by Amber Heart
“Sounds good.” He glanced back at McKenna. “Talk to you later, okay?”
Her mouth dropped open in shock, but Chase had turned back to Claire. Claire, who was currently doing everything in her power not to burst out laughing at the dumbfounded look on McKenna’s face. Her roommate got up and walked into the living room, pulling her phone out and texting quickly as she went. The smile slid away from Claire’s face. Now it was going to hit the fan.
“You might want to be careful,” she said quietly.
“What?”
“Logan’s not going to like it that you stood up for me.”
Chase looked up to find that Claire had gone pale. “I don’t really give a damn what he likes,” he answered bluntly.
“Yes, you do, you’re his friend.”
“If being his friend means that I have to stand there and listen to other people talk shit about you, then maybe it’s not all that important.”
Sudden tears stung Claire’s eyes and Chase reached out, cupping her chin in his hand and tracing her cheek with his thumb. “What the hell really happened between the two of you?” he asked. He’d promised not to ask before, but he couldn’t hold the question back now.
She shook her head. “I don’t want to...”
“Well, aren’t you all nice and cozy?”
Claire looked around to see Ellie standing in the doorway.
“Is Claire giving you one of her famous sob stories?” the blonde asked, tilting her head and looking at them innocently.
“How about you walk me out?” Chase asked. “It doesn’t look like we’re going to get much more done tonight.”
“Oh, don’t let me stand in your way,” Ellie said as he began to pack away his things. “If you want to be alone with Logan’s ex, I’m happy to leave for a while. Maybe I’ll go see what he’s doing.”
Claire stood and walked Chase out once Ellie had left the room. When he glanced down at her, he saw that her dark eyes were bright with tears. He stopped in his tracks when they spilled down her cheeks. He’d never seen her actually cry before.
“What’s wrong?”
“What’s right? She’s going to be on the phone with Logan in a heartbeat, telling him everything she just saw.”
Chase shrugged. “So what?”
“So you two are friends!” Claire said, her voice ragged. “And you have to play together. And I’m ruining it--”
“No, you’re not!” Chase said firmly, sounding so angry that Claire looked up at him in surprise. “I don’t know what happened between the two of you, but you haven’t done a damn thing to me.”
She barely choked back a sob and he gave in, pulling her in against him. She threw her arms around him and pressed her face into his chest. Chase cupped one hand around the back of her head, holding her close. Her body was shaking as her tears soaked into his shirt.
“Don’t cry,” he said, rocking her gently back and forth and pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “Come on, it’s not worth it. It’s just one guy’s opinion.”
She shook her head. “No! It’s not. He can ruin things for you, Chase, and you don’t deserve it. Not just because of me.”
He cupped her face in his hands. “It’s not just you. But even if it was, it would be worth it to me.”
Her lips parted in surprise. Without thinking, Chase ducked his head and took her mouth with his. She caught her breath, but her arms twined around his shoulders as she went up on tiptoes to return his kiss. He didn’t linger because he knew that she didn’t need the push. But he did enjoy the feel of her lithe body against his. When he pulled back, he did it regretfully.
“It’ll work itself out, Claire.”
She nodded shakily and he traced his thumb over her full lower lip, wanting so much more and knowing better than to push for it.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said. “Go to bed, just ignore it all. None of it matters.”
****
There was a knock on the door of his dorm about thirty minutes after he got home. “Yeah?”
“Hey.”
“What’s up, Logan?” Chase tried not to let his wariness show.
“I guess I just want to know why you lied to me.”
Chase turned fully, staring at him. “What?”
“About Claire.”
“How the hell did I lie to you about Claire?”
“You said she wasn’t your tutor anymore,” Logan said. “And now I hear that you were at her house. So what am I--”
“Look man, Coach Davis assigned her to me. It’s this or I’m off the team.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Chase looked at him. “Because it’s not really any of your business.”
Logan stared at him for a second, shocked into silence. “What the hell does that mean?”
“It means that she’s your ex. And she’s my math tutor. And there’s nothing either of us can do about that.” Not that he would have changed it anyway.
“I’m just...she’s gonna end up doing something to fuck things up for you. You’ve already missed a game because of her.”
“I missed the game because of my own shit,” Chase said. “It didn’t have anything to do with her.”
“Okay...well...she’s a liar through and through, man. I don’t know what she’s told you about me--”
“Nothing,” Chase cut in.
“What?”
“She’s never said a damn thing about you. Because she knows we’re friends.”
