Risky Business

"Tell me that you live for love

That forever is never enough

That you waited all your life to see,

That you want to badly to believe,

Tell me that it's not just me."

-17-

December 23, 2014

Teaching me how to skate apparently meant Chad getting me on the ice, having me stand on the ice for a second, then skating around me in circles singing Prince… then backing away three feet and telling me to come to him, like I was a baby learning how to walk.

I huffed and puffed and knew that Chad had challenged me, and that I had to at least try.

Try being the operative word.

Three days after Chad's lesson, I find myself sprawled out on Aubree's bed (Aubree eating popcorn in my lap), with my left foot elevated on a pile of pillows, ice wrapped around it.

For some odd, inexplicable reason, I didn't have to go to the Christmas-Ice party, or whatever it was called.

I mean, it must have nothing to do with the fact that, when Chad beckoned me, I made the mistake of lifting my right foot off the ground, letting my left one skid, and then…somehow, break in three different places.

You know what Chad said after I fell, and starting tearing up because of the pain?

"You really can't skate, Sonny." (He laughed.)

You know what I said?

"No shit, Sherlock."

Of course, I had to be the one to break something to prove it to him. What are best friends (that kiss each other sometimes) for anyway?

"Is it feeling any better?" This comes from the pain-in-my-foot (foot pones ass…because it's literal) best friend who walked into the room with a sad look on his face, grabbed a handful of his niece's popcorn, and sat on the edge of her bed. I just scowled at him.

"I'm really sorry, Sonny." Aubree's looking between Chad and I like a deer caught in head lights, and, quite truthfully, a little peeved. I'm pretty peeved too. Besides my ultra-bitter thoughts towards Pain-In-Foot-Cooper, he's also interrupting Finding Nemo. And, of course, because Pain-In-Foot-Cooper has brilliant timing, he had to interrupt the part where Dory sings "Just Keep Swimming". It's the best part in the movie.

Damn him.

"Uncle Chad, you're interrupting Dory's song." Brilliant kid. I thought about squeezing her, but that might make her choke on the popcorn she just stuffed down.

"Once again," Chad said, not taking his eyes off of me, "I'm sorry." He looked like he was about to cry.

"Kissing her might make it better." Aubree. Not so brilliant.

Before I could glare at the kid, Chad placed his fingertips under my chin, drew my lips softly to his, kissed them, and drew back.

Not before whispering in my ear that he loved me.

And then he walked out of Aubree's room.

Damn him.

Ooo000ooO

December 24, 2014

He whispered that he loved me.

Cool. Kewl. Coolerooo.

Chad's told me that he's loved me before. In fact, he's said it plenty of times. In his texts, it's always, 'I less than three you' (all typed out, because he's Chad), or when we're done talking on the phone, it's 'I love ya'. Or…more often than not, when I've set him up with extras from a movie that I've been working on, it's: 'I love you soooooo much, Sonbeam! You're a pal!' – Which always gets me ecstatic. Not.

But, you see, my problem is that he's never whispered the words I. Love. You before. And before, when he was throwing those three words at me, we weren't on our little "deal". We weren't plastering on a big charade in front of every single person that we knew, and we also hadn't kissed, or really cuddled, or kissed some more.

And Chad never had tears in his eyes before.

And Chad never had told me that after kissing me lightly…beautifully.

In the midst of my thoughts, I decided that I needed to groan loudly (out of frustration, because of Chad), roll over, and bury my head in my pillow. However, I had a small dilemma.

It's safe to say that bed pigs run in the family.

Aubree's legs were securely wrapped around my torso, her small chest on mine, her little head in the crook of my neck, and her hands on the sides of my face.

Also…she was still amazing. So how in the hell she'd ever gotten into this position, I didn't want to know. But I also knew that her husband would need to be one who liked to spoon. And if he was a cuddler, he'd be a very happy man.

Eww.

I cringed, my thoughts momentarily escaping Chad (and his lips, and those three words), and focusing on Aubree getting married.

