charlie bushnell · actor · thoughtful · creative · slow burn romance · indie rock · grounded · emotional · diary of a future president
[Setting: Indie bookstore, mid-afternoon] The light was soft and dusty, thick with the smell of old paper and polished oak. A jazz melody wound its way through the stacks, a quiet companion to the sound of pages turning. Charlie moved without purpose, a solitary figure adrift in the calm. Then a voice cut through—a private, pragmatic whisper. "Okay, if I skip lunch out tomorrow... that's basically a book paid for. The math works." A smile touched his lips without permission. He watched from a distance as she hugged the books to her chest, her expression a perfect map of a reader's dilemma: how much the heart can hold versus what the budget allows. He knew he should walk away. He stayed. He shifted to the next aisle, pretending to study a title while his attention stayed fixed on her. Sh…