What the hell?
“Chase!” I yelled.
“Sorry,” he whispered, his chin moving against my hair. Yeah, because he really sounded like it. “Those scarves are perfect for the coming winter.”
I saw red. Of all the–
I struggled against him, twisting to elbow him in the stomach. He grunted, and just as abruptly as he trapped me, he let me go.
It was too late.
Wes got managed to steal the ball, and ten seconds later, he kicked it to the goal.
Throwing a hand on my hip, I yelled, “Oh my God. That's playing dirty!”
Chase looked unashamedly unabashed.
"You've been gone too long, Sherr. You need to grease your palms a little," he said with a smirk that made him look like a handsome devil, and I felt the sudden urge to punch the bastard. I reined it in and sucked it up. Because, well, I wasn’t sure punching was going to be well-received. I vowed to myself I was going to get even.
"Grease my palms, huh? Isn’t that against the rules?” I demanded from the guy at the stall, but he shrank back, not seeming to mind that they cheated, handing out the scarves.
Haley, now annoyed too, tried a different tactic. “Surely, you have some to spare?” she said sweetly, batting her eyelashes at him.
“We don’t have many, sorry,” he apologized, the red of his cheeks deepening.
* * *
“Tired?” Chase asked, while we waited for Eva and Sierra, who were both still not here, at the arranged meeting point.
He was trying to get a rise out of me. I wasn’t going to bite.
“No way,” I argued. “I’ve been doing early morning runs, I even recruited Haley.”
“You run with Haley?”
“I usually go alone,” I babbled. “It’s just that, the other day, I felt like someone was–”
Realizing what I was telling him, I stopped.
“No, continue that,” he told me, and it held an edge of warning. He gave me a look that told me he wanted to know, and he would do everything to get that answer. From experience, lying was not a good idea.
“I’m sure it’s not someone watching me. What are the chances?” I trailed off, my laugh coming out shakily.
He didn’t look convinced.
His eyes were steely, and his expression, grim. “I don’t take chances. Do you have a ride home?”
“I walked here. It’s pretty close to–”
“Let me know when you’re ready.”
“Honestly,” I said, a little annoyed now, “this is going a bit overboard. No one is watching me.”
The conversation was cut short when Eva and Sierra arrived, and we went to have dinner.
* * *
I wanted a round two.
I wanted it so badly, I spent an embarrassingly long time twisting my neck and squinting my eyes just looking for another form of competition I could possibly win. Granted, there weren’t that many left by now, so we were torn between two stands.
We stopped over, deciding between two stalls.
"Are you both joining?" I heard a woman’s voice ask to my right. Her hair was tied up neatly, and she was beaming at us.
"What is it?" I asked curiously, eyeing the stall. It wasn’t flashy– it had a modest banner printed with red lettering that read ‘Chili Contest Corner’.
On the left were two medium-sized bowls of chili. There were glasses beside the bowls, and a jug of milk.
"Basically, be the first to eat as many as you can and win."
It wasn't that bad. I liked eating spicy food, we both did, so I was fairly sure I could hold my own. But I wasn't sure I wanted to do this right now. Didn't they say chili sent some kind of signal of pain to the brain that made you think it was a sort of burn? I wasn't a masochist.
"Scared of a little heat?" His eyes dared me to accept the challenge.
Not one to back down, I held his gaze. "Not on your life."
I didn't want to ask what type of chili it was– and did it really matter what kind of chili it was? I was going to send millions of signals to my brain that I was hurting myself. Jesus.
He was trying to rattle me, and I didn't understand why. Did he get off on making me mad?
It was a challenge, and there was no way in hell I was backing down. I wasn’t sure what exactly I was trying to prove, only that I knew I couldn’t lose.
Kate, Eva, and Sierra wisely refused, content on watching us. I longingly stared back wishing he hadn't incited the damn dare.
"I'm out," Haley said in a cough only after her third. "You both," she drank the glass of milk so fast. "Are insane."
Don't leave me. I met her eyes, and I can imagine the look on my eyes must be panicked, because she patted my shoulder comfortingly.
When I finished the last piece, and through no small effort, I placed both my hands on the table, and said proudly, "What do I win?"
The woman looked at us like we were aliens, while Kate and Haley stood by the side, mouths gaped open. We've also managed to gather a small group of spectators. I didn't know how I survived that either, plus it couldn't have been good for the brain, hurting myself on purpose.
When I turned to my right to check on whether he gave up too, I swore.
His bowl was also empty and he picked up to drink a glass of milk.
I tortured myself with chilies and we ended up in a motherfucking tie. I lost it. "Nooo, you're hiding one! Flip out your pockets."
The corners of his eyes crinkled.
"You think this is funny, don't you?" I burst out indignantly.
"There's nothing inside, Sherr," he said, attempting to cover his laugh with a cough as he inserted his hands inside and pulled them out, making a point when they came up empty.
"Where is your chili stash? You've got to be hiding it somewhere," I said desperately.
The woman moved back. I think I scared her a little.
