charliexhughes

[charliexhughes]

"Second I lace up my boots now, I've got em shakin.. Feels like the good old days again." He smiles fondly, thinking back to being a young prospect. "Well the second they hear me say I'm from Manchester they think they're doing something, when in actuality they are insulting me beyond belief." He clutches at his chest as if it hurts him just to say it in the moment. "Shoutin' the wrong one at me, mate." Charlie's pride grows along with Alfie's excitement. "Yeah, I travelled around for a while studyin' and you're just lucky I landed here." Now Charlie's own excitement had grown at his new friend's request, "I see your 'full English' and raise you a 'get shit-faced at night so we can have a proper full English'. You in? I've got Fifa, mate." Charlie felt like a teenager again, asking his mom if his friends could sleep over before they all snuck out to drink and play video games. It felt like home. Especially when Alfie makes a dig at his team, "The feeling is mutual, mate. But you'll have to work a lot harder for me to say anythin' about West Ham."

Alfie  snorted,  shaking  his  head.  “Bruv,  you’re  tellin’  me.  The  amount  of  times  I’ve  said  somethin’  and  watched  an  American’s  soul  leave  their  body  ‘cause  they  had  no  clue  what  just  came  out  my  mouth?  Tragic.”

He  leaned  forward,  arms  folded,  smirking  as  Charlie  lamented  the  horrors  of  trying  to  play  football  with  the locals.  “Mate,  they  were  scared  of  ya  ‘cause  you  actually  know  what  you’re  doin’,”  he  said,  laughing.  “They  hear  us  say  ‘footy’  and  think  we’re  just  bein’  quirky.  Then  you  go  two-foot  someone  in  a  tackle,  and  suddenly,  you’re  a  villain.”

At  the  mention  of  Man  U  fans,  Alfie  let  out  a  low,  unimpressed  groan,  running  a  hand  down  his  face.  “Nah,  see—that’s  where  I  draw  the  fuckin’  line.  Some  geezer  out  ‘ere  in  a  Man  U  top,  actin’  like  he’s  givin’  me  some  groundbreakin’  revelation.”  He  put  on  a  deliberately  mock-American  voice,  tone  exaggerated.  “‘Oh,  bro,  I  love  soccer!  Big  Manchester  fan!’”  He  grimaced.  “Yeah?  Which  one,  dickhead?  ‘Cause  there’s  two.”

Charlie’s  laugh  was  contagious,  and  Alfie  shook  his  head,  still  grinning  as  he  took  the  phone.  “Oi,  stop  it,  you’re  tellin’  me  you’ve  actually  trained  in  proper  kitchens?  Thought  I  was  just  signin’  up  for  some  lad  knockin’  up  a  Sunday  roast.”  He  quickly  punched  his  number  in,  then  froze  mid-text  when  Charlie  mentioned Mango  Bay.

“Wait—hold  up.  You  work  at  Mango  Bay?”  His  eyebrows  shot  up.  “That  posh  place?  Shit,  mate,  you  should’ve  led  with  that.”

He  leaned  back,  clearly  impressed.  “Alright,  Charlie,  now  I  actually  gotta  put  you  to  the  test.  ‘Cause  I  miss  a  full  English  like  you  wouldn’t  believe.  Bangers,  black  pudding,  the  lot.  And  nothin’  out  ‘ere  even  comes  close.”

Alfie  passed  Charlie’s  phone  back,  grinning.  “Tell  you  what—I’ll  stop  by,  and  if  it’s  good,  I’ll  even  pretend  you  lot  at  City  actually  play  proper  football.”  He  winked.  “No  promises,  though.”

[charliexhughes]

Starter: closed @amadoures Location: Link In Bio

Charlie stood alone by the bar, shouting over the booming music at a bartender for another beer on his tab. He cradled the sweating bottle as he turned around towards the sea of people dancing, bringing the bottle up to his lips and taking a long sip. He'd just spent an entire shift ordering people to work faster; all he'd wanted was to slow down and forget for a bit. Of course, that's when he's met face to face with the past, clarity hitting him like a ton of bricks. She had the same walk, the same tilt of her head as she'd laughed, she was unmistakable and for some reason this night, she was un-ignorable. He could hear his own heartbeat in his chest as he slinked through the crowd, slipping through bodies like a maze when he'd landed right in front of her. "You're avoiding me, ain't ya?"

