"Mary? Mary, please," Chase pleaded with me through the door. "I had no clue she was going to be here. But that doesn't change the way I feel about you. I love you. So much that it hurts. I hate it when you're sad and I hate myself when I'm the one that made you feel that way. Please talk to me."

My eyes were closed, trying to stop the flood of tears coming down. I wasn't just crying because of him and Mia. I was crying because of my life. I had never had this much drama in my life before I started dating him. I was happy and obedient. And Chase, well, he was Chase, so he was happy too.

Maybe us being a couple wasn't a good idea. I'm so different from him it's not even funny and I still don't understand why he likes me. I've seen some of the girls he's gone out with. I think one even went on to be a Victoria's Secret Model. And here he is…with me.

I'm not pretty, but I don't think you'll run screaming if you see my face. And it's not like I have this gorgeous body to flaunt around, like Mia seems to love to do. So why would he waste his time with me? Runaway with me? Fight so hard for me?

"Mary?" Chase called through the door. I had been in my room for almost an hour and he hadn't left. He continually tried to plead and apologize.

Okay, yes. I know that it's not all his fault. There's no way he could have known she would be here, but now that he does…

I stood up, walking over to the door. I unlocked it and slowly turned the knob and opened the door to see Chase, leaning against the doorframe, his hair messed up like he had been running his hand through it and looking down at the floor, sad. When he heard the door open, he looked up and met my eyes. I knew I had tear stains, and I wanted him to see them. To know that I was sad and scared. He definitely noticed.

He pulled me into a hug and I felt the urge to cry again. He kissed my forehead and held me even tighter.

"Chase?" I heard myself ask.

"Yes?" he said into my ear as he kissed my neck lovingly.

"Do you really love me?" I said. I know that he says it over and over, but after seeing the way he looked at Mia…and knowing that he thought he loved her…just makes me scared that maybe he just thinks he loves me.

He pulled my face up close to his. And in a soft whisper he said, "To the moon and back a thousand times."

I smiled and he kissed me. At that moment, I couldn't care less what happened. I didn't care that I had turned into someone that I wasn't before. I didn't care that Mia was here and I didn't care about his past. He showed me that I was his future. And it felt really good.

He kept kissing me, pushing me up against one side of the doorframe, but soft enough so that when I hit it, it didn't hurt. His hands stayed at my waist, squeezing them every so slightly. I smiled against his lips and I put my hand on his cheek, pulling his face closer.

It was the perfect moment. I wanted it to last forever.

Chase pulled away after a moment and we both smiled. It was funny how we got into arguments only to kiss a few minutes later.

Not that I'm complaining.

Chase still didn't let go of me, but instead moved closer as he talked. "You're so hot sometimes," he whispered into my neck, making me shiver.

I playfully hit his arm. "Stop it, I am not," I laughed.

"You are too!" he said, moving so close, our bodies touched.

"Don't you have anything better to do?" I retorted, feeling nervous at the sudden touch.

"Yeah, I do," He grinned. "But you want to wait, remember?"

I rolled my eyes, but he knew I liked it. But Chase knew I was uncomfortably, so he pulled away, grabbed my hand, and led me down the hall to the living room. Aunt Jennifer was on the couch, reading, and Chase sat next to her, patting his lap for me to sit on.

I obeyed and he slipped his arms around my waist so I wouldn't fall, and he placed his chin on my shoulder.

"So, another episode of fighting and making out has passed I see," Aunt Jennifer commented, looking over the top of her book at us.

Chase laughed and hugged me tighter, almost making it so I couldn't breathe.

"Oh! By the way, the church is having a hayride tonight, if you guys want to go," Aunt Jennifer commented, looking back at her book.

I looked behind me at Chase and he smiled. "Do you want to?" he asked.

I nodded. "Sounds like fun! I haven't been to a hayride in a while."

"Lots of interesting things can happen at hayrides," Aunt Jennifer said.

Chase and I both glanced at her. She just gave us a smirk and put her book down. "It starts at seven. I'll go get the instructions," she said, leaving the room.

I slid off Chase's lap and sat next to him instead. He frowned. "Why did you have to leave?" he asked, giving me a pouty face.

"For Pete's sake, Chase, I'm right here," I said, laughing.

"But you're not right here," he said, patting his knee.

