The Replacement Girlfriend

Chapter 52

52. Kids Will Be Kids

            A few moments after Chase slipped out of the living room, Krislynn found him sitting on the back porch, staring off into the widespread fields behind the house. The wind had picked up since earlier that morning, and the breeze rushed against her skirt when she stepped onto the deck. Her heart squeezed at the sight of him and for the first time she thought to herself how lonely his back seemed to be rather than the nonchalant arrogance she usually saw.

            “Chase?”

            At the sound of his own name, he turned around, his expression rigid with a sense melancholy that she found mostly in his eyes. “Do you want to talk about it?” She asked, but he quickly turned away from her and returned to his mindless staring of the fields.

            “No.”

            It was a solid response, no room for hesitation or argument, and Krislynn smiled sadly at the image of his back turned to her again. “How about sitting together?” She decided, settling for something less until he was ready. “Can we sit together?”

            Chase didn’t turn around, but the sound of his irritation was there when he spoke. “And do what?” He snapped. “Sit here and do what?”

            “Do nothing. Just sit there. I just want to sit with you.”

            A moment passed by, and then another, but gradually he peaked over his shoulder with a countenance of indecision about him. On one hand, he seemed to really want her there, but on the other, he also seemed suspicious of her intent. Eventually he gave in to one of the two, and Krislynn was glad it was the first rather than the latter. Heaving a sigh through clenched teeth, he patted the spot beside him and Krislynn quickly skipped forward, leaving a trail of soft giggles behind her.

            “Why are you laughing?”

            “Because I’m happy you want me to sit with you.” Krislynn beamed a smile at him, but Chase only returned her generosity with a remorseful frown.

            “You’re a pighead,” he grunted and then shifted his gaze back to the swaying golden stalks in the distance.

            Krislynn had to bit down on her lip to stop herself from attacking him. Just this once, she thought, just this once I’m going to let it slide.

            Settling quietly beside him, Krislynn swung her legs over the edge of the porch and dangled them back and forth with childlike amusement. Occasionally, she would feel his eyes on her, but they were insubstantial and left as soon as they came leaving her a bit uneasy with the progress. She had been hoping he’d be willing to talk to her after a while, but Chase turned out to be harder to crack than she thought and she was afraid dinner would come before he managed to utter a word.

            Since it was also her idea for him to come back and face his family and whatever problem she thought he was running away from, Krislynn also felt personal responsibility for what happened. It would be heartbreaking for Thanksgiving dinner to be ruined just because of it, and even if Chase’s issues couldn’t be resolved all in one day, she wanted to fix his mood at the very least.