Chapter 83
The next day, I walked into the kitchen and found Charlie already leaning on the counter, flipping through stations on the small radio tucked near the coffee maker. His face lit up when he found the one he was looking for.
"Here it is," he said, adjusting the dial. "Told you they'd play it again."
He turned the volume up slightly. Sia's voice poured through the speakers, filling the kitchen with the familiar beat of 'Titanium.'
I grabbed a mug and poured some coffee, trying not to grin too wide
Alan walked in, bleary-eyed and half-awake. He stopped mid-step as he heard the song.
"Is that…?"
"Yup," Charlie said with a smirk. "Your son's taking over the airwaves."
Alan blinked, then looked at me with a proud face.
The three of us exchanged silly smiles.
"By the way, don't wait up tonight," Charlie said, pouring himself coffee.
"Pretty confident, huh?" Alan asked.
"Yeah," Charlie replied.
"Thus, the 'don't wait up,'" I added, like it was obvious.
"Didn't you meet this girl a couple of days ago?" Alan asked, a little surprised.
"Yup. So tonight's the night," Charlie said proudly. "You know, the three-day rule."
"That's the three-date rule," Alan corrected.
"Three dates? That's crazy talk," Charlie said, shaking his head.
"All right. If you bring her back here, please be discreet," Alan added.
"Don't worry," Charlie said with a grin. "First night's always at her place."
"Is that another rule?" Alan asked a little sarcastic
"No. It's just a common courtesy," Charlie replied. "A woman's more relaxed and comfortable in her own surroundings."
"Plus, the minute she falls asleep, I can hit the bricks," Charlie added casually.
"That's lovely," Alan replied, now fully in sarcastic mode. "It's a shame you don't work for Hallmark."
"Oh yeah, my friends are coming over today," I said, remembering suddenly.
"Who? Carly, Freddie, and Sam?" Alan asked with a smile
He liked the three of them. They were good kids.
"Yes, and a new friend," I added.
"Is it a pretty girl?" Charlie asked playfully.
"I hope so. Or she's a damn pretty boy," I said, joking.
Right then, my phone started to ring. I glanced at the screen and smirked.
"Speaking of the devil…"
Charlie, already catching on, leaned closer, and the two of us silently counted down on our fingers.
Five... Four... Three… two… one…
I picked up. "Hey Laura, how you doin'?"
Alan, watching us, looked astonished—then just scoffed.
Charlie stepped closer to him and said, "Learn something from your son."
Alan scoffed again.
I turned my attention back to the phone. "So your acting class ended earlier today?" I asked.
A pause.
"Yeah, you can come here sooner."
Charlie was giving me a thumbs-up and nodding approvingly like I just closed a business deal.
"See you soon. Bye bye, Laura," I said before ending the call.
"So, Laura, huh," Alan said, not really sure what else to say.
"She's a nice girl," I replied simply, smiling.
---
After a few minutes, the doorbell rang.
Laura was standing outside, headphones in her ears and an MP3 player in hand. She was softly singing along, ♪ I want you to be happier. I want you to be happier. So I'll go.♪
The moment I heard it, I couldn't help but smirk wider.
She pulled out the MP3 headphones and smiled. "Hi, Jake."
"Hey," I said, greeting her with a kiss on the cheek.
Then I turned and gestured toward the kitchen.
"Come on, let me introduce you. This is my uncle Charlie, and that's my dad, Alan." I said, when we stepped into the kitchen
Both of them greeted her with a friendly "Hi, Laura."
Then I led her out to the deck, where the sky was bright blue and the temperature a comfortable 23 degrees—even if it was late February.
Alan, watching from the kitchen, murmured to himself, rethinking what he said early "I might need to learn something from my son," quietly walking back to his coffee.
Charlie, standing nearby, muttered with a hint of amusement, "Now he's playing Super Bowl, huh," clearly impressed.
---
We sat on the deck, the breeze still gentle and the sun just right.
"So, you like Marshmello?" I asked.
"How could I not? He's so good," she said with a wide smile.
"Even if he doesn't sing?" I joked.
"Don't say that" she replied playfully, knowing I was only messing around.
Yeah, with all the sudden hype, there had been some envy floating around. Some people even claimed he wasn't a real singer (as I didn't sing any song)
"Can you believe it's only been like a week since he released those songs?" Laura said, still amazed.
"You have no idea," I said, smiling.
The conversation went on for a while.
---
After some time, the doorbell rang again.
I opened the door and there they were—Carly, Sam, and Freddie—standing just outside, already chatting among themselves.
We exchanged quick greetings.
Carly looked at me with a teasing smile. "Why the wide grin, Jake?"
"The weather's good, life's good…" I said, smiling right back.
The three of them exchanged glances, not understanding what I meant.
"Come on," I said, motioning toward the deck. "Let's head outside."
I slid the door open, revealing Laura already seated with a glass of iced tea, waving politely.
Carly and Freddie smiled and walked over to greet her.
Sam, however, lingered behind, narrowing her eyes slightly as she looked at me.
"What?" I asked.
"There's something fishy," Sam said, crossing her arms.
"Maybe it's the ocean," I replied, pointing toward the water with a smirk.
"No, you idiot," she said, now smiling, giving me a light punch on the arm.
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