Winter hit with a vengeance over the next few weeks. The temperature dropped and we got dumped with snow. I was thankful for the heated indoor arena every time I rode Justice. It kept us nice and warm, even when outdoors it was freezing. I continued trotting on him, slowly increasing the amount of time until we were able to do twenty minutes of trot work.
Chase came down to the barn with me a couple of times a week and he slowly grew more comfortable around the horses. I was hoping to get him riding one day soon, but I didn’t mention that to him. I knew he wouldn’t agree to it yet.
On a cold Saturday morning, Cindy picked me up to take me to the mall so I could do my Christmas shopping. It was the first time we’d gone out of the house together since the accident, and I knew she was really excited about it. And to tell the truth, so was I even though I didn’t like shopping. I had missed having girl time with her.
We got to the mall and set out to do our shopping. We spent an hour browsing through the stores before I needed to take a break because of my leg. We went to a small coffee shop and ordered hot chocolates, then settled into a booth. “So how are things going?” Cindy asked me.
I shrugged. “They’re getting better,” I replied.
“How are things going with Chase?”
I smiled. “Good. He’s a really nice guy underneath that tough exterior, and we have a lot in common. I just wish he would trust me enough to tell me more about his past.”
“At least he actually talks to you. He’s been eating lunch with us for over a month and he still hasn’t said a word when Sarah and I are around. I admit that I want to know what his voice sounds like.” She blew on her hot chocolate and then took a small sip.
“He doesn’t talk to anyone else besides me. He’s met my parents a few times now and he hasn’t said more than five words to them. And he barely speaks to his foster parents.”
“Do you know why he doesn’t like talking?”
I shook my head. “No, he hasn’t told me. I know that he had a fairly normal childhood until he was ten, but that’s it.”
“What happened when he was ten?” Cindy asked curiously.
“It’s not really my place to tell you,” I told her.
“I guess you’re right. You can’t blame me for being curious though. He’s this dark, mysterious person and you’re the only one who’s gotten close to him. A lot of people are talking about it.”
This surprised me. “Seriously? Why?”
“Because you were always popular in school, but now you only hang out with Chase and me. You broke up with Adam and you barely talk to Sarah. People are curious as to why you’re interested in a guy who has violent tendencies.”
“Violent tendencies? Just because he got into fights at the beginning of the year doesn’t mean he has violent tendencies,” I defended him.
“I know that, but most people don’t really see the two of you together like I do. They judge you two by what they think they see.”
I rolled my eyes. “I almost forgot how judgmental people are. I guess most people think I’m a horrible person because I pushed Adam away, don’t they?”
“They might have, but Adam won’t let them. He’s always defended you, no matter what. He holds no resentment towards you and I think he’s actually glad that you have Chase to talk to.”
I nodded thoughtfully. “He said as much to me when I last talked to him. I’m glad he doesn’t hold a grudge against me; he really is a great guy. We just aren’t meant to be more than friends now.”
“Did you know that he’s started seeing someone else?”
“No, I didn’t know. Who is it?”
Cindy made a face. “Chantal Bridges.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Ugh, he could do so much better than that. What does he see in her?”
“What every guy sees in her. A big chest and very little brains. The ideal woman,” Cindy replied dryly. “I don’t think he’s really serious about her, but he is a teenage boy, and we both know that they aren’t always the smartest people around.”
“I would try and talk some sense into him if it wouldn’t be weird,” I said. “But somehow I don’t think getting advice from an ex-girlfriend would do any good.”
She laughed. “You’re probably right. At least she’s a fairly nice girl.” She took another sip of her hot chocolate. “You know, this is kind of nice.”
I knew she wasn’t referring to her beverage. “I know. Thanks for not giving up on me.”
“You’re my best friend, Dana. There was no way in hell I was going to let anything change that.”
“I’m glad. So, tell me about your love life.”
It was her turn to roll her eyes. “It’s non-existent. I haven’t found anyone who interests me yet.”
“What about that guy from the horse shows last year? I think his name was Kyle.”
She shrugged. “Nothing ever came of it. We talked a few times, but I think he was interested in one of the other girls. You know what it’s like for guys on the show circuit; the women majorly outnumber them. They can pick whoever they want.”
I laughed. “I know. I remember how Luke used to love that. He not only had girls at school after him; he also had girls on the circuit that followed him around like puppies.”
Cindy wrinkled her nose. “I remember he used to pretend to be offended that I wasn’t falling at his feet like all the others.” She stopped suddenly. “Sorry, I know you don’t like talking about him.”
“It’s okay. It’s getting easier and easier to talk about him. Besides, I’m the one who brought him up.”
We continued chatting for another fifteen minutes and then my cell phone signaled that I had a text. I checked it and saw that it was from Chase. I raised an eyebrow when I read it. “Apparently Chase wants to cook dinner for me tonight. His foster parents went out for the night so he has the house to himself.”
“Can he cook?”
“I have no idea. I guess I’ll find out tonight.” I glanced at the time. “I should probably get going home so I have time to get ready before he picks me up.”
“Sure, I’ll take you home now.”
That evening, I discovered that Chase did know how to cook. He didn’t make anything fancy, but the food was good and he’d even dug out some candle and lit them to give the evening a romantic feeling. I helped him do the dishes afterwards and then we went downstairs to watch a movie.
