21. Chase
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHASE
W e settle in chairs around a firepit, close to a stage where a large speaker and portable screen are set up on the concrete platform. A middle-aged redhead is singing karaoke to a popular country song, her hair swinging around as she shimmies her body to the beat. People bob their heads along to the music, keeping their separate conversations alive despite the performance. When the song ends, whooping and hollering sounds from all around the bar. She takes a bow and runs back to her seat, joining a table full of laughing women.
Just as I’m about to turn toward Kayla, she hands her drink to Ashlie and walks up to the stage. I look to Ashlie for an explanation.
“Oh, you’re in for a treat,” she says, nodding toward the stage. “Kayla’s a karaoke master.”
She adjusts the microphone stand on stage and straightens her jacket. The music to a slow blues ballad starts, and she closes her eyes, cradling the length of the stand in her hands. What I wouldn’t give to be that microphone right now.
Her body sways to the soulful melody, and the smooth sound of her voice washes over me as she croons the first words of the love song. I’m entranced, frozen under her spell as her voice lilts and swells around me. I couldn’t look away if I wanted to, the words of the chorus striking me right in the heart:
Sometimes
What you’ve lost, you’ll find
And you’ll fall in kind
To some kind of forever.
The silence of the crowd when she finishes is a stark difference from the performance before, ending abruptly when Ashlie and Hunter whoop and clap. The rest of the patrons follow suit, and Kayla smiles, taking a bow before heading back over to us.
“Amazing,” I say, giving her a smile. I reach out to squeeze her hand, and she beams at me. I don’t let go, she doesn’t pull away, and my determination to take things to the next level with her has multiplied tenfold.
After a couple of drinks and several rounds of horseshoe, our group of four has separated. Hunter and Ashlie are battling it out at a giant four-in-a-row game, laughing and joking like they’ve been friends for years. I spot Kayla standing in the gazebo, gazing into the water. The sun has gone down, and the twinkling lights strung along the ceiling cast a warm yellow glow over her. I weave my way through the guests enjoying their night at the firepits, around the twinkle lit walls of the bar, and straight back to her.
“Hey,” I say, stepping beside her, breaking whatever thought she was lost in. Leaning my arms against the wooden railing, I peer over to the water below.
“Hey,” she says breathily, jolting slightly in surprise. I scoot closer just to feel the warmth of her arm against mine. She looks down at our touch and then right into my eyes, biting her lip. “I…think you should have my number…”
“Oh?” I grin. “And why is that?”
“Maybe I missed seeing you last week…” She flips around so her back and elbows rest on the railing.
“Maybe or definitely? ”
“Definitely maybe,” she teases, looking up through her lashes. My heart skips several beats as I contemplate pulling her close and pressing my lips to hers, a month’s worth of tension finally washing away. “We have an audience,” she whispers, nodding her head forward. I look over my shoulder to see Maggie watching us from the firepits.
“Ah, yeah. Maggie.” I nod, turning back to the water. “She’s intense.”
“She’s been watching you all night, Chase.”
“Has she?” I ask. “I’ve been a little distracted and haven’t noticed.” To make her smile, I wiggle my eyebrows. It works, with an added eye roll before she tilts her head to the side.
“She clearly likes you. She damn near peed on your leg at the diner trying to mark her territory.” Kayla watches me, and her cool mask slips briefly as a moment of anxiety flashes in her eyes.
I rub my fingers against my forehead, trying to ease the frustration that has settled there. This is not what I want to be doing right now, talking to Kayla about Maggie. I don’t want to be talking about anything with Kayla right now. I’d rather be kissing her. Dropping my eyes to the water, I focus on the languid trickle as it flows past, hoping to gather my thoughts well enough to redeem myself. “I know. It’s been like this since we were little. She has it in her head that we’ll end up together eventually, and no amount of me brushing her off gets the point across.”
“Wrapping her in your arms doesn’t help get that point across either…” There’s an edge to Kayla’s voice, one that has me nervous about glancing over at her.
“I… Yeah. I know. And I shouldn’t have hugged her.” I stand, turning to face her.
“Then why did you?”
“I guess I was just trying to be nice. She doesn’t get along with a lot of people, as you saw.” I finally get the courage to slide my eyes up to her face. She’s looking at me with that same guarded expression I worked so hard to break through at camp.
“And you’ve never…been with her? Wanted to be with her?” Th e look in her eyes is killing me, thinking that I could possibly want anyone but her in this moment, let alone Maggie.
“Nope. Never. She’s the furthest from anyone I could see myself with.” I place one hand on each of her shoulders, turning her toward me. “Kayla, I?—”
“Train leaves in ten!” The bartender calls from a loudspeaker, cutting off my words and any other chances I had at resolving this conversation.
