The Dating Game

FORTY-FOUR

I arrive at school just on time, desperate to see what Chase wrote for me today, but when I open my locker, the note he's written this time is not a silly little love letter at all. Instead, it's ominous and vague, simply reading:

Meet me on the rooftop for lunch. Please.
Love, C.M.

The note itself is straightforward, but the last part makes my knees weak and wobbly. Love, C.M. He could've said "Sincerely," or "Yours Truly," which would've been such a Chase Matthews thing to say, or he could've just signed it off with C.M. and left it at that. But he chose his words carefully; he said Love, C.M.

He knows exactly what he wants to say and he wants me to know he's not afraid to say it anymore. And I think the best part is that I'm not afraid to say it either.

Of course, classes drag on forever, only delaying the thing I'm most excited about today. But eventually, the lunch bell rings and I'm rushing to my locker to put everything away. I only have an hour to spend on that rooftop with Chase and I'm not letting any of it go to waste.

I rush to the staircase that's supposed to be off-limits to students, but the door to the stairwell is unlocked for once, so I take my chances and open it up. Nobody comes in after me, and I make sure of that by locking the door behind me, starting up the stairs as casually as possible. This whole situation has me feeling like a lovesick schoolgirl all over again and it's the best possible thing I could ask for right now.

When I reach the top of the staircase, I take a deep breath and fix my hair. I can't believe I'm fixing my hair; when have I ever fixed my hair before seeing Chase? God, what has this boy done to me?

Without wasting another second, I push the door open to see a picnic blanket neatly laid out on the floor of the rooftop with a certain Chase Matthews sitting on top of it. He glances my way when he hears the door open and smirks at me and I swear my heart stops beating for an entire minute.

He stands up to greet me at the door, takes my hands in his, and says, "I'm glad you decided to make it."

"Bold of you to plan all of this without even knowing if I'd say yes or not," I tease him, though I think we both know there couldn't possibly be any other answer.

"What can I say? I guess I just had a hunch the odds might be in my favor."

I shake my head with a smile, pulling him in for a hug. It's been so long since the last time we got to do this—any of this. I've missed his scent in my hair; I've missed his arms around me; I've missed his lips on mine and his hands in mine and his heart in mine. I've missed him.

He leads me to the picnic blanket with a smile and we sit beside each other in comfort. He hands me some tupperware full of spaghetti and I just can't help but laugh at the sight.

"You did not."

"Oh I most definitely did, Adams."

Hearing him say my last name only warms my cheeks more than before and I just stare at him. His eyes are fixed on mine and all I can think about is kissing him until the last star in space burns out, but not before we finally have a real conversation again.

"I've missed you," I say first, clearly catching him off guard.

"I've missed you too," he says with a smile. "More than you know."