sweven // chase rutherford

viii

y/n's pov ://

chase looked really good, like, really good. he had on dad jeans and a brown jacquard sweater, which matched his curls perfectly. it was a pleasantly surprising contrast to the matching golf shirt and black basketball shorts he was sporting yesterday. maybe we both tried to look good. or maybe it's wishful thinking. he was fidgeting with his fingers, as was i.
"music?"
"yeah." he smiled hard.
i got up and snatched a vinyl from off my wall, cherry bomb. i wanted to hear some good ol' okaga, ca. i fiddled with it a bit, until the song began. i felt chase look over at me, and he was smiling.
"you are a woman of great taste, y/n."
i took a breathe.
"as are you, mr. rutherford."
i liked chase.
i really, really, liked chase.
"i think we should have a dance party."
"okay."
he got up, and his head was almost touching my room's low ceilings. i felt awkward, but eventually we both found a nice, gentle groove to the song. he was smiling, and i was smiling, and i never wanted to leave our planet ever.
"let's just run away from here," he sang jazzily, and i quickly questioned myself in joining in, but the words flew out of my mouth without my brain's consent.
"cause it's not, cause it's not,"
"working out on earth, my dear," the way he jokingly sang made me giggle.
"cause it's not, cause it's not,"
"what you really want, girl,"
"oooh,"
"my heart stops pumping blood when i see you,"
i think my heart really stopped pumping blood.
"i see you, when i see you,"
"but i try to play it cool because..."

i like you,
i really like you.

we danced. and danced. and laughed at each other. and then we danced some more. and i somehow made my way to the closet and got my pack of glow in the dark stars. he strategically began peeling the backs off of them, placing them on my ceiling with no effort. he laughed as he saw me jump on my bed, placing them from there. he walked to the corner of the bed, looking up at me. "i'm taller than you now, bitch," i spit jokingly, and he laughed. and god, i loved his genuine smile. and GOD, his lips looked really good right now. in that moment, i wished more than ever that i could kiss him. and the way he was looking at me, i let the thought pass through that maybe, just maybe, he wanted to kiss me too.
i didn't want to let myself get too confident.
for the next couple of hours, we did a lot of decorating, and i was curious as to why my mom wasn't home yet. but it didn't matter. chase suggested we make some food, so i led him down to the kitchen where we heated up some bagel bites. i sat on the counter top and he leaned back on it beside me, and we were close. we were so close. i inhaled, closing my eyes. i smelled the cheap cologne on his sweater, putting me at ease. i felt calm, even happy, until i heard his phone vibrate. he pulled it out, and i looked away. i glanced over at the bundle of notifications popping up, trying not to seem too obvious. i didn't want him to think i was nosey then leave me forever.

hamzah the fucking unfunny one : Get on zoom, we gotta plan tonight
yodel girl : ok one sec
big baller : On my way!

he started typing. i looked away quickly, confused. what was tonight?

chase : Have Logan sub for me, I have to cancel. 😏

my cheeks burnt a bit, and i began picking at my cuticles. who even were they? did they go to our school?

big baller : We understand 😏 Get em! tiger!

