down the words I wanted to say earlier. “Just as friends, Charlie. I’m offering you a place to stay with no fucking strings. You can see me as much or as little as you want. Like I said, the annexe has everything you need.” I hold my hands up. “But don’t feel like you need to accept. I won’t be offended.” I’ll be gutted that our time got cut short, but maybe that’ll be for the best. Another week will only make it worse when we eventually have to say goodbye.
“Okay.” He says it so softly, I think I’ve misheard.
“What?”
His smile is tentative. “If you’re serious about it being a self-contained annexe and you don’t mind, I’d like to stay there and finish working on my book.”
“Fuck yes, I’m serious.” My answering smile is the opposite of tentative. It’s all I can do not to let out a loudwhoopand punch the air.“Finish your coffee, then go get your stuff together. I’m gonna give Sadie a quick call and ask her to go put the heating on and make sure the fridge is cold.”
He glances at the windows and grimaces. “You don’t have to do that.”
I wave him off because I absolutely do. “It’ll be freezing in there and Sadie only lives a few minutes away. It’ll be payback for laughing at me this afternoon.”
“If you’re sure she won’t mind?”
“It’s fine, I promise.” I might have some explaining to do, but I’m willing to suffer through that if it means Charlie stays here for another week.
“Thank you.”
He drinks his coffee in record time; I’m honestly surprised it doesn’t burn his throat.
“Right,” he says, standing and pushing his chair back. “I’ll go pack my things.” He hesitates, fingers tapping the edge of the table. “This won’t make things weird, will it?”
I fucking hope not.
I smile helplessly and shrug. “I have no idea.”
He laughs, but there’s a wariness to him that I want gone.
“I think we can navigate this and not let it get weird. If we’re honest.” I want to reach out and catch hold of his hand. Instead, I set one of mine on the table, near his but not touching.
He glances down at it.
“I meant it when I said you can see as much or as little of me as you want. You just need to tell mewhatyou want, okay?”
His eyes search mine for what seems like forever, then finally he gives the barest of nods. “Okay.”
I’m still watching his face, so I startle when warm fingers brush against mine.
“I won’t be long.”
I let out a shaky breath and scrub both hands over my face.
Fuck me.
This is not how I saw the evening going.Can’t say I’m disappointed though, far fucking from it. It was as easy as breathing to offer Charlie a place to stay. A little selfish, yes, but he looked about as ready to leave as I was to see him go.
The hard part will be giving him the space I’ve promised him when he’s right there at the side of my house.
CHARLIE
It’s notuntil I’m putting my suitcase and laptop bag in the boot of Pete’s car that it hits me.
