Disclaimer: I own nothing.
A/N: So happy about the positive response! I will definitely be continuing this story, and hopefully finishing up Lost and Found soon.
Chase tossed his coffee cup in a trash can outside Zoey's office and stuck his hands in his pockets, a goofy I-can't-believe-I-just-got-away-with-that grin plastered to his face. He was pushing it. He was pushing it so far that he was a fraction of an inch from going over the edge. He knew it, and didn't care. The kiss had been impulsive. It was, in fact, the most impulsive thing he'd ever done in his life. His mind was still reeling from it. She had just looked so adorable and innocent biting her lip that he couldn't resist. He'd wanted to know if she tasted as good as she looked. She did, and his heart sang with it. He walked out onto the busy New York City street with an extra spring in his step.
There was the underlying thought in the back of his mind that he must be a masochist. Being close to her all weekend, playing the doting fiancé but not in reality was likely to kill him. He'd just managed to stuff down those feelings from high school. Now, the offer he'd heard pop out of his mouth and that kiss brought them all back to the surface with a vengeance. What was a teenager's crush turned into the love and desire of an adult in the blink of an eye. He wasn't so sure he could do it now. The grin on his face wavered. Well, it's not like he had a choice. He wasn't about to march back into her office and tell her he couldn't help her out because he wanted to be her fiancé for real. One, it would mean driving her back to that escort service, and just the thought of that made his skin crawl. Two, it was a can of worms he really didn't want to open up.
Though he couldn't lie—he was looking forward to the touchy-feely parts about playing Zoey's husband-to-be. And thought it made him feel like a complete jerk, he couldn't wait for the hugging, the kissing, and the cuddling that came with having a significant other. With the goofy grin still on his face, he flipped his cell phone open and quickly dialed a number.
"Hey, Michael," he greeted when Michael answered sleepily. Chase had forgotten that it was really too early to call his nocturnal friend. Oh, well. "I'm going to have to cancel our basketball game on Saturday."
"How come?" Chase heard the rustling of bed sheets as Michael no doubt settled himself against his headboard to stay awake. Michael was not a morning person. Never had been. Chase was already off to an interesting start by calling him before the crack of noon.
"I'm helping Zoey this weekend at her family reunion."
"What do you mean you're helping her? How much help could she need with her family?"
"Well…"
"Chase…"
"I'm going as her fiancé."
"What?" Ooh, that had gotten his attention. There was not a trace of drowsiness left in Michael's voice as he babbled nonsensically for a few seconds. "When did that happen?"
"Don't worry, I didn't propose. I'm just playing her husband-to-be to get her family off her back for being a businesswoman instead of a housewife."
"Dude, you just gave me a heart attack."
"Don't you think we're a little old for you to call me 'dude'?"
"Don't change the subject. Why the hell did you agree to that?"
"She needed help, Michael. She was going to hire an escort service."
"She's a grown woman, Mr. Overprotective. If she wants to hire a stranger to be her date, that should be her right."
"Not the point." Chase's good mood deflated a little.
"Chase, you've spent ten years getting over her. Don't you think playing her fiancé is just a tad counterintuitive?"
"Maybe. But there's no going back on it now."
"Remind me to sock you later."
"Michael…"
"You've got to remember that this is pretend, Chase. If you delude yourself into thinking it's real, you're only going to wind up hurt in the end." Damn. He had a point.
"Yeah, thanks, Ann Landers." Chase was very tempted to hang up. He'd expected support from his friend, not this. Then again, Michael had the patience of a saint with Chase's crush in high school, and had all but thrown a party when he decided he was done with Zoey. Chase knew that it wasn't that he didn't like Zoey; he just didn't like to see his friend torture himself.
"I'm serious, Chase. It might be better if you keep the touching to a minimum."
"Well, you're about ten minutes too late for that."
"What do you mean?"
"I may have kissed her to seal the deal." He heard Michael curse roughly into the phone. Michael sighed.
"How did that go?"
"Amazing," he said. Michael let out a low whistle.
"You better be careful, my friend. Too much of that could be disastrous."
"I'll try to remember." Chase reached his building and was grateful for the natural end of his conversation with his friend. "Listen, I go to go; I just got into work. I just thought I'd drop you a line so you're not sitting at the park and waiting for me to show up."
"It is appreciated."
"Later."
"Later."
