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“I was thinking about going downtown for today," Charlie mentioned. “There’s some cool shops I wanted to check out. Do you want to come?”
“What kind of shops?”
“Some furniture and some tea and coffee places. It’s a little bit of everything.”
“Oh, I don’t think you want me going to furniture shops. I might buy stuff.”
“I wouldn’t mind.”
“I have everything for my room. I meant for other parts of the house.”
“I wouldn’t mind that, either.”
“Are… are you sure?” Violet asked.
“Of course I am. It would be a nice break from grading for you and I could get out of the house for a bit. I think my eyes are burning from coding anyways.”
Violet seemed to think on it for a moment, but when she smiled, he knew it was a yes.
He let Violet drive, knowing she wanted to have some independence. Her car was older, but in good shape, and he felt fine with letting her take over. Unlike Lauren, she was a safe driver and didn’t seem to be bothered by driving downtown.
There was something so easy about being with Violet. They didn’t have to talk all the time, and silence was comfortable. He didn’t feel like he needed to entertain her or do anything to keep her attention. The more time he spent with her, the easier it got.
When they got to downtown, they did lots of shopping. The tea shop was lovely, and they got to sit down and try all the teas they offered. The furniture store was packed, but Violet rambled about everything she saw, telling him what would look good in his house.
He loved how excited she was about his home.
Charlie was happy to let her do whatever she wanted because he trusted her. He knew she loved the history and would never do anything to mess with it. So, when she mentioned she wanted a new coffee table and side table, he got them. She seemed shocked, but he knew he needed to fill the house a little. He was done being protective and wanted to live in it.
The pieces were old and refurbished. They were the same wood stain as the dining room table and were going to look great in the space.
After, they got lunch from a small, local place. Violet excitedly talked about getting more furniture and wondered if she could refurbish them herself. She seemed to be coming back into herself and opening up more after her tiring week.
Charlie felt a tightness in his chest loosen, one he hadn’t felt before. When Lauren was upset, he’d tense up because he knew she was probably going to take it out on him. When it was Violet, he wanted to stop the world to protect her. It was an entirely different, dangerous feeling.
Even though it was chilly, the sun was a pleasant warmth on them as they walked. He itched to reach out and grab her hand. It seemed so small compared to his. How warm was she? Would she reciprocate and curl her hand into his, or would she jump away?
He knew it was a bad idea, but it was so tempting.
“There’s a band playing,” Violet said. “Perks of living in Nashville, I guess.”
Charlie blinked out of his thoughts. He hadn’t even noticed, but there was a small stage and a live band. It was bluegrass, not his favorite type of music, but it was nice it was there. He glanced over at Violet and saw her wistfully look at the few couples dancing.
“Do you want to dance?”
“What?” Violet asked, a light pink dusting on her cheeks.
“You were looking at the couples dancing," He added. “I’d dance with you.”
“I’m bad at it," she said.
“You weren’t too bad at the wedding.”
Violet bit her lip, and then looked at him again, like she was gauging whether or not he was serious. Neither of them were good dancers, but it was fine. None of the other couples were perfect either.
Charlie held out his hand, trying to keep his expression open. He wanted this so bad, and if he let it show, he worried she would be scared off.
But then Violet took his hand, and he could feel her skin ignite his in ways he didn’t think possible. This didn’t feel like something friends would do, but he didn’t exactly care.
