Stronger Together (bxb) ✔

Chapter 51 - Chase

Chase's POV

"Wow baby bro you look hot!" Jesse exclaims upon entering my room. "Like I need to call a firetruck hot!"

He's right, I look really good! Today, Diego is taking me on the date that I was supposed to go on a few days ago and I am determined to make him drool upon seeing me.

I am wearing a fitted burgundy dress shirt, rolled up to my elbows, tucked into white jeans that hug my butt and legs in all the right places. This is paired with some patterned brown shoes and a belt. My hair is styled up off my face and I'm wearing light eyeliner and red tinted lip gloss.

"Like are you trying to give Diego a heart attack?" He says dramatically, causing me to giggle.

"You think he'll like it," I say, admiring myself in the mirror before turning around to face Jesse with a quizzical look.

Jesse rolls his eyes. "You know he'll love it. But you could literally wear a garbage bag and Diego would still think that you're the cutest thing to ever walk the earth."

He stays for a few more minutes and talks about the current project he's working on before giving me a quick hug and telling me to enjoy my date.

I've barely seen Diego since our car park date because Bryan stole him away to work the next day. Apparently they still had a few things to settle pertaining to the opening of the new office and this resulted in our date being pushed back even further. However, they officially wrapped up everything this morning, so now Diego is all mine!

When I wasn't talking to Diego or thinking about him, I was working on my script. I now have a rough idea of how I want the entire movie to go even though everything isn't fully laid out yet. Now that I've figured out the details of the plot, I need to work on a pitch so that I can start reaching out to production companies.

I've also been thinking that I should reach out to some of the people I met at the film festival to find out if they would be willing to offer me a part time job. That way I'll be able to make some money while I continue to work on my pitch. Though I have a lot of knowledge in my field, I've only had a few previous paid internships on small productions, so it might be helpful to get some additional hands-on experience with a bigger project.

My only problem with that is, I'm still not sure if I can touch people other than Jesse and Diego without feeling disgusted or having a panic attack. Even though I really don't want to try it, I know I'll have to at some point if I ever want to work with others again. It would be motifying to be at work and get a panic attack simply because someone accidentally brushed me.

I've been talking to my therapist about this and she suggested that I gradually start putting myself back out there. This was the main reason why I asked Diego to take me driving.

The doorbell rings, interrupting my thoughts. I scurry towards the door and fling it open once I reach it. "DiDi!" I exclaim, launching myself at Diego, who chuckles and catches me in his arms.

"How is my little ball of sunshine doing today?" Diego murmurs into my neck before kissing it.

I giggle at the slight ticklish sensation his breath evokes on my neck. "Your little ball of sunshine is super excited and wants to know where we are going!" I exclaim, probably a little too loudly, since my mouth is right next to Diego's ear.

"It's a surprise. Now let me see you!" Diego whines and I giggle and release him. His mouth hangs open as his eyes rake over my body. Every other time I've met him, I've worn a loose fitting shirt, so I knew this outfit would shock him. His tongue flicks over his lips and he releases an involuntary moan. "You look stunning," he whispers, as his eyes travel up to meet mine.