Chapter 22
by 
nickkorneev22
What's next?
Charlie meets Marcus
The next day, you met Charlie at the coffee shop. She looked exhausted, with dark circles under her eyes, but you didn't want to ask about the meeting with Marcus right away.
"How did you sleep?" you asked, hoping to lighten the mood.
She let out a small chuckle. "Not great, to be honest. I keep replaying the conversation with Marcus over and over in my head."
"Are you okay?"
"I don't know," she sighed. "I mean, it was good to see him again after all these years, but at the same time, it was so difficult. I can't believe he's back in town."
"Do you still have feelings for him?"
Charlie looked at you with surprise. "What? No, of course not. Why would you even think that?"
"I don't know," you shrugged. "You two were married for a long time, and it sounds like you still have a lot of unresolved issues."
She took a deep breath. "You're right, we do. But that doesn't mean I have feelings for him. It's just hard to let go of the past, you know?"
You nodded, understanding her point. "So, what happened at the meeting?"
Charlie let out a long sigh before beginning her story. "It started out okay, just catching up and talking about the restaurants we used to own together. But then Marcus brought up the fact that he wants to buy out my share of the business."
"What? Why?"
"He said he wants to expand the restaurants and make some changes. But I know him, he's just trying to get back at me for the divorce."
"What did you say?"
"I told him I needed time to think about it. I don't want to sell my share, but I also don't want to hold on to it if it's just going to cause more problems."
You could see the stress written all over Charlie's face, and you wished there was something you could do to make it better.
"Charlie, if you need anything, just let me know," you said, putting your hand on hers.
She looked up at you with gratitude in her eyes. "Thank you, that means a lot."
The rest of the conversation was lighter, but the tension lingered in the air. You both knew that the situation with Marcus was far from over, and it was only a matter of time before something else happened.
As you parted ways, Charlie turned to you and said, "Hey, do you want to come over tonight? Maybe we can cook dinner together or something."
You smiled, relieved that she was reaching out to you for comfort. "Yeah, I'd love that."
As you walked away, you couldn't help but wonder if there was more to Charlie's invitation than just a friendly dinner. The way she looked at you, the touch of her hand, the way her voice softened when she spoke your name... it all made your heart race with excitement and anticipation.
What's next?