"You are too much sometimes, you know that?" I asked, making him smile.

"Yeah, I do," he said, leaning back. "Is that why you love me?"

"Do I love you because of your ego?" I asked, looking up at the ceiling, as if thinking. Chase looked at me, then up at the ceiling, then back at me, and then back to the ceiling.

"What are we looking at?" he asked, with a smile.

"That's a nice ceiling, wouldn't you agree?" I joked.

He rolled his eyes. "We were talking about why you love me."

"Oh, right," I said, remembering. "No. I most certainty don't love you because of your ego."

"Well, then, why do you love me?" he asked, coming close until his lips were on my cheek.

"Your smile. And your eyes. And your hair and personality and they way you love me," I answered as his lips kissed my cheek gently. "Oh, and the way you kiss. I like that a lot."

I felt him smile against me, and I closed my eyes, allowing his lips, and his hands, to roam.

"Whoa, okay, break it up," I heard aunt Jennifer say. I opened my eyes and Chase pulled away as she stuck a map in-between us. "Okay, here are the directions." She turned to look Chase right in the eye. "Be very careful with her, okay? Very careful, do you hear me?"

I smiled as Chase blushed and said, "I promise."

She nodded, happy. "Well, okay then. Have fun."

"Oh, we will," Chase said, winking at me. I felt myself blush, and I turned away from his gaze. Aunt Jennifer gave us a smile and went back to her own room, leaving us on the couch, alone. I felt my stomach twist when I realized he hadn't stopped staring at me. I glanced at him and he smiled.

When we arrived at the destination, I found myself looking around in astonishment. We were in a huge field with people everywhere. There were three large fires and food stands everywhere. People were laughing and the moon was slowly starting to come up. I smelt hot chocolate and smiled, pulling my jacket around me tighter. It was getting colder as the days progressed into fall. Chase grabbed my hand, leading me into the fun.

We went around to the different booths and saw everything they had to offer.

"Do want anything?" Chase asked me at booth with hot drinks.

I shrugged, feeling nervous. Chase smiled and ordered a hot chocolate for me. He pulled out his wallet and paid the man a dollar, and then handed me my drink. I smiled my thanks, holding it in my hands for warmth. Chase smiled at me and we walked over to one of the large fires. Large logs were arranged around the fire so people could sit and I eagerly sat down, feeling the instant heat that the fire created. Chase sat down next to me and I slid closer to him for even more warmth. I rested my head on his shoulder; sipping the hot chocolate and feeling the hot contents go down to my stomach, instantly giving me even more warmth.

The cold air blew Chase's hair messing it up and making me smile. He rested his head on mine and listened to the chatter around us from the other people taking advantage of the heat.

"Yeah, I heard that a couple of kids from Connecticut ran away from home a week or so ago," A lady said to her friend.

I immediately tensed up, feeling my heart beat faster. The hot chocolate definitely didn't make me feel that good anymore. Chase turned to me and gave me comforting eyes, but I knew he was nervous now too.

"Really? What are they doing to find them?" the friend asked.

"Well the girls parents definitely want to find her, but so far the boys parents aren't doing anything to find him," the lady said. "They have a picture of the girl, but no picture of the boy was supplied."

I glanced at Chase, hoping he was okay. But Chase just smiled at me, almost as if he was happy he wasn't being looked for.

"So these kids were a couple?" the friend asked.

"Apparently. The parents of the girl say they have no idea why she ran. They say they were very supportive of the relationship," the lady responded.

It was all I could do to hold back the urge to scream. Supportive? What the heck! Chase rubbed my arm, giving me a secure feeling and my heart started to slow down. The two ladies stood up and one of them glanced at us. She smiled at us and they both headed off to a booth.

I let out a sigh and sat up, taking my head off Chase's shoulder. Our eyes met and I saw concern and love behind his.

"Do you want to go home, Mary?" Chase asked me. "It's been a long day and I know this is hard on you and I don't want you to have to—"

"No, no. It's fine. You're here, that's all that matters to me," I interrupted. I didn't want him to have to leave the fun because of my insecure heart. I just had to learn that the world was big, bad place and I couldn't be hurt by anymore. I had to toughen up.

