A.N. Sorry sorry sorry!!!!! I have no excuse this time, except the lack of reviews, and that's not even an excuse! I really hope this chapter meets expectations, cuz I really like it! Today's songs:
Right Where You Want Me – Jesse McCartney
Take Your Sweet Time – Jesse McCartney
Invincible – Jesse McCartney
Hero – Skillet
Drop in the Ocean – Ron Pope
Enjoy!!!!!!
***
In hindsight, I realized that climbing onto the roof of the abandoned mill near the farm wasn't really safe. It was merely me taking comfort and security from my newfound connection with Chase. Scaling the wall brought the same rush of adrenaline that I felt whenever I came within a few feet of my new boyfriend. Is he my boyfriend? I sighed, flopping onto my back to bake in the roasting summer sun. My eyelids weren't doing a good job of protecting my eyes from the harsh light, so I threw my hand over my face to shield them. The long skirt I had decided to wear caressed my legs, the white material keeping me cool enough.
"Angela?" I sat up, steadying myself on the peak of the roof carefully as I squinted to see my visitor.
"Oh, hey Kev," I called, hiding the disappointment I felt. I had hoped for a second that Chase had been the one to call my name.
"Hey, sis! How ya doing?" he called. Judging by the way that Kevin was bouncing on the balls of his feet he had something big to tell me.
"What do you want to tell me?" I asked, laughing quietly. If possible, Kevin's eyes seemed to light up even more as he exclaimed,
"I'm going to go pay off my debt now!" My mouth fell open, and I squealed, jumping to my feet. I soon remembered I was on a roof, and reached down quickly to grab a hold of it.
"Wow, that's great!" I yelled, sliding down the slant of the roof while Kevin watched, looking like he wanted to reach out and pluck me off the building. I gripped the edge of the roof, letting my feet hang over the side, and dropped, landing easily in a crouch.
"Jeesh! Heart attack!" mumbled Kevin, covering his face with his hands.
"Let's go!" I urged him, grabbing one of his arms and dragging him along behind me towards the town. Upon reaching the square in which town hall sat we ran into Maya, and I mean that literally.
"Ah!" she cried, catching herself with her hands, the palms scraping on the concrete. Kevin rushed to help her up, but to my surprised she pushed him away. She leapt up and hurried across the bridge without a glance in our direction. Kevin's head hung low, and I placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"What was that about?" I asked, trying to get Kevin to look at me. He just shook his head, pushing past me into town hall. I frowned, determined to find out what had happened between them.
***
Leaving town hall Kevin said he had something he needed to go get, and hurried off. I suspected he just didn't want to run into Maya, who was coming back across the bridge. Oh well, at least I'd be able to ask Maya what was going on between the two of them. Or not… She slipped past me, ignoring my greeting and rushing into Sonata Tailoring. I walked back towards the farm in a daze, basking in the late afternoon sun. What could Kevin have done to make Maya so angry? Or was it even Kevin's fault? I was approaching a fork in the path when a flash of orange caught my attention.
I watched, a small smile on my face, Chase trying to get a squirming fish off of his hook near the pond.
"Oof!" I hit the picket fence, and my momentum carried me forward until I flipped over it. "I seriously need to start watching where I walk," I muttered, trying in vain to untangle my shirt from the fence before Chase noticed me. Of course, he was already halfway over to me by the time I looked up, struggling fish forgotten along with his fishing pole by the pond.
"Angela, are you okay?" he asked, panting slightly as he knelt down to help me untangle myself. I buried my face in my hands, face flushing red in embarrassment.
"I'm fine," I grumbled, peeking at Chase over my hands. "I just need to watch where I walk more, I guess." I was offended when Chase suddenly started laughing.
"Sorry, sorry," he said, offering me a hand. I ignored it, pushing myself up and brushing past him, ears burning. "Wait up, Angela! I really am sorry, it's just…"
"Yah, I can really tell you're sorry," I said. "Especially because you haven't stopped laughing yet!" He made a visible effort to still his chuckles, and succeeded after a while, falling into step beside me as I made a slow path towards the pond.
"Why exactly did you trip?" he asked, picking a blade of grass out of my hair. Uh oh. This could get embarrassing!
"I just wasn't watching where I was walking," I said through gritted teeth, looking down at my feet.
"I bet you were watching me," Chase said, his voice sarcastic. I stayed silent, not wanting to confirm nor deny his claim. Of course, I wasn't lucky enough that he would just let it go.
