Chase agreed to meet just outside of Lucky’s. It was the only bar in town, but it was also the only place I was sure other people would be around. Dante was pretty sure Chase wouldn’t willingly come back to the store by the time he got off work. He’d try to get me to meet him somewhere where he could get me alone and away from other people. Dante had seen it happen more than once if his certainty was any indication. So, the plan was to meet him somewhere public, somewhere I could feel relatively safe. From there, I had to get him back to the shop without actually getting inside his vehicle. This was where a little quick thinking would have to come into play on my part.
How did I convince a red-blooded Mid-western kid with a license and a car to walk somewhere?
Still, if I wanted to help Chase, I had to figure out a way to make it happen. I grabbed the door handle inside Dante’s truck, feeling more than a little nauseous. My enthusiastic bravado from earlier had quickly given way to almost paralyzing fear of what I was about to do. I really liked Chase, and no one deserved what Aunt Celeste had planned for him, but trying to stop something so totally crazy would give anybody a bad case of performance anxiety.
Sure enough, as we pulled up to the bar there were plenty of people outside hanging out. Some were drinking and chatting with old friends, others were just out for a summer ride, admiring each other’s Harleys. I didn’t care. I was just glad to see them.
Dante turned in his seat to look at me one last time. “Whatever happens, Eliza, don’t let him get you alone. Don’t get in his car for any reason whatsoever. Lust has had plenty of time to work on him now, he will follow you. Just get to the shop. I’ll be there waiting.”
“Right. Anything else?” I asked, feeling all my normal sarcasm and hostility towards Dante evaporate in light of the fact that he was really helping me. I had hoped he would, but actually seeing him now, going through this with me was a little mind blowing.
Dante nodded. “Yeah, don’t piss him off. Right now he’s like a bomb ready to blow. Don’t go opening that mouth of yours and setting him off.”
I gave him a weak grin, “Got it. In other words, don’t be you.”
He frowned a little but didn’t say anything. If I hadn’t known better I would’ve thought that look in his eyes was actually something close to worry. Good thing I knew better than that. I mean, this was Dante we were talking about.
He closed his eyes and blinked for a long second. When Dante opened them back up, he nodded once. “Ok, he’s leaving the hardware store.”
“How do you know that?” I asked, still freaked out when he went and did stuff like that. But he didn’t bother answering me. Instead he unlocked the doors and threw me out of his truck.
“Remember, don’t get in his car and stay where I can see you. I’ll knock him out the minute you get him inside the shop.”
I just stood on the sidewalk staring back at him. I only hoped I didn’t mess anything up. I had a way of running certain trains off their tracks.
Before he drove away, Dante gave me one final look out of his passenger side window. “Relax. You can do this. I’ll be watching the whole time.”
“Dante…just don’t let him kill me in some Lust-filled Hulk-like meltdown, ok?” I asked, feeling both scared and highly unprepared. The combination was really rather nauseating.
He nodded again not didn't say anything. Still it actually made me feel a little better.
“Oh! And when you knock him out, try to do it without knocking out any of his teeth, please. That’s just wrong, you know.”
Dante rolled his eyes as he pulled away. I took a few deep breaths to steady myself and waited for my date to arrive.
It didn’t take long at all.
~~ ~
Chase pulled up just a few minutes after Dante turned out of sight. He jumped out of the car looking flushed and more than a little excited to see me. I stood there as he walked up to me and pulled me into a big bear hug, like he hadn’t seen me in years instead of just a few hours before. It was like being hugged by a really big electric blanket. He was so hot I thought I could feel my skin browning just a little.
He bent his head down to mine and I felt him inhale deeply. When he spoke, his words moved across my scalp and his hot breath tickled my ear, “I missed you, Eliza.”
“Ummm…I missed you too, Chase,” I said trying to breathe around the soft cotton of his t-shirt. It was a little difficult, but I managed to pull it off ok.
His arms still wrapped around me, he pulled me up a little until my feet left the ground before setting me back down again. He pulled back enough that I could take exactly one breath before his mouth crashed into mine, cutting off my air supply once more.
Now on a regular sort of day I might’ve enjoyed being tongue tackled by a hottie like Chase, but I knew what was slowing fermenting inside him was nothing even remotely good. It made being kissed by him more disconcerting than pleasurable.
I leaned back a little, putting some distance between us. “Let’s just slow it down a little, okay? I didn’t bring an inhaler or anything, and I kind of like breathing. It’s one of the things I do really, really well,” I joked, trying to lighten whatever was happening between us.
His shiny eyes just searched mine. They were so glassy they reminded me of marbles. “Eliza, I never know when you’re playing with me or when you’re actually being serious.”
“Considering it’s me you’re talking about, I can see how that might be a little confusing,” I teased looking around.
A few people, mostly rough looking women, were giving us amusing glances. I guess they thought it was funny to watch a couple of teenage kids getting it on right there on the sidewalk. After a few of my best glares, most of them turned back to their own conversations. Don’t get me wrong, I was happy there were people around, but I didn’t want to be the floor show either. At least most of them weren’t staring anymore.
Chase moved his arm across my shoulder and started leading me to his car. I stopped and ducked under his arm, but grabbed his hand as I took a few steps away from the curb. “Hey, do you think we could go grab a bite somewhere? I’m starving.”
He smiled and for a quick second I caught a glimpse of the old Chase. The one who smiled easily and liked taco pizza made at weird gas stations. “We’re going to Cold Stone remember? There are plenty of places to eat around there, maybe with enough food even for you,” he teased.
