Page 95 of The Accidental Text

I take a breath. “What do I do?”

“Tell him,” she says. “See what happens.”

I feel a tiny jolt of anxiety at the thought of telling him, though it’s not the heart palpitations and sweaty pits I used to get around Dawson. It may not even be anxiety, what I’m feeling now. It’s more like … excitement. Iwantto tell him. And I don’t know if he reciprocates, and I don’t seem to care all that much. Why is that? Shouldn’t I feel the same as I did with Dawson? I tell Hannah as much.

“I have a theory,” she says.

“Do tell.”

“I don’t think you really liked Dawson. Like-like, I mean.”

I eye her, dubiously.

“Hear me out.” She holds up a hand. “Maybe you could never tell him because, deep down, you just weren’t that into him.”

“Are you serious?”

“Serious,” she says, and then gives me a shrug.

That seems ridiculous. Of course I liked Dawson. He’s the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen.

“I know he’s the most beautiful man,” she says, and I wonder how she just read my mind. “But … maybe that’s all he was to you: a beautiful man.”

“I’m not that shallow.”

“What else do you know about him?”

“He’s thoughtful, caring, and hard working.”

“He also picked Natasha for a girlfriend.”

I twist my lips to the side. “He does lose points for that.”

“I’m just saying: it’s something to think about.”

She’s not just saying that. She’s made up her mind about it.

My phone beeps in my lap.

I look down and see Chase’s name on my screen and open up the app. My heart does a little speeding-up thing.

Chase:I just found a wolf howling at the moon on my ceiling.

Maggie:Very nice. You should make a wish on it.

Chase:Is that a thing?

Maggie:No

He sends me a laughing face.

Chase:We’re running out of adventurous things to do around here. We’d have to drive 4 hours to bungee jump.

I say a prayer of thanks for that. I donotlike bungee jumping. Once was enough for me.

Maggie:Bummer

I send him a frowning face. But really I should be sending him the one with the star eyes.

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