Seven years since he has seen Zoey Brooks and Chase is still finding himself willing to drop everything for her without a second thought. The mystery of Zoey's time capsule DVD finally revealed, he raced out of the restaurant, pulling his cell phone out of his pants pocket before he even came to a full stop. The sky was a cloudless blue; the kind of sky that fills a person with hope and optimism. Summer was winding down, but the sun still shone bright and hot. Determined to wait until he saw Zoey in person to speak with her, he dialed Quinn Pensky-Reese's number. Two rings later, a female voice answered.
"Hello? Chase?" Quinn's tone was that of surprise.
"Quinn!" he exclaimed. "Thank God. Listen to me, this is very important: do you know where I can find Zoey?"
"Excuse me? This is the first time you talk to me in years and all you want to do is find Zoey?" Quinn replied, irritated.
Chase yelled into the phone: "Quinn!"
"Alright, alright. Geez, some things never change." She sighed and continued. "Zoey has a boutique in Downtown LA. You know, Z by Zoey? She lives and breathes that place, so you'll almost certainly find her there."
Chase breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Quinn, you're the best."
"Yeah, yeah."
Chase clicked the phone off, shoved it back in his pocket, and jumped into his black Dodge Challenger in a single motion. He thrust his key into the keyhole and the engine roared to life. "LA, here I come."
His heart beating out of his chest, Chase flew down the highway into LA. The drive felt like a lifetime, but in reality, he made it to the boutique within an hour. Upon entering, he had no idea what he would say to Zoey, but it didn't matter; at this point, he would have to wing it. The shop was igloo-shaped, minus the domed roof; the sales desk area was narrow and rectangular, and opened up to a larger, round retail area. The interior was both modern and traditional, with white walls, wood floors, and silver furnishings. He approached a younger-looking brunette woman at the cash register. Her shoulder-length hair was straight with two barrettes slightly above her eyes. She wore a sleeveless white turtleneck top and a knee-length black pencil skirt. She looked up and greeted him with a warm "Hello, how can I help you?"
"Hi, my name is Chase Matthews. I'm looking for Zoey. Is she around?" Before the assistant could answer, footsteps came from the back corner of the store. The figure was temporarily obstructed by clothing racks, but Chase immediately knew who it was by her voice.
"I need some innovative ideas for mesh pieces, Stephanie. It's the trend this season and we-" The voice stopped cold. Now in full view and only a few feet away was a beautiful, slim twenty-something. When she saw who was before her, she froze.
Chase recognized the voice immediately and stared in awe when he saw her. Staring back at him was none other than Zoey herself. On top, she wore a white camisole, which she covered with a grey blazer, the sleeves folded up. On bottom, she wore grey slacks with black pumps. Her hair was back to its natural light blonde and bangs were swept to one side of her forehead; her hair fell two or three inches past her shoulders and slightly scooped up at the bottom. After a moment, Zoey regained her composure and broke the silence. "Chase. I'm sorry, I have a ton of work to do…" She turned to leave.
"Wait, Zo, we need to talk," he pleaded.
Zoey contemplated how to respond and whipped back around. "I just don't have the time. Sorry," she said disingenuously, her voice tinged with irritation. She turned and went back in the direction she came, Chase following closely behind. He waited until they were far enough away from the saleswoman and pleaded once more.
"Please just listen to me." Trailing behind her, he grasped Zoey's arm in his hand. She came to a sudden halt, turning to stare at Chase, half glaring and half waiting for him to speak. Taking the hint, he continued. "You remember the PCA time capsule, right? Well, I found out what you said in your DVD."
"You did what?"
"I know, I know, but you said you'd tell me in ten years and we…lost touch, so I figured finding out myself wouldn't be so awful." As he said this, Zoey's body started to relax. "Anyway, you said I could…be your soulmate…and I guess I just thought that-"
"That what?" She snapped. "That I still feel that way and waited for you all this time after you broke my heart?"
"That's not fair, Zo."
"Oh, really?"
"Yes! Really!" Chase shot back. "After Hawaii, you were constantly keeping me at arm's length…like you weren't interested anymore. And I didn't exactly come out of the situation unscathed."
By this time, Zoey had completely thawed. "You shouldn't have given up on me." She disappeared into the backroom, leaving Chase at a loss.
The next day, Chase found himself at work, sulking. Work, for him, was writing an opinion column for the Los Angeles Times. He had only hours until they went to press and his creative juices refused to flow. Instead, he heard Zoey's voice over and over in his head: You shouldn't have given up on me. In an instant, Chase knew what his next editorial would be.
At the boutique, Zoey was taking inventory before closing up shop for the weekend when she heard footsteps. She lifted her head to see Stephanie approaching, a tablet in tow.
"I thought you should see this," Stephanie said, extending the tablet to Zoey.
Zoey sighed and accepted the tablet, raising it toward her face. On the screen was a digital copy of the day's LA Times; it was turned to the opinion section. The top of the column read:
Why love is too valuable
To give up on
By Chase Matthews
Sucking in a breath, Zoey read through the article and lingered at the last line. Ultimately, the people we love may give up on us, but to reciprocate that would be to lose a part of our self and our feeling of wholeness, and to go through life with regret.
She smiled to herself and handed the tablet back to Stephanie. "Thanks," Zoey said and turned her focus back to work.
The next day, Chase returned to Zoey's shop, determined to make things right. As soon as he swung the door open, his eyes zeroed in on the saleswoman at the desk. This time, Stephanie was preoccupied with something on the computer screen, so Chase cleared his throat to get her attention. It proved effective. "I need to speak to Zoey," he demanded.
The saleswoman's smile fell slightly. "Oh, my apologies; after we closed yesterday, she said she was taking off for the weekend."
Disappointed, Chase prodded for more information. "Oh, well, will she be back on Monday?"
"It's possible, but I would assume she'll take more time off for her honeymoon."
His stomach dropped. "Sorry, her what?" The muscles in his face contorted, as if he were in pain.
"Her honeymoon," Stephanie repeated. "She and her boyfriend went to Santa Barbara to elope."
Chase went from determined to devastated to desperate in a matter of moments. "Stephanie," he said, struggling to regain his composure, "I need you to tell me exactly where Zoey is."