Page 73 of I Hate You More

“Look, why don’t you make up your mind when you see him today,” Tessa said.

“What do you mean?”

“Look him in the eyes and listen to what your gut tells you to do. You can um and ah about this all you want, but deep inside, I think you know what the right thing to do is.”

I sat up, and my hand tightened around the phone. “That sounds kind of risky. I’m not sure I trust my gut right now.”

Tessa chuckled. “Just because your gut is telling you something you don’t want to hear doesn’t mean it’s wrong.”

“You really think that’s the best idea?”

“I do.”

I nodded and released the breath I’d been holding. “Okay, I’ll trust my gut when I see him.”

“Good,” Tessa replied. “Now, can I go back to sleep?”

“Sure,” I conceded.

“Please call me a bit later when you freak out next time?”

“Who says I’m going to freak out again?”

Tessa chuckled. “We both know you’re going to need at least four more phone calls before your date. My brain needs more sleep if I’m going to come up with brilliant solutions to your problems.”

I smiled. “Okay, okay. Get your brain-sleep. I’ll call you again in a few hours.”

“Nothing before nine.”

“Nothing before nine,” I agreed.

* * *

Tessa was wrong.I only called her three more times before my date with Chase. I had no idea what I’d done in life to score such an amazing best friend, but I was seriously lucky when it came to Tessa. She talked me out of my panic attacks each and every time. But when the time for the date arrived, I knew it was all down to me.

A knock came at my door just as I was about to head down to the living room. I was supposed to be meeting Chase there to watch a movie. Dad was already working in his office, and Tessa was ready to call the home phone in exactly one hour. The plan was perfectly set up, but I still hadn’t decided if I was going to go through with it.

I checked myself in the mirror one last time before I went to open the door. I was wearing a pair of nice jeans and a tank top, and I’d applied a little mascara and lip gloss to finish my look. I hadn’t gone overboard because it felt weird to dress up too much in my own home, but I’d tried to make myself look nice for Chase.

When I opened the door, he was standing on the other side, his hands clasped behind his back. He smiled brightly when he saw me. “I see you’re wearing the hot jeans,” he said, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

“How do you know about my hot jeans?”

He laughed. “I might have been walking past your room earlier, and you had your phone on speaker. Tessa was yelling at you to put on your hot jeans.”

I blushed and shook my head. “She insisted on video calling me to see what I was wearing.”

“Well, you look great.”

“Thanks.”

It seemed I wasn’t the only one who had put in some effort. Chase had shaved, and the skin on his face looked so smooth I felt an uncontrollable urge to brush my fingers across it. I could smell a hint of his expensive cologne, and he was wearing a freshly ironed shirt that highlighted his broad frame.

“So, the movie?” he asked, nodding toward the corridor.

“The movie,” I agreed. I took a step forward to follow him from my room, but one step was all it took to feel a strong surge of guilt rise up inside of me. Outside my room lay the final stage of the plan and the daunting prospect of Chase leaving Fairview forever. My room, on the other hand, was safe. Nothing had to change if I just stayed in my room. The question was, did I want things to change.

“You okay, Ally?”

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