Page 34 of Under the Radar

He stared. “Promise?”

I nodded. “Promise.”

He sighed. “Okay. Sleep well.” He left, shutting the door behind him.

I was glad he’d come to see me, but I still felt unsettled. As if we hadn’t entirely cleared the air. But short of admitting my feelings for him, there wasn’t much else I could say.

I lay down and pulled the blanket up to my chin.

I hoped I’d sleep tonight.

* * *

CHASE

I heard her cry out once in the night, but there were no other noises from her room, and I stayed put, lying on the big bed I had bought on impulse. I’d wanted a new mattress but only planned on buying a queen-size until I saw the bed in the showroom when I walked in. I liked it, and my room was big enough to hold a king-sized mattress. Brett and Stefano each had one, so there was no question there. I liked the metal headboard and the way it bent and curved. It was heavy and masculine-looking. I’d never owned anything that nice, and suddenly I wanted it.

I hadn’t thought of sheets or pillows. Hannah said she’d get me some this weekend, and I hoped she would since she wasn’t mad at me anymore.

Or was she? We hadn’t exactly kissed and made up.

I felt awful about the angry words we exchanged. The sudden coolness between us. It was as if a wall had been erected, and I had no idea how to scale it. Even going to her earlier hadn’t fixed whatever had broken between us. It felt as if we were both holding back. I wondered who it was she was seeing. If I would ever meet him. How I was going to feel when and if I did. How I would handle it if he started hanging here with her.

But the thought of her leaving upset me even more. If friendship was all I could have with her, I would take it. I just had to move on.

After a long, sleepless night, I wondered how much time would have to pass for me to do so. I headed into the garage and shut my door, working on paperwork to force myself to concentrate. Around eleven, I got a text from Hannah, telling me she wouldn’t be home that night. I frowned, my thoughts immediately going to the one place they shouldn’t. I made a big deal about not bringing women home. Did that mean she was spending the night with whoever she was seeing at his place? I scrubbed my hand over my face, feeling my scruff under my fingers. I had no idea how to respond. If I should respond. I decided to play it light.

Me

See you tomorrow, then.

Her reply almost sent me over the edge.

Hannah

I’ll be late. Don’t wait up!

My beanie ended up on the floor, and I dug my hands into my hair, yanking on it. She was definitely spending the weekend with the guy she was seeing.

I already knew the answer to how I would react if I met him. I could barely handle the thought of it, never mind seeing him in person. I hated him. With the fiery passion of hell. I was going to introduce him to my fist. Repeatedly.

“Chase.”

I looked up, meeting Charly’s concerned gaze.

“If you yank on your hair any harder, you’ll pull it out.”

I bent over and picked up my beanie, tugging it back on my head. “Great. Bald and alone.”

She shut the door and sat beside me. “Tell me what’s going on.”

It all came pouring out. The closeness I felt with Hannah. The conversation I overheard between her and her mother. How devastated I felt. The way I tried to stay neutral, even friendly, but staying away at the same time. Our angry words. My awkward apology last night. The certainty that what I thought was the start of something great might have been the biggest mistake for both of us and how I worried she was going to leave. Then I showed Charly the text.

“She’s seeing him. I know it.”

Charly was quiet for a moment, reading the text, thinking about what I said. I could practically hear her mind working as she sat there, her legs crossed, one foot swinging in agitation as she mulled over everything I’d spewed out.

“First off, I think there is more to this than you know. Than I know. Hannah isn’t that sort of person. If she’d been seeing someone, she would have told you. He would have been around when she was moving in. She would be moving in with him, not you.”