At The Center of It All

Chapter 6

It was just a week before prom and Vanessa still hadn't been able to pick a dress. She wanted to go with Chase partly for support, and also because it would also be a perfect chance for him to pick a matching tie in that color. But he had been so busy with one thing or the other. In fact, he was so busy with 'stuff' that she hardly saw him around. But every time she was with him, it was just like the stuff movies were made of. She never wanted to leave his side because where ever he went, there was an eerie ball of light he carried with him. He was like a breath of fresh air, or even a tall glass of water on a long, hot day. She simply couldn't get enough of him.

And her parents simply adored him. Whenever he was over for dinner, he would always offer to help Vi clean up after they finished eating and never ever forgot to complement her cooking. She was an average cook, but he made her feel like she was France's most celebrated chef. And he always had intelligent, broad, conversations with her father. From discussing politics one minute, to discussing how the oil prices weren't stable the next.

She was supposed to have dinner with him that night because he would be taking a trip with his parents to Germany for a few days starting the next day. She was still doing her makeup when a maid came up to tell her Chase was here for her.

'Tell him to give me some time. I'll down in 10' but she knew she'd be ready in nothing less than 20 minutes.

'Yes Miss' the maid said as she closed the door behind her

Downstairs

'Master Chase, Miss Vanessa said to tell you that she would be down in 10 minutes'

'I guess I'll be here for a while' Chase said to himself as Jonathan laughed out.

'You know how women can be. They drive us near insane, but they still stay winning' Jonathan said, before taking a sip of his drink. Chase nodded with a chuckle and they continued to chat about this and that.

'So Chase, what are your plans after school? Graduation is just a month away I believe' Jonathan enquired

'Well sir, I've applied to Harvard and Yale to study law'

'Law huh. Sounds good. That's really good. Vanessa is looking to study business in NYU, but I'm more for Yale to be very honest. But she's so hell bent on it, saying something about urban culture and some related crap. I love that girl, but her stubbornness drives me up the damn wall'

'Huh, I wonder where she gets it from' Vi said slyly, her hands working quickly and expertly on the quilt on her lap, with a smirk on her face. His face reddened slightly. But before he could speak, a soft voice beat him to it.

'Where who gets what from?' Vanessa asked as she came down. She was dressed nicely in a light pink, sleeveless number from vogue, with her hair tied up in a very chic high ponytail.

'Your hard headedness, my sweet fairy' her father said as he stood up to help her down from the last stair, like she didn't just walk down the flight herself.

'Hard headedness? I know not of what you speak' she said in a false accent that made them all burst into laughter

'You look lovely Vanessa' Chase said to her as he took her hand from her dad.

'Shall we?'

'Of course' she said to him, with a sweet smile.

They said bye to her parents and left. They had dinner at a new French Place that was very posh with its neutral and grey colors and ceiling high glass windows and doors, and after that, they had desert in an ice cream bar a few blocks away. They had just stepped out of the ice cream place when he called her name

'Vanessa?'

'Hmm?' she hummed, satisfactorily, still walking towards the car

'Stop and listen' he called out to her

'I listen with my ears, you dimwit' she lashed back at him, with a sly smile

'Ugh stop and listen to me you Rugrat. I'm trying to be romantic' he replied. By now, she had sensed his seriousness and decided to listen so she turned around and stood.

'Well? Speak up already you dork. My shoes are killing me' she told him not unkindly, with a little smile

'I love you. A whole lot. You know?'
She looked right into his eyes, her eyes wide and slowly becoming dewy.

'You mean that?' she asked him softly

'Yes I do. I really do.' His voice cracked a bit but he still continued. 'I love you so much, it hurts me physically' he told her a little teasingly, a lot serious

'Well I must have a whole lot of bruises then' she said to him

'What do you meant?' he asked her with a raised eye brow, confused

'I love you more than you love me. If you love me so much it hurts you physically, imagine how it must be for me. Permanently bruised and beaten up by your love. I'm repeatedly thrashed by your love and I wouldn't ever want it to stop.' She said

He closed the distance between them and kissed her deeply and sweetly, with all the love and care he felt for her.

They broke apart and she felt little droplets of moisture on her face.

'Hey, what's wrong? Why the waterworks? I didn't turn down your declaration of undying love for me, you weirdo' she asked him lightly, as she brushed the tears away from his face

'Nothing, you Rugrat. Life is just unfair' he said to her with a faraway look in his eyes.

'What do you mean?' she asked him, confused.

'Nothing you need to worry about tonight. Just promise me one thing.'

'Anything'

'Never forget that I love you more than life itself' he said, the most serious she had ever seen him. He was naturally a calm, worry-free and happy person so this behavior from him was making her uneasy

'Baby you're scaring me' she told him with wide eyes

'Just promise me' he pressed on

'I promise'

And he engulfed her in a bear hug so tight, it could be suffocating. But that meant nothing to Vanessa since she would be killed by his love. And she wouldn't have it any other way. In an attempt to lighten the mood, she said to him, her face buried in his chest, giggling

'You sound like your dying' she felt a vibration from him that sounded like he had laughed and she was glad she had succeeded. But what she didn't see was the tears stream from his eyes.

A/N
Uh ohh. Is Chase hiding something?🤔read on to find out!
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