I glance between Naomi and Chase, who has now heard the only name my sister ever calls me. I can already hear the mockery coming.
"Naomi," I say, walking over to her. Maybe introducing them is a good way to clear my mind.
"I want you to meet someone."
"Who?" she asks as I gently grab her wrist and lead her deeper into the living room.
"Him," I say, gesturing to Chase sitting comfortably on the couch.
"Who is he?"
"His name is Chase," I explain to her. "He's my boyfriend."
"Hi, Naomi!" He greets her with a big smile. So big his gums are just barely visible against his perfectly white teeth.
"He's cute," she mutters to me. How would she even know? She's five!
Chase chuckles after hearing her admit he's attractive—a five year old admitting an eighteen year old boy is attractive—and he thanks her quickly.
"Yeah, he knows," I say flatly, rolling my eyes.
"But that's nasty, Michelle," she complains, her chest huffed and mouth in a frown. And I couldn't agree more. I just wonder why she so confidently thinks so.
"How?"
"You don't want cooties, do you?" She crosses her arms. "Boys just give girls cooties."
"And babies," I hear Chase say. I look back at him with a deadly stare and elbow him right in the gut.
"Huh?"
"Nothing!" The two of us shout simultaneously as we turn our attention back toward her. She just glanced up at us curiously, and I keep shooting Chase my notorious glare as preparation for the punishment he's going to receive eventually.
Naomi's stomach suddenly growls and she makes a face that tells me she's either going to cry or throw up—neither of which I would like to any extent. I had forgotten she told me she was hungry when she first walked into the room.
I shake every thought of Chase from my mind as I make my way to the kitchen to fix her up something to eat. She's still picky since she's just getting used to eating bigger meals, so there's not much I can do for her. Not to mention I'm not exactly Gordon Ramsay in the kitchen. So I guess macaroni and cheese is going to have to do for tonight. Cons of having a five-year-old sister: you constantly have to make her food. Pros? Well, there are no pros, really.
I hurry up and heat up one of those microwaveable single serving packages while Naomi makes some pointless conversation with Chase on the couch. She warms up to him quickly, to my surprise, and they seem like they're getting along perfectly. I feel bad that I have to get rid of someone she likes in a month, but I guess that's just how things are going to have to be.
"Thank you," she says when I hand her the plate, her polite attitude slowly starting to become a normality now. Mom and Dad have been trying to teach her manners ever since she bit me the last time I was alone with her for more than ten minutes, and it seems to be working pretty well so far.
I nod to her and move to sit down on the couch. Chase is still there, sitting on his phone like he's been doing the whole time, which I am actually thankful for. Usually, I would say guests being on their phones forever is insanely rude, but it's Chase. I couldn't care less. At least he isn't annoying me.
"Where's my food?" he asks in a whisper, completely ruining my serenity of not being annoyed by him for ten seconds. I think he recognizes the rage in my stare as he immediately responds with "Just kidding!"
"What do you want to eat?" His voice croaks after a moment of allowing me to simmer down while I choose a movie to play for Naomi. "I'll make food for us."
"No. This is my house; you're the guest. I'm making the food."
"Fine by me." He smiles and tilts his head ever so slightly—that thing he always does when he's about to tease me for no reason.
"I'm fine with macaroni and cheese like your sister if that's all you know how to make."
I glare back at him. Another thing that's become something of a normality now. "That's not all I know how to make."
He arches his eyebrows in skepticism, trying to draw the real truth out with just his gaze.
"I can make spaghetti too," I tell him matter-of-factly, crossing my arms as his cocky smile burns into my brain.
He responds with a hollow chuckle and backs away before I have the chance to show him who's in charge here.
After convincing me to let him help, Chase and I get off of the couch and move to the kitchen to start making spaghetti for ourselves. Naomi is hooked on her favorite Disney movie and doesn't try to bother us as we cook, making the process a lot easier to get through. Except for when I have to yell at Chase for stealing a meatball when he thinks I'm not looking.
When the food is done, Chase and I move back to the living room to eat it in the company of Naomi's movie, to which she's already fallen asleep to. She was tired when she first walked out, so it's not much of a shocker to me.
I allow her to stay asleep on the couch until I finish my dinner, making sure to get her to bed as soon as possible when I'm finished. She sleeps soundly in her teal-walled, ocean themed room, and I feel comfortable enough to leave without being dragged back in for story time. So as soon as I get out of there, I take the chance to move right into my safe place—the kitchen.
I position myself in front of the island and bring out my phone to look at my notifications. Isaac texted me once today, after ignoring every message I sent him. His tone in the message is serious and passive aggressive, and reading it just makes me feel like shit.
He already told me that he was going to Vegas with his sister for his birthday, so him telling me that he took off this morning doesn't come as a surprise. What really hits me is when he blames me for ruining his trip and accuses me of wanting him to have a shitty birthday because he made me go to the party. He seriously thinks all of this is my fault? I cannot stand this boy sometimes.
Suddenly, I feel a pair of arms wrap around my waist and a head nuzzle my neck. I know it's Chase doing this but I don't know why. I'm planning on kicking him but I guess this is supposed to be some sort of date and that's not really a date activity, is it?
Before I can do anything, though, his hands grip my waist to turn me around and sit me on top of the island to face him. Now at eye-level with him, I can't help but feel small in his gaze. It's not easy to stare into his charming green eyes and still feel complete control over myself.
His hands travel to my face, holding it gently as he pulls me into a kiss. For once, I don't push him away. I don't run away from my problems, I don't stay cooped up in my comfort zone. No. For once, I allow myself to get caught up in something. Something sweet and gentle, yet so exciting and refreshing. I allow myself to give in to Chase Matthews—just this once.
Snaking my arms around his neck, I finally kiss him back. I push my lips further into his, enabling the moment to last longer than just a few seconds, and the moment we do share together is soft and careful. Something I've been missing for a while.
Plus, I suppose at some point I need to stop pushing Chase away—especially since Isaac is going to be gone for a while. For the next week, the only person I'll have by my side is Chase. I can't force myself into loneliness just because he's annoying.
I suddenly feel Chase's hand slip from my face and grip the outer side of my thigh. He pulls me even closer to him, starting to test my limits. I don't need to push him away, but I also don't want to rush into things so quickly like this.
As soon as I'm about to start cutting the kiss short, his grip loosens on my leg and his lips begin to slow themselves against mine. I give him a few more seconds to enjoy himself before we disconnect.
When he pulls away, he opens his eyes slowly and it takes everything in me not to swoon. He is the actual definition of beautiful.
"I didn't think you could kiss like that, Adams." He grins. "Kind of thought you would just stop a little peck for a while there."
I give him a sarcastic smile while I kick my leg, directly making contact with Chase where the sun does not shine. And it's not long until I burst with silent laughter.
"Why would you kick me in the nuts?" he almost yells loud enough to wake up Naomi.
"Shut up!" I demand through my uncontrollable laughter. I cover his mouth with my hand and continue giggling to myself. "I've been waiting for that since day one."
He nudges my hand away and comments on my leniency, "I'm just surprised you went through with the kiss."
"Well, I realized that if we're gonna act like a couple, I might as well stop being a coward and actually act like we're in a relationship."
He stares at me in utter disbelief. "I can't believe you said that. Did my incredible kissing skills finally knock some sense into you?"
"Keep it up, Chase. I'll kick you again."
"Ah, there she is."