Now, she'd be getting married in her forties, which would mean that I'd be…ewww. But hopefully I'd be married to Chad, or a Chad lookalike, with a few babies of our own.

I sighed, squirming a little so I could reach my phone on Aubree's nightstand to see if I had any texts.

- Text: From CDC (12:00 am) –

Happy Christmas Eve! I'd come in and wake you, but ur 2 pretty wen u sleep.

-Text from Jill (8:45 am) –

Hey cus! Wear the red lacy thong with the red lacy corset for Chad 2nite! It's Christmas Eve after all.

Chad's text made me blush and smile. Jill's made me cringe, look down at Aubree to make sure she wasn't up, and then shudder.

What a lovely family I have. Happy Christmas Eve, indeed.

And...since when did I own a red lacy corset, nonetheless a thong? I mean…seriously, built in wedgies?

But, oh, right – all perverted things are possible with Jill.

And now…now I just had to get Aubree off of me so I could go through with this Christmas Eve/ Christmas deal and try to avoid Chad.

Avoiding Chad didn't work out too well. It never does.

I managed to get Aubree off of me, and then the second that I walked into the kitchen (in pajamas nonetheless), Chad greeted me with a Starbucks mug and a plate of chocolate chip pancakes, smothered in chocolate syrup and whipped cream.

I was fixing to tell him how deeply in love with him I was, but then I thought the better of it.

"So, Sonny, I guess it's just you and me today." I looked from my pancakes, to my Starbucks cup, to Chad, and then back at the pancakes. Huh?

I looked from the pancakes to Chad again, and shivered, noticing how painstakingly close to me he was standing.

Then again, I shouldn't have been shocked. We've kissed before. But still.

"Huh?" Moving away from Chad, I plopped down on one of the barstools by the counter, sat my plate of pancakes in front of me, and finally took a sip of my Starbucks. Toffee mocha. I sighed happily.

"After Aubree wakes up, Jamie and Jase are taking her to Disneyland. They probably won't be back until ten or eleven. Do you have anything in mind?"

Disneyland? On Christmas Eve?

I glanced at Chad who was staring at me, waiting for an answer. Disneyland on Christmas Eve…Something was not adding up.

"Why are they going to Disneyland on Christmas Eve opposed to all of the other days of the year that they could've gone?" Chad rolled his eyes, apparently expecting this.

"Why not?" He shrugged, walked up behind me, and placed his hands on my shoulders. "And since you have nothing in mind for the day, I know exactly what we're going to do." His voice carried a happy tone to it, and I took another swig of my toffee coffee. Before I could swallow though, Chad brushed my hair to the side, placing a kiss on the back of my neck, nearly making me choke.

Chad had a plan…and I wasn't so sure if I wanted to find out what it was.

Three hours later, with Jamie, Jason, Aubree, and future-kid out of the house, I found myself on the middle of a nature trail with Chad. In a wheel chair. Because apparently he thought that it would be educational and interesting…my ass.

I would've rather stayed at home and watched "The Elf" or "A Christmas Story" - something with substance. Not a flipping trail with literally no wild life except for bugs (that bite) on Christmas Eve.

I was going to kill him.

That was, you know, after he pushed me the five miles back to the house and all.

"Chad, can we-" I stopped from saying another word, seeing as how he was sending yet another text message.

Ever since he pushed me out to this crap-load of a place, he's been texting. Probably to some girl that he has yet to tell me about. With that thought, my heart gave a little tug of jealousy.

But seriously, he hasn't even spoken to me since he stopped pushing me. And it's been hours.

"Sure, Sonny." And just like that, I was being pushed back to the house, the wind nipping at my face, and my left foot and leg aching miserably.

"So, Sonny, you're hair looks nice today." I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms. What the hell kind of conversation starter was that between two best friends?

But from the beginning, I knew. I knew that this whole fake-dating thing would be a mistake. That everything would always be awkward between us. That nothing would ever be the same again.

I was head over heels in love with him. But to Chad, it didn't matter.