“Are we? Because it seems like you wouldn’t have lied to me if we were.”
“I never lied to you. I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt and assuming that you don't know it, but I’ve never even heard her say your name. But you’re all over me about her every time you find out that we’ve been together. It needs to stop.”
Logan’s jaw clenched.
Chase hooked his thumbs in his belt loops and shrugged, keeping his posture as non-confrontational as possible. He really didn't want to get into a fight with Logan. “I’m not trying to start anything with you,” he said honestly. “But I’m getting kind of tired of you hassling me about her.”
“Okay,” Logan said slowly. “Fine. I won’t say a damn thing. Good luck with your trig.”
He walked out. Chase sat down on the edge of his bed and sighed. Now seemed like a good enough time to call his sister. He’d never returned the call she’d given him the day he’d been hungover, for one thing. For another, there was no one else he’d rather go to for advice.
“Chase! It’s about time,” Sydney said in lieu of hello.
“Really? That’s how you start?”
“What do you want? Sweet nothings?”
“No, what I actually want is advice.”
“You can’t see it, but I’m rubbing my hands together in eagerness. What can I help you with?”
He laid the situation out. What Logan had said about Claire, what Claire had said in response, and every detail of their day together.
“So, let me get this straight,” Sydney said. “He talks about how awful she is all the time, but she hasn’t said a single bad thing about him...and he says that he dumped her?”
“Yeah.”
“Bullshit.”
“Do you talk like that in front of my innocent nephews?”
“Eric’s watching them right now. I took ten seconds to go the store for a little peace and quiet. And to advise you on life. This guy sounds like a jealous jackass. I’d be careful.”
“Careful?”
“It seems like he’s got a decent amount of influence. You’re the new kid on the team. And I’m pretty far away. I can’t come and kick his ass for you.”
Chase grinned. “I think I might manage, Syd.”
“Well, if you’re sure. Now. There’s one other thing.”
“What?”
“Is Claire pretty?”
“Oh yeah. She’s got this really long dark hair and she’s pretty tall for a girl. She’s like...” he searched for a
comparison. “Like a dancer. That lean kind of thin, you know?”
“So you love her?”
“No!”
“Do I detect the squeak of a lie?”
“I did not squeak!” he said indignantly.
Sydney laughed. “Okay, but did you lie?”
“I don’t...I don’t love her. I barely know her.”
“Why try to lie to your older sister?”
“Okay, I think she’s really pretty and she’s incredibly nice. But...she’s Logan’s ex, you know?”
“I do know, kiddo. But you might think about Claire’s side of the story. Between her side and his, you’ll figure out the truth.”
“Very sage.”
“I have become wise since producing offspring.”
Chase laughed. “Thanks, Syd.”
“Anytime, Chase. And hey.”
“Yeah?”
“Call me more often, okay? And let me know who ends up being right and who ends up being horrible.”
“Sure thing.”
Chapter 10
Claire gathered all of her courage the next day and walked into the kitchen. She’d spent most of the night trying to figure out how to broach the subject of Logan with her roommate. She still hadn’t come up with a good way, so she’d decided just to be blunt.
“Ellie?”
Ellie turned, looking at her warily. “What?”
“I just..I want to talk to you about Logan.”
Her roommate laughed. “What could you possibly have to say to me about him?”
Claire took a breath and clasped her hands in front of her to keep them from trembling. “I know how this is going to sound,” she said. “But I feel like you need to know. Logan...he’s...he’s an intense guy.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means that you might need to be careful.”
“Are you threatening me?”
“No!” Claire rubbed her temples. “Ellie, I’m just saying that, if you ever feel less than safe with him...”
Ellie sneered. “What? I should come to you?”
“You should know that you can.”
“Okay, I’ll remember that,” Ellie said, rolling her eyes. “It’s like you think Logan didn’t tell me what you really think of me.”
Claire blinked. “What?”
“That you called me Eager Ellie. That you used to make fun of me in front of all the other guys every time I left the room--”
“Ellie, I never did anything like that!”
“Right,” the other girl said sarcastically. “And I should believe you over him?”
“Yes! I was your friend!” Claire said. “We knew each other before I even started dating him!”
Something flickered in Ellie’s blue eyes, but she didn’t reply. She simply walked away from Claire, grabbing her phone off of the counter and heading for her room.
Claire was barely surprised when her phone began to buzz about an hour later. She picked it up and looked at it.
