Only the Lonely {Chase Elliott} ✔️

xxiii.

"so do you want to talk about what happened at the restaurant?" chase asked, plopping down next to kathryn claire. he could tell something had happened, the way she had left their booth, looking dazed.

"i don't know what you're talking about," kathryn claire looked away from him.

chase fought the urge to roll his eyes, he knew that she knew what he was talking about. "hey," he grabbed her hand, her eyes meeting his again. "you can tell me."

kathryn claire's eyes found the floor, "it's just that seeing you with your parents made me really miss mine. i needed a minute to collect myself but i'm okay."

chase's heart dropped. "i didn't even think--" his heart was pounding, his stomach churning at the thought that he had hurt her -- unintentionally but he still felt the same.

kathryn claire cut him off before he could plunge too deep into his thoughts, "it's okay. sometimes missing my parents overwhelms me. but i'm okay, thanks to you."

chase scrunched his face, "to me?" he had no idea what she was talking about.

kathryn claire laid her head on his shoulder and chase instinctively wrapped his arm around her. "for the first time since the accident, i'm not alone." she explained simply. "i was so lonely and then you breezed in and changed everything."

chase squeezed kathryn claire a little tighter, searching for the right words to say because he knew he shouldn't say what he wanted to but he'd get as close as he could. "i'm glad it was me."

kathryn claire looked up at him, her hazel eyes sparkling, "i'm glad it was you too. you have been the biggest surprise and i'm so thankful."

for a moment, chase debated leaning down and kissing her but instead, he just smiled down at her, "i'm glad i could change your mind about me."

"you definitely did. do you wanna watch a movie or something?" she asked.

chase nodded, he'd do anything if it meant they could stay like they were, tangled together, close. "you pick."

kathryn claire grinned, flipping through netflix before she settled on a movie. chase instantly recognized it as a romantic comedy. usually, he would groan but being there with kathyrn claire made it worth it.

as they settled into the movie, chase found himself thinking about what kathryn claire had said about being lonely. he understood that -- before he had met her, even before his relationship with alicia and friendship with ryan had imploded loneliness had consumed him. everything had changed for chase too, and it was all because of kathryn claire.

"you know," chase shifted. "you changed everything for me too."

she turned to him, a confused look on her face, "no i didn't, you had already broken up with alicia when we started talking."

chase shook his head, "i was so lonely. even with alicia, even with ryan. you breathed color back into my life."

"poetic." kathryn claire smiled at him, chase's cheeks tinting pink.

"shush." chase chuckled softly, "i just don't want you to think that you haven't changed things for me because you've changed everything."

the three words he wanted to say caught in his throat. he wished that he could just say them but the weight of the words, of his feelings, could change everything.

"i'm glad to have you," kathryn claire laid her head back on chase's shoulder.

"i'm glad to have you too," chase squeezed her once again, choking down what he really wanted to say.

it would have to wait.