***Disclaimer: I do not own Sonny With a Chance***
A week had gone by, and Sonny had still not seen Chad. Their drive home after the "disagreement" was silent and awkward, and they had parted without even saying goodbye.
She wanted to thank Chad so badly. She knew that if he had not helped her, she could have gotten seriously hurt. James would definitely not come near her again, for which she was eternally grateful.
Chad had been so brave and protective, past any limit that a friend would have. Sonny was honestly shocked, especially after he was so cold to her earlier that day. She would never be able to tell him how much that had hurt her.
Sonny knew it was a bad idea to have let James into her dressing room, but she was thinking that she would be able to hear an apology, and perhaps then be able to move on. Instead, he locked the door behind him and started demanding, not asking, that she come back to him. Sonny was scared, knowing that she wouldn't be able to fight him off. James told her to stay quiet, and that it would get ugly if she called for help. She told him he was being ridiculous, and yelled at him to stop. Of course, he then crossed the room and tried to get closer to Sonny. She ran around the couch, trying to avoid him, but he was much too fast. He grabbed her by the arms and forced her to stop.
As if answering her prayers, Chad then burst through the door. She had never been so happy to see him.
Chad had then conveniently got sick for three days, and suddenly chose to never eat in the cafeteria or take the shortest route to his show, which passed the So Random! set. It was obvious he was avoiding her, but she could not figure out why. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Sonny missed seeing her blonde haired hero every morning and lunchtime. She missed Chad more than she had ever missed James in the past.
Sonny was determined to find Chad and say thank you, no matter how long it took.
* * *
"He has to come out here eventually!" Sonny whispered to herself as she paced outside the Mackenzie Falls set. "I know they're filming today. He'll have to come out." She waited patiently and watched the rest of the cast file out of the door. Each of them stopped, glared at her for a moment, and then continued on their way.
Finally, Sonny saw Chad step out into the hallway.
"Chad!" Sonny said, surprising him.
"Sonny!" Chad jumped a little, not expecting to see her. He turned around quickly and rushed back through the door, slamming it behind him.
"Chad, wait!" Sonny followed him through the doorway. He was walking extremely fast, and Sonny had to jog in order to catch up to him. "Chad, slow down! I have to tell you something!"
Chad stopped abruptly, and turned around to face Sonny. He jammed his hands in his pockets and looked her dead in the eye. "Look, I'm sorry I hit your boyfriend. I guess I just thought you were in trouble, and I overreacted. I'd understand if you don't want to talk to me anymore, so you don't have to say it. I'll just stay away."
"My boyfriend? What? What are you talking about?"
Chad looked confused. "You looked so terrified and hurt after I hit him; I figured I had just misunderstood. It's ok, though. His doctor said his bruises would heal in no time. So you can go back to kissing him soon. Don't you worry. I won't bother you anymore."
Sonny laughed, finally understanding. "Chad, I'm not with James. I hate James. And I was terrified of him, not you. I came to thank you. No one has ever done anything like that for me before." She smiled a shy smile. "I…I was so afraid he was going to hurt you. If you got hurt because of me I…I don't know how I would live with myself." Chad's sparkling eyes gazed into hers, as if he could see right through to her soul.
"Really, Sonny?" Chad asked, but his voice was soft and sincere. "Really?"
Suddenly, a light bulb went off in Sonny's head. She understood why they fought, why she had been so happy that he saved her, and why her heart fluttered every time he was near. "Yeah, Chad. I know we fight a lot, but I really…"
"Really what?"
"I really care about you. More than I should. A lot more. But I know we're just friends, barely friends, so I'm just going to try and stop-"
Chad put his finger to her lips. "Don't you dare stop," he whispered, pulling her to him. He clutched her perfect hair and kissed her lightly on the lips. She remained perfectly still, and he pulled his head back, afraid he had misunderstood.
Sonny threw her arms around his neck and kissed him back. "Don't you dare stop." She laughed and smiled Chad's favorite smile.
"Fine." Chad kissed her again, this time not willing to stop. The kiss grew deeper, and their many months of fighting and hate dissolved into passion. Chad's heart sang; he was certain that he was dreaming.
Finally, they slowly broke apart, both of them desperately needing air. They kept their faces close, looking deeply into each other's eyes.
"Definitely fine," Sonny remarked, kissing him again.
"Most definitely, definitely good," Chad agreed. He was beaming. He could not remember ever feeling so happy.
Sonny giggled, feeling giddy. She kissed Chad's handsome face over and over, unable to get enough of his perfect lips.
Chad hugged her tight; so tight that she lifted off of the ground, and he spun her around in a circle, both of them laughing and smiling and holding the other close.
"You were the one who sent me the roses, weren't you?" Sonny said as Chad returned her to the floor. She smiled her sly, knowing smile.
Chad laughed nervously. "Psh, Chad Dylan Cooper doesn't send flowers…hehehe…psh…"
Sonny hit him playfully on the arm. "I knew it. And you hit me on the back of my head that night at Arcadia! You were stalking me!"
"I prefer spying. It's more protective. I had to make sure I'd be there if you needed me." Chad flashed her his guilty, puppy dog eyes. "Are you mad at me?"
Sonny grinned. "Yes I am. Now you must be punished." She gave him a quick peck on the lips.
Chad laughed, and put on his best mock-serious face. "I have learned my lesson."
Sonny looked into Chad's eyes, and felt like she had found her place in the world. She was home.
Chad gazed back, gently brushing his fingers against her cheek. His heart knew it had found its match.
And there, under the artificial stars of Mackenzie Falls, where so many hearts had been crushed and broken…
There was love.