“We should probably go find the other two.” Kayla pulls away, kicking at the ground. I nod, and while we walk back toward the train together in silence, the gulf between us feels wider than it did when we first met. We find Hunter and Ashlie waiting at a firepit, talking animatedly about something I can’t hear because I’m stuck replaying my fizzled moment in the gazebo.
The last train car is mostly empty, except for a cozy couple in the corner. Ashlie and Hunter are still debating over fruit filled donuts vs. custard filled when we sit. Their volume, assisted by the drinks at the bar, gets louder and louder as they volley back and forth. Kayla has her hand covering her mouth, and she shakes her head as she watches their passion-filled pastry argument.
“I’m going to get some air.” I point to the train car balcony. “Do you wanna?—”
“Please!” She widens her eyes, looking at the two across from us.
As I stand to leave, she reaches for my hand and we make our way outside. The crisp night air whips around us as the train breezes past trees, the leaves leaving whispers in their wake. The moonlight glows through the branches overhead, raining silvery beams on Kayla’s face.
“You were amazing up there, singing…” I say again, remembering the chills I got from listening to her honey-sweet voice. This feels like a safer conversation to have than the one we left in the gazebo, and I just want to focus on her right now.
“Thanks,” she whispers, flashing a grin before biting her lip.
She leans against the end of the balcony, closing her eyes and tipping her head back, smiling the same way she did in the sunshine at camp. At this moment, I realize it doesn’t matter if it’s in the sunlight or moonlight. That smile will always steal my breath away.
“I never thanked you for staying with me after the accident. Carrying me inside. Keeping me awake in the car. Making sure I was okay… Thank you, Chase.” She looks right at me, eyes betraying the calm in her voice. A vulnerability I’ve never seen or heard from her sets me in motion. I move closer, unable to stop my feet, even if I wanted to. Slowly, I reach one hand to the scar on her brow, the other landing on her hip.
“How’s your head?” I whisper, my voice turning husky as the scent of spicy apple-vanilla overtakes my senses. My thumb traces down to her cheekbone, across the ridge of her upper lip, and lower, until I find myself lifting her chin. Her hands pull me in at the waist, and we dip close enough that I feel her breath swirl with mine.
“Yo, Chase!” Hunter yells, busting through the train door. If there were ever a worse moment for my best friend to come around, this was it.
“I’m gonna kill him…” I whisper, tipping my forehead to hers. She giggles, breathing out the lingering passion between us, and takes a step back. My hand clings to her waist, refusing to let go.
“Ooh, my bad!” he says, realizing what he just interrupted.
“Way to go, Hunter. You ruined the moment.” Ashlie pulls on his arm. “I told you to give them a minute!”
Another giggle slips out of Kayla.
“I said I was sorry! Besides, who makes out on the balcony of a train?”
“Not us, apparently,” I say, shooing him with my hand. “Do you mind?”
The train door opens again and out walks Maggie. She sees my arms wrapped around Kayla and her eyes narrow, mouth set in a scowl. Kayla’s giggles have turned into outright laughter at the scene unfolding. The more people who spill through the door, the harder she laughs, and I can’t even blame her. The comedic timing of everything happening right now isn’t lost on me, but it would be funnier if I wasn’t the one being stunted.
As Casey and Lacey—or whatever their names are—squeeze through the door, Kayla taps her palm over my heart. “Maybe next time, Chase,” she says with a sigh, still half laughing while pulling away. She steps around the five interruptions and back into the rail car.
I hang my head in defeat and inhale the night air, wondering what the hell just happened. This entire night should have been different—easy. Not full of disruptions and ballerinas. Blowing out my exasperation, I march across the balcony of the train and move through the gaggle of chaos still staring at me. With each determined step I take, I know what I need to do. If I don’t do anything else tonight, I’m getting Kayla’s number.
Marching inside, I head straight to the row of seats where Kayla’s staring out of the window. I clear my throat to get her attention, and her eyes meet mine, a small smile on her face. She bites the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing, and I lose it, tipping my head back with a shoulder-shaking chortle at everything that just happened. Her shoulders shake in time with mine as she giggles, and I cover my laugh with my hand and give her my phone. The addition of the phone only adds fuel to the fire as her snickering turns into a boisterous cackle, making her double over. I sit down across from her, taking a couple of breaths to try and quell my laughter.
When we’ve calmed enough to look at each other, I lean forward, putting my hands on her knees. “Hey, so…there’s something wrong with my phone…” I nod toward her hands. She raises an eyebrow as she looks at me, waiting for me to continue. “Your number’s not in it…” I finish my tried-and-true number two pickup line.
She nods, biting the smile sliding across her lips. “See. I told you that one would work,” she says, before typing her number into my phone. Finally.