I laughed nervously. “Yeah, but I don’t think I can wait that long. It’s like at least half an hour away, right?”
He frowned a little but nodded. I could tell I was messing up his big plans already. “I don’t need anything big, not a whole meal or anything. We can just stop by the gas station and grab a couple of Slim Jims before leaving town.”
His smile was back on his face. “Sure, but you really shouldn’t eat those things, Eliza. That’s stuff just processed meat and chemicals. It's really bad for you.”
What was it with the beef jerky bashing around here? I bet Chase would just die if I told him he was part of Dante’s super-secret-Slim-Jim-haters-club. I just couldn’t understand all the hate – that stuff was fantastic.
Chase turned and made for his car again. I pulled on his hand once more, “No!" I said a little too forcefully. I tried to inject a little more calmness into my voice, " Uh…can we just walk there? It’s just down the street a little ways.” He looked at me like I’d just suggested we go race rabid squirrels down Main Street.
I pressed a little harder, “Please, Chase. It’ll just take a minute.”
I could tell he was wrestling with trying to keep me happy against whatever he'd already had planned for the night. By the look on his face, I didn't appear to be winning him over.
"It’s faster if we drive," he reasoned.
"Why waste the gas when we're already out of the car and can walk?" I countered.
"Because that way we don’t have to walk back to get the car and waste time..." Chase looked behind me in the direction of the station, "not to mention it's on the way out of town anyway.”
Damn him and his stupid logic. Wasn’t he supposed to be a little past rational thought? Why did boys turn into drooling, simple-minded organisms when it came to sex, but could still argue over distances and directions in the midst of a full-blown, Lust-induced curse?
I tried again, smiling and tossing my head back a little. I was pretty sure I looked semi-idiotic doing it, but I needed to distract him somehow. I figured if Lust was really working on him the way Dante said, he wouldn’t burst out laughing at my lame attempt at flirtation.
“Yeah, but I like walking. Plus, I don’t really know the town very well and walking helps me get to know it better.” I looked around thinking quick, and gave him my shyest smile. “And, it’s such a great evening. Can’t we just walk together for a bit and enjoy the night? Please, Chase?” I pleaded.
Watching him take a deep, shaky breath as he stared at me just made me that much more determined not to get into any tight, enclosed spaces with him. Everything about Chase screamed that he was currently on a whole other level of intensity most of us humans didn't know the first thing about. He was wound so tight it was almost like a physical presence between us. Was this something I would've noticed if I didn't know about Aunt Celeste and her curses? Maybe not specifically, but my instincts were screaming at me that there was definitely something wrong with him. Had anyone else even noticed it today? Surely I wasn't the only one?
“Alright.” Chase finally relented, squeezing my hand a little too tightly. He wasn’t happy but he was humoring me, and that was enough. Actually I was happy he didn’t just throw me over his shoulder and take me there himself. I was pretty sure that’s what he was thinking by the way his eyes kept sweeping down my body like he was sizing me up.
The gas station was just a quick jaunt from the Gift Emporium. As we got closer and I spotted the shop across the street, I took a deep breath, steadying myself for the performance of a lifetime.
“Oh! I forgot my wallet at the shop. I have to go get it!” I cried out in alarm. Dropping Chase's hand, I quickly checked for traffic before dashing across the street towards the shop. Chase was hot on my heels.
“Eliza! Wait! You don’t need your wallet. I got it!” he shouted behind me, sounding angrier than he had any right to be.
I pretended not to hear him as I ran up to the front door, pulled it open and rushed inside. Hopefully I’d given Dante enough time to set things up. Chase was only a heartbeat behind me and he wasn't going to be too happy with me once he caught up.
As I took two steps inside, he was right behind me, grabbing me roughly. “Eliza! I said I got it. Let’s go,” he ordered, trying to pull me out of the shop.
“No, Chase.” I struggled against him, fighting to stay inside. “I just want to…
His fingers dug painfully into my arms, “Dammit, Eliza! Why can’t you just do this one thing for me?”
"Let me go, Chase. You're hurting me," I said trying to fight the panic that was rising up inside me, making me feel like my stomach was on its own rollercoaster ride from hell.
"Why do you have to be so difficult all the time, Eliza? You think I like getting angry at you? Does it make you feel powerful knowing you can do this to me?" He roared, totally losing it.
Just then the shop door flew open and a really ticked off Brady stormed inside.
“Chase!" he shouted, startling me even further.
"Later, Brady. I'm busy right now," he said, gripping me tighter.
I looked into Brady's face and knew this was turning bad real quick. He looked super pissed at the moment.
"Why? Knocking around Kara wasn’t enough for you, bro? Come here to beat up on another girl? Make yourself feel like some kind of tough guy or something?” he taunted.
Chase let me go and whirled to face his best friend, “What the hell are you talking about, Brady? I didn’t do shit to Kara. I haven’t even seen her since yesterday.”
"That’s not what she’s saying,” he spat out, his hands curling up into big fists.
Oh snap. Surely this wasn't part of Dante's plan.
Right?
“Then she’s a liar, dude."
"She's not lying, Chase. You know what you did to her."
Chase laughed nastily, "What do you care, anyway? She’s just a piece of…”
But he never got to finish what he was about to say as Brady launched himself forward, taking them both to the ground.
That’s when all sorts of crazy hit the proverbial fan.
Stupid fan.