Chapter 76

Well, knowing people are going to crash over at my house, I'm going to spend some of the money I've gained on snacks.

Fortunately, streamer donations are very helpful for this.

I'm going to need to feed 17 children.

Agh, I have to buy groceries as well…

Pasta? What should I make for dinner?

Please help me, Cooking skill.

…

…

…

Waiting for the elevator to come down, I left the bags on the floor and took out my phone after a ring.

[Kindergarteners]

(Arlo: where r u charlie!)

Wiping my slippery hands from the wet bags of groceries using my pants, I texted back gloomily.

(Charlie: …)

(Charlie: groceries and snacks…)

(Arlo: lol)

(Charlie: if ur here can u help carry)

(Arlo: coming)

I pocketed my phone and felt a finger tapping my back.

"Hey, Charlie."

"Hey, Reed. Glad you could make it…"

"Hahaha… you don't seem too happy..."

"I'm… tired."

He patted my back.

"Don't worry. I'll help you cook."

"Don't burn the house down."

"Whaddya think I am, huh? An arsonist?"

"Are you not? You burned my house down in Minecraft. Stupid pyromaniac, almost killed my cat."

"...I'm sorry. I did save him, though."

"You saved Casper from the fire you started."

"Forgive me…"

"Forgiven. Anyway, cover your face with a mask or something before coming here. What if people recognize you on the road? You're going to bring people to my house. You're famous now."

"Says… you? You're the one that needs to wear a mask."

"Hah. As if we're in a pandemic."

"Do you not remember what you just said? If you don't wear a mask people will follow you back home."

"Doesn't apply to me."

"..."

"..."

The elevator doors opened and out came Arlo's shiny face in a casual shirt, shorts, and flippers.

"I see you made yourself at home."

I glanced at his flippers— my flippers.

"...Yeah."

Noticing my gaze, he awkwardly nodded.

We grabbed the bags and I entered the elevator with the three of them.

"Who's arrived?"

I asked, placing my finger over the scanner.

"Only us."

"Well yeah, it was in such short notice that only the ones that live nearby can get here so quickly."

"I'm pretty sure Reed just wanted to see your face like a good doggie."

"Arlo, do you want to die?"

"I'm sorry, Reed."

We laughed at the strange but usual conversations.

The elevator opened to our floor and I walked out to open the door first.

I stopped laughing.

"Arlo, do you want to die?"

I asked with a frown.

"Charlie..?"

"Who gave you permission to host a sleep-over at my house? On a Saturday afternoon? I am sweaty and tired."

"I am sorry."

I inputted the password on the lock.

The door was unlocked from inside, but it still needed a password to be opened from the outside.

"It really does seem like you want to be beaten up."

"I don—"

I opened the door.

"You don't want to be beaten up?"

"N—"

"Are you sure?"

I turned to stare at him.

"I'm sorry. Yes, I do want to be beaten up."

Over to his side, Reed was laughing his ass off.

"You too. I haven't forgotten about what you did to Casper."

I pointed at him and commented gloomily.

He shut up real quick and the three of us entered the house laughing heartily.

"We really should be actors or something."

Arlo commented.

I stopped abruptly.

"Who said I was acting?" I stared at him threateningly.

"I am sorry, father."

From behind, I felt a fist bonk my head terribly.

"Charlie. When did you become a bully?"

She really has gotten way too comfortable hitting her older brother. Worse is it doesn't hurt so I have no excuse to scold her.

I amicably waved at Amelia timidly watching us with a confused stare and turned to Charlotte.

I tapped my sister's nose.

"...You're going to give me a concussion."

From the side, Arlo nodded seriously at my actions as if taking mental notes.

"They're guests," she crossed her arms.

"Yes, yes," I waved my arm, "Help me with the groceries. Some sadistic man made me run an abnormal regime of exercise."

My phone vibrated and opening the screen I was greeted by many missed calls.

How did they even get here so fast?

I turned to stare at Reed.

"Reed."

"...Charlie."

"There are people at the lobby, can you go get them?"

As my words fell, I realized just how dull my brain was right now.

"...Charlie. I entered through you and not the administration so on the way up I wouldn't have the elevator unlocked…"

"Yeah yeah, I realized."

I waved my hand and dumped the groceries on the kitchen table.

"Help me out by opening the bags. Charlotte, you made the mix, right?"

She nodded happily.

"Take out the ground turkey and mix it with the… mix. It should be in the bag Arlo is carrying. Wash your hands first."

Reed, Arlo, and Amelia stood there watching us with wide smiles.

"Go make yourselves at home…"

…

…

…

"Woah, Charlie. This is your place?"

"...Yes."

They've all been to each other's houses from young except mine.

"Cool place man."

"Elevators make me uncomfortable…"

"Thank you, Ronan. Catherine, Reed was also uncomfortable with the elevator at first but he's gotten used to it now. By the way, did all of you come here together or was it just a coincidence that you all arrived at the same time?"

