The Man Who Never Looked Away novel Chapter 85

The day's classes had wrapped up. Lavinia packed her things and walked outside to wait for Charley.

The moment he stepped out, a girl called his name.

The girl stood in front of him with her head bowed, muttered a few words, shoved a small envelope into his hand, and ran off looking incredibly flushed.

As she ran past Lavinia, the girl shot her a hurried, almost jealous glare. Lavinia felt utterly baffled.

Charley looked down at the envelope, let out a resigned sigh, stuffed it into his bag, and walked over to Lavinia.

"We're not going to the one-on-one tutoring room today," he announced.

"Huh? No extra help today?"

Lavinia blinked. Was it because she was just too untalented?

She actually thought yesterday's tutoring had helped, but maybe he was just trying to humor her.

Taking the CFA exam in a month, with absolutely zero background knowledge, really was just a pipe dream.

Charley glanced at her, reached out, and lightly ruffled her hair. His touch was incredibly gentle.

"We're going to my place," he said. "I'll cook while you do your practice tests. When you're done, you're going to eat a proper meal. I'll go over your mistakes after you eat."

Lavinia paused. It suddenly clicked. He was still upset that she had been too exhausted to eat dinner the night before.

She tipped her head up and offered a soft smile. "Okay."

Charley's eyes were endlessly deep, and in that fleeting moment, a subtle ripple of warmth flashed through them.

As they walked downstairs, Lavinia headed toward the street to find her electric scooter. Hearing footsteps behind her, she turned to see Charley following right behind.

"Where's your car?"

"My car broke down." He paused. "I don't have the cash to fix it right now."

Lavinia was stunned.

"I'll ride this and drop you off." He pointed at the electric scooter plastered with the little bear sticker.

Lavinia just stared at him blankly. Was it really that bad? His car broke down and he couldn't even afford the repairs.

"Charley," she began, her tone turning serious. "You can't keep spending money so recklessly. Once you get a new job, you have to start saving."

"Right," Charley nodded. "I got it."

Lavinia dug a spare helmet out of the storage compartment and handed it to him. He took it and strapped it on.

She took one look at him and couldn't help but laugh.

"What are you going to do with that letter?"

"Throw it away."

"Oh." Lavinia thought for a moment. "My old coworker, Yumi Sawyer, keeps saying she wants to take you out to dinner."

"I'm not going. Tell her no for me."

"Wouldn't it be okay to at least meet her?"

"No. It wouldn't."

His tone went flat, clearly indicating he had zero interest in continuing the conversation. Lavinia wisely shut her mouth and shifted her gaze to the trees lining the street.

The wind rustled through the sycamore leaves, and the setting sun filtered through the branches, casting shifting patterns of light and shadow across her face.

When they arrived at the complex, Lavinia hopped off and took off her helmet. Charley parked the scooter and pulled out the key.

"So where's the place you're renting?" Lavinia asked, running a hand through her hair.

"Upstairs. 28th floor."

Lavinia froze. "In this building?"