Page 109 of Chasing Infinity

“Because I think you should talk to him. I’m not running away this time, Parks,” he says. “And I don’t want you to run either. It’s time we face whatever this is and move forward.”

“What if he hates me?”

“He won’t,” he says, sounding almost like a promise. “He couldn’t.”

“What about you?” I ask.

“We’ll talk later,” Noah says, kissing me on my cheek. “I promise, we’ll talk. I’m not letting you get away from me this time.”

Anticipation settles in my stomach, and I nod my head at him. He gives me a sideways smile and then turns and walks back over to his friends who are off on the sidelines. Jordan and Caleb look between us as if unsure of what just happened. Caleb catches my eye and then waves at me. I chuckle, waving back. Noah looks at me over his shoulder and grins at me again, tossing me a wink.

Deciding that I better go catch my ride, I grab my things and then leave the ballroom. Charlie is waiting with his car in front of the hotel lobby. He’s standing on the passenger side, leaning against the car’s frame. When he notices me walking out, he moves to open up my car door. I settle in as he rounds to the other side, getting in and driving us away.

As Charlie drives me home, I can practically feel the tension rolling off his shoulders. I peek at him every other minute to gauge his current mind frame, and every time is the same. His hands grip the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles appear strained. I press my lips together and then look out the window, watching the darkness pass us by.

When Charlie finally clears his throat to say what’s on his mind, I don’t bother looking at him. “Do you want to explain what was going on in there with Noah before I jump to conclusions?”

“What’s the point?” I whisper back. “You’ve already jumped.”

“You and McCoy?” he asks incredulously, confirming my last statement. “Really?”

“It’s not like that.”

“Don’t lie to me, Addie. I know what I saw.” Charlie swears and releases the steering wheel with one hand, running it down the side of his face in frustration. “Eli is going to lose his shit when he finds out.”

“Well, maybe Eli shouldn’t have asked me to the prom and then ditched me to go chase after another girl,” I spit back. “And besides, it’s really none of either of your business. You don’t really have a whole lot of sway here, Charlie. I saw you sneak away with Wyatt tonight, so you can’t sit here and act all high and mighty.”

“I just asked you to explain, Addison. We’re not talking about Wyatt and me. We’re talking about you and Noah.”

“I don’t know what you want me to say. Noah’s my friend, and we just—“

“What?” Charlie prompts me, glancing over at my side of the car.

I let out a long sigh. “I don’t know. There’s just been somethingmorefor a while, and the timing hasn’t been right, so we haven’t done anything about it.”

“Until now?”

I shrug my shoulder, looking over at Charlie now. “I don’t know.”

“Do you want to be with him?”

I purse my lips together, my eyes starting to burn. I have been asking myself that question for months now, and every time I come up blank. “I don’t know.”

“Well, it definitely looked like he wants to be with you.”

“He does. He’s made that abundantly clear, but I’ve been the one holding back.”

“Why?” Charlie asks me, his tone entirely different now. Instead of the aggressive approach he was taking before, now he sounds curious.

“Because I was worried about how you and Eli would take it,” I whisper, my fingers knotting together in my lap. Charlie doesn’t respond right away. I’m unsure if he’s upset at me or trying to come up with the right thing to say. After an extended moment of silence, I look over at him. “Say something.”

He shakes his head and glances at me before pulling the car off the road and onto the shoulder. He places it into park and turns towards me, taking my hands in his. Charlie stares at me with his friendly blue eyes, and his gaze is so steady and comforting that my worries slip away. Without him even saying anything, I know exactly what he’s trying to tell me.

Charlie is myfriend. He wants me to be happy.

“Addie,” he says softly, “I would do anything to keep you from getting hurt. But if being with Noah is what you want, then you need to go for it.”

“But what about you and Eli?”

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