Charlene hadn''t expected him to take her hand so suddenly. The gesture caught her off guard, and for a moment, she was genuinely surprised.


    But she didn''t dwell on it. She simply pulled her hand free and said, her tone cool, "I can walk on my own."


    With that, she didn''t spare him another nce and strode ahead toward the couch.


    Thorne, unfazed by her chilly response, just chuckled softly and followed. When Charlene sat down, he chose to sit right beside her.


    The couch wrapped around the coffee table, spacious enough for several people, so Charlene couldn''t help but pause when she realized Thorne had settled next to her instead of anywhere else. Still, she didn''tment. She sipped her tea and looked up at Jasmine, who was testing out the instruments across the room.


    Thorne picked up his own cup, took a sip, and set it down. He nced at Charlene, about to say something, when her phone chimed with a text.


    She nced at the screen. It was a message from Gaylord.


    First, he''d sent her a video, then followed up with a text: *"The experts say this is a once-in-thirty-years meteor shower. Apparently, a lot of people are nning to camp out and watch it tomorrow night. My friends and I are thinking of joining too. Not sure if you and Mr. Ferguson are interested?"*<fn1bc6> ??? ????? ???????s ??? ?????s??? ?? fι?dnοvel</fn1bc6>


    Charlene realized it had been ages since she''d gone out with family or friends—- not that seeing the actual meteor shower mattered all that much to her. The idea of getting together and enjoying the lively atmosphere sounded pretty nice.


    She was about to reply when she noticed Thorne ncing over at her phone.


    She stopped and turned slightly to look at him.


    Thorne met her gaze,pletely unbothered, and smiled faintly before looking away. He topped off her tea as if nothing had happened.


    Charlene said nothing, but shifted slightly, putting a bit more space between them before she finally replied to Gaylord: *"Sounds fun, I''m interested."*


    Just as she sent the message, Gaylord replied again, and Charlene was about to text back when another notification popped up.


    This time, it wasn''t from Gaylord, but from York Watson.


    York: *"Long time no see."*


    Almost immediately, another message followed: *"Are you free tomorrow? Want to hang out?"*


    Charlene stared at the screen for a moment, hesitating before replying: *“Sorry, I already have ns for tomorrow."*


    York didn''t seem upset. He quickly replied: *"No worries. I''ll ask again sometime." Charlene let out a silent sigh.


    "*


    Gaylord sent two more messages, and she chatted with him for a bit before finally putting her phone down.


    Thorne, after those first couple of nces at her phone, hadn''t looked over again. He didn''t try to close the gap between them, either. When she sether phone aside, he smiled and asked, "All done?"  s


    Charlene picked up her water and took a sip, ignoring him.


    Thorne didn''t seem to mind.


    Meanwhile, Jasmine, who''d never yed drums before, quickly decided on the set she wanted after trying a few out. Thorne paid for it right away, swiping his card without hesitation  s


    With the purchase finished, Charlene was ready to head home.


    Jasmine actually wanted Charlene to ride back with them, but Charlene turned


    her down, saying she already had ns for tomorrow.


    So Jasmine left with Thorne, while Charlene drove herself home.


    She''d only been on the road a few minutes when she heard a phone vibrating in the back seat.


    Since Thorne and Jasmine had both ridden with her earlier to pick up the drum set, it was obvious-the phone in the backcouldn''t belong to Fanyone but Thorne or Jasmine.  s


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    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!