The next morning we are lazing around the lounge, watching movies when Hailee speaks up. "You know that Chase guy is really cute, and he has a serious set of pipes."

"Ah I know right," Alexa agrees. "And he likes you D." She leans over and picks up a piece of cold pizza from the lounge table, leftovers from our earlier junk food binge.

"What?"

"Are you going to meet him for coffee?" Hailee asks. I get the feeling she has been waiting for a while to bring up last night's encounter.

"I probably shouldn't." I had thought about it long and hard when we got home last night. Laying on my bed and staring at the ceiling, I had gone back and forth over the decision. "I have a... Mason."

"Don't even get me started on that guy." Hailee rolls her eyes, and shifts to a more comfortable position on the couch. "I wish you would just end things with him already."

Alexa shoots her a warning look and shakes her head slightly.

"What did you just say?" I ask, convinced that I had heard incorrectly. While Hailee has always made her feelings about Mason clear, she has never openly stated that she wanted me to break up with him. She's hinted at it a few times since she got here, but now it seems that she has had enough.

"Nothing, sorry," she quickly back tracks as though she's realised she's crossed a line. An awkward silence fills the room as Alexa and Hailee exchange a glance.

"No, I want to hear it. Please tell me," I insist.

"Fine," Hailee pushes herself off the couch and begins pacing in front of me. "Okay fine, friend-tervention. D, that guy treats you like shit. He always has, even in high school. I can't stand it anymore."

"Guys," Alexa says weakly.

I stand up too, facing her with my hands on my hips. "Hailee, no offense, but it's not really your business."

"Guys."

"Of course it's my business!" she exclaims. "You are my best friend D! I love you more than life itself! We have shared everything, from sand boxes to drunken nights. When have we not been honest with each other?"

"Guys."

"Well apparently you were never honest with me regarding Mason!"

Hailee's nostrils flare, her eyes flashing in anger. "Never honest? Are you kidding? I have told you so many times that I do not like the way that guy treats you. But I just wanted you to be happy. Right now, I can see that you're not but you still cling onto this relationship as though your life depends on it!"

"GUYS," this time Alexa roars, catching our attention. "Don't turn this into a fight. D, what Hailee is trying to say, in her extremely blunt kind of way, is that we are worried about you. Hails, maybe ease up a bit okay?"

I take a deep breath, trying to quell my racing thoughts. "Hails, I appreciate what you are saying, but you don't get it. Mason was my first love, even though, let's be honest I didn't deserve him."

"Of course you deserved him D! Please don't let him make you feel like you didn't or don't." She takes both my hands in hers. "He's the one who didn't deserve you."

"You wouldn't understand." I feel tears start to cloak my eyes, and bite my lip to try and keep them from falling. "All through High School people called me names, they teased me and no guy ever looked at me twice. And then Mason did. He was the first person who ever wanted me and because he did, I felt beautiful."

"For goodness sake D," Hailee insists, always a good one for the tough love speech. "You have always been beautiful, just the way you are. I don't give a shit what Mason or anyone else ever told you. As far as I'm concerned, you're the most beautiful person I know, inside and out."

She pulls me into a hug, the tears I had been holding in splash down her back. "If you really want to be with him, I won't stop you. But I promise you now, if that guy hurts you again, I'm going to smack him so hard; his teeth are going to march out of his ass in single file."

Alexa throws her arms around us both, stifling giggles. "What she said."

♡

I stand in front of the Corner Café, still convinced I shouldn't be here.

Hailee had swiped my phone and messaged Chase, organising for me to meet him. She had told me that it would be good for me to make a new friend and after our fight this morning I could actually use someone to talk to who doesn't know the entirety of Mason and I's history.

But for some reason, it feels wrong, like I'm going behind Mason's back. Which, I guess I am because I haven't told him about meeting Chase.

I take a deep breath and step inside, letting the comforting aroma of coffee calm my nerves. I spot Chase immediately, sitting at a table near a large glass window and taking a sip from a large mug. His hair is loose today, hanging down to his shoulders. His cornflower blue eyes meet mine and light up as a smile crosses his face.

