The Stand-In Boyfriend (Grove Valley High #1)(43)

“He’ll come to his senses one day, Liv.”

I bite my lip to stop it from quivering. “I want one day to be now.”

She offers me a small smile. “I know, but if it helps, you look lit and she doesn’t even begin to compare.”

I try to smile in response but can’t manage it. What does it matter what I look like if Jessie doesn’t even see me?

An arm drops around my shoulder and I turn to see Chase. “You okay?”

I force myself to nod, and even though I know it’ll kill me if I glance back at Jessie and Courtney on the dance floor, I do anyway. It’s a mistake—she’s got her hands all over him.

Sophie makes her excuses and disappears to find Mark as Chase leans against the wall, pulling me into his side as we watch the scene in front of us. The room is crowded and the dance floor is heaving. I can’t pull my eyes away from Jessie, no matter how much it’s hurting. I’d like to say I can’t believe he wants her over me, only I can. This is all too familiar; the people I want—my dad, Jessie—they never seem to want me back.

“You sure you’re okay?” Chase asks again.

I sigh and find myself leaning into him, resting my head against his shoulder. Him being here makes me feel not quite so alone. “She called him her boyfriend and he didn’t correct her. They’re official again.”

“That sucks,” he tells me.

I don’t say anything to that. He’s not wrong.

Another couple of minutes and I remember the reason he disappeared for so long. “Is Abigail okay?”

He snorts. “She threw up twice.”

I wince at the thought of it.

“Sasha’s taking her home. She needs to sleep it off.”

“She really likes you, Chase.”

He shrugs, looking uncomfortable. “She’ll be okay.”

I turn to face him fully. “Are you sure you two can’t work it out? I mean, I know you broke up, but she clearly really likes you and I can tell you care about her.”

“Sorry, did you miss the guy she was dry humping?”

I roll my eyes. Boys can be so clueless. “She was doing that to get your attention, Chase. She just wanted you to notice her.” He raises an eyebrow and a cocky smirk appears on his face. I immediately feel uneasy. “What?”

He reaches out and turns me then starts moving me backward, doing it so quickly I don’t have time to resist. Suddenly my back is to the wall with him standing in front of me, crowding me in.

“Uh, what are you doing?” I ask, my heart rate speeding up.

“You don’t need to worry about Abigail. She has some things going on and she can’t deal with change, but she’ll get used to us being done permanently,” he explains, speaking conversationally like he isn’t standing so close to me I can see his green eyes have flecks of gold in them, something I’ve never noticed before.

“Oh, o-okay,” I stammer out nervously as he takes a step even closer. What is he doing?

“You know, it really is a good way to get someone’s attention—kissing someone else in front of them.”

I gulp as he raises his eyebrows questioningly, and I know exactly what he’s hinting at. We haven’t kissed since that day in the cafeteria and if I’m honest, I knew it was only a matter of time—not that that makes me feel any better. He purposely shifts slightly to the right so I can see over his left shoulder, and my gaze immediately falls on Jessie. He’s looking right at us, paying no attention at all to Courtney, who is prancing around in front of him. We definitely have his attention.

I start to shake my head, suddenly incredibly nervous. “But, um…Abigail isn’t here, you know, so…it, um…it won’t benefit you at all.”

Chase grins down at me, knowing I’m nervous but still pushing me a little. “I’m willing to take one for the team.”

Our eyes meet, his dancing mischievously, and I know he won’t force this on me. He’s made it obvious that he’s down for this, but if it’s going to happen, it’s my decision, and I have to make that final move. My chin automatically tilts up, like I have no control over it, to give him better access to my mouth. His grin gets wider and he drops his head down toward mine. He hesitates for a second as if waiting to see if I’m sure, and even though all I can see is Chase’s laughing eyes at the moment, Jessie’s face flashes in my mind and makes the choice for me. I don’t wait any longer; I reach up on my tiptoes and press my mouth to his.

Chase doesn’t hold back—not at all.

I match him completely, and as his tongue slips into my mouth and his arms wrap around my waist and haul my body against his, all thoughts of Jessie leave my mind and I’m there. I’m there in it as Chase kisses me like there’s no tomorrow, like this is his last night on earth, and I’m responding. I’m definitely responding as my hands weave through his hair and I’m pulling him farther into me. If I thought our last kiss was hot, this one is scorching. Seconds turn into minutes, and I don’t want to stop. So, I don’t, not for as long as possible. It’s only when I genuinely think I might run out of air that I pull away.

I take in big gulping breaths and can hear Chase doing the same, his arms still wrapped around me, and I’m grateful because if he let go of me right now, I think my legs would actually buckle. I keep my head straight, eyes level with his chest, and I don’t look at him. I can’t look at him right now, not after we just did that. He squeezes my waist and steps slightly back, somehow sensing that I need space. He turns so he’s standing beside me, no longer blocking my view of the room, and I can see eyes on us. Yeah, people definitely noticed that. Anyone who might have doubted us before certainly won’t now. I catch sight of Sophie in the corner with Mark and Aaron, both of them smirking at us, and Sarah Billington is of course blatantly staring, but it’s Jessie that I focus on. He’s standing frozen in the middle of the dance floor, ignoring everyone around him as he stares at me. Our eyes meet then he turns on his heel and walks out of the room, leaving Courtney and everybody else behind.