Surviving for Us

by Lauren Nicole

  I grab ahold of the side of her face as my lips meet hers. This kiss isn’t desperate or needy. This is a kiss that you wait a lifetime for. The one that means everything. All too soon, I force myself to pull away from her.

  “I’m always here to talk, baby. If you need anything you call me.”

  “Okay, Chase,” she says quietly.

  I gently wipe the lone tear that escapes. “Bye, Angie.” I give her a quick kiss before turning to walk away. I can’t stay there any longer or it will make it worse. I turn around just in time to see the truck leaving. I feel like my heart just left with her. I hate this feeling. These next couple of months better fly by.

  Chapter 15

  Angie

  Three Months Later

  These past few months have been difficult but have passed quickly, thankfully. Between talking to Chase every day and work getting busier, I haven’t had too much downtime. Jenn moved in just over three months ago. I’m happy she’s here to help pass some of the moments when I find myself not busy. I’ve been finding it extremely hard to be away from him for this long. With my last serious relationship ending the way it did, I still am fearful. Even though I really shouldn’t, I’m still waiting for the phone call to tell me that it’s over. I know I shouldn’t think like that with Chase though, he has been nothing but sweet and caring for me. I find myself falling for him more and more every day and honestly, that scares the crap out of me.

  Rolling over in bed, all I can think about is tomorrow. Chase is flying in first thing in the morning. I’m excited to see him, but I am also nervous. I don’t know where our relationship will go now that he is home. Will he still want to date me, or will he want to see other girls? I hate the unknown. I would love to say that we could just pick up where we left off, but I’m not so sure we can. Hopefully, everything will be fine and it’s just my mind messing with me. As I’m deep in thought, my phone vibrates next me. I pick it up and see it’s Chase calling me.

  “Hello,” I say quietly.

  “Good morning, beautiful. Did I wake you?” He sounds chipper, considering they are a couple hours behind us.

  “Nope, I’m just in bed.”

  “I wish I could be there with you, especially in bed.” He chuckles. “I can’t wait to see you tomorrow. I can’t really talk right now, I have to get ready, but I just wanted to hear your voice one more time.” He sounds sad.

  I smile. “I’m glad you called, I like hearing your voice first thing in the morning. I’ll be waiting at the airport for you.” We say our goodbyes and hang up. I clutch the phone to my chest, sad that our conversation is over. He asked me about a week ago to pick him up. I’m excited to be the first to see him.

  As I’m about to get out of bed, there is a knock on my bedroom door. “I’m up,” I yell, as Jenn opens the door and jumps on my bed. I can’t help but laugh at her.

  “I thought I heard you talking in here,” she says as she lies down next to me.

  “Yes, Chase called.”

  “Nice. I know you have a hair appointment today, so why don’t we make it a spa day?”

  That actually doesn’t sound like a bad idea. Plus it’s a way to keep my mind busy. “That sounds perfect, Jenn.”

  I shower and get ready quickly. A girl’s day before Chase gets here will be wonderful. We don’t seem to get many of those because most nights she is at Chris’s house. I sometimes wonder why she didn’t just move in with him. Things seem to be getting pretty serious between them, and I really couldn’t be any happier. They truly love each other. Sometimes it makes me jealous to watch them together though. You can see the love they have for each other just by watching them.

  Making my way to the living room, I see Jenn sitting on the couch, talking on the phone. Not wanting to interrupt her, I head toward the kitchen to make a smoothie to take with me. I haven’t had a chance to work out this week so this will be something light. Jenn comes into the kitchen a couple of minutes later and says she is ready to go.

  Our first stop is the hair salon where we spend a good couple of hours. I decide to get blonde highlights put in, having her blow dry and straighten it so the next morning I don’t have to do much to it. I also have her wax my eyebrows. When we leave there we head to the nail salon. Once we sit in the pedicure chairs, I ask Jenn about Chris. “So what is going on with you and Chris? You guys seem to be doing well.”

