A.N. AH! PLEASE DON'T HATE ME! I have two words to explain why I'm a whole week late updating…. HARDDRIVE FAIL!!!!! Ugh… Our computer is still being repaired as I speak! I'm using a borrowed laptop (from Dad's workplace… tee hee) to type this up. I hope that this chapter makes it up to you, my wonderful readers! Thanks for sticking with me! Today's songs:
I Have and Always Will – Dave Barnes
Broken – Seether ft. Amy Lee
Breathless – Better Than Ezra
Afraid – Yellowcard
Hope you enjoy this chapter! Review, please!
I was resolved to go talk to Chase about what had happened between us, but as I entered the bar that night I froze. In the borrowed makeup and dress I no longer felt confident, but silly. Kathy, who I assumed had been told by Renee not to let me chicken out, came over and dragged me into a booth where I couldn't see the kitchen.
"Angela, I know this is hard. You just have to get it over with," she reassured me, placing a hand on my shoulder. The strength she leant me boosted my confidence enough that I managed to stand on shaky legs and stumble back behind the counter. I leaned against the wall silently, watching as Chase cooked several things at once with practiced skill. I could feel my heart speeding up to a dangerous rate, a man with skill being very attractive to me.
My heart came to a standstill when Chase turned his head just enough to catch sight of me in all my ridiculous, dress-up glory. His lips were parted slightly, eyes wide as he simply stared.
"Ow!" he yelped, pulling his hand into his chest, breaking the mood. I watched as he clutched his hand to his chest, not making any move to help. I was frozen in place, watching as his eyes caught the fluorescent lights, twinkling brightly. He let his arms drop to his sides, his eyes telling of confusion and regret. I wondered what he regretted—kissing me? Meeting me? The rush of emotions flowing through me were enough to propel me forward so I was at a comfortable talking distance from Chase. Unfortunately, that's as much as I could do.
My mouth opened and closed uselessly as I tried to put my feelings into words, or at least apologize for my behavior.
"Angela?" His face was wary, as if he was afraid to get too close to me. I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath, then forced myself to talk.
"Can we go outside for a bit?" I asked, crossing my fingers. He nodded, shutting off the stove and following me out the door. I turned to him , then began to speak. "I know that things have been weird between us, and that's mainly my fault. I've been having a bad month so far, and I couldn't handle it when you kissed me because it confused me, and I wanted to push you away. But I also wanted you to kiss me again. I couldn't handle my emotions, and I'm sorry that I—" Thankfully, he didn't give me the opportunity to finish my rambling. My eyes widened as his lips hit mine suddenly, relaxing after the initial shock wore off.
I let my eyes drift shut as his mouth caressed my upper lip, tugging at it gently. My hands drifted up to his cheeks mirroring what he was doing to me. For as wrong as everything had been going lately, suddenly everything was right as Chase pulled me flush against his chest. He sucked the disappointment from the past month from my breath, breathing joy and peace into my mouth. He pulled back after an impossibly short time, resting his forehead on mine. My eyes were still closed, holding the sudden moment of happiness in before it leaked away.
"Angela," he whispered, urging my eyes open with low tones. I inhaled sharply, sucking in his sweet breath as my eyelids fluttered open. His thumb stroked my cheek gently, and I was oblivious to my surroundings for the moment. When I heard someone clearing their throat I jumped away from Chase, smoothing down the skirt of the dress, which now seemed appropriate. Kathy tilted her head towards the window, where I could see the entire bar was staring at us.
"Oh," I muttered, looking at my feet, cheeks flushing crimson. Kathy laughed joyfully, and went back inside without another word. I looked back at Chase to see him smiling sheepishly.
"Whoops." His simple comment was inexplicably funny to me, and I burst out laughing suddenly, only to be joined by a baffled Chase a moment later. When we had calmed down Chase spoke.
"Would you like me to walk you home?" he asked. "I'm pretty sure Kathy will figure out where I am." I laughed uncomfortably, nodding.
"Sure." We started towards the bridge out of town, lost in a comfortable silence. When we reached the bridge, Chase stopped, leaning his forearms on the ledge. I mimicked him, appreciating the way the lights from the bar glinted on the water's surface. After a prolonged silence, Chase turned to fix his gaze on mine, placing his hand over my own. He began to stroke my fingers gently with his thumb, and I could feel him shaking with nerves. Of course, I couldn't be sure as I was trembling myself.
"I'm not usually into the sappy, romantic stuff, you know?" he said quietly. It was obvious he wasn't looking for an answer, so I stayed silent, heart racing, as I waited for him to continue. "But I want to do this right," he confessed, letting my hand go to lace it nervously with his other. He was staring down at his shaking hands as he continued.
"I want to let you know that you're special, and the best I can do is stammer like an adolescent boy. I'm not even brave enough to look you in the eyes, but I wish I was. I wish I was because—because when I kissed you, I felt like nothing else existed. I wanted to hold you to me forever, and that scares me," he admitted, glancing up to gauge my reaction.
"Chase—" I began ,but he shook his head.
"I just want you to know that, although I'm not good at showing it, I want things to work out between us. I want to know what love means, and commitment, because I haven't had that in my life." I stared up in awe at the man who had just bared his heart to me on the first (albeit unofficial) date, and couldn't find words to express myself. Actually, I couldn't find words at all. So I just placed my hand over his softly, and continued to look out over the water. The silence between us spoke of the past and future, but mostly of the present—and that was good enough for both of us. Further expressions weren't necessary to complete the moment; no further words were necessary—just silence.
Chase and Angela.
Two hearts.
One entity.
Zero expectations.
Acceptance.
A.N. So what did you think? Is that mushy enough for ya? I didn't want to make it uber kissy kissy, because that isn't exactly realistic for them. Once you get close to Chase in the game, he becomes quite the sap! (Especially once you have his kids! Lol!) Therefore, this isn't really O.C. Please review!
Thanks to my reviewers:
shadetheechidna666
WriterFreak132
Priestess94