Chase grabbed my hot chocolate, playfully. I protested, but let him drink. He smiled at me. Then we stood up as the hayrides started. We walked over to the truck and Chase jumped up first, holding out his hand for me. I smiled and took it. People started to load, but it was so dark I couldn't make out the faces.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I believe we have one too many on. Would anyone be willing to get off and right the next one?" The man driving the truck asked.

Chase raised his hand and my eyes widened. I didn't want him to leave. But he kissed my cheek and whispered, "We can go on the next one."

I gave him a weak smile. He hopped off and waved. I waved back and the ride started. Suddenly someone sat next to me.

"Why, hello Mary," a chirpy voice said. Oh. No.

I turned to see the face I least expected.

Mia.

"Glad you could come," she said, offering me a fake smile.

I smiled back, feeling so awkward and vulnerable. She must have sensed my weakness and she jumped on it.

"Where's Chase?" she asked in a honey coated voice.

"He…uh…he had to um…the driver said that there were too many people, so he volunteered to ride the next one," I answered, my voice shaking. I hope she would think that was because of the cold and not because she scared me.

She nodded, as if she understood, but I still saw an evil smile. "Such a good guy." I stared at her features. Her skin wasn't pale but it wasn't really tan, either. Her eyes were a gorgeous blue that shone in the moonlight. Her hair looked perfect, even as the wind messed it up. I could see why Chase fell for her, and I definitely knew why she fell for Chase.

I nodded as well, hoping that we had reached the end of the conversation. I looked away from her, and towards the moon in the sky. But Mia wasn't finished with me yet.

"Have you and Chase had sex yet?" she asked me right out. I tried to hide the surprised look on my face, but I knew she saw it.

"Um…no," I answered, and I knew that's what she wanted to hear.

"Well, when you do, he's really gentle," she said. She wanted to rub this in my face, make me feel even more uncomfortable. And it was working. I was tempted to tuck and roll off the truck.

"That's, uh, that's good," I said, my palms starting to sweat, even though it was freezing outside.

"Yeah, he has a certain way of doing things," she continued, smiling as if she was remembering when they had done it. "But don't forget to give him a lot, too. I did, and I thinks that's why he stayed with me so long," she smiled.

I felt so inadequate at that moment. Give a lot? How was I supposed to know how to do that? I hardly knew what that even meant!

Mia linked her arm with mine and said, "We're going to be good friends, I can tell."

I resisted the urge to jerk my arm away, but instead plastered a huge, fake smile on my face. She bought it and starting talking about everything else. I gave a sigh of relief, feeling thankful she had changed the subject. But I also knew that if she ever found out we had run away and were being searched for, she would be the first to report us.

I was so glad when the ride came to an end, I nearly jumped out. But instead, I nodded goodbye to Mia and headed towards Chase, but she followed me, her arm still linked in mine. When Chase saw this, his eyes widened, shocked.

"Um, hey Mary. How was the ride?" he asked, trying to avoid the seductive looks he was getting from Mia.

I opened my mouth to speak, but Mia beat me to it. "It was amazing! And Mary and I bonded," Mia laughed. "We had some girl talk," she said, winking at me.

Chase looked even more surprised, looking back at me for an explanation. I just shrugged.

"Hey, if we hurry, we could all catch the next one," Mia said, happily, looking at me, and then Chase.

"If you don't mind, Mia, I was hoping to go on this one with just Mary," Chase answered, looking directly at me. Mia let go of my arm and gave me a small smile.

"Okay, well I guess I'll see you guys later," she said. Then she gave a flirty wave and walked away as if she knew everyone was watching her.

"What the heck was that?" Chase asked, the minute she was out of earshot.

"I honestly have no idea," I answered. He smiled at me and took my hand, leading me over to the next hayride. We rode in silence as I thought about what Mia had said about him…them. Give what?

Suddenly, the truck came to a stop. "Sorry, folks, I'm having a little car trouble. I'll have it fixed in a second. You're welcome to look around while you wait," the truck driver said.

"Want to look around?" Chase asked me. I looked around. It was dark, but the moonlight provided some light. The trees looked really scary, but Chase whispered in my ear, "Don't worry. I'm right here."

I smiled and followed him off the back. We walked a little ways, towards the woods. The leaves crunched under feet as we walked. "Do you know where you're going?" I asked Chase. He just gave me a confident smile, but I knew he had no clue. We walked until we came to a large oak.

