Chase’s brows puckered, but much to my relief he didn’t say anything more. Instead, he gathered up our empty food wrappers, and hopped from his truck to throw them away.

With his back to me, I had the chance to get a good look at him. It made perfect sense why the girls swooned over his classic, clean cut looks. He was dressed in designer jeans that looked like they’d made to fit his legs. The denim hugged his thighs and his butt, and only made his gait look sexier. His navy blue shirt remained untucked, with the first few buttons open, and his sleeves rolled up. His blond hair was stylishly messy, and he had light stubble covering his strong jaw. So why wasn’t I salivating at the sight of him? Why wasn’t my belly swarming with excited butterflies because this gorgeous guy had taken me out to dinner? Even if it was an apology.

I saw Chase making his way back, and plastered on a wide smile, hoping it would defuse the slightly tense atmosphere. He walked to the drivers’ side of the truck, opened it, and flicked on the radio. I heard Taylor Swift playing through the speakers, and laughed when Chase reached his hand out to me.

“I didn’t think you’d be a fan of Taylor Swift,” I said, following him a short distance away from his truck. He turned and wrapped one arm around my waist, and took my hand in his. He started swaying, and I fell into his easy rhythm.

“I’m not. Her music is terrible.”

“It is not!”

“It is too. It’s complete dribble!”

I swatted his chest. “I happen to like the dribble, thank you very much.”

“Well,” he coughed, “If I had known you had such poor taste in music, I would never have asked you on a date.”

“I have great taste in music. Taylor Swift is a lyrical genius, and to be clear, you asked me on a date because you threw a football at my head.”

“For the record, I didn’t throw it at you. You walked into it.”

“Oh my God,” I laughed. “You are impossible, Chase Ambrose. Has anyone ever told you that?”

A chuckle made its way up his throat. “All the time, actually. In fact, my brother likes to remind me that I’m a pain in his ass on a daily basis.”

I laughed at that, imagining how Grady busted his chops the way only a big brother can. Before I could think about Charlie, and how fiercely I missed him Chase spun me around, and then dipped me. I squealed in surprise, and held onto him a little tighter before he righted us.

“This reminds me of senior prom,” Chase mused, his lips forming a gentle smile. “Before we got drunk, of course.”

I snickered. “Why does that not surprise me?”

Chase shrugged sheepishly, his beautiful green eyes meeting mine. “You can’t tell me you didn’t misbehave at least a little when you went to prom.”

I looked away, fighting the sudden lump that his comment had put in my throat. “I didn’t go.” My voice was soft, and it betrayed the sadness of the memory.

“Why not?”

The question was innocent enough, since prom was considered a rite of passage for most seniors, but the answer was far less pleasant, and not one I was prepared to give. It was too personal.

“I guess I didn’t see the point in going.”

It was a small truth, and only part of why I never attended my senior prom. I didn’t want to embarrass myself by telling him that no one had asked me because Dane took it upon himself to tell everyone I had a disgusting case of genital warts. It was another low point in my high school years, and there was no point in reliving it.

“I’m sorry.” Chase breathed into my hair, and his hold tightened slightly. That small gesture shoved the ugly memory away and prompted me to say, “It’s okay. I survived.”

We fell into an easy silence after that, the need to talk unnecessary. There was something so simple about being with Chase, and talking to him. As we moved to another song, I found myself wishing that I felt more, that I wanted this to be a real date. So I closed my eyes, and pretended.

CHASE WALKED ME to my door and when I opened it there was pandemonium inside. Queen’s ‘I want to break free’ blasted from our stereo, and Grady was belting out the lyrics while making what looked like a dangerous mixture of alcohol.

“You’re back!” Jade ran over, nearly knocking me off my feet, and pulled both Chase and I inside.

“You’re just in time,” said Ashley. She danced her way to the kitchen, and took two glasses of whatever Grady had made before thrusting them our way.

“In time for what?” I asked, wondering what the hell was going on. My two roommates were in their pajama’s – shorts that could be classified as underwear, and tank tops that showed off their generous boobage – while Grady pranced around in jeans, a grey V-neck shirt, and a Sombrero? Oh Lordy. Clearly we’d interrupted a three-person party.

“We were about to play Never Have I Ever,” chimed Jade. She fell onto the sofa, and Grady followed, but not before giving me a bear hug. Ashley came to my side, and smiled at Chase. “Well, hello there. Who’s this hunky chunk of man hotness?”

Clearly she’d had far too much to drink.

“That,” said Grady, “is my little brother.”

“And where have you been hiding him?” Ashley twirled a strand of her hair around her finger, and stared at Chase through her eyelashes. Okaaaay. That’s my cue…

“Hands off, Ash. He just went out on a date with Kennedy.” Jade glared daggers at Ashley’s head, and I bit my lip to hide my smile. Ever the protective best friend. Little did she know that Chase and I were nothing more than friends.

“That’s okay,” I said. “He’s all yours.” I winked at Chase, and his smile told me he didn’t mind that I’d practically pawned him off on my inebriated roommate. I took a sip from the glass in my hand, and nearly choked. God only knew what Grady had put in there, but it was strong enough to knock an elephant on its’ ass. I relaxed, and looked around as we all filled up our small living room.

My non-date date with Chase was actually pretty pleasant, and I could see him becoming part of our little group. Sitting back, and watching the mayhem continue, I couldn’t fight the smile on my face or the warmth in my chest.

Because for the first time in forever, I knew what it felt like to belong.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Kennedy

IT WAS WELL past lunchtime by the time I arrived back from my trip into Brighton. The only class I had on Tuesday was cancelled, and after my date with Chase last night, I decided to take the morning for myself, and drive into town. I woke up feeling happier than I had in months, and the end result was a new haircut, some new clothes, and a new outlook on life. I came to the realization that I’d already lost so much, but that wasn’t an excuse to lose myself too.

I’d left a note with Jade, letting her know where I’d be, and switched my phone off before I even left the apartment earlier this morning.

I opened the door and found Jade pacing the living room with her phone pressed to her ear, while Grady sat on the sofa nursing what had to be a killer hangover. The drinking games continued, even after I’d gone to bed and Chase had left, and I wasn’t surprised to see that my friends looked like shit. Jade’s black hair was tied up into a knot on top of her head, and she wore nothing but an oversized Brighton U T-shirt. Grady’s hair was sticking up every which way, and he looked like a complete zombie.