The Promise (23 page)

“Well,” I start. “I guess I’ll get off of you so you can go.”

“Do you want me to stay with you?” he asks. I really want to say yes but I won’t do that to him.

“Chase, I can’t ask
you to skip work for me,” I answer him as I start to move. He grips me tightly to his chest, not allowing me to get up.

“Sophie,
” he whispers, studying me as he gently brushes the hair away from my face. “There isn’t anything you can’t ask me to do for you, Baby.”

Our faces a
re so close, I can taste the mint of his toothpaste and I find that his uniquely masculine scent is overwhelming my senses. He’s staring right into me so intensely that his eyes are practically stealing my ability to speak.

He breaks our silence and
his lips are so close that I feel them lightly brushing against mine. “Do you want me to stay with you, Sophie?” he asks in another whisper, never allowing his eyes to move from mine.

Th
is moment is so intimate that I can’t even speak and so instead I lightly nod my reply. “Then it’s settled,” he speaks softly against my lips again with his eyes directed firmly on mine, he kisses me tenderly.           

It’s
in this moment I realize it.

I’
ve fallen in love with Chase.

Sophie

I don’t say anything about my new revelation over Chase.

I want
the timing to be right. I don’t think telling him that I’m in love with him right after I wake up screaming for Jack is the best idea. Besides, if I’m being honest, I want a few minutes to get used to this realization myself.

The feeling
is bittersweet in some ways because I know now I’ve been right all along. I’ll never really get over Jack completely and I’m surprised to find that I’m okay with this. He’ll always have a huge part of me and this makes me happy, even though it also makes me a little sad at the same time.

Chase grabs
the donuts and coffee he’d brought over with him, brings them into my room and we cuddle together as we eat our breakfast in bed. Chase rests on my bed, watching TV, while I shower and get my things ready for when we go to his place for the weekend.

An hour or two
passes and he’s managed to make me feel a lot better. I make my way through the living room to find Ana sitting on the couch reading.

“Hey,” I sa
y my voice tired.

“Hey, H
oney. How you doing?” she asks with concern lacing her tone and features.

“Okay,” I start. Chase
is still watching highlights from last night’s game and I decide to grab a drink from the kitchen.

Ana follows me and
before perching herself against the wall, ready to listen to me intently. “It was really awkward at first, and I feel bad he had to see it, but he’s being really great about it,” she nods. “I can’t believe he ditched work for me,” I admit, shaking my head.

“I can,” she start
s. “Love makes you do some pretty crazy shit, Soph.”

I roll
my eyes at her in disbelief as my heart performs a cartwheel at the possibility she may be right, although I’ll never admit it out loud. “I seriously doubt that’s why he didn’t go to work, Ana.”

“Whatever
! I guess that we’ll just have to agree to disagree. What time are y’all heading over to his place?” she asks with an unconvincing shrug of her shoulders.

“I don’t know yet. P
retty soon I think. We were just going to meet up at the bar after he got off work this afternoon, but I guess we don’t really have to wait now.” I’m feeling a little nervous about tonight because I haven’t slept in another bed in years.

However,
I know I’ll be more than okay with Chase. He walks into the room and kisses me on the back of the head as he walks to the fridge for a bottle of water.

“What time
did you wanna go, Babe?” he asks and I laugh at his timing.

“W
ere you eavesdropping?” I ask with a smile.

“No, not at all. G
reat minds I guess,” he answers with a wink. “Are you about ready? I was thinking about stopping someplace for lunch on the way if you’re hungry?”

“Sure w
hat are you hungry for?” I ask, happy that Ana isn’t looking at his now hooded expression. His eyes rake over my body and he sucks his lower lip in between his teeth.

“Ladies choice
,” he finally speaks. His eyes finish taking me in before he strolls over to me, leaning closely into my ear. “I’m sure whatever you like will please me,” he whispers and I feel a shiver of excitement run through my spine. At my reaction, I hear his deep chuckle as he kisses me on the cheek before proceeding to walk back into my room so Ana and I could finish our conversation.