[charliexhughes]

"Exactly! If I have to repeat meself more than three times.. I can see the panic in their faces trying to understand me." He shakes his head with a fond smile on his lips, if anything it was entertaining to confuse people. "Mate, I tried playin' with some of the lads and I think they were scared of me.. genuinely." Charlie's hands lifted up in defense, "Listen, I'm in stockholm syndrome here, I bring up football and they stumble over themselves to prove to me they know I don't mean their version of football." He hums, "Man City boy meself, but.. think that's obvious." He took a small breath, "And when the Americans come up and tell me they're rooting for Man U.. Oh my blood boils, mate. You imagine if someone said that shit in a bar back home? On sight.'' Charlie's fingers stretch out, releasing tension as if it were happening now. "I ain't too polite, so I have to put on a smile and try to understand that they don't have weird intentions by being nice." He couldn't fight the laugh that escaped his lips at character-building, "I think it's just our right of passage, man." Charlie slid his own phone out of his pocket, passing it over to Alfie with a smile, "I think my mentor in France would kill me if I don't season correctly. Mate, I've travelled to just about everywhere learning about food. Stop by Mango Bay Restaurant at some point, I'm a chef there." He shivered at the imitation of their meals from home, "Nah, I won't touch that shit with a ten foot pole. You name somethin' from home you miss, and I've got you."

Alfie  let  out  a  sharp  laugh,  genuinely  amused  at  Charlie’s  enthusiasm.  “Oi,  mate,  swear  down—I  thought  I  was  the  only  poor  bastard  reppin’  the  homeland  out  ‘ere.  Been  walkin’  round  feelin’  like  some  endangered  species.”

At  the  mention  of  football,  his  grin  only  widened.  “Do  I  play  footy?  Do  I  play  footy?  Bruv,  don’t  insult  me  like  that.  Course  I  do.”  He  knocked  his  fist  against  his  chest,  feigning  offense.  “West  Ham,  born  and  bred.  Ain’t  a  proper  Londoner  if  you  don’t  have  a  mild-to-severe  obsession  with  the  beautiful  game.”

He  shook  his  head,  still  grinning.  “Swear,  though,  you’re  right  about  ‘em  bein’  too  nice.  Had  some  old  lady  call  me  ‘honey’  at  the  shops  the  other  day—thought  she  was  takin’  the  piss.”  His  expression  turned  mock-serious.  “Turns  out,  nah.  That’s  just  how  they  talk.  No  malice,  no  hidden  agenda,  just  pure,  unfiltered  kindness.  It’s  unsettling.”

As  he  finished  dumping  out  the  last  of  the  abandoned  laundry,  he  clapped  the  lid  shut  and  leaned  back  against  the  machine,  giving  Charlie  a  once-over.  “Yeah,  nah,  that  load  was  abandoned  ages  ago.  I’m  claimin’  squatters’  rights.”

When  Charlie  mentioned  bar  fights,  Alfie  grinned  knowingly.  “Bruv,  same.  Half  the  time,  ain’t  even  about  anything  important.  Could  be  somethin’  dumb  as  some  geezer  lookin’  at  you  funny.  You  see  it  happen,  and  suddenly,  you’re  part  of  it.”  He  shrugged, unbothered.  “Character-building,  innit?”

Then  came  the  real  moment  of  bonding.  Alfie  barely  had  time  to  react  before  Charlie  dapped  him  up  like  they’d  known  each  other  for  years,  and  honestly?  It  felt  right.

“Nah,  see,  this  is  fate,”  Alfie  declared,  shaking  his  head  in  mock  reverence.  “Two  proper  lads,  lost  in  the  wilderness  of  American  suburbia.  This  is  some  divine  intervention  shit.”

At  the  offer  of  home-cooked  food,  Alfie  immediately  pulled  out  his  phone.  “You  had  me  at  cookin’,  mate.  I’m  sufferin’  out  ‘ere,  livin’  off  takeaway  and  whatever’s  cheapest.”  He  quickly  passed  his  phone  to  Charlie  to  put  his  info  in.

