Sprinkling Fling ✓

10.

"Hey!" I immediately scream as I step into the shower.

Hearing him on the other side made me rush to get my clothes off. I wanted to get into the shower as quickly as I could. I missed his company, and I really need to talk to him.

"Nightingale, there you are again!" I hear him say back to me, and I can hear the smile in his voice.

Being near him even through a wall uplifts my sour mood tremendously.

I felt terrible for having to turn Del down just minutes ago. I know he wanted more. I didn't want to give him false hope if I couldn't promise him anything between us, so I had to be direct, much to my displeasure.

Speaking to Chase every few days makes all the stress I am feeling go away. It made me feel adequate again, just at the equilibrium. He is a stable factor in my life, even if I have only spoken to him a few times now. We have only spoken a couple of times, which seems so hard to believe, and already feel so safe with him, which is unusual.

He seems too perfect to be my friend, a way to explore and tell him things I generally wouldn't expose this fast. It gives me a chance to make it easier to open up.

I hate to admit it, but I have considered that he might not be real—a figment of my imagination—just an imaginary person I made up in my head.

The friend I needed a long time ago and maybe now had made up because of all the trauma I was experiencing.

I don't think he is unreal, though. I'm pretty certain he isn't.

I'm lucky to have met him. I need him.

"Stop it with the nightingale, you know I can't sing!" I laugh back.

"No you stop it, that's a lie and you know it." He teases me back, "But now a more important question: what do you want to listen to today?"

"Now that is a lot of pressure on me. Hmm, let me see..." I want to keep our thing cheerful for now. After our song, I will talk to him. I can't back down. "How about some ABBA, but actually I also wanted to talk to you about something after, if that's okay?" I add it's just so he knows already, and I can't back out of this talk afterward.

"Whatever you want, I'm here at your convenience but now..." he trails off and is silent for a little before I hear the familiar melodies of Dancing Queen through the shower vent.

The explosive opening to the song immediately moves something in my body—rapturous delight.

"Ooh
You can dance
You can jive
Having the time of your life"

I feel bliss, so carefree.

"Ooh, see that girl
Watch that scene
Digging the dancing queen"

I have a feeling he is experiencing the same thing as me. We're both feeling cheerful. How can we not?

I didn't need encouragement to sing at the top of my lungs for this one. It's easily at the top of my list of karaoke songs, and it might already be my favorite song to sing with Chase.

I can hear him doing the best he can, and I appreciate the effort. It's like we feed each other's energy until we reach a peak.

The next couple of lines flow out so nicely, and it's going way too fast for my liking.

"You're in the mood for a dance
And when you get the chance"

Here we go.

"You are the dancing queen
Young and sweet
Only seventeen
Dancing queen
Feel the beat from the tambourine, oh yeah"