"Wow," I whispered. The tree looked almost like our tree home. I felt my heart dip into sadness, but I tried to shake it off. This was supposed to be a happy time.

"Would you look at that," Chase commented. We smiled at each other. He had a really beautiful smile. His eyes would shine every time he smiled. And I loved the way his smile made my heart feel. I was addicted to his smile.

We walked over to the tree, almost as if were inspecting it. I glanced at him and realized something. He looked perfect in the moonlight, just like Mia had. His hair was casually messed from the wind, and his brown eyes sparkled. I didn't realize I was staring at his features, and at that moment I didn't even care that he was looking at me like I was crazy.

"What?" he asked, looking down at himself.

I smiled. "Nothing."

He gave me a curious look. "Well, then, why are you looking at me like that?"

"You just look really good in this light," I answered, casually.

He straightened up and posed. "Well, thank you."

"You're welcome," I said, coming close to him so I could kiss his cheek.

In the distance, we heard the truck start back up. I felt nervous, knowing we missed it. Chase just laughed.

"It's okay. We can find our own way back," he smiled.

I smiled back, knowing that this situation had just taken a new turn. We were now alone, in the dark, in the woods. Just us.

He's going to try something, a voice inside my head said.

No he's not! This is Chase we're talking about, another voice said.

I didn't know what to believe. My heart started to beat faster, giving in to the negative side of my brain. I took a small step back, hoping I looked as if I was just looking around.

Run. Run right now. If you leave you can get back to civilization in a matter of minutes, the voice persisted.

Oh come on! You don't know how to get back, you'd just get even more lost, my mind tried convincing me.

But Chase didn't seem to be making any moves. He just nodded for me to follow him. I obeyed and we walked in silence for a while. A sudden burst of wind came out of nowhere, giving me chills. I felt my body shiver and Chase looked over.

"Cold?" he asked. I shrugged, my teeth chattering. He took of his jacket and I widened my eyes. "Here, take this."

I shook my head. "You only have a shirt under that, you'll freeze!"

He didn't listen to me and instead wrapped it around my shoulders. "Chase, come on. I'll be fine," I protested.

But he kissed my head, ignoring my argument. His jacket instantly gave me warmth and comfort. It smelled just like him and he smelled really good. It was like a constant hug from him and I knew I had a huge smile. I watched as Chase walked ahead of me. He only had a thin, long sleeved shirt on, but he didn't seem cold. He did have a beanie, too, and I do love a guy in a beanie.

"Sorry we couldn't finish the hayride," Chase told me, slowing down so he could walk next to me.

I just laughed. "It's fine. My butt was starting to hurt."

He smiled and I got another chance to stare at him. He had perfectly straight and white teeth. I moved my gaze away from his face and look back ahead of us. Suddenly, an owl screeched and I jumped. Chase laughed and I stuck my tongue out at him.

"It's okay," Chase said. "I'm here." He took my hand and I cuddled up into his chest, creating more warmth for both of us.

Finally we reached the huge field and I let out a sigh of relief. "Told you I could get us back," Chase smirked.

"You did, you did," I agreed, laughing. The hayride hadn't come back yet, but people were slowly starting to leave, so Chase suggested we head out, too.

"Okay," I agreed, eager for bed. We headed towards the section where they had us park our cars. Once we approached his black Mustang, we saw a crowed of people around it. Chase stood straighter and approached, looking fearless, ready for confrontation. He loved his car and was very possessive of it. He had worked really hard to buy it and he didn't want anyone to touch it.

A bunch of tough guys were around with Mia and some other girls.

"Excuse me," Chase said, trying to get to his car. They hadn't damaged the car, as far as I could tell, but Mia and some of the other girls were sitting on it and they guys were joking around as the girls laughed flirtatiously.

"Excuse me," one of guys mimicked Chase. The girls laughed, even Mia. I saw Chase clench his jaw and I put my hand on his arm. He looked at me, his face softening. Mia glanced at us. She must have known he was getting angry, and she whispered into her friend's ear. The girl laughed and whispered to one of the guys. I knew Chase hated when people spread stuff around about him.

The guy that had latest received this secret walked over to Chase. Chase glared at him and I saw him make a fist.

"Move," Chase growled.

"Who's gonna make me?" The boy asked. Since he was closer, I saw he had several tattoos. A lot, actually. Chase had some, but not as many as this guy. There was one of a knife and I felt myself get nervous. Chase didn't have anything that dangerous.

