Author's Note: Weekend! Which means more time for me and more chappies for you. Good times for everybody! At least I hope so…
This is more of a filler chapter, setting the stage for events to come. And eventful the next chappie shall be!
Chapter 10: The Truth In Mild Doses
Andie hurried down the stairs, trying to make herself look as serene and happy-go-lucky as possible. Chase stood in the foyer, slightly stooped from the weight of the little boy he was swinging.
He looked up and smiled as she skipped the last step.
"What was with the hasty departure today?" he asked, continuing his pendulum-like rocking of Sarah's son, who looked elated.
"I wasn't feeling so good," said Andie, pushing hair out of her face. "Kinda light-headed."
"I could've taken you home."
"Sarah doesn't want me riding in cars with boys," she lied, noting that she had used Sarah as an excuse once before, with Tuck. Guilt spread through her in warm, relentless waves, and she struggled for something to say in the silence that followed.
The struggle seemed to show in her countenance because Chase gave her a puzzled look.
"Well…I brought you some stuff from The Dragon." He nodded to two white plastic bags in the dining room. "Thought you might be hungry."
If anything could make Andie feel like anymore of a bad person, it was this. But she would soon feel even worse. The thump of feet on the staircase made them both look up.
"I can't find my hat!" Andie's heart sank. He had promised to stay upstairs.
"It's in my room," she replied quickly and without thought.
"Yes!" Moose snapped his fingers, as if he had only just remembered. "In your room. Where we were…oh hey, Chase."
"Hey." He returned Charlie to the floor, where he began to untie Chase's shoelaces. "Moose." She turned back just in time to see irritation flash across his face. "Why didn't you tell me Moose was around?"
"Didn't think you'd care."
"I care that you didn't tell me." He was hardly trying to smile now.
The silence that followed was long and heavy. Moose tried to cut through it with a loud clearing of the throat.
"I'm gonna go…find that hat."
But Chase called after him abruptly, stopping his ascent. "Forget the hat. Get down here and eat with us…"
Andie knew it would be a bad idea to protest. So with a dismayed glance at Moose, she went to get an extra chair for the dinner table.
The limited space of Sarah's dining room was soon filled to bursting with awkward silences and uncertain looks. Chase and Andie sat directly opposite, Moose sat with Charlie in his lap.
Sarah kept poking her head out from the kitchen, asking if they needed anything. It took all the willpower Andie possessed not to say, "A noose would be good."
Chase broke the silence eventually, only his topic of choice did not bode well for a light-hearted convo.
"Sophie looked kinda miserable before I left, man." His eyes were trained on Moose, who was trying to split a spring roll between himself and Charlie. "What happened with you two?"
Moose shrugged. It annoyed Andie that he could be so nonchalant while she silently freaked out. "Nothing really happened. We just kinda…drifted apart?"
"Or you just kinda pushed her away," he suggested.
"Kind of. But I figure it's better to be honest about you feel, you know. Instead of…leading people on." He cast a glance at her and she prayed Chase had not caught it…
Finally, the food was cleared. Andie gave a not so discreet yawn and proclaimed that she was beat. At two o'clock in the afternoon. The trio assembled on the porch steps. Chase kissed her goodbye. Moose looked like he wanted to. All she could offer was a little shake of her head. She heaved a sigh of relief as they went their separate ways, mumbling goodbyes to each other.
Sarah was waiting for her inside, drying a dinner plate.
"We've got some talkin' to do, Andie. And don't tell me you don't want to talk because I know you do." Andie knew that she knew what she was talking about, and couldn't help feeling a little relieved. Secrets did not suit her.
So she told Sarah about everything. Every look and tear and kiss and lie that had occured in the last few weeks. Sarah was surprisingly receptive, understanding even.
"I don't know what to do," she concluded.
"You know exactly what to do," she replied, her tone decisive but not accusatory. "You're just too scared to do it."
"I don't want to hurt him."
"There's no way you can't. It's done. The best you can do now is be honest with him."
Her only reply was a resigned sigh.
"Andie." A hand clasped her shoulder gently. She looked up to see that it was indeed Sarah's. "Love doesn't always happen at what we think is the right time, with who we think is the right person. When it's there, it's there. You have to decide whether you really want it or not."
Andie's next words came almost as a whisper. "What would my Mum would do?"
"If she had two cute boys after her?" Sarah's tone lightened considerably. "You don't want to know!"
Andie snorted and shook her head, but silently noted that Sarah looked different all of a sudden. She seemed warm, easy-going, open. Like a mum.
So Andie didn't mind that she had evaded the question. She could never have her mother back, but Sarah would do okay.
Later that night, Chase called to tell her he thought Moose might have a thing for her. Soon after, Moose called to tell her he loved her more than Turkish Delight.
She told them both that she loved them. Andie wasn't so sure this was the brightest idea. But it was the truth…
Author's Note: Is that Chinese restaurant in the movie actually called 'The Dragon'? If not then I hijacked the name from a Mophie (you know who I'm talking about) fic by RedRogue! You should definitely check it out, btw. Preferably not before reviewing mine, though, hehehe…