I’ve already
forgotten what we’re talking about.

***

“Thanks for lunch, Baby,” Chase says, slathering ketchup onto his burger before handing me the bottle with a smile and a wink. I put a generous amount on my plate and then set it back down on the table. “You know, when I mentioned lunch, I
was
planning on paying for it.” His smile grows wider.

“I know
that but you pay for everything, like
always
, and it’s my pleasure to buy you lunch. Thank you for letting me for once.” I smile back up at him across the booth and watch him nod, wink and take another huge bite. “So, is there anything special you’d like to do this weekend or do you just wanna hang out?”

“I don’t care what we do, I’m just glad to be
spending it with you,” he answers sweetly, making me blush. “You’re cute when you blush, Baby.”

“Thanks,” I giggle
. We eat in comfortable silence for a few minutes but as I start thinking about the upcoming trip to Camden, I begin to feel extremely nervous. I know Chase won’t be pleased that I’ve waited so long to tell him but I can’t change it now. I don’t really know what to say or how to say it, so I just decide to come out with it and hope he’ll understand.

“What’s up?” he ask
s, breaking me away from my thoughts. Meeting with his gaze, I see that he’s looking across the booth at me with those insane blue eyes waiting for my answer.

“I need to talk to you,” I blurt
out, pushing my plate away.

“Something wrong?” he ask
s, his brow creasing in what appears to be concern.

“No, nothing’s wrong
. I just … I have to go out of town on Tuesday night and won’t be back until at least Thursday. I wanted to let you know, that’s all,” I blurt out nervously.

“Hmm
, okay. So, where are you going?” he asks as he leans his elbows on the table in front of him.

“Camden,
” As I speak the word, I can see that he’s trying to the emotions it causes. I don’t miss the way his brow furrows further for an instant before he recovers. He seems to realize and recover his features. He doesn’t look overly happy, although he doesn’t look necessarily angry, either. “Ana and I are going.”

“Wha
t’s going on in Camden?” he asks and this is when I realize exactly why I’ve waited to tell him.

It’
s because of this very question. The one for which I still have no idea how to answer yet. I know I’ll be telling Chase about Jack soon. I plan to tell him everything when I get back from this trip actually. I want to wait until I can get through his anniversary but I don’t want to be dishonest with Chase either.

He notice
s my struggle and places his hand on mine, breaking my thoughts before speaking again. “Hey,” I look up at him. “Are you okay?”

I nod
and after a few moments I finally answer him. “Yes, everything’s fine. We just have to go for a thing we’d planned with Ana’s cousin, Lucy, before we left. I should’ve told you sooner. I don’t know why I didn’t. I’m sorry.”

“You don’t need to apologize,
Baby. What kind of thing is it?” His questions are legitimate and I know I’ll need to answer them. Why haven’t I prepared at all for any of this?

“Um …
it’s a family thing they’re having at the house that Ana grew up in,” Chase looks at me for a second or two, appearing to be chewing on something in his mind.

I c
an tell he wants to ask me something, but it looks as though he’s trying to decide whether he should or not. We finish our food and when he asks me if I’m ready to go, I nod. He’s quiet when we climb into his truck. He turns the key in the ignition, only to shut if off immediately before turning to face me.

“Sophie, I’m sorry
, but after this morning, I just … I have to ask. Are you going to Camden to see Jack?” he asks warily and I shake my head right away.

“
No,” I tell him immediately and watch him as he lets out a breath of relief.

“I’m sorry
. I know I’m probably being really stupid about this. I don’t want to be the jealous, insecure, asshole boyfriend I’m being right now. I just …” he starts, but I move across the seat and closer to him, taking his hand into mine and squeezing it tightly.

“First of all, you don’t have to say anything else
. I understand. Second, you’re not an asshole boyfriend, Chase. I promise that soon everything will make more sense,” I tell him softly. He told me about how his relationship with Lauren had ended and so I know he has a few underlying trust issues. I’m sure my secrecy about Jack isn’t helping matters either.