“Dead  serious,  though—if  you  say  you  can  cook,  I  better  see  some  proper  flavours,  none  of  that  bland  shit.  ‘Cause  I  swear,  I  had  one  bite  of  some  ‘British-style  fish  and  chips’  out  ‘ere,  and  I  nearly  called  the  embassy  to  report  a  crime.”

[charliexhughes]

"I thought I was the only one here! You have no idea how relieved I am." Charlie bounced on his feet, "Please tell me you play footy. Mate, I'm going through so much home sickness right now, this was some divine shit right here." Chuckling at the impression, he shook his head, "I get weirded out when people are that nice.. And then they look at me like I'm a little puppy when I open my mouth and they hear me talk" He watched as the other threw the clothes in a basket, taking the time to check on his own clothes. "I don't even think they're here. If they are they should've realized ages ago that their loads been done." Charlie's smile spread, "Been there. The amount of bar fights back home.. half I couldn't even tell ya why." At the introduction, Charlie nodded back, "Pleasure, Alfie. I'm Charlie." He dapped him up like they'd known each other their entire lives, "Listen, mate, gimme your info cause I'm cookin' for you. It's music to my ears."

Alfie  snapped  his  head  up,  eyes  narrowing  for  half  a  second  before  his  expression  split  into  a  grin. “Oi,  no  fuckin’  way,”  he  said,  clearly  delighted,  pointing  at  Charlie  like  he’d  just  uncovered  a  long-lost  relative.  “A  proper  Manc  in  Palmview?  Thought  I  was  the  only  poor  bastard  who  got  lost  and  ended  up  ‘ere.”

He  hopped  down  from  the  washing  machine,  grinning  as  he  shook  his  head.  “Mate,  you  don’t  even  understand  how  rare  it  is  to  hear  someone  who  actually  gets  it.  Been  stuck  listenin’  to  all  these  slow,  drawn-out  vowels—”  he  stretched  the  words  out  mockingly,  doing  the  worst  American  accent  imaginable—  “‘how  y’all  doin’  today’—swear  down,  I’m  losin’  my  mind.”

Alfie  glanced  toward  the  abandoned  dryer,  then  back  at  Charlie,  considering.  “An  hour,  you  reckon?  Christ.  That’s  beyond  ‘polite  waitin’  time,’  that’s  full-on  abandonment.  Like,  at  that  point,  you  don’t  even  want  ‘em  back.”

He  stretched  his  arms  over  his  head,  then  cracked  his  neck,  like  he  was  preparing  for  battle.  “Right.  Lawless  savagery  it  is,  then.”

Without  hesitation,  he  grabbed  the  nearest  laundry  basket,  yanked  open  the  dryer,  and  started  dumping  someone  else’s  clothes  into  it  with  zero  remorse.

“Listen,  if  they  kick  off,  I’ll  just  play  dumb—‘oh,  mate,  didn’t  realise,  thought  the  laundromat  had  some  kinda  donation  system.’”  He  grinned,  glancing  back  at  Charlie.  “And  if  they  wanna  scrap  over  it,  well—I’ve  had  worse  fights  over  stupider  shit.”

Once  the  last  shirt  was  tossed  into  the  basket,  Alfie  dusted  off  his  hands  and  leaned  against  the  dryer.  “Anyway—since  we’re  clearly  united  in  the  struggle  of  not  bein’  from  ‘ere,  name’s  Alfie,”  he  said,  offering  a  nod.  “What  about  you,  mate?”

[charliexhughes]

"Remember that you asked for this, Sydney!" Charlie's laugh escaped a bit more now, a childlike joy on his face. He took in a breath as he made his way onto the stage, actually feeling some nerves. They all washed away as a booming song started; he had this in the bag. Violins strummed, leading into his intro, "Hey hey, bye bye bye." Charlie grabbed the microphone like he'd been a part of the band his entire life. His accent was just as thick as he sang, but his voice rasped perfectly as he started some dance moves, getting more into the song. "Don't wanna be a fool for you, just another player in your game for two. You may hate me, but it ain't no lie. Baby bye bye bye." The song brought him back to the locker room before games, him and his friends from home doing full dances. "Don't really wanna make it tough, I just wanna tell you that I had enough." He stepped down, walking right up to her and tilting up her chin with his finger as he sang in her face, "Might sound crazy but it ain't no lie." winking and making his way through the crowd as he sang out. Charlie's dancing continued back up the stage as he belted out the final notes of the song, "Bye bye bye." He finished, hitting a pose with a huge smile on his face.