"Chase," I whispered.

He ignored me and kept is focus on this guy. "Leave. Now." Chase said, taking a step closer to this guy. Since he had moved, my hand left his arm and I felt nervous. I took a step back, away from the scene. Mia jumped off the hood of the car and came to stand next to this guy.

"Eric," she said, putting her hand on this guys shoulder. "Let's just go, okay."

I glanced at her and she gave me a smirk. I knew she didn't want anything to happen to Chase, but I was mad at myself for not interfering. I could have done something, but I was too scared. But Mia was almost as fearless as Chase and that made me feel inadequate again.

Eric and Chase continued to glare at each other, but Mia tugged on Eric's arm and he finally walked away. The crowd followed him as they headed over to another car. Chase's breathing was hitched and I saw Mia look back and wave. I walked forward, coming close to Chase.

He slowly undid his fist and turned to look at me. "Sorry," he said.

I just smiled, my insides till twisted. "It's fine. You did really good controlling yourself."

He gave me a weak smile and held my door open for me. We were quiet on the way home. I didn't say anything, but instead beat myself up in my head for being such a wimp. The more I thought about, Mia and Chase were a perfect couple. They were both strong and knew what they wanted.

I stared out the window and watched the moon, remembering when I was little. Every time our parents would go on a trip, I always thought the moon was following us and I would laugh. I felt someone look at me and I knew Chase was concerned. I could feel it in the air. We were quiet as he parked the car. He turned the ignition off, took the key out, and sat back. I turned my head to look at him and neither one of us moved.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his eyes looking concerned again. I felt myself melt into his eyes and I found myself glancing at his lips, but I caught myself and quickly looked back up at his eyes.

I gave him a small, fake smile, because I couldn't bring myself to give a real one. "Nothing," I lied.

"Mary, I know you," he unbuckled his seatbelt and came closer to me. "Something's wrong."

My heart started beating faster, aware of the fact that his face was closer than it was a few seconds ago. His eyes stared right into mine and I felt like he could see all my secrets. His gaze was so intense, I had to look away, nervous I would say something I would regret.

I felt Chase unbuckle my seat belt and I realized I had stopped breathing. I pushed the seat belt away and looked back at Chase, whose eyes hadn't left my face.

"I was just thinking," I said, truthfully. He waited patiently for more, but I didn't think I was ready to tell him.

"Okay," he whispered. Then I felt his soft lips crash against mine. I was surprised but worried. I wasn't the girl for him. Mia was. I couldn't let him kiss the wrong girl. I didn't want him to stop kissing me, ever, but I knew it was for the best. Slowly, I turned my head away making our lips loose connection. He opened his eyes and looked at me. I felt tears coming, so I opened the door and ran towards the house. I heard Chase's door open and close.

"Mary!" he called. I paused at the front porch, realizing I still had his jacket. I turned around to see him standing by his car, his hands shoved in his pockets. I felt the first tear come down and I wiped it away with the sleeve of his jacket. "Mary," he said again softly, taking one step closer.

I was quiet. He thought he wanted me, but he didn't. He wanted Mia and I need to remind him of that. It was better if he was with her. They were perfect for each other. And Chase and I were perfect friends. Just friends.

"I can't, Chase," I said, knowing more tears were coming down. "I can't be with you and you can't be with me."

He looked surprised. "What happened? We were having fun at the hayride. What changed?"

"I realized that I'm not the girl for you," I whispered. I angrily wiped more tears away, feeling weak.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, coming even closer. "You're perfect for me."

I shook my head, putting my hand on the doorknob, ready to go in. "I'm not. Mia is. You need to be with her."

His eyes widened and his beautiful brown eyes stared at me again, making me feel worse for having to reject him.

"No. She's not," he said, taking one more step. He was now a few feet away from me. "You are."

I knew the tears were coming down harder now. I could feel my heart breaking. "Chase. It's okay. I'll be okay. I want you to be happy. And you can be happy with her."

"Mary!" Now he looked upset. "That's crazy! I love you more than I can say!"

I turned and went into the house, leaving a stunned Chase on the front porch. I was glad he didn't try to come after me. I don't think I could have handled seeing his face again. It was so perfect in every way. But it wasn't—no, It couldn't—be mine.