Chapter 86: The call 2

Chapter 86: Chapter 86: The call 2

"There’s also..." Erling continued, "the question of whether she wants this to be passive or something she’s actually willing to put time into." He paused. "Because those are two completely different conversations."

Garrett considered that. The system had given him money. A lot of money. And he’d been thinking about investment almost entirely in terms of where to put it. Not what he actually wanted from it.

"How would you divide it?" he asked.

"That’s a better question." Erling waited a beat before continuing. "If I had £150,000 and didn’t need the money immediately, I wouldn’t put everything into one thing."

"Why?"

"Because one mistake shouldn’t be able to wipe you out. Property, some liquid investments, and some money kept available. The exact percentages would depend on the person, their income, expenses, knowledge, and how much risk they’re comfortable taking."

"That makes sense."

"It should. Money isn’t complicated because numbers are complicated. It’s complicated because people get emotional about it."

Garrett gave a quiet laugh. "That sounds like something you’d say."

"Probably because I’ve said it before."

For the first time during the call, Garrett smiled properly. Small. Almost involuntary. His father’s voice had settled into a rhythm now, calm and confident whenever he was talking about something he understood. It reminded Garrett that there had been a time when this man had known exactly what he was doing. Or at least, Garrett had believed he did.

He wasn’t interested in thinking about the past tonight. Not yet. There was already enough waiting on the coffee table.

"How much would you keep liquid?" Garrett asked.

"Enough that an unexpected problem wouldn’t force her to sell something at the wrong time."

"So an emergency fund."

"Partly. But also opportunity."

"What do you mean?"

"Sometimes the best investment isn’t available when you’re expecting it. If every pound is tied up, you can’t move when an opportunity appears."

Garrett nodded slowly. That one was worth remembering. His father continued, explaining the difference between putting money somewhere and actually having a plan for it, and Garrett listened more carefully than he’d expected to. Not because he suddenly wanted to become a businessman. He simply didn’t want to waste £175,000, especially now that he had a better idea of how quickly money could disappear if handled badly.

Eventually, Erling slowed. "So," he said, "what exactly does your friend want?"

Garrett glanced toward the file. "She hasn’t decided yet."

"Then she shouldn’t invest yet."

Garrett smiled faintly. "Fair."

There was another quiet moment. This time, neither of them seemed uncomfortable with it.

Garrett leaned back, phone still pressed against his ear. He’d called his father expecting an awkward conversation and some basic investment advice. He hadn’t expected the first few minutes to remind him just how little they actually spoke. He also hadn’t expected the call to feel this normal by the end of it.

Not completely normal. But closer.

Garrett looked at the folder on the coffee table. There was still something else he needed from his father. Something much more important than investment advice.

He just wasn’t ready to ask about it yet.

"Thanks, Dad."

The words came out naturally. There was a small pause.

"You’re welcome."

Garrett stared at the file again.

Neither of them seemed in a hurry to end the call.

"Tell everyone I said hi," Garrett said. "How’s everyone doing, anyway?"

"They’re fine," Erling said. "Everyone’s fine."

"Good."

A brief pause followed, the kind that used to feel entirely awkward but landed a little softer now.

"It was good hearing from you, Garrett."

"Yeah. You too."

"Take care of yourself."

"You too, Dad."

The call ended, and Garrett set the phone down on the couch beside him, the quiet of the apartment settling back in around him.

They hadn’t suddenly become close. He wasn’t under any illusion about that. But something about the last twenty minutes sat differently than every strained conversation before it. The distance between them had shifted, even if only slightly.

His eyes drifted toward the file still sitting on the coffee table.

One question answered, at least. The bigger one hadn’t moved an inch.

It was late by the time he actually thought about sleep, the apartment quiet except for the occasional sound drifting up from the street below.

He decided, without much fanfare, what tomorrow would look like once he got back from school. Property. Stocks. Small businesses. Liquidity, whatever exactly that meant beyond the basic explanation his father had given him tonight.

He didn’t need to become an expert by tomorrow evening. He just wanted enough of a grip on his options that the next decision he made with his money wouldn’t be a guess.

It felt different from most of the decisions he’d made with the system’s money so far. Less about spending it well and more about actually protecting it, growing it into something useful instead of simply watching the balance climb.

Eventually, tiredness won out over the thoughts still circling in his head. Garrett got up, went through the motions of shutting the apartment down for the night, and went to bed.

Sleep came quickly enough once he actually let it.

_______

Morning arrived the way it usually did, no particular weight attached to it.

Garrett moved through his routine on autopilot. Shower, teeth, clothes, a quick check that he had everything he needed for the day. Nothing about it required much thought anymore, the motions worn smooth from repetition.

He pulled up the app and requested a ride without a second thought, the decision no longer registering as anything unusual. Walking had been the default once. Now it barely crossed his mind as an option.

The car arrived a few minutes later, and Garrett headed toward campus.

He spotted Daniel near the entrance to the lecture hall, looking exactly like his usual self, grinning at something on his phone before he noticed Garrett approaching.

"Daniel." Garrett studied him for a second. "You’re alive."

"Wow. Sounds like you’re disappointed."

"Little bit."

Daniel laughed, clapping a hand briefly against Garrett’s shoulder. "Good to see you too, man."

"What actually happened?" Garrett asked, dropping the joke. "You disappeared for a while."

"Had a bit of an accident. Hit my head pretty hard. They wanted to keep me there longer than expected, make sure nothing serious was wrong." Daniel shrugged, easy about it now that it was clearly behind him. "All good now, though. Got cleared to come back yesterday."

"You’re actually fine? Not just saying that so I stop asking?"

"Actually fine. Promise." Daniel grinned. "Besides, somebody has to keep you from becoming completely antisocial."

Garrett shook his head slightly, something quietly settling in him now that Daniel was standing in front of him, clearly fine, clearly still exactly himself.

"Good," Garrett said simply. "Glad you’re okay."

"Awwwnn. Was that almost sincere?"

"Don’t push it."

Daniel laughed again, falling into step beside him as they headed toward class, the easy rhythm between them picking back up like it had never actually been interrupted.