I arrived at Chase's house in a few minutes, seeing as it wasn't far from the inn. It was also quite close to my house and I passed it every day when I went to town. I dismounted gracefully, with my knees incredibly bent just to absorb the shock of falling from nearly six feet high. I pulled up my stirrups and patted Phantom on the shoulder as he started to graze.
"Stay out of Chase's garden or he'll kill me," I mumbled to him as I walked by. He flicked an ear at me, only to resume chewing on grass. I sighed and walked into the house.
Chase's house was immaculate, and sometimes I thought it was because he was OCD, but then again, he did cook, and it would just be wrong to have an unsanitary cooking environment, right? Right. I looked around, debating where I should put the painting. I wandered into his bedroom and sat on his bed, placing the painting on his nightstand. I stifled a yawn, realizing how tired I was. I lay down unintentionally, willing myself to get up, but the bed was just too comfortable. I could smell Chase strongly in his bed, a smell that reminded me of fruits and vegetables, and I didn't have time to think about anything else before I was out like a light.
I was on my way to the Inn, going to have lunch like I did every Saturday. It was early winter, but it was already snowing, which was why I was walking instead of taking my horse. I listened to my feet crunch in the snow, hugging myself to keep warm. I hated winter. Not only did crops not grow as well, but the animals couldn't go out as often, I got sick more often, and it was just cold. I reached the door only to hear the muffled sounds of some commotion going on inside. I paused and listened.
"Oh, I haven't seen you in awhile! How have you been?" Colleen said.
"Fine, I guess," a light tenor voice said. "I suppose everything's been well here, as well?"
"Oh, yes, we've settled in quite nicely." I could almost see Colleen smiling at whoever the man was. "Maya is upstairs…"
"I don't really care where Maya is," the other voice said. I frowned, thinking that was an awfully rude thing to say. "I'm looking for Yolanda." I was indecisive about whether I should go in and possibly interrupt something, but the cold was getting too me, so I opened the door loudly, and hurried inside in time to see a feminine-looking hand close the kitchen door. I walked over to the counter where Colleen stood, smiling at me.
"Hello," she said. "I'll run and get your lunch. The usual, right?" I nodded. She dashed into the kitchen and I sat at the table nearest to me, not wanting to be anywhere near the door. It was warm in here due to all the cooking and I didn't want that to be ruined if someone opened the door. Colleen returned with my lunch, throwing in a free hot chocolate, and I thanked her.
After I finished my lunch and paid for it, sipping on my hot chocolate as I prepared to leave, Yolanda came through the kitchen doors with what looked like herb fish and sat down. She didn't seem to notice me as she began gobbling down the small dish. A few seconds after she sat down, the kitchen door opened again and a boy my age walked out, drying his hands on a dish towel before shoving it in his apron pocket.
I had been about to leave, but the sight of him stopped me in my tracks. He was, in a word, gorgeous. He had messy, strawberry blonde hair, bobby pinned on the right to keep it out of his face. His purple eyes watched Yolanda intently as he crossed his arms over his chest. His delicate features seemed to be anxious, and his light skin indicated that he didn't spend much time outside. I thought I saw him glance at me, so I huddled back in the corner and sat back down. It must've been my imagination, for when I looked back up he was still intent on Yolanda, raising an eyebrow as she finished her dish.
"Well," she started. "It was pretty good overall, but you rely on your spices too much." She went on for a few minutes, boring me with the cooking terms, and I found out that the boy was an aspiring chef here to study under Yolanda. She rose and went back to the kitchen, leaving him standing there thoughtfully. I rose to leave again, handing my mug to Colleen and thanking her. He turned to me suddenly.
"Hey," he said cheerfully. "I'm Chase. I take it you know I'm going to be working here?"
"I gathered," I replied, smiling shyly. "I'm Angela, the new farmer."
"So I've heard," he said, extending a hand to me which I took and shook lightly. "See you around then?"
"Yeah, see ya." I turned and left out into the cold, though the increased amount of blood flow in my face kept me a little warmer as I headed back home.
I woke with a start to see a confused Chase leaning over in front of me, his face a few feet in front of mine. I yawned and rolled onto my back looking up at the clock.
"Goddess," I snarled. It was nearly one o'clock in the morning. "Sorry, Chase. I-"
"No worries," he laughed. "I understand that you work too much and eat too little. A girl's gotta sleep when a girl's gotta sleep, right?" I knew he was making fun of me, but I ignored him and crossed through the living room toward the door.
"You can just stay here if you want," he called after me. I froze. Maybe he liked me, after all? I felt my face warm to think about it, but dismissed it after thinking of the face he gave me when Luke had given me the pendent. He stepped into the doorway of his bedroom in a night shirt and pajama pants, his bobby pins still in his hair. I knew he had just returned from work at the bar, where he served dinner for those few in our town who wanted to pull an all-nighter, or for those who just didn't feel like cooking, or, like me, just didn't know how to cook. At least, not well enough to live on every day. Ugh.
"Um, ok," I said finally. "Thanks."
"I took your saddle and stuff off of your horse. It's outside near the front door," he replied dismissively. He threw a shirt and shorts at me and I went into the bathroom to change.
What is this boy up to? I thought with a sigh. I thought it seemed like he was just being friendly so I wouldn't have to go home this late in my incredibly tired state, but something in my mind just wanted it to be more than that. My logical side fought it down and I stepped out of the bathroom, feeling utterly ridiculous in Chase's overly-large shirt and shorts, which I'd had to roll up at the waist to keep them from sliding down. Chase couldn't refrain from laughing at me.
"Well, this birthday just keeps getting better and better!" He said. "If only I had a camera…" I shot him a glare as I plopped down very ungracefully on the couch. He stopped laughing abruptly and looked at me as if I'd smacked him. "What are you doing?" he said.
"Going back to sleep," I replied, settling down. He jerked me back up, much to my agitation.
"Not there you aren't! What kind of gentleman would I be if I made you sleep on the couch?"
I was about to snap back with a sarcastic comment when I realized the implications of that statement. I hesitated for only a moment before saying sarcastically:
"So, what, am I supposed to share a bed with you?"
"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" he said, raising an eyebrow. "No, you take my bed, I'll take the couch." He chuckled quietly as he dug in his closet and pulled out an extra blanket and threw it on the couch while I stood there, feeling stupid for thinking what I had. He insisted on 'escorting' me to his room before he went to bed, and I made myself comfortable after I said goodnight and turned off the blinding lamp next to his bed. I heard the soft click of the bedroom door closing before I drifted back into my dreams.
Author's note: Well, I haven't really decided whether or not I like this chapter yet… Reviews are appreciated!