“that  was  hardly  a  minute  and  i  think  the  word  you're  looking  for  is…  reward.  i'm  rewarding  you  !”  sydney  teased,  fingers  wrapping  around  the  glass  of  their  own  drink.  “don't  set  my  expectations  too  high  if  you  don't  intend  to  meet  them.  i'll  be  watching  and  waiting  for  you  to  blow  my  mind,"  a  hint  of  a  challenge  lingered  at  the  edge  of  her  voice  as  she  spoke,  an  eyebrow  quirking  up  as  she  watched  charlie.  “no,  don't  worry,  i  always  keep  my  promises  but  maybe  i'm  just  confident  i'll  win  this  time.”

[charliexhughes]

"Beer it is!" Charlie moves towards the fridge, grabbing them both a drink. He opens the bottles as he hears Sterling from the other room. "Unless you consider perfectly timed out overcooked than no. I assure you it's not overdone." He huffs slightly, a squint in his eye as he hands over his beer. "You're starting to sound like me Nan, mate." Charlie wags a finger, a smirk creeping on his lips, "You taste it before any comments, and if I so much as see you grab the salt I'll cry."

“you know what, I’ll take a beer and no problem, you know i couldn’t miss out on trying the charlie hughes home cooking,” sterling responds to charlie’s warm words. his stomach grumbles as the aroma from the food hits him. sterling decides to be nosy as charlie leaves the dining room to fetch the beer and opens the pot lid, peaking inside. despite the food looking absolutely delicious, sterling’s hunger has made him a tad cranky, “hey, bud.. you sure you didn’t overcook this?” he remarks loudly to charlie in the kitchen. sterling means well and with cooking being one of his favorite hobbies to do in his past time, he’s just looking out for charlie—he swears but there’s an underlying hint of disapproval in his voice as he questions the professional cook.

[charliexhughes]

Ted Lasso (2020 - ) I 3.06 Sunflowers

[charliexhughes]

You're nurturing yourself. You're nurturing the team you're cooking for. You're gonna be nurturing our guests.

[charliexhughes]

Charlie had been playing some stupid little game on his phone, something to pass the time, his airpod playing music in his ear, when he'd heard a voice that made him do a double take. His eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas, "You from south london, man?" His Mancunian accent just as strong as the other's accent. "Nothin' like a good 'oi' in the morning." Charlie joked.

He pulled his headphone out, popping it in the case and leaning against on of the dryers. "I can't tell you how many times I've had to grab a basket and throw peoples stuff in there just to be out of here without spending all day." His eyes landed on the dryer in question, "I'm all for lawless savagery, but I think those clothes have been sitting there for an hour, mate.. Stand your ground, as long as they ain't my clothes, we're good."

who:  open  (@palmviewstarters)

where:  lochness  laundry

alfie  hated  doing  laundry.  hated  it.

not  ‘cause  he  didn’t  like  clean  clothes—obviously,  he  did—but  because  the  entire  process  was  boring  as  shit. waiting  around,  watching  a  machine  spin  his  shirts  in  circles  for  an  hour?  nah.  torture.

but  here  he  was,  sitting  on  top  of  one  of  the  industrial washers  at  lochness  laundry,  legs  swinging  lazily  as  he  scrolled  through  his  phone,  waiting  for  his  clothes  to  finish.  a  half-empty  bottle  of  coke  rested  beside  him,  condensation  pooling  against  the  metal.

it  had  only  been  a  month  since  he  landed  in  palmview, but  he  already  had  a  routine—one  that  mostly  involved  work,  a  lot  of  people-watching,  and  finding  new  ways  to  kill  time  in  a  place  that  felt  too  warm,  too  slow,  but  weirdly  hard  to  leave.

he  glanced  around,  lazily  observing  the  laundromat’s  usual  crowd.  an  older  woman  aggressively  folding  towels.  a  teenager  blasting  music  through  busted  headphones.  a  couple  arguing  quietly  near  the  dryers.  standard  shit.

his  own  clothes  were  still  tumbling  around  in  one  of  the  machines,  so  he  had  nothing  better  to  do  than  wait,  fidget,  and  find  some  poor  soul  to  chat  shit  with.

spotting  the  closest  person  near  him,  alfie  grinned,  tilting  his  head.