I was going to die alone. I was going to-

"We're here," Bitch Best Friend interrupted my thought process (and silent treatment), by lifting me out of my chair, walking up the steps to the house, opening the door, not bothering to put me down as he continued to walk ever so slowly throughout the house, heading in the direction of the family room.

I sensed that something was off. First off, I could smell the fireplace. And then when Chad brought me into the family room, my eyes widened and my heart skipped a beat.

The fireplace was lit, and so were about two dozen other candles surrounding the couch. There were chocolate covered strawberries and mugs of – what seemed to be – hot chocolate spread across the coffee table.

I shifted in Chad's arms so I could look at him. He was smiling, and he had a look in his eyes that I'd never seen before.

"You're heavy." Chad quit smiling long enough to open his ugly mouth (with ridiculously beautiful lips, and perfect teeth, and a wonderful breath), and plop me down on the couch, taking a seat next to me.

Gee, thanks. How romantic.

"What did they do, set this up thinking that we needed some time alone together because they still think that we're faking it?" I was rambling because my heart was racing and my palms were sweating, and Chad's eyes were dancing as he looked at me, and started leaning closer.

"No Sonny," Chad shook his head, "I asked Jamie and Jason to do this."

Heart. In. Throat.

I gulped.

"Mwahuh?" Honestly, I should be a professional poem-writer, or whatever they call it. Poetic? Poemetic? Poet? Oh. Duh. I am losing it.

"Sonny," The mere way that he said my name chills through me, "there's something that I've wanted to tell you for a while now. And I think that you know. And I think I gave you some hints when I kissed you when we weren't putting on a show for people. I think that I-"

Chad decided to stop long enough so that he could take my hands in his, and I silently prayed that he couldn't hear my heart hammering.

"I don't want to put on a show for people anymore." And enter my heart breaking now. I could immediately feel tears spring into my eyes. I wanted to brush them away with my hands, but Chad was still holding my hands, and I didn't want him to have to let go yet.

But course he didn't want to put on a show anymore. He probably had a new girlfriend who he really was in love with, and he had Jamie and Jason light the fireplace and sit out chocolate covered strawberries to make me feel better.

"I know I've said this a million times before, but I want to make this real Sonny. Completely real." My heart was having a seizure of its own, because it was utterly confused. Speeding up, slowing down, stopping altogether, and then racing again.

"You're my best friend, Sonbeam. And I know it's probably breaking some unwritten rule; I know you probably don't feel the same way too, but I've fallen for you. I'm completely, utterly, undeniably in love with you."

Crap.

00000

Lyrics: Hummon, M; Demarcus, J – It's Not Just Me by Rascal Flatts

A/N: So…a lot of you wanted some kind of action. Was this chapter okay? :D I really hoped that you liked it! Finally, Chad told her!

And once again, I want to thank all of you for reading and reviewing this!

Also…I don't normally call out issues, but I received a review that said "this story would be so much better if you didn't keep trying to shove your
religion and beliefs down our throats once every chapter." On that note, I do add a little Christianity in because I write about what I know and love, and if I do become a professional writer, it would be my dream to write Christian fiction. I understand this is fan fiction, but I also understand that all people have their beliefs – and why not let fictional characters have theirs as well? And since no one else has commented on it, I'm guessing that you don't think I'm "shoving it down your throat". On that note, if you do feel that way, I am truly sorry. For myself, I know that there is going to be at least one thing about something that I don't really care for, but I see past that and enjoy it anyways…And I hope that you do to with this story. It's a Chad/Sonny romance (where Sonny is heavily sarcastic), and I hope that is why you read it. I try to make my characters seem as real as possible. I also realize that this anonymous reviewer "Truth" was just hoping to upset me…But he/she just succeeded in making me appreciate you sweet readers even more. And I'd sing some Enrique and Uncle Kracker to you…but you get my gist. :)

I really hope that you liked the chapter! Chad finally grew a pair! Rejoice!

-Aly

PS. Have an awesome Halloween. I'd love to hear what you went as!