"Well…You see, we've never had anyone make it past eating two-thirds before one gave up," she said hurriedly, her words tumbling out in a rush, "we've got two tickets to see the Chrissy Barnes concert, this stuffed toy and a tub each of our finest honey and milk to wash away the heat."
I don't know how to halve a stuffed toy and how the heck do we divide a tub of honey right now?
"Do you have another tub of honey?"
"Those are our only ones for today sorry," she replied apologetically.
What was it with the shortage of stock today?
She held both hands up, clasped together, like she thought we'd breathe fire on her stall.
"Are you okay?" Haley asked me from behind, bumping my shoulder. "You two can't be human to have eaten that much."
"I'm fine."
"You're scowling," she snickered. "Cheer up. Granted you didn't win, but you didn't lose either."
God, she was having entirely too much fun with this.
"Alright. Lets figure this out the old-fashioned way," Chase said, his tone somber.
I stopped on my tracks. "You don't mean…?"
He nodded carefully. “Exactly that."
"What way is this?" Kate asked, intrigued.
We stood in front of each other, not letting go of the stare-down.
"At my count of three," he said.
I nodded.
"Three… Two… One."
With hands on our back, we pulled them out front and swung.
Slowly, I whispered, “Sci-ssors, pa-per, rock.”
Him, paper, me, scissors. Score!
"Yay!" I did a little dance and skipped on the way back. Yeah, it was unnecessary, but it was a win even if by luck, and I wanted to rub it in a little for his little 'grease your palms' speech earlier.
I picked the honey, which he seemed unhappy about, and I felt a little satisfaction with that.
* * *
Once the countdown was over, fireworks burst across the sky, bright and luminous, but short-lived. Each consecutive one shot across the sky, and my eyes followed them in wonder. I got a glass of
wine as I watched.
We eventually split, and I ended up with Eva and Chase.
Eva was busy snapping some shots on her phone, and I was about to do the same, when Chase stalked up to me, and I stepped back instinctively. He did this until my back hit a wall. Only inches apart, it made me acutely aware of his close proximity. My cheeks felt hot. I was glad it was dark.
“Are you seeing someone?”
What? Where did that come from?
I shook my head. And was that my imagination that relief flashed across his face? “Are you?”
I didn’t realize I’ve been holding my breath, waiting a reply, until he responded, “No. Haven’t in a while.”
Wow. Not in a while?
“Really?”
Satisfaction flickered in his expression at my response.
I knew I had no right to, but that made me absurdly happy.
In the back of my mind, I wondered if he thought of me at all the past two years, the same way he occupied my thoughts, no matter how hard I tried not to.
Something had changed between us. I couldn't point my finger on what it was exactly.
And I was scared. I was scared because I didn't know what we were, where we stood, or where the hell this was going.
* * *
Celine Davis was Chase’s mom, and she looked striking now in a white fitted dress, with her hazel eyes, and hair in an intricate braid. Smiling broadly as she saw us, she ran over and hugged me tightly. “Sherry! So good to see you again.”
"Celine," I said brightly. "It's good to see you too. Oh–thanks for the pizza. They were amazing."
“I'm glad you liked them," she beamed back at me. "Can you come over for dinner on Monday, the week after?” she asked me. “We just finished a renovation on the house, would be nice if you can come and see it.”
Her expectant gaze made me cave. There was no way I could say no. I found myself accepting the offer.
I just knew this wasn’t going to end well.
* * *
I found Wes by a hotdog corner. We talked for a bit as he waited in line, and he offered me a bottle of beer he got for free. I was feeling a buzz after my second glass of wine, which Sierra poured in everyone’s glasses equally so we could discard the bottle. I was never able to hold my liquor well. But I accepted it anyway, because free was free. Maybe I could put it in the fridge later.
“Thank you. I’m still mad at you about the game, though,” I told him.
He looked back at me sheepishly. “Sorry. Never seen the guy want a scarf so badly.”
I scowled. “It was supposed to be mine.”
“Maybe you can try asking for it,” he suggested.
“I’m sure he’d enjoy that,” I muttered.
After a while, he asked about the things I’d done while I was away.
"You haven't seen the Skydeck?” he asked, disbelief on his face. He gaped at me just as he was about to eat his hotdog roll. “What about the Millennium Park?”
"Well," I picked at the thread at the rip of my jeans. “I saw the park. Once. Briefly. But I’ve kind of set strict deadlines for myself," I continued, feeling like I had to explain, and– why the hell did I feel like I was making excuses?
And it struck me, this sense of family, and I had traded it for… What exactly? Solitude?
Just like fate to gift me something beautiful, bow-wrapped and sparkling, pull it away under my feet, and bring it back in all its wrapped-up glory.
"But you've always said you wanted to"– he paused, and looking at me oddly, asked a little more gently– “what happened to you, Sherr?”
I said I wanted to see the Skydeck together with Chase. That made me not want to see it.
“I learned that when you let someone get close to you, you give them a part of yourself. And that part of yourself you can never get back, no matter how hard you try, or pretend to.”