“oi,  quick  question,”  he  started,  his  accent  unmistakable.  “is  there  a  rule  ‘bout  how  long  you  gotta  wait  before  stealin’  someone’s  dryer  if  they  ain’t come  back  for  their  clothes?  ‘cause  i  ain’t  tryin’  to  start  a  laundromat  war,  but  i’m  this  close—”  he  held  up  two  fingers,  barely  apart—  “to  chuckin’  some  geezer’s  socks  on  the  floor  so  i  don’t  have  to  be  ‘ere  all  night.”

his  grin  widened,  half-shit-eating,  half-serious.  “what  d’you  reckon?  ten  minutes?  fifteen?  or  straight  to  lawless  savagery?”

[charliexhughes]

"Ah, you don't wanna be like me. You can easily get yourself a wine cooler without aspiring to be me." Charlie joked, grabbing the bottle from their hand and pulling out his bottle opener. "I've made that mistake one too many times. I mean, it does the job, but I prefer it for my steak." He poured their glass first before his own, clinking his glass to theirs. "Cheers." Charlie took a small sip, "I'd appreciate it. I love the woman, but I'm not convinced she wouldn't be on the first flight here to give it to me straight."

of   course   amara   followed,   after   the   semester   she   had?   she   needed   all   the   wine   the   other   had   to   offer.   her   eyes   widen   seeing   the   other   had   a   wine   cooler,   she   looked   at   it   in   awe.   she   looked   from   the   room   to   charlie.   "when   i   grow   up   i   want   to   be   just   like   you,"   they   said,   not   even   sure   themselves   if   they   were   joking   or   not.   but   the   more   and   more   the   other   went   on,   they   knew   they   were   in   fact   not   kidding.   she   went   to   the   right,   looking   for   something   sweet   and   grabbed   for   a   rosé   and   turned   to   the   other.   "this   one   please!"   she   shook   her   head.   "its   just   enough,"   she   laughed.   "have   you   made   that   mistake?"   they   asked   with   a   rise   an   their   eyebrows.   she   covered   her   hand   as   she   let   out   a   laugh.   "oh   i   won't   let   your   mother   know   either."

[charliexhughes]

"Oh, I've got one open, mate. Don't you worry." Charlie teased, pulling a bottle out of the fridge, pouring both of them glasses as the other grilled him on his move. "Well I can assure you I haven't been married." He smirked, dropping into a seat at the table with a shrug. "I dunno, man. My father was poking his head back in my life and I guess I needed to get as far away as I could. Studied for the citizenship test and everything to get out of there.." Charlie's fingers tapped on the table rhythmically, "You know when you were a kid and sports teams would win and say they were going to Disney? I always pictured myself in Florida.. Palm trees, sunshine.. distance." A small laugh slipped through his lips, "But enough about me.. Your turn."

“  whatever  you've  already  got  open  .  or  hey  ,  i  can  go  do  you  one  better  and  go  run  to  my  place  and  grab  one  .  “  what  were  the  odds  they  would  end  up  neighbors  here  .  truly  the  best  sort  of  coincidence  (  especially  as  clark  was  not  leaving  the  complex  as  of  yet  )  .  ”  but  come  on  ,  you've  got  to  have  more  to  give  me  than  just  that  ….  i  had  a  whole  marriage  and  you're  telling  you  just  wanted  change  ?  " 

[charliexhughes]

