#Chapter 196: One Last Shot

Noel’s POV When Cara invited me over to talk to her, I knew that now was the time to take my shot once and for all. With the strain between Alaric and Cara that I had seen during my brief visit to her house that night, this seemed to be my only opportunity. My plan was to hear out whatever Cara wanted to ask me, and then confess. The plan branched from there depending on what she said, but I had some hope. It wasn’t a lot of hope, guessing how she and Alaric felt about each other. But some hope remained. I clung onto it with both hands. Cara answered her door, smiling at me, and let me into her house. We didn’t say a word to each other, and that tension seemed to be too much. I broke from my plan, swiveled to her right there in the hallway, and said, “Cara, I love you.” I couldn’t hold it in anymore. It was like a dam that had run over. I needed to tell her like I needed to breathe. It was a basic human need. Her face twisted into an unreadable expression. I had the feeli