AN: An update for Vacancy in less than a week? That's rare... I must really be getting into the story now.
As always, I want to thank you all for your continued support. Enjoy. :)
The sun had completely set below the horizon now. Chase laid in the grass where his verbal confrontation with Marshall took place not too long ago. He continued to mentally beat himself up for the hurtful things that he had said and for the way that he had acted.
I took a step forward and then set myself two steps back… I caused him to hate me again… As he was deep in his thoughts, his pup-tag began to light up before a female's voice began to come out of the speaker.
"Chase? Where are you? You and Marshall just left out of nowhere… Is everything ok?" Skye asked as she stared out the lookout doors worriedly. Chase didn't respond. He just continued to lie there. "Chase? Hello?"
"I'm ok Skye… I just went out to Big View Trail to get some fresh air." Chase answered.
"Oh… Ok." Skye replied. "That reminds me, I checked the weather and tomorrow will be a perfect day to have our picnic." She said, closing her eyes with glee.
"That sounds great…" She heard Chase say. She could sense something was wrong within his tone of voice.
"Are you sure everything's alright Chase? You sound a little… sad; in fact, you've seemed a little different all day." Skye said, her worried expression returning.
"Yeah, don't mind me." Chase said, trying to change the tone of his voice. "I just have a lot on my mind right now." He forced a smile.
"Oh… Well if you feel like talking about it, I'm here to listen." She assured him as she turned her gaze to the floor.
"Thanks Skye, but I'll be fine. I just need to relax, that's all." Chase said.
"...Ok. I'll see you when you get back then. I'd like to watch a movie with you and snuggle." Skye said, with a mischievous grin before lightly blushing.
"That sounds great. I'll see you then…"
"Love you, Chase." The sound of a kiss could be heard through Chase's speaker.
"Love you too, Marshall." Said Chase in return. He quickly realized his blunder as his eyes shot open. Luckily, Skye had missed the last part of the sentence and hung up. Chase's cheeks turned to a rosy pink. That didn't mean anything… I just said Marshall in place of Skye, because I was thinking about the situation between me and Marshall. Chase thought, trying to convince himself. In any case, he was just relieved that Skye didn't hear.
Going back into his thoughts, he recalled his conversation with Marshall from a month ago.
"Marshall, no… Just no. I love Skye… and even if I didn't, you're a guy. That's just… not right to me. It's just… weird. I won't hold anything against you for it, but I can't feel that way about you."
"Just forget it! Forget this whole conversation! I knew it was a mistake to try and tell you… It was stupid of me to even try!"
As Chase recalled these moments, his ears suddenly picked up the light sound of footsteps in the grass. He turned his head and caught a glimpse of white fur and black spots and quickly got up. "What do you want?" Chase asked in a very annoyed tone. There standing before him was Joey.
"I need to talk to you." Joey said.
"Talk to me? What could we possibly have to talk about? There's nothing good that I want to say to y-"
"It's about Marshall." Joey interrupted, surprising Chase.
"Marshall? What about Marshall?"
Joey walked a bit closer to Chase. "I want to give you a chance." Joey said.
Chase raised his eyebrow before backing up. "Give me a chance? What are you talking about?" He asked.
"I know… I know that you love Marshall." Joey answered, causing Chase's eyes to widen in surprise.
"I have a girlfriend. Marshall's just a friend to me. I don't like males. Not in that way. So who are you to try and tell me who I love?" Chase replied, slightly frustrated.
"Why else would you spy on us, not once, but twice?"
"Huh?" Said Chase, surprised.
"I know you were there… that time at the restaurant." Joey answered. Chase's eyes widened. "I didn't know who you were at the time or why you were watching us, but I decided to let you be."
"I… I was just… I was just trying to see if people really enjoyed the food." Chase said, trying to defend himself, but mentally smacked himself after realizing what a ridiculous excuse that was.
Joey sighed at Chase's response. "Chase… That's your name, right?" Joey said, as he looked Chase in the eye. "...I love Marshall." Chase felt his body grow cold at Joey's last words. "I can tell… that you love Marshall too. I could tell just by watching the way you two interact."
Chase stared at the ground. "Marshall's like a brother to me… I'm just protective of him. That's all." Chase answered.
Joey closed his eyes. "Let me tell you a story. A story of two friends…" As Joey spoke, Chase turned his attention back to him. "There was a dalmatian and a german shepherd… The two were the best of friends, inseparable. One day, the shepherd approached the dalmatian with a deep secret. The shepherd told the dalmatian… that he loved him. The dalmatian, shocked and confused by the sudden confession began to freak out. The shepherd took a chance. He hugged his friend… and kissed him. The dalmatian became enraged. He then pushed the shepherd to the ground and said terrible things before running away from him. The shepherd was heartbroken by his friend's reaction. His friend, who pushed him down and said horrible things to him… Who said they could no longer be friends. Afterwards, the shepherd didn't show his face to the dalmatian again."
As Joey continued, Chase started to notice many similarities within his story. "Weeks passed by and the dalmatian couldn't stop thinking about the shepherd. He kept telling himself that he was only thinking of the shepherd out of guilt for his own words and actions, but he also thought of the kiss. Thinking about the kiss didn't bring him anger or resentment towards the shepherd. Instead, it made him want to see the shepherd… To give him a kiss of his own… To make everything right again. That same day, the dalmatian began to come to terms with himself. The feelings that he had kept deep down for the shepherd were strong and he needed to see him right away. When the dalmatian made it to the shepherd's house, he found that he was gone. The shepherd's owner had moved a week before… The dalmatian was guilt ridden and torn apart. He would never be able to apologize. He would never be able to tell the shepherd of his true feelings…"
As Joey finished his story, Chase stared at him intently. Joey lowered his head. "That dalmatian… was me." he said, surprising Chase. He then turned his attention back to Chase. "Marshall has already confessed to you once before, hasn't he?" Chase was silent at Joey's question. "I could feel it. The way you two argued; the scene was so familiar. That's why I know how you really feel. I was just like you. That's why… I want to give you a chance. A chance to come to terms with your true feelings. If you can't do that much, then I'll make Marshall mine." Chase was speechless. "Marshall reminds me so much of him… To me, Marshall is a second chance." Joey finished.
Chase looked to the ground once more. "I already told you-"
"Lie to me, lie to Marshall, even lie to yourself." Joey said interrupting him. "But what you can't lie to… is your own heart." Joey's words caught Chase off guard. Joey turned his back to Chase. "I'm giving you the chance that I wish I could have had back then… I don't want you to suffer like I did. Don't waste this opportunity. The vacancy you created will be filled in a matter of time." With those last words from Joey, Chase watched as he walked off into the trail until he was out of sight.
Chase sat in silence for a while before falling back onto the grass. "He really irritates me." He said. "Sticking his nose where it doesn't belong… and then comparing himself to me." Chase breathed a heavy frustrated sigh before closing his eyes.
"There are no true feelings."
