<h4>Chapter 85 - Radio Buzz</h4>


    <strong>Chapter 83</strong>


    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 y it again."


    He turned the volume up slightly. Sia''svoice 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


    n 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."


    n 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?" n 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?" n 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," n corrected.


    "Three dates? That''s crazy talk," Charlie said, shaking his head.


    "All right. If you bring her back here, please be discreet," n added.


    "Don''t worry," Charlie said with a grin. "First night''s always at her ce."


    "Is that another rule?" n asked a little sarcastic


    "No. It''s just amon courtesy," Charlie replied. "A woman''s more rxed andfortable in her own surroundings."


    "Plus, the minute she falls asleep, I can hit the bricks," Charlie added casually.


    "That''s lovely," n replied, now fully in sarcastic mode. "It''s a shame you don''t work for Hallmark."


    "Oh yeah, my friends areing over today," I said, remembering suddenly.


    "Who? Carly, Freddie, and Sam?" n 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 yfully.


    "I hope so. Or she''s a damn pretty boy," I said, joking.


    Right then, my phone started to ring. I nced 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''?"


    n, watching us, looked astonished—then just scoffed.


    Charlie stepped closer to him and said, "Learn something from your son."


    n scoffed again.


    I turned my attention back to the phone. "So your acting ss ended earlier today?" I asked.


    A pause.


    "Yeah, you cane 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," n 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 yer 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, n." 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 afortable 23 degrees—even if it waste February.


    n, 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 ying 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 <i>so</i> good," she said with a wide smile.


    "Even if he doesn''t sing?" I joked.


    "Don''t say that" she replied yfully, knowing I was only messing around.


    Yeah, with all the sudden hype, there had been some envy floating around. Some people even imed 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 nces, 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 ss 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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