  “We are, Ang. We are the best we’ve ever been. I really love him, and I’m so happy where we are now. I can finally see us going somewhere. I’m not sure what made him get his head out of his ass, but I’m happy,” she says with a smile that never leaves her face.

  It stings just a little to hear her talking like that about him. “That’s awesome, I’m so happy for you.” And I truly am, they deserve this and have been through so much since high school.

  I sometimes wish I could find that kind of love, but yet again, I’m scared. I keep these walls up, tight around my heart with a sealed key. I sometimes wonder what it would be like to love Chase. We have a great time when we’re together, and our conversation is never forced, but I really haven’t spent more than a couple of days with him. When he gets home time will tell. He always seems so into me. Hopefully, when I see him tomorrow, all these uncertain thoughts will disappear. We finish up with our pedicures and move to the tables to get our nails done. I needed to get a fill anyway, so I’m glad she suggested this. It’s been a long day of pampering and we’re starving, so once our nails are done we hit up the local pizza joint close to home.

  “So, what are your plans tonight?” I ask her while waiting for the pizza.

  “I’m going over to Chris’s house to help him get ready for poker night tomorrow. What are you doing?”

  “Oh crap, I forgot about that. Nothing really, just hanging around. I have to leave early to get Chase from the airport.” Chase and I are supposed to go to Chris’s after dinner. It should be fun. There are quite a few guys going and the girls are planning to hang out in the living room.

  Our pizza arrives and we dig in, it’s as if we haven’t eaten in days. After finishing our pizza, Jenn drops me off back home. I go inside and change into more comfortable clothes, since I’m just staying home and lounging. I settle on the couch and pull out my kindle. I’m deep into my book when I feel my phone go off. Sliding my finger across the screen, I see it’s a text from Chase.

  Chase: Can’t wait to see you in the morning. xoxo

  I smile at his message. He is always so sweet.

  Me: Me too! See you then. xoxo

  Since I have to get up around six to get out the door in time for his arrival, I put aside my book and head for bed. I fall into a deep sleep with thoughts of Chase on my mind.

  My alarm goes off the next morning, and I head straight to the bathroom. I’m so excited I didn’t even need any time to feel awake. Thankfully, my hair held up from the salon so I only need to run the straightener through it quickly. I keep my makeup light and to a minimal. I throw on some shorts and a tank top—even though it is February it still is hot. I grab a banana to go and head out the door, making it to the airport with thirty minutes to spare. I take a seat and pull out my phone, scrolling through Facebook to pass the time. As I’m deep in playing a game on Facebook, my phone vibrates with a text.

  Chase: Just landed, see you soon!

  I smile so big reading that. I can’t believe it has already been thirty minutes. It takes another good twenty minutes before I see him coming through the hall. I have butterflies in my stomach. I’ve never felt like this before. He has only been gone three months; you would think it was like a year with the way I feel. Once he’s close enough I take off in a small jog and jump into his arms. He crushes his lips to mine as I run my fingers through his short hair. I’m sure we look crazy to others right now. I didn’t think I would react this way when I saw him. I guess my heart knows more than my brain does. He lets me down slowly and breaks our kiss.

  “God, I have missed you, Angie,” he says agains
t my lips.

  “I have missed you, too.”

  “That was the best welcome home ever.” He laughs. “Come on, let’s go get my bags.”

  Grabbing my hand, we make small talk as we wait for the suitcases to come in. He’s kept his hands on me the entire time. It feels so good to finally be back in his arms. I know I was worried yesterday about how I would feel when he arrived, but now I know that my mind was just playing tricks on me. The only way I can explain how I feel right now is that I’m home. I know that sounds weird because we’ve only been dating for a short time, but I can’t help this connection we share. It is unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. My insecurities still doubt that this is what he wants. Hopefully though, my mind will be put at ease now that he’s home.

