A/N.: I'm very ashamed that this is like my FIRST update of the New Year and it's like 3 weeks into April. It's not even that good so complain as much as want in the comment section. I'll take it with a grain of salt and probably a litre of tequila.
46: Dumb As A Donkey
A billion questions fluttered across Krislynn’s mind, leaving her a bit breathless and hysterical once they’ve passed. How was it possible that Pedro was in a signed band in the three weeks or so that he and Ella have eloped? He did always like the guitar and, okay, Krislynn was even willing to admit he’s got a sexy voice – what with that sluggish Mexican accent that he hadn’t quite lost – but wasn’t touring America a little too soon? How could so many things have happened to him in that short length of time?
Krislynn started pacing around the kitchen and after almost slipping on the milk and cereal she had spilled onto the floor, she decided to clean up and shake off her nerves before deciding her next course of actions. Frankly, it would be useless for her to dawdle on questions that couldn’t be answered and instead, she decided to focus her attention on what needed to be done.
First of all, there was no chance in hell she was going to miss this opportunity. It was like a gigantic present falling out from the middle of nowhere and Krislynn was going to take advantage of it even if it killed her. Second, she needed to figure out how she was going to see Pedro. Obviously, the best choice of action would be to attend the concert in L.A, but how was she going to get up close to Pedro enough to attack him with a hug and demand to see Ella? Would he be signing autographs? Could she buy a backstage pass?
It dawned on her then, quite suddenly, that she wasn’t exactly who she was three weeks ago either. After all, she was friends with celebrities and the ‘girlfriend’ of a famous director, wouldn’t it be easy for them to use their connection to get her a meeting with Pedro somehow? Maybe even before the concert!
Krislynn’s body instantly shook with excitement, so much that she had to break out the vacuum cleaner to calm her nerves. She’d have to wait until Chase came home to get a verdict on her situation, but before then, the least she could do was keep her sanity.
The wait was agonizing, but on Chase’s part, he did come back at quarter past ten, a lot earlier than she had expected. The moment Krislynn heard him coming in she dropped everything she was doing to meet him at the front door. He was still kicking his shoes off when she arrived and was almost spooked by how much enthusiasm that came out of her voice. “Chase! You’re home!”
He smirked when he saw her and then in the most obnoxious way humanly possible, spread his arms wide open in the air. “So you’ve missed me little pig,” he said, stifling a chuckle. “Well, whatever. I’m feeling extra generous today so if you come running into my arms like they do in those old romantic movies, I might even give you a hug.”
Krislynn narrowed her eyes at him, but then shook her head and reminded herself of more important things at hand. “Uh… thanks for the offer but…. look here!” Running up to him, she showed him the picture of Pedro and his band members she found on the magazine and watched as Chase studied the ad.
“Uh… okay. What about these guys?”
“This one here,” she said, pointing at the one with the golden skin and the unruly chocolate coloured hair. “That’s Pedro.”
Chase took the magazine from her hands and Krislynn had assumed he was going to study the page more closely, but to her surprised, he just threw it on the ground behind her. Her jaw fell at his manners – or lack thereof – before she spun around in a quick attempt to pick it up. Chase’s hands cupped her cheeks as she turned and before she could even locate the magazine with her eyes, he pulled her face back to look at him. “Look at me,” he commanded. “Why do you even bother looking at other guys when I’m standing here right in front of you?”
“Because!” Krislynn laughed, trying to tug away from him. “I’m trying to tell you that it’s Pedr– ”
A finger from Chase quickly hushed her when he pressed it forcefully against her lips. “I’m warning you before I get angry,” he said. A sly grin invaded his lips as he slipped his arm behind her waist and drew her body into his. “For the next twenty minutes, the only name I want to hear coming out of your mouth is mine.”
When he urgently claimed her lips the next moment, Krislynn could feel her knees buckling below her upper body, and she might have even melted away into nothingness altogether if he hadn’t been holding her against him so protectively. Her body was completely set aflame and her mind numbed into a trance of ecstasy as their lips prodded against one another, opening and closing, opening and closing. She moaned and let out a gasp when she felt him using his teeth.
Everything was so thrilling that before long Krislynn found her fingers tangled up in his hair. Chase’s hands were equally just as busy, inching down the back of her waist bit by bit until they were resting palms down on top of her butt. She could feel him smiling against her lips when his hands landed and then even more so when he squeezed her bum and successfully snuck himself a handful of her finest assets.
