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“Aww sweetie, you should let him pay for you! He’s being such a gentleman,” the cashier cooed. She was wearing fuchsia lipstick, the way old ladies always seemed to, and her name was etched onto her nametag in gold letters.
I grimaced. “Thanks a lot, Karen,” I muttered under my breath.
“Yea sweetie.” Chase grinned as he draped his arm around me. “I’m being a gentleman.”
I rolled my eyes and shook him off. When he finished paying, we left the store with our new costumes.
“If you’re paying for my costume, then I’m buying the movie tickets.”
“What movie?” Shelly questioned.
“We’re supposed to see the new Marvel movie tonight.”
“Fine. You can get the tickets tonight,” Chase agreed.
I gave him a skeptical look. That seemed too easy.
He grinned. “I’ll pick you up at six.”
Shelly kissed Brody goodbye, and we turned to walk back to her car. I pretended not to see her beaming next to me out of the corner of my eye.
“Say nothing,” I warned her.
She held her hands up innocently. “I didn’t say a word.”
“You were thinking it! I can hear it.”
“Dude, how are you this oblivious? He spends all his free time with you. What more proof do you need that this guy is into you?”
“This is Chase Brooks we’re talking about here. Think about it, Shell. He’s not exactly shy guy. If he liked me, he’d say something.”
“You’re not so approachable. Just let me ask him.”
“You will not ask him anything!”
She smirked. “You know that if I ask him, he’s going to be totally honest and admit that he has feelings for you.”
“Or you’ll be totally off base, and make him not want to hang out with me anymore. We are just two people, who happen to be of the opposite sex, that enjoy each other’s company. Why is that so hard for you to accept?”
“It wouldn’t be hard to accept if I didn’t know you had feelings for him, too. You can’t just be friends with someone you have feelings for. You taught me that, remember?”
“Do not compare this to your situation with Brody. Also, don’t you think I would know if I had feelings for him? Don’t you think I would tell you, of all people?”
She shook her head feverishly. “You’re too scared to get involved with someone. You have this wall up because you don’t want to get hurt, so you tell yourself that you don’t have feelings for him. Lower that wall and maybe you’ll be able to see what everyone else sees.”
“Or,” I held up one finger. “Everyone else sees what they want to see, because they’re all so concerned with trying to make me happy again.”
“Is there something wrong with us wanting to see you happy after everything you’ve just gone through?”
“No. I just… I need some time.”
“I hate seeing you like this. I want you to have something good in your life. You’ve been through more than anyone should.”
“As long as I have you, I will be fine. Just stop trying to make me and Chase a thing.”
She sighed. “Fine. Just as long as you admit one thing.”
I raised a skeptical eyebrow at her.
