A/N.: I know. I know. I've either been uberly missed or uberly hated for being totally lame and not updating since the beginning of forever, but ONE: I've been busy and TWO: When I did get around to writing, I was getting smoked with Writer's Block. So I'm sorry for the extremely long wait, and here's the next chapter. Hopefully it doesn't suck too much.
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20. Epic Fail
A streak of sunlight pierced through the window and hit Chase’s sleeping eyes. He winced from the sudden light and laid in silence for a moment before lifting his eyelids. His head felt heavy and groggy, but the feeling was a familiar one to him so he wasn’t all that surprised. How much did he drink last night? What happened?
His head turned to the side and raised an eyebrow when he found Krislynn’s head resting peacefully on his arm. Oh right. That happened.
At the realization, Chase’s entire body tensed and a small part of him contemplated to run out of the hotel room as fast as he can without waking her up. He wasn’t quite sure how she’d handle it once she came to – though he had this uncanny hunch that she’d blame their alcoholism on him and then use that to dismember him somehow.
The thoughts juggled inside his head briefly before he uttered a sigh and turned his body to face the sleeping kitten completely. A soft smile unconsciously lit his face and he found a strange melting sensation rooting from his gut – one that made his breath quicken a few paces, his heart skip a few heartbeats, and an awkward jitter that moved throughout his body – when his eyes found her sleeping so peacefully in his arms.
Gently, careful not to wake her, his body moved to its own accord – as if he had absolutely no control over it. His free hand reached out, a little shaky, and with some focused concentration, ran the back of his fingers lightly against her cheek. He smiled again – wider this time and still unconsciously – until a mischievous side of him took hold and his finger struck out and nudged her cheek.
Krislynn’s face instantly scrunched up in annoyance, but the gesture was brief and she returned to her sleeping state right after.
Chase raised an eyebrow in amusement before poking her again, this time repeatedly. Pig, he thought, as he provoked her. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke.
“Mmm!” No sooner after the soft whimper of protest escaped her lips, Krislynn started shuffling in her sleep, but to Chase’s surprise – rather than rolling away from him – she rolled towards, until her naked body pressed against his, until her face snuggled into his chest.
Chase immediately froze as his body went as rigid as an iron pipe. Disbelief washed over him as he peered down at the sleeping girl and found himself losing control once more and in more than one way. “What in the world,” he muttered slowly, “are you doing to me?”
Arms circling around Krislynn’s tiny waistline, Chase felt a sudden sense of shame as he lowered his head and nuzzled his nose against the nape of her neck. It didn’t take a genius to tell that he was acting weird this morning, but Chase didn’t have much time to ponder this fact because Krislynn was shuffling again, but this time in half wakefulness.
Panicking, Chase quickly moved away and fell back on the bed so that his eyes stared straight up at the white ceiling above his head. His heart rampaged inside his chest, thumping so hard that it was difficult for his lungs to breathe. It was one thing for him to crave her touch and cuddle with her, but completely another to be caught doing that.
Krislynn too, pulled away and rested on her back. A low groan of agony slipped out of her lips before one eyelid lifted to survey her surroundings. “My head,” she moaned, her voice dry and cracking. Her line of vision focused for a moment as her hands poked out from beneath the blanket and held her head protectively. “Oww... Wha? Chase?” A grumble. “Good morning.”
Relief – that was what Chase felt – though he knew better than to settle into this sort of feeling. After all, it would only take a split second for Krislynn’s mood to change from mellow to destructive.
“Morning,” he murmured. “Feeling okay?”
Krislynn let out a variety of painful grunts and groans before closing her eyes and pulling the sheets over her head to block out the sunlight. “Not okay,” she croaked.
“Want me to walk you to the washroom then? I’m feeling generous this morning so I’ll hold your hair if you want.”
“No, it’s okay.” Chase could make out Krislynn shaking her head beneath the covers before she extended her arms to stretch, causing the sheets that had once enveloped her body so neatly to slip down and reveal her breasts.
Chase looked away – or at least in his mind, he imagined looking away, but in reality his eyes were locked on the creamy white globes and reminiscing last night on how it felt to squeeze them in the palm of his hands. Damnnn.
“Ahh!” A flap of the sheets and then they were gone – just like something that disappeared in the process of a magician’s act. “What the hell?!” Krislynn pulled the sheets up to her neck before throwing him a glare. “Why am I naked?”
But even before Chase formally answered her, Krislynn knew. It wasn’t just that she was naked, and from the looks of it, he seemed to be too – it was the fact that her muscles ached in certain places, how she felt tender in those places. “Fuck,” she hissed, and then boldly ducked her head under the blankets to take a peek at Chase just to make sure.
“How’s the show down there?” He asked her cheekily. “It’s pretty nice huh?”
Her head lifted up immediately and a dark scowl took over her face. “What the hell did you do to me last night?” She barked.
