Truce or Dare (Sweet Fortuity Book 1) (7 page)

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.

A
s I was getting
ready to go for my run, my phone rang. Who the caller was 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.”

He only looked more amused. “It bothers you that much, running with me?”

He was starting to get on my nerves, and I hadn’t even spent five minutes with him.

“It doesn’t bother me exactly,” I mumbled, finding myself a little defensive.

“Hmm.”

He didn’t believe me. I kept running a bit further, as if I had something to prove.

Chase didn’t disappoint. He went right along with me, matching my pace, and he didn’t even look winded.

I slowed down to a walk after an hour. “I’m hungry,” I said all of a sudden.

“Bacon and eggs?” he offered.

Heck, why not? We were both hungry.

* * *

It was pretty quiet, but not awkward like I expected. It was like we’d both developed an understanding, both afraid to speak and rattle our fragile relationship.

As I was finished eating, I saw that he pushed another piece of bread on my plate. I smacked his hand away, but I was too late.

“I’m not–”

“Yes, you’re not eating nearly enough,” he said smoothly.

Argh.

“I eat just fine.”

Five minutes later, his phone rang.

“I gotta go,” he told me when his phone call ended.

“Oh.” Why was that one word loaded with disappointment? I hated that I heard it in my voice.

His eyes warmed as he told me, “Let me know whenever you need a running partner.”

Maybe I was going crazy, because I was tempted to take him up on his offer.

* * *

I
didn’t understand
. We had perfectly good weather this morning. Then it decides to do this.

I didn’t mind the dark. But I was alone, in a large house, with the power knocked out. So I was alone, it was dark, and it was like the wind threatened to break the windows. I was also convinced there was a ghost out to get me, hiding in the space between the curtains and the windows.

I was terrified.

Kate didn’t answer.

Sierra lived a bit further, Eva even further from me. To call or not to call?

My finger hovered on my contact in the list, just before Eva.

I saw the flash of lightning again, and the thunder made me jump. And I accidentally pressed his name.

Shit.

No, no, no.

I canceled, panicking. Seconds later, his name blinked on my phone screen, calling me.

I answered. “Chase,” I said, sounding a little breathless.

“Sherr,” he said, his deep voice washing over me. “Something wrong?”

“I– It’s nothing.” Even to my own ears, my voice sounded strained. “I didn’t mean to call.”

He clued in to my state. “Where’s Haley? Are you alone?”

“She’s on the night shift today. Paula went to visit her aunt, she’ll be back tomorrow.”

“I’ll come over.” It surprised me, the offer, and the way he made it without hesitation.

“Oh no. No. No, you don’t need–”

“I won’t be long. Just came back from Wes’.”

“Chase. That’s not–”

“I’ll see you.”

He hung up. That was the second time he ended the call before I gave him a piece of my mind. Argh.

* * *

T
here was
a knock on the door– two successive raps. I ran to it in a rush, and peeked in the hole. Chase.

Suddenly, my heart started racing. He was
here
. Just because of a single phone call.

“Hi,” I said, opening it a little.

“You okay?”

I nodded, still trying to absorb the fact that he even came at all. I stood there, both a little shocked and relieved to see him.

“You didn’t have to come,” I began. “But I appreciate it.”

The smile reached his eyes, and the effect made my heart stutter.

Clearing his throat, which drew my attention to it, damn him, he said,“It’s cold out here.”

“Oh!” I opened the door wider, letting him in, my cheeks probably reddening. I mumbled an apology.

He looked amused, as he held up a huge heavy duty flashlight, and on another hand he held a plastic bag.

Light!

Anyone who brought light was my friend. Anyone who made me feel not alone in this house was my friend.

“Bought some from Abe’s today. Didn’t exactly buy it expecting this, but–”

Only seeing a third of the package exposed, I instantly recognized what it was.

Oh my God. Peanut butter cookies.

Without thinking, I jumped up and wrapped my arms around him. His arms quickly enclosed on my waist, as if taken by surprise.

I stayed there, listening to his heartbeat, not quite sure why I was still holding on. He was still holding me too, and if I wasn’t mistaken, his grip was tighter than before.

After what seemed like a long time, I let go and slid down. His eyes darkened.

“If that’s how you react to lights, I’m gonna have to do this more often.”

“You were freaked,” he stated, like coming over was the most natural thing to do. “Need me to stay with you for a while?” he offered.

He would do that?

“I– you don’t have to.”

But all he did was walk to the couch, like he didn’t have a care in the world that he was here, babysitting me.

He opened the package and offered me one. I walked up to him and took one.

I smacked a kiss on the cookie, claiming it as my second long-lost love, and it was, just after coffee. I savored the taste.

It was perfect. Just soft enough, but crunchy on the outside. Very crumbly and nutty, not overly sweet. Mmm.

The plastic container made a little squishy noise. I looked up to find him breathing heavily. What the heck.

“Why aren’t you eating one?” I asked, frowning.

I thought I heard him say ‘lucky fucker’. But he couldn’t have, and so I shrugged it off.

“I had some on the way,” he said, but he sounded distracted, his voice a little unsteady. I put a hand on his arm, and he looked down on it. I immediately removed my hand.

“Oh. We might have something in the fridge if you’re still hungry.”

“I’m good.”

After a while, listening to the pitter-patter of the rain, he dozed off.

He looked kind of cute when he was sleeping. He wasn’t frowning, scowling, or saying something ridiculous. He didn’t make me feel conflicted with the way he looked at me. He–

I was pulled down to him, my body against his, and I felt his chest rumbling in laughter.

“What are you doing?” I pushed up, but the effort was pointless, because I fell right back down. “This isn’t funny.”

Clearly it was to him, because it was only now that his laughter started to die down.

“You were supposed to be sleeping,” I murmured against his chest. Mm. He smelled good. Like sandalwood, and something earthy and distinctly male.

“You shouldn’t watch people when they sleep.”

“I– I wasn’t watching you. There was something on your face,” I blurted out.

“Sherr.” Amusement crept its way into his voice again. “The lights just went out and the flashlight’s pointing at the ceiling. Now try something else.”

The sarcasm was pissing me off. I pushed myself up, harder this time, scrambled away, and marched up the stairs.

And as I slammed the door shut, I could still hear the timbre of his laughter.

* * *

S
leep didn't come
.