“Chase,” she snapped and then instantly broke their kiss and pushed him away when she remembered there was more important business at hand. “Stop acting all horny and stuff! I was trying to explain something to you earlier!”
His expression immediately grew weary of her. “What’s so important about a bunch of random guys on a page?” He groaned. “Are you attracted to one of them because he’s got three toes growing out of his forehead or something?”
“Ha. Ha. Smart.” She rolled her eyes at him, but all the same traced her tongue where he bit her on her lip before picking up the magazine he threw on the floor. “I’m trying to tell you this is Pedro, Ella’s boyfriend.” Chase stared back at her with a blank expression before she heaved a sigh. “Ella! You know, my best friend? Didn’t I mention her name once or twice?”
“Oh... right. There was a best friend wasn’t there?” He made a face at her, and then wandered deeper inside the house before taking a seat on the arm of a couch in the living room. “Well, what about it?”
A gigantic smile spread across Krislynn’s face as she informed him on what she had learned, that Pedro had gotten himself in a signed band and Ella was most likely touring the country with him. “He’s going to be in L.A in three weeks, but I thought maybe there was a way I could get in touch with him beforehand you know? Maybe talk to him on the phone so he knows I’ll be here when he comes.”
Krislynn stopped, studying the expression on Chase’s face and waiting for some signal of reinforcement before asking him for a favour. It never came. Chase’s expression was stuck on a deadlock until he finally looked up at her with his eyebrows furrowed. “So then, I’m guessing you want me to use my connections? Have you even thought this through though? I mean, so what if he’s coming and your friend is with him? What are you planning to do once you see them?”
Krislynn stared at him and then lowered her gaze, smiling sadly to herself as the answer formed in her head. Probably as soon as she saw the picture of Pedro, she knew it– no, probably even before that. She probably knew it even before that, but had been too afraid to say it because of her growing feelings for him: she had to leave. It wasn’t just because she wanted to see Ella, but it was her own resolve – something that she realized after Chase stood her up for LaCienega, something she’d been desperately trying to push back into the subconscious part of her brain. She was scared of him.
She hadn’t even thought about it in the beginning when she agreed to date him. After all, she had pretty much convinced herself it would be nothing more than another typical short-lived fling. Now she wasn’t so sure. Time and again, he had proved himself able to manipulate her feelings at will. One kiss and it’d make her high, dance in a state of utopia, and vice versa, one small blow would be enough to crush her. It was a yucky feeling and she wasn’t used to letting a man have so much emotional control over her.
She was well aware that she hadn’t fallen for him yet, that she could very well turn back now and it’d still be like all the other guys, but for how much longer? Everyday, she was shown new sides of him: the grumpy side, the sweet side, the childish side, the gentle side – if she stayed too long, could she really still walk away from him unscathed? Maybe she could take her chances, stay around to see if he’d eventually feel the same way, but what if he doesn’t? And worse, what if he does?
Determination in her heart, Krislynn looked to Chase and told him the truth. In the end, either she was going to leave or he was. “I’m going to ask Ella to help me pay you back,” she murmured. “And then after that, I’ll probably leave.”
Chase stared at her, and then sighed, cupping his hands in front of him. “You know Krislynn, if it’s about the money, you don’t have to race to pay me back. It’s not like I’m in short supply of it.”
“It’s not about the money,” she said. “I mean I’m just your rebound Chase. I’m here so you don’t have to be alone and think about the things you don’t want to, but I can’t stay here forever. This is a great opportunity for me. All I’m asking from you is that you’d help me call around, ask if there’s a way I can get a hold of Pedro while he’s on tour. I just want to talk to him and ask him if Ella is okay. I still won’t see him until he comes here in three weeks.” She paused, looked at him for a reaction, but he gave her nothing.
“So then we still have three weeks,” she continued. “I told you I had a weird way of helping people heal and move on so I promise I’ll finish what I started. I’ll go visit your family with you, help you get over LaCienega completely and work out all the kinks in your heart before I leave. Is that okay?”
Chase didn’t say anything, just continued holding her gaze, his eyes digging deep into hers as if he was looking for something. Finally, he lowered his gaze and sighed as if he came to a resolve of his own. “Is that what you want?” He asked. “Is that what you really want?”
She thought about it one more time before slowly nodding her head. “Yeah.”
“Okay,” he said and stood up, walking over to her before gently prying the magazine out of her hands. “If this is what you want, then I’ll call.”