  Chapter 16

  Chase

  These past three months, of being away from Angie, have been hell. I tried to focus solely on school. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen like that. All I could think about was Angie. She was on my mind 24/7. I couldn’t wait to finish up school and get home. I went out with the boys a couple of nights, but I was no fun. Most of the time I would text Angie or even Chris. Hopefully, now that I am home, I can spend as much time with her as I can. I know she had doubts about the long-distance aspect, but I think we handled it well.

  When I walked down the hall to her at the airport, I spotted her right away. Her beauty is something you can’t miss. She looked like a freaking goddess standing there. I hardly had time to realize she was jumping on me. To have her in my arms again is like being home. I can’t begin to explain this connection we have for each other. I just hope to God she feels the same way I do.

  “You look absolutely incredible,” I tell her when we’re in my truck. She’s even more beautiful than I remember. I’m so happy to finally be back with her.

  “So I know we’re going over to Chris’s after dinner tonight. What did you have planned for the rest of the day?” I ask her while we make our way back to town.

  “I don’t really have anything planned. Just going with the flow.”

  She doesn’t know it yet, but I’m moving into Chris’s house. He asked me about a month ago to be his roommate. I figured he would have asked Jenn, since he was planning to ask her to marry him. But his parents are old-fashioned and wouldn’t like it if they lived together before they got engaged. It works out in my benefit, as I would have had to move back in with my mom or dad.

  “Why don’t we go over to my house? Jenn is at Chris’s helping him,” she says as we pull into town.

  I want to scream out yes to her, but I’ll keep my emotions in check. I would love to just spend time with her before we go see everyone. “That sounds great.”

  We pull into her driveway, and I’m out of the truck before she has her seatbelt off. I open the door and give her a hand to help her down. As soon as the door is closed I push her up against it and mold my mouth to hers. I have missed these lips. I hear a car honk as it drives by, reminding me we are outside. I pull away slowing, staring into her gorgeous blue eyes.

  “God, I’ve missed you,” I say, wrapping my arm around her as we make our way inside. She heads straight for the kitchen.

  “I haven’t eaten yet. Are you hungry?” she asks me while beginning to pull food out of the fridge.

  “Yes, actually, I am. I didn’t eat on the plane.”

  While she is cooking lunch I lean against her counter and make small talk with her, trying really hard not to stare at her ass that looks fantastic in those tight shorts. While she finishes up cooking I grab us some waters from the fridge and set it on the table, meeting her back in the kitchen to help carry our food over. Giving her a quick kiss and telling her thank you, we sit down to eat. Once we have finished I take our plates into the kitchen and clean them.

  I meet her in the living room where she is flipping through the TV. I sit down next to her and pull her into my arms.

  Grabbing her face, I seal my lips over hers. Gripping her hips, I bring her body to straddle mine. “God, I’ve missed the feel of you,” I mumble against her lips.

  “Me, too. So, where are you living now that you are back home?” she asks while staring into my eyes.

  “Well, Chris asked me to move in with him, so I’m going to stay there.”

  Her eyes become big as saucers. “Really? He never said anything.”

  “I think he was just keeping it quiet in case you and I didn’t work out.” I hate to even think like that. She is becoming the air I breathe. It is a little unsettling, but I am starting to like the idea. I would be happy if I got to spend the rest of my life with her by my side. While I’m not positive I love her yet, I can feel myself falling in love with her. She is everything that I am looking for in a life partner.

  We end up spending the day on the couch watching movies just enjoying being with each other again. I don’t really want to get up, but I told her I was taking her out to dinner. After that we are going over to Chris’s house.

  Why don’t you pack a bag and we’ll stay there tonight?” I tell her.

  “Yeah, that sounds good, that way we don’t have to worry about how to get home after drinking,” she says with a smile.