Krislynn’s eyes were brimming with killing intent, and Chase decided at that moment that it’d be wise of him to think over his words carefully before he spoke. “Um... things that made you scream my name over and over?” He answered uncertainly, but with a hopeful smile.
Apparently that was the wrong response because the next thing Chase felt was a pillow whacking him across the face at a billion miles per hour. “You shitface,” she shouted. “You jerk! You jerk! You jerk!”
Quick on his feet, Chase instantly leaped out of the bed naked – laughing as he tried to avoid her wrath. Not to be taken lightly, Krislynn jumped off the bed after him with one hand holding a pillow and the other clutching onto a cocoon of sheets around her body. Unfortunately, she was unofficially a natural klutz and instead of flying off the bed with sheets floating behind her like Superman’s cape, she tripped on them during liftoff and drove face first to the floor.
“Ouch!!” Chase winched as he staggered back to Krislynn who was clambering up to a squatting position. “Shit Krislynn. You okay?”
As soon as her face lifted, Krislynn glared at him, her big, round eyes welling up with tears as blood dribbled out of her nose. Chase couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of her giving him a look that was both hostile and in need of a hug. “You okay? Does your face hurt?” His hand extended to wipe the blood, but she angrily swatted it away.
“I’m only trying to help you,” he argued, restraining his laughter the best that he can. “Come on. Lift your face up at least so your blood doesn’t drip everywhere.” His hand reached out to her, but again, she slapped him away. “Dude, what’s your problem?!”
Glowering at him, she pressed her lips together and for a second it rubbed off as anger until Chase realized she was trying her best not to cry – which also seemed to be the reason her eyes were wide and she wasn’t blinking properly.
“Aww, I’m sorry okay?” Swiftly, and rather smoothly, he tilted her chin upwards before pulling her up to him in a tight hug. “I was fooling around and had no idea it would end up like this. I didn’t mean for you to get hurt.” Krislynn struggled to break free as he ran his fingers gently through the back of her hair. “I’m sorry okay? Does it hurt really bad?”
Krislynn’s movements came to a stop and then ever so abruptly, a loud sob tumbled out of her mouth. “It huuuuurrts!” She bellowed.
“I know. I’m sorry.” In one quick movement, Chase carried her up in his arms – sheets and all – before bringing her back to the bed. “Just lay still. I’ll get something to wipe off all the blood.”
Krislynn nodded softly and he quickly found his boxers on the floor and slipped them on before making his way to the bathroom.
After cleaning her up and making sure that she hadn’t broken her nose during the fall, Chase sat on the edge of the bed as he waited for Krislynn’s nose bleed to stop. She was lying on the bed with her head facing up, but nonetheless she still managed to sulk at him from that position. “Don’t think that just because you’re taking care of me, I’ve forgotten everything,” she muttered. “I’m still angry with you Chase!”
He smiled. “I know.” A small pause settled in between them before Chase spoke up again. “Though I’m having a hard time trying to understand why you’re mad at me. I mean, you can’t just pin the blame on me since we were both equally as drunk last night.”
Krislynn bit her lower lip when she realized he made a fair point. The odd part was that she figured as much in the beginning – plus the hazy flashbacks she’s been having since waking up – it wasn’t like he had pinned her against the corner last night with no way out. Still, if that was the case, why was she holding on such a sharp grudge?
“Maybe I’m not mad at you then,” she suggested. “Maybe I’m just mad in general – sort of like I got the short end of the stick.”
“Well, I’m not so sure about that.” Chase gave her a wink as he continued. “Seems to me you got a pretty nice sized stick last night.”
As if he knew she was going to try to hit him, Chase instantly shifted down the bed so that her hand just missed him. “I didn’t mean it that way,” she snapped.
“Well which way do you mean it then?”
Krislynn let out a groan of frustration. “I guess like it’s a bit degrading to sleep with you almost – since you sleep with everybody and so it’s just like I picked a number from one to a billion.”
“Well that’s just the way I am – I sleep with everybody.” He paused for a moment, his voice icy and collected. “But with the way you’re saying it, it’s almost like you wanted last night to be different, to mean something.”
“N- No way! It’s totally not like that!” But even as she said the words, Krislynn’s heart – which had been hammering weirdly in front of Chase since the gala last night – started to clinch in panic and distress. A crimson blush rose to her cheeks and spread all the way to her ears, igniting them in fire. “I just don’t want to be another nameless notch below your belt since they’re all bimbos and sluts there.”
Chase took a while to digest this and Krislynn thanked God he had his back facing her. “Ah. Well, that’s good,” he decided, sounding relieved. “I like the way things are between me and you right now – sort of half way between friends and enemies. It’d be weird if it suddenly became different just because we had sex or something.”
“And for what it’s worth Krislynn,” he added, “it’s not like your notch is nameless like most of the others.”
Krislynn made a face. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”
He shrugged. “Whatever you want it to mean.”