“I shouldn’t be throwing my shit on you. That isn’t right,” he sa
ys.

“Well, maybe not
… but I get it,” I tell him truthfully. Chase kisses me on the forehead before resting his head on top of mine. “Besides, it’s not like I never throw my shit on you.”

“You ready?” he ask
s quietly. As I begin to scoot back to the other side of the seat, he holds me there next to him for a little while longer. “Stay over here with me,” I smile and rest my head on his shoulder. He leans over and kisses me on the top of my head again as he places his hand gently onto my thigh. He’s always so affectionate, and that’s one of the things I love the most about him.

The rest of the drive to Chas
e’s house is quiet with the exception of the radio and his voice as he sings along. I hum along quietly again, this time to Otis Redding, not realizing I’m whispering the words until I feel Chase squeezing my leg.

“So beautiful
,” he whispers into my hair. I glance up in surprise and see him smiling. “I’ll admit, I only heard about five words, but they were five amazingly beautiful words.” 

***

“Yes
!” Jack yelled out excitedly, turning the radio up as loud as it would go in the crappy Buick he’d been driving. “Best. Song. Ever!” he exclaimed, the excitement that was etching over his face made me laugh.

We’d
just left the theater and were pulling up outside my aunt’s house. Hearing the first few notes of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, I couldn’t deny my excitement either. I’ve always been a huge Queen fan so when Jack started singing along, I couldn’t help but join in.

Jack
was hilarious because he didn’t just sing. He did the most ridiculous combination of operatic hand gestures accompanied with his air guitar. His enthusiasm was contagious though, and before I knew it, I’m playing along. We stayed seated in his car looking over the beauty of the night under the stars, covering the timeless classic in a way that I’m sure would have made Freddie Mercury proud.

As th
e song came to an end, we both whispered the final lyrics as our eyes met and laugh at the shared moment.

Staying locked onto each other
’s eyes he leaned over and kissed me for the first time. It was gentle and sweet. His lips brush against mine softly at first and when I open my mouth to allow him entry, his tongue swept gently over mine, causing me to melt into the seat.

He raise
d his hand to my neck and held me there for a minute as we explored each other’s mouths slowly. I can still feel the heat building in my stomach. It was the sweetest, most romantic kiss I’ve ever had. As Jack pulled away slightly and we opened our eyes, he holds my gaze for a moment before brushing his thumb over my lower lip and smiling down at me.

“Best first date ever,” he whisper
ed and kissed me again.

***

As I’m putting my things away, I realize that I’d forgotten to grab my toothbrush. After further inspection, I also realize Chase’s bathroom has nothing that I’ll need over the weekend. I wonder for a moment if he ever ran into this problem when staying over at my place or if maybe he’s just a better packer than I am.

His i
s a typical bachelor’s bathroom having only the bare necessities although it’s surprisingly neat.

The black and w
hite checked tile is small, aged and cold on my bare feet. The cabinet that the sink set is set has an antique feel to it that makes me wonder how old this house really is.

He told me
that this place is the house he’d grown up in and that it has been in his family for years. Chase also mentioned that he’d done all the repairs and upgrades himself after his parents retired as they started traveling.

I walk out of the bathroom and into his equally neat bedroom to find him lying across his grey bedspread
while scrolling through his cell phone. Once he notices I’m in there with him, he turns and smiles at me before setting his phone down. I root through my bag in a last ditch effort to find the toothbrush I know is most definitely sitting inside my bathroom next to the sink.

“Hey
, Baby,” he says. “What’s up?”

“We have to go to the store.
I forgot my toothbrush,” I answer him, while screwing my face up a little.

“You ca
n use mine if you want,” he offers in all seriousness, breaking into laughter when he sees the contorted features over my face. “Are you seriously that grossed out by the idea of using my toothbrush?”

“Um …
Yes I am! Are you seriously
not
grossed out by me using it?” I say incredulously as he laughs harder before pulling me down on top of him and wrapping his arms around my waist.