"Yeah! Come on, let me show you." There were a few things that Charlie was the most proud of, his inventory of items from around the world was one of them. His wine collection might be his favorite. He directed her towards his wine cooler, panning his hand like it was a picturesque landscape, "I'm not sure how fancy you're wanting to go, but they're organized by style; red, rose, white, sparkling, champagne over here, and you've got your drier wines on the left, working your way to the right in sweetness.." He paused as he rambled, a low laugh in his chest, "I may go overboard, but I love it." Charlie laughed, pointing towards a smaller cabinet, "Avoid those, they're for cooking only. You don't want to drink that." Leaning back against his counter, a glimmer of pride filled in his chest at her compliment. He quickly zipped his lips, tossing it out into the air, "Not a word will be said. I think my mother would fly over here if I was bragging about being better."

amara's   hands   flew   back,   hearing   the   words   it's   hot   being   burned   was   no   on   the   schedule   for   today.   once   she   had   burned   her   face   so   badly   on   a   straightener   and   since   them   they   had   gone   on   the   of   error   than   to   be   as   reckless   as   they   had   once   been.   but   the   smell   of   the   food   almost   was   enough   for   them   to   be   far   too   excited   to   sit   still.   she   looked   from   the   food   to   charlie,   nodding   and   getting   up.   "could   i   have   a   look   at   your   wine   collection?"   she   asked.   she   nodded.   "of   course!   how   could   i   decline?   you   have   the   best   food   i've   ever   had,   and   please   do   not   tell   my   mother   that."

[charliexhughes]

"Red or white, mate?" He laughs along, "You're my guest, Wyatt. I've got a machine that washes dishes for me. Your job is to eat what I made, tell me it's the best thing you've ever eaten, drink my wine, and fill me in on life." Glasses clink as Charlie pulls them out of his cabinet, placing one in front of Wyatt. "I ain't got too many dirty details, man. Swear. Just felt a little stagnant being back in Manchester. I got that itch to move again and well.. here I am."

“  all  three  please  —  but  mostly  wine  ”  wyatt  responds  jokingly  ,  trailing  behind  charlie  ,  “  no  but  seriously  ,  what  can  i  help  you  with  ?  don't  expect  me  to  sit  down  and  let  you  do  all  of  the  work  .  put  me  on  dish  duty  or  something  .  oh  ,  &  i  fully  expect  you  to  give  me  a  complete  rundown  of  how  you've  been  lately  .  no  beating  around  the  bush  .  i  want  all  of  the  dirty  details  .  "

[charliexhughes]

"Well I'm glad it wasn't you, but we may need to go save this girl." His hands clapped together, matter of fact, "I haven't heard of her, I don't think, but I'd still be willing to go to her rescue with you." He's already made up his mind that he's invested in this, "We've got to make a plan. Our mission, if you so choose to accept it.. bring this douche down?" A smirk lands on Charlie's face, "How'd you get this far if you don't know her or the situation? Before I go down swinging, I should probably get all the facts, yeah?" He teases, raising an eyebrow with a sly smile.

“  oh  gosh  ,  definitely  not  me  .  ”  but  for  a  moment  ,  maisie  is  flattered  that  this  hottie  would  defend  her  honor  (  &  slightly  deflated  when  she  realizes  he  would  do  it  for  anyone  )  .  “  truth  be  told  ,  i  don't  even  know  who  our  damsel  in  distress  is  .  well  ,  her  name  is  theodora  but  that's  about  all  i  have  .  have  you  heard  of  her  before  ?  apparently  her  man  is  a  real  jerk  .  ” 

[charliexhughes]

Starter: Open ~ @palmviewstarters ~ Location: Coral Cove Apartment #5B

"Heads up," Charlie shouted, entering his dining room in a rush, "it's hot." His hand immediately swung, the heat piercing through his oven mitts that his mother had gifted him. "Obviously, it'll need a few minutes to cool, but can I get you anything else? Wine, beer, water? I've got it all. Feel free to take a look if you'd like!" Hosting dinner felt like home to Charlie; the one thing he'd missed the most was gathering around the table with his school friends after his mom had cooked for them all. To be able to pass this on in his new home felt right, like he was making a good life for himself here. "Thank you for coming. Genuinely."

[charliexhughes]

charlie: I get off work in 30

charlie: meet me in an hour? I can bring you some food if you give me your order now

💬 open to all!

ken: does anyone want to go to the beach today?

ken: it’s freaking gorgeous out