The Man Who Never Looked Away novel Chapter 153

"I still remember when Charley first arrived in Aethelgard. He didn't say a word to anyone. We honestly thought he was mute," Jocelyn said with a bright laugh, swirling the icewine in her glass.

"Really? He loved playing the cool guy when he was younger, too," Lavinia chimed in, leaning closer.

"Was he like that back home?"

"Yeah. During freshman year of high school, he constantly wore a mask and completely ignored everyone. But he still helped Saul set up a stall to sell used phone parts," Lavinia gossiped, taking a sip of her juice.

Sitting beside them, Charley checked his watch. Eight o'clock.

"You've had enough. Let's go," he said, grabbing Lavinia's bag and standing up.

Both girls stared at him in stunned silence.

"Leaving so soon?" Jocelyn's eyes brimmed with reluctance.

Staring directly at Lavinia, Charley replied, "Kids need their sleep. Saul asked me to keep an eye on her, so I have to be responsible."

Lavinia pressed her lips together, about to argue, but he cut her off with a pointed look. "I've got things to do. Or do you two want to stay and drink by yourselves?"

Well, that took the fun out of it.

Lavinia knew Jocelyn had only invited her out as an excuse to see him.

While she hesitated, Jocelyn proved her grace. "If you have things to do, let's call it a night. We can hang out another time."

She picked up the second, unopened bottle of icewine from the table and smiled at him. "Charley, I'll hold onto this one for next time, alright?"

"Sure. Keep it if you like it," he said, pausing briefly. "I'll bring something new next time."

Jocelyn beamed, clearly pleased.

Seeing that her director wasn't upset, Lavinia let out a quiet sigh of relief. She waved. "I'm going to head out, Ms. Chandler. See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow," Jocelyn smiled, waving back.

Stepping out of the bar, it was barely past eight.

Charley pointed to the massive shopping mall next door. "My place is done with renovations, but I still need to buy some furniture and decor. Come help me pick things out."

Without missing a beat, Charley said, "Buy it."

"Oh, and this dining set!" She immediately spotted something else. "Wouldn't this fit perfectly right next to the kitchen cabinets?"

Following closely behind, he offered a gentle smile. "If you like it, we'll get it."

"What do you mean, if I like it?" She turned to look at him. "You're the boss here. You have to make the call."

"I like it too," he said, his voice low and steady.

"This TV stand is really nice too," Lavinia said, bending down to pull open one of the drawers. "Your living room wall is so empty. Putting this there would make a huge difference."

"Mm," he agreed softly.

Lavinia kept chattering away, meticulously picking things out as if she were decorating her own home.

As they walked, she selected the items she liked and immediately paid for them through the store's mini-app on her phone, leaving him no room to refuse.