Free CHASE - Volume Two (The CHASE Series Book Two) by M.L. Young Page A

waited for what felt like hours before he replied, something longer and more thorough than I had expected. For a man of few words, he sure knew when to break the floodgates open and allow them all to flow out at once.
    “I can assure you that isn’t the case. Have I been gone? Yes, I have, and that’s wrong. I haven’t been seeing other women, or even trying to get with any others. I never even usually message women back, but you’re different, Alexis. You’re a special girl and I wanted to know you more, even though that’s clearly not what you had in mind. I was going to ask you out, to dinner, to talk about things and maybe see if there is anything left we can salvage, since you seem so intent on hating me. I guess I was wrong, though. I suppose nothing will happen.”
    I tapped my fingers on my thigh, my blood pressure beginning to lower, as I read his message three times, each time reading it more and more closely, like I was practicing my reading comprehension. How was he able to do this? To get me to calm down, to almost feel bad? I was mad at him, yes, but I didn’t hate him. I wasn’t sure I actually hated anyone, as that was a very strong word and feeling.
    Reading his message over, I realized one thing. I wanted to know why he’d thought about me, especially considering I wasn’t his usual cup of tea. He didn’t even try to talk dirty or talk about hooking up with me. He didn’t say he missed my touch or the way I bent over his bed. He just wanted to meet me, on a date, to talk things out and see if we could work on them. I wanted to be angry, and hell, I guessed I still was, but now only a little, not a lot.
    “Well, I’m sorry for assuming those things then. It’s just hard, you know? When you feel like you clicked with someone, had sex with them, spent the night with them, and then they vanish like an exorcised ghost. Then I try to get in contact with you and nothing, nothing at all. It can just make a person a little mad and insecure, you know? With all of that said, maybe we could do dinner, or lunch, or something, though,” I replied.
    “Yeah,” he replied a few minutes later. “I understand where you’re coming from, and why you’d be upset with me. Just know that I’m here now, and I’m not going anywhere. Maybe some day we will look back at this and laugh, who knows. But, if you’re interested, maybe we can meet up tomorrow for lunch and just talk. Are you free?”
    “Yeah, I’m free. I get out of class at eleven, and don’t have to be back until two, so I should be completely good to go. Just let me know the time and place and I’ll be there. You better be also. I’m not giving you another chance if you don’t show up,” I replied.
    I set my phone down, a million thoughts running through my head, my mind buzzing like I was sitting front and center at a death metal concert. Did I just make plans with him? Not only that, but they were for tomorrow . I had gone from being incredibly angry with him, to being simmered down by him, to agreeing to meet him, all in one fell swoop. How did he do that? How did he change my mind so damn easily? I hated that about him. It was like he was a mind reader and could shift my thoughts on the fly, making me do whatever it was he wanted me to do.
    Maybe it wasn’t all bad, though. I would get to try to really find out why he disappeared, and he did seem to want to genuinely fix things with me. I must have made some kind of impact on him if he came back after all that time, saying he wanted to see me and essentially that he missed me. Men don’t do that unless they know they’ve made a mistake. He wouldn’t go through this much trouble if I were a booty call for one night. It would be easier to find a new girl than to deal with me possibly attaching myself to him like a hungry leech.
    No matter what his reason, I felt as though I needed this not only for his sake, but for mine as well. He had something to say, I had plenty to say, and I