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"I love you, Annie I need you Tell me"

My breath hitches I openrins at me "Let’s celebrate I’ll take you out to dinner" He pulls " His voice has gone husky and I know he’s reree "I need to finish getting ready"

He looks atin the dress I put on for Park’s show "Were you going somewhere?"

I shake ht," he says, his brows drawing together "I’ll be back in an hour I need to run hoently and then walks out of ainst the dresser as I pick up my phone and text Chase

This is for the best

Hannah comes back in, still on her phone I watch her in the mirror as she lies back on her now h No There is no way I could ever have that

kind of relationship with Loden

16

Fade Into You

Chase

I open the passenger side door and offer ers with mine and alk that way, hand in hand, toward the restaurant

Ito accost her dog At the time, I had been interested in Ella and barely noticed Kayla Then she turned up inAnnie disappeared on ure out the Loden equation When she was dating hi out with everybody They broke up for the su around Loden coood distraction I like her She’s nice and she’s sexy as hell But there’s so this exclusive in the way she wants

Shit It ardless of how ets on my nerves In fact, I’ after we eat?"

"Uh, I don’t know…" I let the end of my sentence float off into space because I had no intention of doing anything with her after this I want to go get in a late workout and maybe swiirlfriend, Lucy, over summer break, he’s bailed on nearly all our workouts With Guy and Park both in their own apart back toin every chance I get, but I still try to get et rid of all this extra energy I have if I’ht I’m sure she and I could coy issue

"Why? What’d you have in ht air She twirls a thick lock of her dark hair around one finger and shrugs her shoulders

"There’s a party"

I’m always up for a party, but that wasn’t exactly what I was hoping for The hostess greets us and we follow her to a booth in the back Kayla slides in besideto burst from my lips I hate this about her

Hate it

I need my space while I eat and I’d rather be able to look at the person I’m with Seriously Who the hell likes to cuddle while they eat dinner?

She hooks her are to shake her off me It doesn’t et every tio out But Kayla will read theat all the stuff she really wants, before ordering another fucking salad

"What are you getting?" she asks with her attention still on the open menu in front of her

I want to bata salad with dressing on the side and ice water to drink But this would cause her to stare at me blankly until I explained it was a joke

This also irritates er and fries," I reply

"Mood," she says

I arch a brow that she doesn’t see because she still has her nose buried in theI’ll keep doing this How long will I keep her around? How long will I keep scrutinizing everything she does?

"I think I’ll get a salad," she finally decides

Oh, the mockery that erupts inside my head

Outside I smile and nod, and pretend this hasn’t happened at every meal in every other restaurant we’ve been to over the past feeeks