chase.

prelude

↬

Chase Anderson hadn't ever pictured his life turning out the way it was right now. Standing in front of the water, he knew this moment stemmed from a cause, and that cause had an effect, which consequently became the cause for another effect, but when he tried to pinpoint where it all went wrong, all his brain could muster was a name. Juliette. Juliette Knight. She was the cause of sleepless nights, missed events, lost chances, spontaneous heart-stopping moments that changed his perspective on anything and everything he'd always known. Everything he was comfortable with. Juliette. He toyed with her name in his mind, and like a broken dam, memories came rushing back in waves, threatening to take him down. For just a bittersweet moment, he considered letting the wave pull him under. He considered the idea of calling the girl, asking her for an answer, but he wasn't sure he wanted one. Obsession was to be feared, and he feared that he was aware of it far too late.

He remembers the chase. Flirting and late-night drives, sitting by the beach with their lips way too close, breathing in each other's air. He remembers a thrill, a need, a want. Lust. He knew he'd changed, it was unavoidable. Irreversible. But he didn't want to go back. He refused to think of a life where he hadn't felt her hands on too many inches of his skin. A time where he would've refused to sneak around behind the church building and kiss her until his legs felt weak and her hands got lost in his hair.

He let the wind whip his hair now, her hands long gone, feeling his face sting with the harshness of it, but he let himself revel in it. At this point, it felt almost well deserved, and oh how fate could be so cruel. He wasn't entirely sure if he was crying, or if his eyes had given up the battle against the wind, but he let the drops run down his face until they reached his lips. He stood still and faced the water. He took 3 steps back because he loved her. He took 4 steps forward, stopping at the edge because he loved her, but he didn't know if he could stop.