A/N: Thank you all for your reviews. I am so glad you liked my previous chapter. It was so much fun to write! Anyways, I just wanted to thank all of you and give a little "hello" to Amanda and tell her thank you for mentioning me in her profile. Also, I mentioned her in mine so if she gets the chance, she should go check it out! Anyways, here's Chapter 12, so that Bethy doesn't go falling out of her seat!
12
Chad Dylan Cooper, for the first time in his life was at a complete and utter loss for words. He had no idea what to say or what to do. Anything he could say sounded like the wrong thing and he'd hate himself forever if he screwed this up. Sonny Monroe had just kissed him and was offering herself up as his girlfriend and he was just standing there, dumbfounded. Everything that had taken place in the past three minutes was almost too good to even be imaginable.
Chad took a deep breath before sitting down on the porch swing, his shoulders collapsing with the weight of everything. He had a million thoughts streaming through his head and it was taking too long to organize them. He had to come up with something, say something, anything!
"It's cold."
Wow, Chad chided himself, way to go Cooper. She kisses you and asks to be your girlfriend. This is the moment you've been waiting for, praying for since the moment you met her and all you can say is that it's cold outside? Of course it's cold outside! It's freaking snowing! What is wrong with you?
"Do you…do you want to go inside?" Sonny suggested.
"No," Chad shook his head, "I just…I just want to sit."
"Alright."
Sonny went over and sat next to him. Neither said a word; neither knew what to say. The tension was as thick as the frozen lake a few miles away from the house. Sonny began to doubt if even the sharpest of knives could cut it.
"I'm sorry," Sonny apologized, "I shouldn't have…I mean, I wanted to but I can see that…that it probably screwed up everything and I am so sorry…"
"No," Chad paused, "No, don't be. I mean, I'm glad you did. I wanted you to and it hasn't screwed up anything at all. I am sorry I haven't been able to say anything the least bit intelligent. It's just that I don't exactly know what to say."
"A yes would be great," Sonny suggested.
Chad put his arm around her and pulled her into a hug. He sat there with his arm around her for quite some time. She was beginning to grow agitated. Why couldn't he, why wouldn't he, just say yes. It wasn't that hard. It was just three little letters – a y an e and an s.
"You know," Chad chuckled, "When I first met you, Sonny Monroe, you absolutely blew me away. You were smart and funny and pretty and you weren't afraid to insult me back unlike the rest of your cast. You marched up to the set of Mackenzie Falls and demanded your parking space back and you weren't going to leave me alone until I agreed with your terms."
"I remember," Sonny nodded.
"And we played musical chairs and it was just down to the two of us…"
"Because Nikko just had to act like a complete moron when Portlyn wanted the chair," Sonny rolled her eyes at the memory.
"Yeah," Chad smirked, "And you and I were insulting each other and really digging in deep. Everything I threw at you, you threw right back without the least bit of hesitation. And then at my party, you weren't afraid to be the only one to say no."
"I still don't know why it bothered you so much."
"Because," Chad sighed, "You were the only one I really wanted there and you were the only one that said no."
"But I did show up."
"With no gift and you ruined the whole party and you got cake on my silk shirt and…and I…I never stopped liking you, even after all of that. I wanted you to be mine, Sonny Monroe. And when you asked me to be your fake date because of James I…I can't even tell you how happy I was."
"We were pretty good together," Sonny mused.
"He was such a jerk and you deserved so much more. I really wanted to punch that moron in the nose, you know and not because he stole my phone but because he was hurting you. I didn't want to let him get away with that and at the same time, I didn't want our fake date to end. I wanted that night to last forever."
"Me too," she admitted, wishing he would get on with a simple yes or no.
"You just deserve so much, Sonny and I…I don't know if I can give you that," Chad's eyes fell, unable to meet hers.
"Chad," Sonny put her head on his shoulder, "You are more that I could ever ask for, more than I should ask for. I mean, look at all that you've done for me! You let me come home for Christmas! You let me be with my family! You are sweet – despite what you want people to think – and I couldn't ask for anyone better than you."
"Alright," Chad's shoulders heaved, "I'll be your boyfriend."
"Well don't get so excited," Sonny's voice was sharp with acrimony.
"It's just…I don't know how Mackenzie Falls will react and I don't want them to hurt you. I don't want anything to hurt you, not them and not me."
"You?" Sonny asked, her brow creased with perturbation.
"Yes," Chad closed his eyes, trying to find the right words, "I don't want to hurt you because…because you deserve someone who isn't like me: who isn't stuck up, who isn't rude and selfish and who doesn't think is face is worth about as much as the Mona Lisa."
"Chad, that isn't you. That is someone who you pretend to be in front of your cast mates. You are so much more than that. I've seen how much more you can be!"
"To be honest," Chad admitted, "I never thought of myself as anything other than stuck up and selfish. Since I was young, I had everything. I just fell into character I guess."
"Well save that character for the cameras, Cooper! You are so much more. You've already proved it to me; now prove it to yourself!" Sonny arrogated before adding heatedly, "I dare you!"
"You know me too well, Monroe," Chad smirked, giving her a light kiss on her head, "I can never deny a dare. Especially one from you."
He stood up from the swing and offered her a hand up which she accepted. As they walked in the front door, he didn't take his hand from hers, or hers from his. The instant they walked through the front door, Sonny's parents and grandparents quickly moved away from the window where they had been watching not-so-very inconspicuously.
"I can't believe you guys!" Sonny shook her head, "No privacy what so ever!"
"Well," Mimi shrugged casually, "We just had to make sure everything was going well."
"And that I wouldn't have to go out and give that boy of yours a swift whack in the head with my snow shovel," Grandpa playfully punched Chad in the arm, "Now I don't know about you people but all this spyin' about has got me hungry. What do you say we get this Christmas dinner started?"
Everyone agreed and gathered around the table to eat. Chad and Sonny, of course, set next to each other, their hands intertwined underneath the table – both blushing and both sending secret, smiling, glances to each other from the corners of their eyes – both thinking this truly was the best Christmas ever.
A/N: So I think this chapter is by far my personal favorite and of course, I could just end it at that but I won't. There's still so much of this story that is begging me to be told so look forward to Chapter Thirteen – coming soon!
