Unchartered Waters ✅

Chapter 62: Shop Time

Alex's POV

Thursday, December 16 – Charlotte, North Carolina

I couldn't help but smile in seeing the body finally on, along with a bunch of the essential bolt-on parts. Maybe I would get this damn thing built before the year was over after all. Let's face it, I better or else there's no way I am getting three of these done together.

Remind me why I thought this was a good idea.

"There's nothing sexier than watching a man work on his racecar," I hear, causing me to freeze immediately. No matter what I was doing, that southern drawl could cause me to freeze and turn on a dime because I wanted to see the rest of the being it belonged to.

"Do I get a warning anymore of your appearances?" I question, honestly surprised that Chase was here. I mean, I knew he was probably going to be at the test tomorrow and the Hendrick Christmas party was coming up. But traveling a day early and for no reason other than to see me? I was certainly honored and felt special today.

"I didn't want to distract you and besides, isn't that why I got a key now?" Oh yeah, I forgot to mention – we traded keys to each other's houses. It felt pretty neat when we did it, too, as it monumental to me, feeling that we were taking the relationship to the next level of being okay to invade each other's privacy whenever we wanted. I mean, as I've always said, I never was bothered by his company.

"I may be giving your ass a hard time, but fuck, it's good to see you." I could take a break considering I'd been out here for three hours straight. It's why rather than eyes close-up analyzing the next section, the distance between us with closed with my arms wrapped around him, followed by a kiss on the cheek. "You know you're always welcome – both you and Fletch."

"I think Finn may get mad if I didn't bring him with me." I think I believed him, considering I hadn't seen him since Chase got here, knowing the dogs were off running somewhere together on the property. Roscoe, on the other hand, he was playing total lazy mode like usual.

"The test went well yesterday, by the way. I admittedly was surprised at how well the package worked when we got around other cars. Sure, aero still plays a factor, but you can get legitimate runs on people if you're faster. It's just more tighter handling than I would prefer." After all, us dirt guys have always liked slinging it sideways, a little loose to give us some play with it.

"That's great to hear. I saw some of the video, and also noticed that you haven't changed the seat." Again, was there anything wrong with wanting the feel of his ass all day long?

"Is that a problem? Is someone upset that I used his seat?" I for sure knew that I was quite comfortable, and had no issues at all. The guys at the shop also liked it as it was less work for them. If only they knew the real reason, though.

"Not at all." That's a good thing because I was looking forward to the rest of the test sessions to come with it. "She plead not guilty, trying to say that the sex was consensual."

"So you agreed to have sex with her, but yet she needed to drug you to make it happen?" I'm sorry, but as soon as you realize one person drugged another and forced them into a position that wasn't comfortable, it should easily spell out that they are guilty. This shouldn't even be a full process.

"So now they want me to testify and share what happened, along with my dad who showed up." I could see the tone of his voice change with the more truth revealed, and almost hated that we stood here talking about it. I wanted to go back to how things were when he entered the room. I wanted to go back to being the distraction, someone fun through it all.

"I'm sorry that I couldn't be there with you. But I know that you are brave, and you can stand up to her. You can live through retelling the story again, Chase. You kept telling me that you felt weak because you couldn't stop her. So now you have a chance to prove your own strength, and show her how strong you are by standing up to her, and putting no doubt in what happened." It sounded good on paper, right? I hated to bring up the immediate rough moments afterwards, but it was the perfect motivation. I know, I probably screwed it up somewhere. Welcome to me.

"I want to just walk in there that day, say what happened, kept my head held high, and walk out. I want to make sure I do everything that I can in my power so she can't do this again to someone else." He then takes a deep breath, and I knew he wasn't finished. But that was okay as I was willing to hear him out on his feelings. "But every time I think about what happened, it causes my stomach to flip. Is it real? Did I really let that happen – and don't say anything to that because fuck, I know it's not my fault. Why does this bother me so much? Should I feel something different? It's also weird hearing rape and my name in the same sentence. That's not ever going away now. How do you just deal with it?"

"You take it one day at a time, deal with the emotions as they come, and work at moving forward from what happened in the best way that you can. You also keep believing in yourself, while knowing that you have people to help you. You have your parents, Ryan even wants to be supportive, and you have me as always. I told you that I'm always here for you, ready to do whatever it takes." Trust me – that wasn't taken lightly as he came before anything else for me right now.

"Even it takes forever us to get back to what we had before?" I admit that I was missing those moments. I admit that I wanted to pin him against the tool box as we'd done before and totally make out. However, I wasn't going to make him do anything uncomfortable for my personal gain.

"As long as it takes Chase, I'll be here waiting for you. I love you." I then allow my lips to brush against his cheek, ever so lightly, just like when he entered the room. "It goes much deeper than just what happened. I care about you and want to be here for you."

"I love you too, Alex. Thank you."