I stared at the 5 of them. There were still 4 others waiting downstairs but due to the limit of the elevator, they couldn't come up.

"...No. We just all got here within 2 minutes haha."

Elle said with a really wide smile.

You… It probably is my Lying skill that's high that allowed me to detect her awkwardness.

"You guys had already prepared for a sleep-over at my house, right?"

They whistled and started looking around the enclosed box of the elevator.

"...No wonder you all replied within 3 seconds not even letting me refute Arlo's text…"

They shamelessly kept whistling and looking around.

"Yeah… No wonder my parents agreed as well and you guys didn't even have to ask for your parents' permission… You already had done all of this before Arlo's message…"

"Haha… Why do you look so sweaty, Charlie? Did you just finish working out? Haha."

Ronan said with a smile.

"...Was in a photoshoot and the photographer was really passionate about having realistic pictures… and then I had to rush to the grocery store to get snacks and… groceries…"

They looked around awkwardly,

"...and then I had to bike back here quickly before all of you got here to fix the apartment up and start cooking quickly. To my surprise, I found all of you already here…"

Dang, I just noticed I can act gloomily and angrily in an exceptional way. Of course, it probably was not worth it having to go through all of that pain as Pangaea Charlie just to be good at being sad and morose.

"We're sorry…"

"Lia's tea makes up for it. Thank her next time for saving your rear-ends."

I dropped my upset act and laughed at their expressions.

Through the rest of the short elevator ride, I felt blows and strikes at my shoulder and back.

"So… you have to go back down Charlie."

"Sigh… I do. Just knock on the door and someone will open it."

I entered the elevator back down for the others.

They were Macy, Lizbeth, Natsumi, and Irene.

Hah… and they were not expecting me to realize they all organized this behind my back.

The elevator door opened and they were, to my curiosity, giggling and slapping each other's arms while jumping around.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...Hello."

Them: "Hello Charlie."

I held my hand over the elevator door signaling for them to enter.

They all entered and Natsumi stood close behind me.

Cough. Not that it is of any importance.

I stared at the wall absentmindedly thinking of the time we spent together while I was in the hospital.

I coughed again and mentally slapped myself. Don't think of it anymore.

"So what were you laughing about?"

"Girl things."

"Girl things."

"Girl things."

"Girl things."

I nodded slowly at them.

"Are you judging us?"

"So what if I am?"

Natsumi ruffled my hair with a smile.

"Don't be a judger. How was the photo shoot?"

"...It was okay. The cameraman made me do a lot of exercises… "

"How come my gym buddy can't handle a few exercises anymore?"

"...Who knows? Maybe hanging around you has made me lazy."

"Lazy?"

Lazy just thinking about you constantly.

I barely stopped my mouth in time.

Damn, that would've been some smooth flattery. Being around Arden has been a bad influence. That dude when comfortable gets too flirty with the homies.

I blame Arden for making me think of these flirty lines.

Cough.

Still… I… don't know if I think of her that way. My heart flutters a little bit when I think of the time in the hospital.

Is it possible that in that constricted child-like mental state I got more attached to Natsumi who was always hanging out with me? I wouldn't be surprised.

I'm sure she doesn't think of me that way, though.

Maybe?

I woke up from my thoughts to Natsumi giggling and waving her hand in front of my face.

Maybe.

…

Hah.

I smugly looked at myself in the bathroom's mirror.

If there's any sign of progress, it's that I'm going to his house, I'm now friends with his sister, and we talk a lot.

I felt like the cool glasses emoji.

Hehe.

Yesterday, Charlotte texted me that her brother said both of us are perverts. She was so freaked out she didn't realize she basically approves of us being together while being concentrated on yelling that we're not at an appropriate age.

Hohoho.

I guess I am a pervert. Charlie's scent earlier in the elevator was… hoho.

Seems like the strategy of the hospital romcom worked. I'm glad I watched it and was able to use the plot to my advantage.

We've talked a few times about what happened in the hospital and every time we do, he's blushed.

Hahaha, he's also completely over Maya. He doesn't get in his thoughts or slightly widen his eyes when asked over her.

Though it's still a little hard getting out of the friendzone… Stupid Maya made his defenses way too hard to get past.

I'm sure I'm making progress though.

Hohoho.

I'll probably be embarrassed to death when I sleep when thinking about these thoughts I currently am having and how ridiculously dumb I look watching myself in the mirror, but I am too happy to care.

The others are currently in the living room and Reed put on some of Charlie's stream highlights to embarrass him.

He's pretty cute when he's embarrassed. It's not so often that he's embarrassed and the frequency of his face getting red is starting to lessen.

I opened the door and exited the bathroom.

I'll definitely help him cook… and then we'll play party board games and I'll sit next to him… and I'll play around with Charlotte a little bit… I'll sit with the girls in dinner time and at night I'll join him on the b—

I coughed.

No-no-no. I did not mean it in that way. I meant it as in how we hung out at the hospital. I did not— Sigh…

I am not a pervert.