One of the girls was the first to stand up.
“Sure, Mr. Dewey,” she said in a drawl.
“More like Mr. Mountain Dewey,” one of the boys said as he got to his feet and smirked.
I let it pass.
Charlie and I waited until they had gone back around to the front. Charlie then turned, gave me a sort of “come-hither” look.
I smiled, but immediately tensed. Did he want to kiss?
“Have you been thinking about what I said?” he asked quietly.
“That’s all I’ve been thinking about,” I admitted.
“I’m sorry I was mean.”
“You weren’t mean,” I protested.
And there it was again. That feeling of wanting to take him in my arms. To say what I wanted to say. To reassure him. To put his mind at ease. But the words were stuck in my throat and all I did was stare at him and frown.
Like I said before, Charlie has the most expressive face, and what passed across his angelic features in that moment was a look of hurt and confusion.
“I just need time,” I said, trying to salvage the situation.