     he swiftly slid his phone back into his pocket, tapping his foot against the floor a bit. almost on cue, the microwave set off, and i followed him up the stairs into my room as he held the plate of bagel bites. i followed suit as he sat on the bed, and i suggested we watch a movie. he had already stuffed his face with two bagel bites, looking at me and nodding. i giggled, opening my good ol' dell, searching up 123movies. "you live life on the edge, nice." he chuckled, to which i smiled in return. "any suggestions?"
"hear me out."
"hearing."
"fantastic mr. fox."
"wait, that's actually literally perfect," i nodded, typing it in.
"A WOMAN OF TASTE, Y/N."
i sighed in content, dodging the cryptic ads on the website and eventually setting back onto my pillows as the movie began.
      we watched in a comfortable silence for about 10 minutes, a hefty distance between us. we laid on either side of the bed. the sun was setting, and i looked out my window at the sky with a gentle smile. it was painted with magnificent pinks, oranges, and faded into a deep blue. from the corner of my eye, i saw chase look over too, but his eyes weren't on the sun.
they were on me.
i held my breath, turning my head back to the computer.
"pretty," he said, and i looked up.
i could see the reflection of me in front of the sky in his deep, hazel orbs, and he grinned at me with the most chase rutherford smile i had ever seen.
"yeah, it is."
his smile faltered a bit, and i noticed as he glanced from my eyes to my lips. i felt the butterflies in my stomach migrate to my heart, feeling my whole body tense and heat up.
i hate how you make me feel. but don't stop. please.
      i felt like i was lying to myself. maybe i was hallucinating every time i noticed the way he would looked at me. maybe he wasn't even real. maybe he really is a dream.
"y/n."
"oh, yeah?"
"you spaced out a second. i thought you were seizing."
"oh, sorry."
"it's okay." he smiled. "it's cold in here."
i nodded, taking his cue and picking up the covers, both of us wriggling beneath them. i think we both sort of subconsciously moved closer to each other, and i could barely handle the heart strain anymore.
i heard the downstairs door open, signaling my moms return.
"mom's home," he noted, and i nodded too.
"she won't come up here, no worries." i felt stupid saying that, like we were a boyfriend and girlfriend caught in the act.
he chuckled lowly, and we turned our attentions back to the movie. we watched until the end, striking jokes and talking a bit every once in a while.
      after a bit, it had already struck 8:30, the sun setting rapidly outside. it was dark now, with a few muted tones of purple strung through the sky. chase was downstairs talking up a storm with my mother, he really was a talker. i sat on the couch, tuning in a bit to their conversations. it made me happy that my mom seemed to like him. her job applications had gone good too, it really seemed like a successful day.
all except for the fact that chase was probably leaving soon and, well, i had no right to kiss him. i chewed the inside of my lip, listening in.
"why don't you kids go on a walk? as long as you're safe, of course.. the stars are out."
chase looked at me and grinned.
"o-okay," i agreed, standing up. i walked over and slipped on some of my creased af1's, and chase and i set out the door.
      it was a bit cold outside for just wearing a tank top, but GOD. the sky was breathtaking. delicate baby blues shooting through a desolate, dark background. and the stars shown clearly, every constellation seeming to sparkle.
"wow," chase whispered.
"wow." i whispered back.
we started walking a bit, heads craned up towards the sky. i felt like i was in some typical indie film, but god. it felt good to feel that way.  before long, our hands brushed.
"y/n, you're fucking freezing."
"a little bit." i shivered.
he abruptly stopped in the middle of the street, taking off his sweater. i stole a few glances on how the shirt he was wearing under rode up, exposing his stomach a bit. i swallowed hard, my cheeks warming up as he handed me the sweatshirt.
"no, no it's okay, i-"
"i insist." he smiled, cocking an eyebrow playfully.
i threw it over my head, basking in the warmth, the smell, the moment. chase, chase, chase. he must've noticed my smile, and he chuckled a bit at how oversized it fit on me.
"you look,"
my breath hitched.
"really good,"
my heart fluttered
"y/n."
      i nodded in gratitude as we started walking again, our hands now gracefully brushing against one another often. i wanted to hold it, i really did. but chase was a nice guy. he's definitely the type to give you his sweater in a time of need. i'd known him for 2 days. i just got attached to things too quickly. my mind ran rampant until he grabbed my hand, interlocking our fingers.
i was stunned.
we stood in a mildly awkward silence until i intertwined my fingers back, feeling the warmth of his hand. we were quiet, until he stopped abruptly again, laying down in the middle of the road. he looked up at me, his eyes wide and reflecting the dimly lit streetlights. he glanced to the pavement beside him, signaling for me to come down. i did, our fingers never parting ways.
       "y/n, i really want to be honest right now. i think we have this thing where we're supposed to be in each other's lives for forever but i didn't know what it's called. i was on google for a long time last night and i think it's called "soulmates". but that sounds really stupid because we've known each other for a little over 48 hours, and there's probably sides of ourselves that we have no idea about, but i really wanna know you. i really do," chase was rambling and i was staring at the big dipper and we both looked at each other with perfect synchronization.
his eyes were wide, his brows furrowed a bit in anxiety, and his lips were parted. i saw how the highest points of his face were lit up by the moon, and fuck. he was the most beautiful boy i'd ever seen.
"chase."
"yeah," he sounded so hesitant.
"you're beautiful."
and then our lips smashed together like there was no tomorrow. he cupped my cheeks, and i melted into the kiss, and it wasn't perfect, but it was incredible. i couldn't tell if that kiss lasted for a minute or for infinity, but one thing was for certain.
it was the most astonishing feeling i'd ever felt.