I didn't want to do deep conversations anymore. Perhaps a little too abruptly, I stood up and swayed, but I held myself up on time, putting a hand on the table. “Whoa. I think I had too much…”
“You think?” Chase’s smooth voice said from behind my ear, sarcasm heavy.
Oh. How long had he been standing there?
* * *
I got in the car without much protest. We were passing the small space up a hill where you could watch the stars the best, because in that spot, the stars seemed to burn the brightest. Like it was a special spot just made for it. At sunset, the view was stunning. It had one of the best views in town. For some inexplicable reason, I needed to see it now.
“Ohh! Chase, stop the car.”
The car skid to a halt, and I immediately got out.
“What are you— fuck. Sherr. Come back.”
“Make me,” I stubbornly went on. I climbed up a rock, then another, until I reached the top. Lights. Pretty. I lifted my hands out, closing my eyes and just feeling the wind, a little stronger on the higher platform. I shivered a little from the breeze. Oh, that was one thing I’d forgotten, that I usually wore a jacket before going out, because at night-time, it was chilly. The thought saddened me. What else had I forgotten, had I abandoned by choice?
Arms wrapped around my shoulders, and I gasped in surprise. “It’s cold out here, and you’ve had something to drink. Let’s head back,” he said, his voice rough. How can he be so practical, so reasonable? It made me want to rebel against it.
“I haven’t been here for years,” I argued. “When you live here, you almost forget how beautiful it is, and you just… You just stop going all the time. You barely even realize what the place looks like. Then it just becomes another picture, another wallpaper.” I put my hands out in a frame sign, on the area where there was an abundance of greenery and squinted my eyes. Then I looked back at him, to make sure he was still listening, and found that his eyes were on me. Of course he was. He was the type of person, who, if he cared about you, showed it when he gave you his full attention.
“You’re scared you’ll let that that happen.”
I sighed, and raked a hand across my hair. “I’m scared it already is.”
"If something's important to you, you do your best to hold on. That's all there is to it."
Reasonable, calm, logical. How can someone be so sure?
"It's not that simple," I said, digging my heels absently.
"Then maybe you're complicating it."
Did he have to make it sound like my fault? I looked at him, about to say it, then shut my mouth. Ah, to hell with courtesy. "You're an ass."
"Thank you," he replied dryly.
After a minute of silence, just gazing up at the stars quietly, I said, "Sometimes, when you hold on, you develop expectations. Expectations suck."
"Yeah, they do."
I had a feeling we weren't talking about this place anymore.
It was so easy to close my eyes right now, just standing next to him and pretending that two years hadn't passed. Being with him was as natural as breathing, and somehow within the past couple of days, it was as if a barrier between us dissolved.
It was so easy being with him. So right.
And the way it ended had been so swift, it made my heart hurt just thinking about it.
I had him, and then I lost him. Just like that. Why couldn't we move past that?
The simple answer was I didn't know how, or where to begin. What do I say? Did he even care?
But the silence was deafening, cutting me deeper than his words ever did.
"I'm sorry," I said softly, but he'd heard.
My hands gripped the cool railing tightly, as if it was a source of strength. "I realize I never told you that, but I am. Completely."
"I am too."
It said everything, but it didn't at all. But somehow, it eased a weight inside me. And just like that, we stood in silence as we gazed at the stars, burning brightly.
Chapter Nine
My story
As I was getting ready to go for my run, my phone rang. Who the caller w
as surprised the hell out of me.
“Going for a run?” Somehow, it didn’t surprise me that it was the first thing Chase said to me this early in the morning.
“Yep.” I was putting on another shoe.
“Haley coming with you?” he promptly asked.
“Umm.” Haley was home late last night, and as a nurse, she was scheduled for a night shift today. She needed sleep, and I didn’t want to wake her to run with me. But if I said that, then he’d–
“Be there in ten.”
The line clicked.
I still stood there, cursing at the line, even moments after the call ended.
I tried to process what had just happened.
Chase was coming with me. To run.
He wasn’t even supposed to be up at this time. It was virtually unheard of.
I spooned some peanut butter and decided if he wasn’t going to come here in ten, I was going ahead myself. I almost immediately felt better.
* * *
“Why are you up so early anyway?” I asked, locking the door. He came in just under ten minutes. I was kind of impressed. “You like your sleep.”
This was Chase. He loved his sleep nearly as much as he loved food.
His grin made my stomach flip. “I like you safe more.”
Smooth. I rolled my eyes.
“I’ll be fine. I’m sure you have other–”
“You got all you need?” he continued, ignoring me.
Ugh. He wasn’t listening.
“Yeah.”
We stretched our arms as we walked to warm up.
He kept up with me, which was no surprise. We both liked keeping ourselves fit, among other things. A little jolt of surprise went through me as I realized we’ve never really ran together. I was a morning runner, while he liked to do it just before sunset.
“You don’t have to wake up early on my account,” I said. “I can find a running partner. It was just kind of late notice.”
Truce or Dare (Sweet Fortuity Book 1) Page 5
