Because of You, Well, Us

Kate

Chase had kissed me. He kissed me. Twice. Well, one and a half. How could he have done that? And why?

Despite all of my anger, I found myself laughing. The guy I had liked for about the past six years had just kissed me. And I felt angry about it?

Then for the second time that day, I started crying. That may have just ruined our friendship. This whole Chase thing made me crazy. Maybe because I could be crazy about him.

My phone ringing in my pocket interrupted my thoughts. I thought about ignoring it, but decided not to.

"Chase, hi." I said, ready to give him a piece of my mind.

"Okay, I would say I'm sorry for kissing you, but I'm not. I've wanted to do that since the second you got on that plane to Maine. I tried to get over you while you were gone, I promise. Obviously that didn't happen, given today and what my mom said at the hospital." Chase took a deep breath, "Feel free to give some input here."

"Wow." I said, suddenly speechless. I expected some sort of an explanation, but not... that.

"'Wow'? That's all you can say?" Chase sounded a little hurt.

"I don't know what else I can say, Chase."

He scoffed "That you like me back, you feel the same way about the kiss, or that you think this could go somewhere too."

"What if that would make me a liar?" I blurted. Immediately I took a breath so deep that it must have sucked all of the air out of the room. I had just lied to Chase, but somehow that felt like the safest thing to do at the moment.

"Why does there always have to be a 'what if' with you, Kate? Can't you just go with it?" Chase took a deep breath, "I think we need to just... not talk for a bit. Have a nice life." And he hung up.

Turning around, I saw Chase in his room. He stormed over to his window and shut his curtain. The look on his face broke my heart. I could see reflections of him pacing back and forth in his room. I watched until I felt so sick, I just closed my curtain as well.

Climbing into bed, I took out my phone, pulled the covers up to my chin, and prayed it wasn't too late to call Aunt Shari.