  She heads off to her room to get dressed as I make my way to my truck so I can get my clothes for tonight. Once back inside, I make my way to her spare bathroom to get ready. It doesn’t take me long to change. I take a seat on her couch and wait for her to come out. About twenty minutes later I hear her bedroom door open. I stand up and turn around. One look at her and I about fall flat on my ass. She has on a short black dress and black cowgirl boots. Can this girl ever look bad? Those boots seal the deal for me. I’m so tempted to just pick her up and take her in that bedroom and never leave. But I know our friends would get mad if we didn’t show up. I walk up to her and bring my lips down to her neck as I trail kisses to her collarbone. Damn, she smells fabulous. I feel her quiver in my arms.

  “You look amazing. I want to take you in that room and show you just how good,” I whisper against her skin. She is grabbing on to my biceps with force.

  “You don’t look half bad either, but they would be mad if we skipped the party,” she says, breathlessly.

  Damn, I love it when she speaks in that sexy voice.

  I pick up her bag and we head out. I chose this little, intimate Italian place for supper tonight. I thought it would start off the night just perfect. Angie’s face lights up as we pull into the parking lot.

  “I haven’t been here before. I’ve always wanted to try it.” She is practically bouncing in her seat.

  I smirk at her excitement. I make my way over to her side to help her out. “Come on, baby, let’s go in.” Once inside I give them my name for the reservation. The hostess walks us back to the table. The place has dark burgundy carpets with white circles. The tables are black and each has a candle sitting in the middle, giving off a very romantic vibe. Since it’s Saturday night, it’s quite busy; I was lucky they had a table when I called yesterday.

  When we sit down Angie speaks up immediately. “Wow, this place is amazing. Thank you for bringing me here.”

  “You’re welcome, beautiful. I figured you would like this place.” I grab her hand and bring it to my lips, giving it a gentle kiss. I order a beer and she orders a glass of red wine. While we wait for our food our conversation never falters. We have so much in common it’s crazy. I don’t think I even have this much in common with Chris. Once the food arrives we dig in, I got the chicken marsala while Angie ordered chicken parmesan, and we finish off with the cheesecake.

  As we head out to make our way to Chris’s I ask, “Do you need to stop and get anything before we get there?”

  “No, Jenn got everything we needed this morning. She texted me earlier.”

  We pull up to his house a couple of minutes later. I go to the other side and help Angie out of the truck, pinning her up against it so I can kiss her senseless. I’m sure she can feel what she does to me. “You look so damn good, and I’
ve really missed you these past couple of months. I say we skip the party and just go back to your place.”

  She laughs, a knowing smile on her face. “I missed you, too. Come on,” she tries to push me toward the house, “we can have our fun later.” She winks.

  Oh hell. Now I really don’t want to go inside, but I grab her hand and lead her to the house, knowing there’d be hell to pay if we didn’t join our friends. Once inside, I see Jenn and a couple of the girls in the living room. Knowing Angie will want to talk with her, I let go of her hand and give her a quick kiss, telling her I will be with the guys in the kitchen.

  “About damn time you showed up; been waiting on you. Welcome back, man,” Chris says.

  “Yeah, whatever. I took Angie out to dinner first. I’m here now, let’s start this game, losers.” I grab a beer and meet them at the table. “So who’s dealing,” I say as I take a seat.

  “I’m starting it out.” A guy I’ve met once before answers. I think his name is Josh.

  He deals out the cards and we start to play. The game is going pretty good. I am breaking even at least. Chris tries to hold these poker nights once a month with a twenty-dollar buy-in. It normally always turns out to be a blast. It’s a time for the guys to hang out and catch up. Normally, the girls would go out, but they stayed in tonight. I usually didn’t concern myself with what the girls were doing before, as I wasn’t seeing any of them. Now that I am I’m glad they stayed in, because if they went out I would have more than likely gone with them so I could make sure Angie was safe.

  About an hour into the game Angie and Jenn come walking into the kitchen to grab more drinks. They are laughing and talking so it’s not hard to miss them. Out of the corner of my eye I see Josh checking them out. I look over at Chris and raise an eyebrow at him. He nods his head at me, letting me know he sees it also. We don’t say anything because this is supposed to be a fun night, that is until Josh opens his mouth.