I shook my head and wondered if I’d damaged my heart permanently. Was that possible? “Yeah, I guess I was super out of it. Sorry.” I finally managed a shaky laugh. “My sister just moved out, so I was... I don’t know, I was just thinking, I guess.”
“Adleigh moved out?” He sounded so surprised.
But I was the surprised one.Why was it always so startling when Charlie knew details about my personal life?We’d been in each other’s lives for a long time now, so I should be used to it. But for some reason, I was always caught off guard when he paid attention to me.
He was dressed for work in a muted, paisley-print collared short-sleeved button-down and a pair of olive shorts that blended nicely. He had worn-in brown loafers without any socks on his feet. And a pair of trendy sunglasses perched on top of his head, tucked in his luscious locks.
He looked like the poster child for hot guy summer.
On the other hand, I was in a pair of filthy biker shorts, a sports bra that smelled like boob sweat, and I’d tied half my hair up into two little knobs, which I was certain now looked like devil horns.Fantastic.
“Today,” I told him. “She and her boyfriend are getting serious. And our lease is coming up for renewal. Or is now up for renewal, but he asked her when we were trying to decide what to do about it. She said yes. Obviously.”
“They’re the real deal,” he said.
I quirked an eyebrow at him. “How do you know?”
He laughed again. “You told me last week. You said they really love each other.”
“Oh.” I laughed too. “That’s true. They do.”
I could tell he wanted to tease me more, but he held his tongue. “So you’re staying here?”
Another question that caught me by surprise. I had to admit it probably had more to do with me withholding information than Charlie’s innocent questions, but we’d avoided each other for so long, it took me a minute to remember it was okay to share things with him.
“Um, I’m not sure yet. I have approximately one week left to decide. It’s just that my rent is going up significantly, which would have been okay if Adleigh had stayed to help me with the bills. But...” I exhaled a breath that moved some of my wispy flyaways out of my face. “I don’t know what to do now. I don’t want to be rent poor.”
Charlie listened intently to everything, taking it in like there would be a quiz about it later. I pressed my lips together to keep from smiling. The way he focused on whoever he was talking to so intensely was one of his most charming attributes. And not just because it made the other person feel special, but because he was so sincere about it.
It wasn’t an act. It wasn’t pretend. When he talked to you, he genuinely wanted to listen to everything you had to say.
“I bet you’re conflicted. Happy for Adleigh? Sad for yourself?”
Those were obvious feelings. Um, obviously. Anyone would have jumped to those conclusions. Just because Charlie did it so automatically did not make him sweet. Or special. Ahem. “Yes,” I admitted. “Super happy for her. But I need to figure my shit out ASAP. I already had to ask for a lease agreement extension, and it cost me two weeks’ rent. The next time I go to our landlord, I need to have an answer one way or the other. He’s super flexible, but he’s also not willing to lose money. If I decide to move, he’ll want to establish a new tenant ASAP.”
“But where would you move to?”
Charlie lived nearby too. I hadn’t been to his new apartment since he moved in six months ago, but I knew it was close because he often took alternative means of travel to get to this street. He’d been known to bike, skateboard, and once he’d even shown up on Rollerblades with two skinned knees and a mild concussion.
We’d never seen the Rollerblades again, which was probably a good thing.
“That’s the other thing I don’t know. The idea of moving neighborhoods actually feels like death. But I’ve googled every other available option in a six-block radius, and everything is out of my solo price range.” He whistled empathetically. “I could maybe get a roommate... but I’d rather commute from Raleigh.”
He laughed at my not-joke. “Sucks, Kelly. You’re in a real pickle.”
A surprise laugh bubbled out of me. “For real.”
“Well, let me see it.”
“Excuse me?”
“The apartment,” he clarified. “Let me see it so I can help you decide what to do.”
“You’re serious?”
“Sure, why not?”
“Don’t you have to be at work?” I glanced at Craft, that looked beautiful in the twilight. Her garaged doors were opened wide, and her warm, golden light spilled onto the sidewalk. She was already busy. The crowd inside mingled with the rest of the buzz down the street. From fancy restaurants to dive bars to even a dog bar at the far end on the corner, it was a beautiful night to enjoy the city.
