Characters: Chase, Zoey
Pairing: Chase/Zoey
Time frame: During Chasing Zoey, because we never found out what happened after they kissed, and Zoey DID call Chase her boyfriend when talking to Michael.
"Can you feel this?" She reached over and grabbed his arm, squeezing it slightly.
"Kind of."
Their eyes locked for the first time in the near six months it had been since they had spoken, on good terms anyways. She felt something changing, a different feeling spread through her as she looked at him. She felt love – real, true love, for the first time in her life.
She barely noticed as she lowered Chase's arm down to the ground slowly, and he didn't break eye contact with her.
"How about this?"
She didn't even have to think about it when she leaned in and softly pressed her lips against his own. She wasn't expecting, though, the spark that came along with it. She lost her train of thought.
Collecting herself, she pulled back for a moment to see his reaction. Shocked at first, he gave a little smile before they both leaned in and closed the space between them once more. The second kiss was even better than the first.
Never in a thousand years would she have ever pictured this moment happening, but she wouldn't take it back. She felt truly happy for the first time in too long, and it was like the hole that she didn't even know existed had been filled at that very moment.
She smiled immediately when they broke the kiss and sighed.
"Yeah, I felt that." His expression was slightly dazed, and she giggled at his loss of words.
"Good."
He smiled back at her.
He sat up and pulled himself up, and she shifted her legs so she was sitting cross legged.
After a moment, they both burst into laughter. It felt good to laugh like this, she decided, and it had been too long since she had.
"What were you thinking, Chase, really?" She said, still smiling at him. "Why didn't you just tell me in the first place?"
He exhaled, smiling back. "I don't know….I was just afraid, I guess."
"Afraid of what?"
"I was afraid that you wouldn't feel the same way, and that things would just be awkward between us."
She rolled her eyes in a jokingly way. "You're my best friend. No matter what. I don't want to lose you ever. Sure, things might have been awkward but we'd get through it."
He laughed slightly. "Guess I was just being dumb."
"Nah, I understand." She said.
"So, question." He said, speaking slowly.
"Ask me." She replied, knowing where this conversation was heading. She didn't really want to talk about James but she knew that it would come up eventually.
"So, Michael told me that you were dating someone?"
She sighed. "I was."
"What happened?"
"He was really sweet, but he was more of a distraction than anything."
"A distraction?"
"I was lonely, and he was there. I missed having you around so I guess I was just trying to fill that hole. I didn't even realize what was happening until now, really." She took a deep breath. "I told you I loved you back in January, remember?"
"Of course I remember."
She giggled. "I didn't even have to think about it when I said it, because I knew it was true. But James gave me this necklace that said 'I love you' on it, and it felt wrong. I couldn't say it back."
"I don't understand…."
She rolled her eyes. "Do I need to say it?"
"Yes please." He replied, a teasing look in his eye.
"I couldn't say it to him because I'm in love with you."
A smile spread across his face. "You don't know how much I wanted to hear that."
They kissed again, longer than before. They only broke the kiss when she started laughing.
"You know, I thought that kissing you would be weird, but surprisingly it's not at all."
He laughed. "That's good to know."
"I just can't get over how oblivious I was over the past three years."
"I must be a pretty good actor then."
She sighed and wrapped her arms around him. He returned the hug.
"I missed you." She mumbled into his chest.
Pulling away, he said, "Well it's my own fault that we got into this mess."
She shook her head. "But you're my boyfriend now so I guess things all worked out."
"Boyfriend?" He said, eyes widening a little. "I could get used to that."
"Well get used to it, Fuzzyhead."
She stood up, and he followed. He took her hand in his own.
"I love you, Zoey Brooks."
"And he finally says it to my face." She said, smiling. "And I love you, Chase Matthews. Now let's hurry, the prom's almost over."