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"You like Hazel."
His eyes widen infinitesimally, but otherwise, he displays no signs that I took him by surprise. "I like girls. Hazel is a girl," he says in a clipped tone.
"Don't play mind games with me. I'm immune to your jerkish charm." I lean forward, as if to prove that he doesn't affect me even when I’m close.
"No one is immune." His words are faltering, and he starts eyeing the door as if plotting his escape. Perfect. My instinct was right. I’m onto something.
"You like her more than a friend."
He jerks violently in his seat as if I've just poked him with a needle. I have shaken the great Chase.
"Did she tell you that?" He picks up the pen lying beside the book, twisting it compulsively between his fingers. A vein pulses in his temple.
"No, she told me the exact opposite, but I've seen the way you look at her."
His demeanor changes in an instant. He drops the pen, his usual conceited smile making an appearance again. "Oh, right, and you’re an expert on dating?"
"I’m not, but I am Hazel's best friend."
"Just drop this, okay?"
"If you like her, why don't you ask her out?"
Chase runs a hand through his hair, shaking his head. "I'm the kind of guy every girl wants to bang and then move on to someone better. Despite my best efforts, it never takes more than a month for me to screw up. Hazel is the only girl who's stuck next to me for more than half a year. I refuse to screw that up by screwing her. Yes, I like her, but she deserves a better guy."
I stare at him for a long time, trying to read him and gauge whether he's telling the truth.
"Well, then stop throwing death stares at every guy she meets."
He jerks his head up, searching me with desperate eyes. "Is it that obvious?"
"Yeah, it is for anyone who pays any attention."
"I can't help it." Chase wets his lips, shaking his head. "Just the thought of her doing another guy makes me want to rip someone's head off."
"Look, Chase," I say firmly. "You either ask her out or step aside and let someone else do it. You have to decide; you can't have it both ways."
My talk with Chase turns out to be a failure of epic proportions. Instead of making a move on Hazel, he ditches her the next evening when they were supposed to watch a movie together, as friends. We start watching said movie in the living room of our quarters and end up doing a movie marathon, ordering pizza, eating chocolate, and calling Chase all the obscenities we can come up with.
It's past midnight when someone knocks at our door.
Chapter Thirty-Two: Damon
When she opens the door, I cradle her head with my hands, kissing her hungrily.
"Hello to you, too," she murmurs, smiling against my lips.
"Hi." I kiss her again, pulling her up close. "Had a rough day. Can I crash here tonight? The guys are having a mini-party back in my room, and my brain will explode if I don't get some sleep."
She pulls away, placing her hands on her hips. "Have you been with James ever since we finished the presentation yesterday?"
"Yes, but—”
"I need to have a talk with my sweet brother. He's completely overworking you."
"We made some real progress on a project, so it wasn't all for nothing."
"Like that's an excuse." She softens a bit. "Come in."