“Are you really going to try to fuck things up with me and Ellie?”
“Are you that jealous, Claire?”
“It’s so pathetic that you think Chase even wants you.”
“He’s telling everyone in the locker room how easy it is to get what he wants from you.”
“Even more people are going to know what a whore you are now. How does that feel?”
She wiped the tears from her cheeks and straightened her back. Enough was enough. She knew Chase and she knew Logan and she knew who was lying. Her fingers were only a little shaky as she made a phone call. Chase’s familiar rough voice answered on the second ring.
“Is everything okay?” he asked without even saying hello first.
Claire took a deep breath but her voice trembled anyway. “Not really. I was thinking and...I think it might be good if you knew exactly what happened between me and Logan after all.”
He didn’t waste time asking what had changed her mind. “How about I pick you up in 10? We can go for a drive.”
“I’ll meet you outside.”
****
Chase parked the truck near the bayou and looked over at Claire. She had been quiet since she got in, but at least she’d stopped shaking about halfway through the drive. “Ready to talk?”
She nodded and took a breath. “Okay. I’ll start at the beginning, if you don’t mind.”
“Go for it.”
“I started dating Logan at the very beginning of freshman year,” she said. “And for the first few weeks, everything was great. I loved that he paid so much attention to me. We talked on the phone for hours every night. Then he started getting annoyed if I didn’t answer my phone or his texts right away. I had to keep my phone on me all the time, even if I was studying for something or trying to write a paper. Then...just sort of gradually...he got more and more controlling. I had to go to all the parties, even if I didn’t really want to. He said he wanted to show me off, but I don’t think that was it. I think he just wanted me to see how important he was. That all the other girl’s wanted him too.”
She looked out the window. “It only got worse the longer we were together. He told me what I could wear and what to eat. He made me work out with him when he thought I was gaining too much weight. And when summer break came around and I thought that I could take some time apart to get my head clear, he made me stay here.”
“What made you decide to leave him?”
“He started...well, he got mad at me a lot more toward the end and he...”
“Did he hit you?” Chase asked tightly.
“No. He only shoved me a few times. But I knew that I had to end it. I used to volunteer at a women’s shelter in high school and I knew all the signs. It was only going to get worse. So I broke up with him at the beginning of the semester.”
Chase reached out and pulled her against him. She pressed her face against his chest.
“But he won’t let it go,” she said tiredly. “And he said all these horrible things about me afterward...and I don’t think anyone would even believe me if I told them.”
“Honestly, I wouldn’t have,” Chase said. “I mean...I believed the things he said about you.” He tilted her chin. “I am so sorry, Claire.”
“It’s okay. Everyone believes him.” She wiped her eyes and jumped as her phone buzzed.
“Can I?” Chase asked.
She handed him the phone and he opened the message. She saw his jaw clench as he scrolled through. “He’s been texting you shit like this since you dumped him?”
Claire nodded, tears finally spilling over. “Almost every day. If he’s not texting, he’s calling. He tells me I’m a whore, that I’m a bitch, a slut...” Her voice broke. “He’s only the second guy I’ve ever been with.”
“You could fuck everybody on campus and it wouldn’t give him the right to say that,” Chase said furiously.
Claire gave a laugh through her tears. “You really are a feminist.”
“Damn straight.” He wrapped his arm around her again and held her until she’d stopped crying. “What do you want to do, Claire?”
“I just want to move on,” she said, looking up at him. “I’m so tired of all of this, Chase.”
“I’m gonna do everything I can help with that,” he said. “Starting by having a talk with Logan.”
“Actually, would you start by kissing me again?” she asked, her voice almost shy.
Chase lowered his head, taking her mouth with his. For this kiss, he took his time, teasing her tongue with his, making her catch her breath against his lips. He felt her fingers clench on his shirt when he moved to pull back. He didn’t want to get too carried away.
She tugged him back down to her. “No, don’t stop, Chase.”
“Are you sure?” he asked between kisses that felt better than he’d even known a kiss could feel. “I don’t want you to regret anything later.”
Claire kissed her way down his neck, making him groan. “I’m sure, Chase.”
> He drew back to study her face. There was no hesitation there, just open and honest desire. His heart skipped a beat or two and he slid across the bench seat, pulling her into his lap. Then Chase finally got to do what he’d been imagining since their first tutoring session. He buried his hands in her dark hair, tugged her head back and kissed her breathless. She gripped his shoulders, meeting him kiss for kiss and with equal desperation.