“How was your shopping trip earlier?” he asked as we settled onto the couch.
“It went pretty well. Got most of it done, so I should only have to make one more trip back there. I’ve never really liked shopping too much, so I’m glad I don’t have a lot more to do.”
He slid his arm around my waist and tugged me a little closer to him. “That’s good. I can take you to do the rest next week if you want.”
I laid my head on his shoulder. “Maybe. I don’t want to think about it right now; I just want to relax with my boyfriend and watch the movie.”
“That sounds like a good idea to me,” he replied.
I snuggled into him and let out a contented sigh. His arm tightened around me a little and he kissed the top of my head as the opening credits came on.
Near the end of the movie, I turned my head to kiss him gently. He raised a hand to my cheek and cupped my face. “I didn’t think I’d ever be this happy again,” he murmured against my lips.
“Me neither,” I responded. “Part of me feels guilty, because Luke isn’t here and yet I’m starting to be happy again. But I also know that he would want me to live my life and not mourn him forever. It’s just hard to pretend that everything is okay when nothing is the same as it used to be.”
“Nothing ever stays the same. Change happens daily, though we might not always notice it. Sometimes the changes are really bad, but sometimes they’re really good. All the bad things in my life led me to you, so I guess even the bad changes can eventually lead to something good.”
“That was sweet,” I told him and then brought my lips to his again.
He shifted around so that we were facing each other and pulled his lips away from mine so he could kiss along my jawline. I tilted my head automatically to grant him better access and I felt him smile against my skin. When he nipped at my chin, I yelped and tried to push away from him, but he held me firmly against him. I giggled when he nuzzled at my neck, and he raised his head to look at me, his eyes alight with excitement. “Are you a little ticklish?”
I stopped giggling and stared at him with innocent eyes. “No.”
He grinned wickedly. “Oh, I think you’re lying to me.” His fingers moved to my ribs and he dug them into me lightly.
I squealed and struggled to get away from him, but he just laughed and pinned me down on the couch, tickling me mercilessly. I started laughing so hard that my stomach started to hurt. He looked so happy and carefree at the moment, and that meant more to me than anything else.
Eventually he stopped and gazed down at me with a small smile on his face. “I always have so much fun with you.” He released his hold on my hands and framed my face with his long fingers. He touched his lips to mine softly. “I’m so glad that you’re in my life.”
I put my arms around him and ran my hands up and down his back. “Me too,” I replied. He lowered his head to kiss me again, this time for a lot longer. I sighed in pleasure and slid my hands down his back. When I reached the hem of his shirt, I slipped my hands underneath to feel his skin.
A shudder raced through his body, but he didn’t break the kiss. Instead, he reciprocated by letting the fingers of his right hand trail down my side to the bottom of my shirt and then going under it to gently trail along my stomach.
I started moving my hands up his back again, but as my fingers reached the bottom of his left shoulder blade, he suddenly froze. I frowned as I encountered uneven skin and moved my fingers up further. The unevenness continued, so I stopped and looked up at him questioningly.
He sat up and moved a little away from me, so I sat up as well. “Chase?”
His eyes were wide and there was a mixture of emotions in them. There was a little anger and some pain, but what surprised me the most was the fear. “I, uh, don’t think you should do that,” he mumbled.
“Do what? What’s wrong?” I reached for him but he shook his head and shuffled back a foot. “Chase, what’s going on?”
“Dana, there are things…” he trailed off and his eyes became slightly unfocused for a moment. When they cleared, his expression was blank. “I don’t like being touched.”
I frowned. “I know, but you’ve never had a problem with me touching you before.” I moved my hands toward him again and ignored the fact that he moved away. I placed them on his upper arms and gave him a small smile. “See?”
He blew out a breath and shut his eyes. “What are you doing to me?”
I pulled my hands back and looked at him in confusion. “What do you mean?”
He opened his eyes to reach forward and grab my hands, bringing them to his lips so he could brush his lips over the knuckles. “I find myself wanting to tell you things that I’ve never told anyone, not even the shrinks they forced me to see.”
“Nothing you say will change how I feel about you. I don’t want to push you, but you can trust me with anything. I hope you know that.”
“I do know that. It’s just difficult for me to drop those last barriers.”
I tugged my hands away from his and grabbed the bottom of his t-shirt. I started pulling it up, but he stopped me. His breathing had become shallow, so I leaned forward and kissed him. He relaxed slowly and allowed me to pull his shirt up. Then he suddenly jumped off the couch. “Let me do this on my own,” he said, and then slowly pulled his shirt off over his head. He held it in front of himself for a moment, hiding his body from my view. Then with a shuddering breath, he dropped the shirt.
My eyes widened slightly at the sight of his skin. “Holy crap,” I muttered. I struggled to my feet and cautiously placed my hand over his heart. “Chase, what the hell happened to you?”
****************************************************************
I know it's a little short, but I needed to end it there before I get into the explanation of what happened to Chase. On the bright side, you learn a lot about him in the next chapter :-).
You guys are doing amazing with the voting and commenting, so keep it up! The more votes and comments I get, the quicker I will get the next chapter up.
Question: What's your favourite TV show? Mine is probably The Big Bang Theory. Bazinga!