Page 17 of The Chaos She Brings

I know that one day this will probably all catch up to me. But I don’t feel bad for what I did.

Nate and Kai are chatting on the other side of the room, and, to my utter disbelief, Kai’s face actually lights up. He looks... happy. Relaxed, even. And is thatlaughing?

“When did you decide to get a dog?” Kai asks, leaning against the cushions.

“About two weeks into the relationship,” Nate says, grinning. “But Carina made me wait. Said I needed to prove I was responsible enough for both her and the dog.”

Kai rolls his eyes. “Cupcake is a dumb name.”

Nate gasps, clutching his chest like he’s been mortally wounded. “Howdareyou insult my fur child!”

“It’s a boy!” Kai shoots back, exasperated.

“And?” Nate arches an eyebrow in offense. “Are you saying boys can’t have feminine names, Kai Matthews?”

Kai holds his hands up in surrender. “Oh no. We arenotdoing this.”

I’m still processing the sight of Kai—grumpy, antisocial Kai—bantering like a normal person when his eyes suddenly meet mine. His laughter fades as he catches my open-mouthed stare.

“What?” he asks, sounding defensive.

“Whoareyou,” I say slowly, “and what have you done with grumpy Kai?”

Nate snorts, clearly enjoying himself. “Ah, don’t worry, Tess. He was pretty quiet with Carina at first, too. You have to grow on him. Like mould. Once he realises you’re not going anywhere, he starts to mellow out.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” I mutter, crossing my arms and trying not to smile.

Kai shakes his head, muttering under his breath. “This is why I work alone.”

“You literally work with me!” Nate accuses, pouting.

Kai just rolls his eyes. “Right. And just how much of the cleaning do you do?”

Nate’s lips press into a line as he tries to fight a smirk. “Some.”

Kai crosses his arms. “I work alone.”

“Sure. Whatever you think.”

Kai

Tess is unusually quiet on the drive back to her place after leaving Nate’s. Too quiet.

I glance at her every few seconds, but she’s staring out the window like it holds the answers to every question she’s ever had.

Normally, I’d revel in the quiet. It’s what I’m used to. But… something isn’t right.

“You good?” I ask, hating myself for caring.

“Huh?” She blinks, turning her gaze toward me. “Yeah. I’m good.”

I should leave it there. Enjoy the rare, blissful silence she’s gifted me for once. But something about the way her voice wavers makes me push.

“You know you can talk to me, right? If you want.”

She shifts in her seat, angling toward me. Her green eyesglimmer with something softer, heavier than usual. “It’s just… I’m going to miss this. Hanging out with you.”

That’s not what I expected her to say.