Amelia wasn't looking for love. She wasn't looking for anything. All she wanted was to enjoy her vacation and celebrate her best friend's wedding. Little did she know she would develop feelings for a complete stranger. Maybe he felt the same way abo...
After a long car ride with Derek and Gracie, they finally made it to the city. Chase was not feeling it. He really didn't think he should be around people. There was no telling what might set him off. He usually fluctuated between being grouchy and being completely shut off from what was happening around him. He had turned into a loner, preferring his own company to others.
Derek and Gracie were in good spirits. They took the sign of him coming along as a good thing. They were both very chatty and tried to include him in their conversation. He listened to them talk about their married life and daily routines. He participated with monosyllabic responses and other times he just grunted in acknowledgment.
They were both acting very cautious around him. He could tell Derek didn't want to push his luck. Chase was ready to call it quits and head home at any given moment.
He stayed quiet when they both raved excitedly about the place they were heading to. It was called The Flower Room and apparently it was one of the most exciting places to be tonight. There was something astonishing about the views of New York which drew the crowds. He didn't care much for crowds and he didn't care much for celebrations at the moment. He was just hoping to ring in the New Year and then leave as soon as it was one minute after midnight.
The cab stopped in front of a hotel and they all got out.
"Is this it?" he asked.
"It's on the top floor," Derek said.
They took the elevator up and when they emerged Chase could already hear the pulsating music through the walls. He felt a headache coming on. Nevertheless he followed his brother and his brother's wife into The Flower Room and braced himself for whatever this night would entail.
"We should get a table," Gracie said.
Derek got one and they all sat down.
"Drinks?" Derek asked.
"Sure," Gracie responded enthusiastically.
"None for me, thanks," Chase yelled over the music.
Derek ordered while they took in the famous view of the New York City skyline. Chase must admit that it was beautiful. There was just something breathtaking about a million twinkling lights all around you. Also, the fact that they were so high up added to the ambiance of the place. The music was loud, but it was expected. Every one was hyped to start a new year. At least he wasn't standing out in the cold to see the ball drop, like hundreds of people did every year. That was something he didn't ever envision himself doing. He was starting to sound like such an old man. It was really sad, he mused.
He looked around at the dancing crowd. There were tons of smiling and laughing faces. Chase tried to loosen up. He rolled his shoulders to ease some of the tension. His neck felt tight and the headache was intensifying. He inhaled deeply and tuned into Derek and Gracie.
"This is nice," Gracie was saying.
He nodded in agreement and looked around.
"Just try to have a good time," Derek said, "New Year, new experiences. Let the past go."
How many times exactly was he supposed to let the past go? He had already picked himself up once. Now here he was again.
He watched a bunch of girls dancing and laughing. They looked so carefree and happy. His eyes zeroed in on one particular girl in a gold skirt. He must admit that he liked the way the skirt wrapped around her hips. She had long flowing hair and it moved in time with her and the music. He didn't want to be a creep, and he was about to avert his eyes, when she spun around and his heart stopped. It stopped completely.
There was a strange rushing sound in his head. It was the same sound you heard when you held a conch shell to your ears. Something was happening to him. He was loosing some of his senses. He realized that everything was going silent. Did they stop the music? No, that wasn't it. People were still dancing. What was wrong with his hearing? He looked at Derek and saw that his lips were moving, but Chase just couldn't register the sound.
He turned back to the girl in the gold skirt. He looked harder just to make sure his eyes didn't deceive him. He took in her full lips, dazzling eyes and prominent cheekbones, which were all so familiar to him.
Air. He needed air. He inhaled deeply. The sound rushed back in with a force. He felt his palms grow cold and sweaty. He wiped them on his pants and tried to still the trepidation that arose inside him.
Li. Amelia. It was her. It couldn't be, but without a doubt it was. She was right in front of him laughing and having the time of her life, while here he sat breaking apart into a million pieces as he came face to face with the girl who haunted him for the last six months.
What were the odds that they would be in the same place at the same time? His brain started working and he realized that this was some sort of set up.
"Did you know she was going to be here?" He asked Derek angrily.
"Who?" Derek looked shocked at his outburst.
"Lia!"
"Lia? What are you talking about?"
"Lia! She's here! Right there actually. Did you know?" He demanded.
"Chase, we didn't," Gracie said apologetically.
"Yeah bro. If we'd known we would never ask you to come."
They both looked at him with sympathetic eyes. He needed to get out of here. He grabbed Derek's drink and downed it in one gulp. It burned terribly on the way down, but the pain felt good. It made sense, unlike the pain he felt at seeing the girl who rejected him, after he had given her all his love.
He needed to get out of here. He didn't know if he wanted her to see him or not. He needed to find some place quiet where he could think. He looked around and saw a door leading outside. He headed straight towards it in a hurry. He pushed the door open and found himself on the rooftop. The frigid air shocked his body and he inhaled with a loud gasp. He took big gulps of air to stop the rising panic inside him.
Why was she here? Out of hundreds of places to be right now, how was she in the very same place as he was? What kind of sick game was fate playing with him. Seeing her brought back too many memories and they hurt. The way she rejected his love hurt. He hurt.
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Hello,
I wonder what his next move is going to be. Any ideas? Please share.
