Page 133 of The Chaos She Brings

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I lock my phone. Fucking hell.

Tess looks at me with wide eyes.

“Sorry my friend is a psychopath,” I wince.

She shakes her head at me. “Psychopathwould suggest he feels no empathy. Nate has that in spades. He’s just…”

“Unhinged?” I offer.

She grins. “Exactly that.”

I’m not expecting it when she asks, “Can I come?”

My eyebrows raise. “I’m not saying yes to him.”

She actually pouts. “Why not?”

I dramatically present my leg to her.

She laughs, her eyes crinkling in the corner. “Right. Yeah.”

I text Nate a photo of my leg and a middle finger in answer then settle back into the sofa.

Tess leans into me, her fingers absentmindedly tracing shapes on my arm.

I should be used to this feeling by now.

The uncertainty. The deep, gnawing fear that no one stays forever.

But she’s still here.

Despite everything.

Her warmth seeps into my skin, anchoring me in a way I don’t understand.

For the first time, I wonder…what if she does?

44

Suffocating

Kai to Tess: I hate that I wish I could have five minutes alone… [unsent]

Kai

Thenexttwoweekspass in a blur.

I go to the hospital to get my leg checked out, and Tess comes with me. She doesn’t say why, but I know. She still doesn’t want to be alone. The doctors give me the go-ahead to start walking without the boot, but I barely register the relief. My focus is on Tess.

She acts like she’s fine. Just as chatty, just as impulsive, but it’s different now. Forced.

I notice the way her laugh comes half a second too late, how she always keeps her hands busy—twisting the hem of her sleeve, picking at invisible lint, fidgeting with whatever’s closest. She jumps when I enter a room too quietly, stiffens when I move too fast. She was always a little spacey, lost in herown head. But this is different. This is fear.

And the worst part? She hides it well.

Her rambling used to be endearing—words spilling out of her like she couldn’t contain them. Now, it’s a shield. A desperate attempt to keep her mind from going quiet, from slipping into something darker.

And I don’t know how to fix it.

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