"Diana," he stands up as I reach him and pulls me into a hug. The friendly greeting works well to ease my worries. "I wasn't sure if you would come. What would you like to drink? I'll go order it for you."

"A latte, please." I take a seat at his recently vacated table and clasp my hands together in front of me. He heads towards the counter, returning a couple of minutes later and plopping back down on his chair.

"You look nice," he gestures towards me.

I glance down at my plain t-shirt, jeans and trainers, trying to figure out if he's being sarcastic. But the warmth in his eyes is genuine, as is the grin on his face. "Thanks."

"Are you hungry?" he asks. "They do amazing paninis here and their homemade lasagne's not too bad either."

I shake my head quickly, still full from all the junk food we had eaten this morning. "No, I'm fine thanks." A waiter comes over and places my coffee in front of me. I thank him and quickly grab it, eager for something to do with my hands.

An awkward silence settles over us. It seems like Chase has something to say and is trying to figure out the best way to go about it, and I'm still questioning my decision to come and meet a man I barely know for coffee.

"So," I start at the exact same time as Chase says, "Diana."

We both laugh and thankfully, some of the tension seems to lift. Chase leans back in his chair and surveys me. "You probably think it's strange that I asked you to meet me."

"A little," I admit. "I'm not sure what your intentions are."

"Intentions?" He chuckles loudly, the warm sound making my heart swell. "I don't have any. I would never make a move on another man's girl, no matter how much of an asshole he is. That's not right. But, I would like to be friends with you."

"Why?" I ask, ignoring his comment about Mason.

"Because," the smile slips off his face and a small frown replaces it, "in front of me, I see one of the most beautiful women I have ever met. She's kind and caring, and blushes anytime someone pays her a compliment. She clearly loves her friends and is just a genuinely good person, which is not something I've seen often. And yet, she doesn't seem to realise how wonderful she is. I want to know why."

As if my body is determined to prove him right, I feel a flush crawl up my cheeks. It's the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me and I'm not sure how to handle it. "You got all that from three drunken evenings?" I attempt to joke to play it off.

"We both know that I've never seen you drunk." He takes another sip from his mug, whatever's in there must surely be cold by now, but he doesn't seem to mind. "I mean it, Diana. You are beautiful, why is that so hard for you to believe?"

I run a finger around the rim of my coffee mug, staring at the polished wood of the table, unsure of how to answer. Eventually, I settle with, "thank you." Which doesn't really make much sense, but it's the best I can come up with under the heat of his gaze.

"Is it because of him?" Chase questions, not even needing to say Mason's name. We both know exactly who he's talking about. "Because if he ever made you feel like-,"

"It's not," I cut him off, only half lying. Mason hadn't helped my confidence but neither had the rest of the kids in school. "High school was a hard time for me, I guess."

He places a steady hand over my shaking one. "I'm sorry, Diana. And I'm sorry if I'm being too intrusive."

"You're not," I shake my head and glance down at our hands. "But I feel like you're breaking your rule about not making a move on another man's girl, as you called it."

This time, he laughs at my attempted joke and quickly leans back in his chair, throwing an elbow over the back of it. It's strange, but my hand feels slightly cold now that his warmth is removed. "Believe me, Diana; you would know if I was putting the moves on you. That being said, you should know that you do have options. Someone does think you're amazing, both in looks and in nature. I hope your boyfriend sees that too."

He seems to take my silence for confusion because he continues, "by someone, I meant me."

It's my turn to laugh awkwardly, both flattered and taken aback by his honesty. "Wow, if this isn't your 'moves', I actually worry about the girls you flirt with. They probably blush all the way down to their toes."

"I'm not flirting with you," he insists, although his cheeky grin and the way he winks in my direction say otherwise. "I'm just telling the truth. If it gets me into trouble, then so be it. But you should know just how lovely you are. If it takes me telling you that every day for you to believe it, then that's what I'll do."

"Thank you, Chase." I'm not even sure what I'm thanking him for. For trying to make me believe in myself? For being a genuinely nice guy? A couple of minutes later, he makes his way over to the counter to order us more coffee and I finally realise what I had meant.

In one short conversation, Chase has managed to make me feel better about myself than Mason ever did during our time together.