Tessa

I spent the next three days avoiding Levi as much as possible for fear I'd crack and let him slip right back into my life- and bed- once again.

With last-minute wedding prep, Charlotte had a lot on her plate, so I used that as my excuse to avoid my brother's house. I stayed at her parents' place with her Sunday and Monday night, helping put the finishing touches on gift bags and hanging out like old times.

I was dead set on staying with her the rest of my time in Raleigh to ensure I didn't make a massive mistake with Levi. That is until Colin and Leah brought up an interesting point one night.

Tuesday, Charlotte and I met Leah at Colin's place. We'd decided to crash there for the night and have a bestie's night in, complete with trash TV, adult beverages, and lots of gossip. Micah had to work late, finishing a huge project for his firm. So, it was just the four of us hanging out like we used to.

With a few drinks in our systems, we were feeling great, laughing and joking about this or that, reminiscing about times past. It was the best night I'd had in a long time.

"So, Leah," Colin asked, "what's up with you and Landon?"

"Oooooo, yes, I second that question," Charlotte added, still sipping her margarita. "What's that all about?"

I couldn't help the giggle that slipped out of me. We all had our theories about what was up with those two, but we'd never actually heard Leah admit anything. Now, with a few drinks in her system and her inhibitions lowered, maybe she'd tell us something.

Playing coy, Leah replied, "Whaddya mean?"

"Oh, come on. You know what we mean," Colin snarked.

"How many times have you guys hooked up?" He rephrased his question with an eye roll.

I knew Char was feeling a buzz. Her cheeks were pink, and she was heavily engrossed in the discussion in front of her- almost more than she had been when we were paying attention to our trashy TV show. Her eyes flicked between Leah and Colin, waiting for an answer.

I didn't realize I was holding my breath, waiting just as excitedly as Charlotte until Leah finally answered.

"Six. We've hooked up six times."

My jaw dropped, and Charlotte let out a loud gasp. The only one who didn't seem the least bit surprised was Colin. "I knew it!"

I was still reeling from this information as Colin dug for more intel. "When did this happen?"

Leah shrugged. "Five times last summer and once this summer."

Charlotte and I exchanged a bewildered look through wide eyes.

"When did it happen? This summer, I mean." Colin was very invested in his line of questioning, squeezing Leah for every detail she'd willingly spill.

I watched everything play out like a reality show, absentmindedly bringing a cherry-flavored vine candy to my mouth.

Leah took a sip of her drink before responding like it was no big deal. "We hooked up at the club."

She looked at me. "It was the night I got that bartender's phone number. Do you remember? Mmm, he was yummy."

I remembered that night all too well, but not for the same reasons as Leah.

"Is that where you disappeared to? Hussy!" Colin exclaimed, lightly slapping Leah on the leg.

Leah laughed. "Yep, I went to get a drink while Tess was dancing and ran into Landon. He made some comment about me visiting my boyfriend again. So, I called him out for being jealous. He denied it, but the next thing I knew, we were locked in the storage room- working out our frustrations."

By the end of her story, everyone was laughing, even me- just a little less enthusiastically than the others. Suddenly, Colin stops and furrows his brows.

"Wait, isn't that the night-" He looks at me, his face instantly paling.

Leah looked confused for a moment before the realization hit her. "Oh my God! Shit, that was that night! Tess, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up."

She scrambled closer to me, looking devastated. I waved her off, hoping to lighten the mood. "It's okay, guys. Really. No harm done. Everything was fine because Levi-"

And there it was- the one thing I'd been trying to avoid all night. Levi.

I hadn't mentioned him once, and I'd almost forgotten about the horrendous struggle I'd been putting myself through lately regarding my newly ignited yearning for him. I didn't want to think about it- about him. I just wanted to have a night with my friends and not think about Levi Daniels.

My friends were quiet, silently debating between themselves who would be the one to ask. I knew before he started talking that it would be Colin.

"Sooo, what's going on there?" He asked gently.

It didn't escape me the way Charlotte and Leah leaned in closer, hoping to catch my juicy gossip.

I let out a nervous laugh. "I don't know what you mean. Why would there be anything going on?"

Char and Colin exchanged another look while I avoided eye contact with everyone. My drink was suddenly fascinating.

A soft hand landed on my shoulder as Charlotte spoke first. "Tess, we know something happened between you two last summer, and we won't hound you about it. When we'd bring it up before, you would always change the subject or shut us down, so we just let you be. We knew you'd talk about that when you were ready, but is something going on now?"

"Yeah," Leah added, "you guys just seem so..."

Her words trailed off as she tried to find the right one to describe what she'd noticed. I should have known Colin would swoop in with his own descriptor.

"Horny," he interjected.

I gaped at him as Char and Leah shouted his name.

He looked at them, offended. "What? They do!"

My mind was spinning as I tried to hold in my surprised giggle.

Colin turned his attention to me. "Spill. You two have been dancing around each other, sending off tremendous waves of fuck me energy. It's hot, don't get me wrong, but what the hell is going on?"

I buried my face in my hands, letting out an exasperated groan. My friends waited patiently as I collected my thoughts.

After a few minutes, I finally decided to tell them what's been going on this summer. I started at the beginning and worked my way through every awkward and heated encounter with Levi so far, ending with what happened the other day at lunch.

I confessed that I was turned on and extremely confused by the entire situation, unsure if he was messing with me or genuinely interested in doing something.

"I don't know if this is all just a game to him, to see if I'll give in and make a move just so he can turn me down and humiliate me." I let out a deep breath, hoping my friends would have helpful advice for my situation.

Char was quiet, contemplating everything as my story sunk in. Leah gnawed on her lip as she tried to decide what to say. And Colin's brows were furrowed once again as the gears in his head were spinning, no doubt finding a winning solution to my problem.

As expected, Colin was the first to come to my rescue. "So, let's say, worst case, he is just messing with you."

My heart dropped, but Colin continued. "What if you play the game too?"

A frown decorated my face as I dissected his words of advice, but Leah started beaming. "That's genius!"

Char was just as confused as me. "What do you mean, Colin? How?"

Colin smirked before explaining, "All you have to do is make him crack before you do. If he wants to play games, you play them better. Make him feel the way you've been feeling. Let him get all hot, bothered, and confused. Push him over the edge, and see what he does."

"If he caves first, then you win," Leah added. "Make him come crawling to you, and you get to decide what happens from there."

"Exactly." Colin nodded, taking a sip of his drink.

I let their words sink in. It was an ingenious plan, but would it work? Would it spare me a lifetime of humiliation?

"So, whaddya say, Tess? Are you up for it?" Colin asked.

I thought for another moment before a wide smile formed on my lips. "Levi Daniels won't know what hit him." 

A/N:

Oh boy, looks like Tessa's gearing up for war. Who will come out on top? Will this battle of wills backfire? Stay tuned to find out. 

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