Behind the Screen

Chapter 43

After Emily's great advice, I made it the rest of the way home. She hadn't exactly given me a solution, but she'd at least made me laugh.

She was also right that I shouldn't feel bad for Chloe after what she'd done to me. It was obviously a different situation, but I was still going with that.

Spencer was a different story, I knew he'd be fine, but I was still feeling guilty. Maybe I had given him the wrong idea, but I wasn't really sure what I was feeling towards him.

There was a small part of me that still had feelings for Spencer, but by now I knew that my feelings for Chloe were stronger. I wasn't really crazy about that realization either, because things still weren't easy with her.

When I got back that night, Chloe texted me and asked about us hanging out again. Great timing.

It was almost the weekend, so we agreed to do something on Saturday. I didn't know what we were going to do that wouldn't be awkward for both of us, but I guess we'd figure something out.

                                       ***

By the time Saturday came around, we really hadn't figured out what to do, so I told Chloe just to come over to my house.

She got there around dinner time, and we were planning on ordering something.

"Hey, come in," I said as I greeted her.

Trying to navigate the feelings between us was not an easy task. There was awkwardness, sexual tension, and just tension in general, and it was a toss up which one would take over at any given time.

"Thanks," she said quietly as she came inside and set her things down.

"What should we get for dinner?" I asked her.

"Umm," she said hesitantly, "Thai?"

She looked up at me and smirked, and I tried to hide my smile as my cheeks turned red and I looked away.

"Nice try," I mumbled.

"Okay but that does actually sound good," she said.

"Fine," I admitted with a joking eye roll, "order us what we had last time."

"Now we're talking," Chloe grinned.

She took her phone out and I watched as she sent in our order.

"Done," she said as she put her phone back in her pocket, "what else do you want to do tonight?"

"Umm," I debated, "I was thinking about watching a movie or something."

"Good with me," she said as she walked towards the living room.

"Make yourself at home I guess," I said sarcastically.

"Oh," she said as she stopped and turned to look at me, "sorry, I just - "

"It's fine," I grinned, "just giving you shit."

She shook her head at me before continuing on into the living room and sitting down on the couch.

I followed her in and sat down next to her as I turned the TV on.

"What should we watch?" I asked her.

"Hmm," she paused, "I'm feeling a rom-com."

"A rom-com, huh?" I asked, "didn't peg you as the type."

"There's a rom-com type?" She asked me as she raised her eyebrows.

"I always thought so," I shrugged.

"Interesting," Chloe said, "well...there's a lot you still don't know about me I guess."

She looked over at me and gave me her mischievous grin that I hadn't seen in a long time.

I felt my stomach start to flutter just as there was a knock on my door. I quickly jumped up, eager to get myself out of the situation as I walked away.

"That must be our food," I said to Chloe who had stayed on the couch.

I pulled the front door open, expecting to have a delivery driver waiting on the other side. When I saw who was actually there, I quickly slammed it shut. It was Mason.

"Katie? Is everything okay?" Chloe asked from the living room.

"Uh, yeah," I said as I tried to sound convincing, "all good."

"I know she's in there," Mason said loudly from the other side of the door.

I made sure it was locked before I went back to Chloe.

"Was that -?" She asked as a panicked look came across her face.

"Yeah um, it is," I said hesitantly.

"What the fuck," Chloe mumbled as she put her head down in her hands.

She sighed as she stood up from the couch and moved towards the front door.

"Let me just go take care of this," she said.

"Chloe no, hold on," I said as I stood in her way, "I don't think you should, let me call Luke first."

"Luke?" She asked.

"Yeah, Emily's boyfriend," I nodded, "Emily said he'd be willing to help with the whole Mason situation if we needed it."

"That's nice but I can handle it," she said as she began to sound irritated.

She continued to walk towards me, and I put my hand on her waist before she could get past.

"Please let me call him?" I said as I looked her in the eye.

Chloe looked angry at first, but her gaze softened.

"Fine," she sighed, "but I could handle him if I needed to."

"That's great," I said, "but you don't need to."

I grinned at her as she slumped her shoulders and went back to sit on the couch.

"Chloe! Get out here!" We heard Mason yell.

She shook her head before putting it back into her hands again, and I pulled out my phone to call Luke.

"Hey Katie, what's up?" He answered.

"Hey Luke," I said, "so uh, did Em fill you in on the little situation we have with Chloe and her boyfriend?"

"Oh, yeah she did," he said, "guy sounds like a prick."

"He definitely is," I responded, "and he's kind of at my front door right now trying to get Chloe to come out and talk to him."

"Oh...shit," he said, "do you need me to come over?"

"Yes please," I said as I breathed a sigh of relief, "maybe you can get him to leave."

"Yeah of course," he said, "I'll be over soon."

"Thanks Luke, I owe you," I said before hanging up.

"Luke will be here soon," I told Chloe, "hopefully he can convince him to leave."

"He really didn't have to come all of the way over here," she said.

"It's fine, it's only a few minutes away," I responded, "and I don't trust Mason around you, especially with how pissed he sounds right now."

"It's cute how worried you are you know," Chloe said with a grin.

"Whatever," I said as my cheeks turned red again, "I just don't want either of you to do anything stupid."

"That's fair," Chloe sighed, "I guess we just wait now."

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