"Angela?" I simply blushed, again! A gentle hand tilted my chin up to look at him, and I gasped at the look in his eyes. It was soft, but burning at the same time. Intense, but tender.
"Argh!" I threw my hands in front of my face as water droplets sprayed upwards, dotting my clothes and skin. I looked down to see a distraught Chase, apparently unharmed.
"Guess I'm not the only one who needs to watch where they walk," I teased, giggling at the "wet cat" look that Chase was sporting. He threw a sheepish smile my way, and I knelt at the edge of the pond, gripping the short expanse of fence to keep my balance while Chase waded his way through the lily pads. I reached out an arm to help him up.
When he grabbed my arm I braced myself, but he didn't hoist himself out of the water as I had expected. Instead, he slid his hand up my arm and down my side to my waist, leaving a trail of water in his wake. I shivered as his other arm slid up my neck to bury in my hair, his face coming close until our noses brushed. His breath tasted of oranges, his body warmer than the sun shining on my skin. I found I didn't care that my clothes were getting wet as I studied the way droplets of water clung to Chase's eyelashes.
"You're getting me wet," I whispered, closing my eyes as my lips brushed his when I spoke. His hands slid down to hold my body close to his, and I felt myself being dragged off my knees backwards towards the pond. "Chase, what are you doing?" I breathed, mesmerized by the way his muscles shifted when they acquired more of my weight.
"Trust me." His breath grazed my ear, and I found myself powerless to do anything but nod in compliance. As my legs left land entirely Chase lifted them out from under me, holding me against his chest while the tail of my skirt trailed in the water below. I knew from past experiences that there was a drop off in the water near the middle, and so, apparently, did Chase. He stopped walking at the precipice allowing his gaze to drop to my face. "Ready?" I nodded, sucking in a deep breath and closing my eyes as he stepped off the edge and we sank.
The water was warm from the sun, caressing my skin gently. I could feel my hair following me, framing my face, and my skirt billowed out around my legs. Chase let me go, but kept a strong hold on my hands. I opened my eyes, shocked at the way that the refracted sunlight shone on Chase's eyes. The purple hue glowed, giving him an ethereal beauty.
Chase bent his arms and I did the same, bringing our bodies closer together. The water resisted our movement, giving our movements a sense of grace that left me stunned. We drifted closer and closer until Chase released my hands, placing his hands on my lower back and the back of my neck to pull us together. I reached up with one arm to grab the hand caressing my neck, and placed my other hand on his neck, pressing us together until our lips finally, magically touched.
Chase pressed down with gentle pressure, grazing my bottom lip with his teeth in a sensual dance. We had only known each other for a few months, and had been on good terms for even shorter a time, but already I felt such a deep connection with this man, that it was hard to remember that I hadn't known him forever. The way his hand slid to fit my back, a puzzle piece with only one place it truly belonged suggested we had known each other forever. The way he pushed off the bottom of the pond, kicking his legs while still keeping me in his embrace showed our perfect synchronicity. The way our heads broke the surface of the glassy lake at the exact moment I began to crave air showed that we were one entity. The way one glance said more than hours of words showed that we were two halves of one soul, finally reunited after an eternity of separation.
The way that his smile said "I love you" showed that I had truly found my home. Not a building that was falling apart, or a shabby barn that held only a single, lonely animal, but a person.
***
I knew for sure that Chase was the one for me, when I arrived home after a long day of work at Renee's and found a note on the front door.
Go to the barn.
I raced around to the barn, heart thumping. Inside I saw a calf, probably less than a month old, drinking sloppily from the trough. Around her neck there was a note. I eagerly slid the neck from the calf, placing one hand on her silky head as I read it. Tears welled up in my eyes, and I let them fall.
"I know you miss her, and I know she can't be replaced, but maybe I can help?" I spun around and charged at Chase, throwing my arms around him and burying my face in his neck. His chin came to rest on top of my head and he wrapped me in his warm embrace. I let the note flutter to the floor, the image of it continually flashing across my closed eyelids.
Hi, Mom. I'm Hailey.
***
A.N. So????? What do you think? Have I made up for the weeks and weeks of no updating? (I know I haven't *hangs head* but I really like how this turned out so…) Anyways, thanks to those of you who have left reviews (though the number has really dwindled *cries.* Please review! It makes my day!
A very special thanks to my reviewer:
ShadetheEchidna666
seriously? I'm saddened! Only one review in over 3 weeks!!!!!! I really do appreciate updates on each chapter to tell me what you think! Plus, I only know of one person who actually reads and likes this now, so I'm less inclined to update :(
