Jeremiah
Like the flecks of honey in his eyes.
He seems like he could be a runner. I wonder what type of music he listens to on his route.
His abs clenching as he stripped off his shirt.
Does he cook for himself? Or is he a takeout-every-night guy?
8:00 am - Go for a shower and get dressed (today is hair conditioner day)
Chase’s hair smelled so good last night. I wonder what type of hair conditioner he uses…
Wait—no. No, no, no—fuck.
He’s fucking done it. He’s under my skin. As much as I’ve tried to fight it all morning, I can’t erase the image of Chase from last night. And now these thoughts are dripping into everything I do this morning and I can’t understand why.
Years. For years, I’ve blamed Chase Rutherford for the worst year of my life. He’s the embodiment of everything I’ve tried so hard to run away from.
And yet, it’s like there’s some sort of invisible force, causing my body to react in the exact opposite way, pulling me towards him. It’s completely out of my control.
Which is the only thing that I can blame before I’m grabbing my keys off the kitchen counter and heading out the door.
***
Getting to his apartment wasn’t hard at all. Coming to terms with what the hell I was doing here was a whole different story.
I don’t know how it happened or why but I need to figure it out. If only for my own sanity.
Taking out my phone from my pocket, I angrily swipe past my 9 am work alarm. Just another reminder that I’ve completely derailed my morning routine for this guy.
And yet, here I am, following him during his morning errands. I’ll just Uber back to my car after work.
“You think a lot.” Chase blurts out, knocking me out of my thoughts.
“What?” I ask.
He chuckles under his breath. “You don’t speak a lot but you’re constantly thinking. Loudly, might I add.”
I arch my brow, fixing him with a look. “You want me to talk more?”
A charming smile pulls at the edges of his lips. “Nah. You’re mysterious, Blackwood. I like you just the way you are.”
Before that comment can even sink in, he steps in front of me and opens the door to a small smoothie bar. Pink and green neon lights illuminate the small space with plants of all kinds spilling from every corner. It’s like a tropical rainforest threw a rave.
“Where are we?” I ask, following him inside. He shakes his head and laughs to himself, avoiding the answer to my question.
There’s a long-haired barista behind the counter, wiping up the glass bar.
The moment the barista spots Chase, his face lights up with a huge grin. “Hey, my dude!”
“Heyyy,” Chase beams.
They quickly smack palms, pulling each other in for one of those half-hug handshakes over the counter. The barista snaps and points at him. “Same as usual?”
“You got it.” Chase winks, leaning on the glass counter. “Oh, and how’s your mom doing?”
The barista nods to the beat of whatever EDM song is playing in the background as he plops in a couple of cut bananas into a blender.
“She’s good, man. Just got out of the hospital.
Never been better!” He smiles before gazing down Chase’s body.
A tightening in my gut arises but I try to shake it off.
“Good, that’s good.” Chase grins. He looks back at me and raises his brow.
The barista continues to blend our smoothies while Chase decides to stand over closer to me, leaning his butt on a table beside me. “So, you really don’t know where we are?”
“Nope.” I shake my head.
A cocky, smug smile spreads on his face as he looks at me, entirely too pleased with himself. “That’s funny, because you're one of their top customers.”
Completely lost, I simply shrug. “I’ve never ordered from here before.”
Chase smacks his hand across his chest, acting like he’s been shot. “Oh, how you wound me. After all the yogurt bowls and smoothies, we’ve shared.”
The realization dawns on me, amusement creeping to the surface. Oh.
This is where he’s been getting our breakfast.
“You’re ridiculous,” I mutter.
The right side of his mouth quirks. “Tell me, what’d you used to eat before you had me as your little breakfast servant?”
I lick my lips, biting back a smile. “Three eggs, some oatmeal, maybe an avocado on the side.”
Chase’s mouth drops open. “So, I’ve been starving you every morning and you never told me.” He gasps, poking me in the chest lightly. I grab onto his hand so he doesn’t press into me too hard.
“That’s not true. You’re forgetting about my Ferrero.” I laugh, shaking my head. As much as I enjoy teasing him, truthfully, I’ve been enjoying the change up. I never realized how sick of the same breakfast I’ve gotten until Chase knocked me off my usual routine.
Our eyes drift down to where I'm still holding his finger. Letting go immediately, I shove my hands into my pockets. That’s better. Safety zone.
Chase clearly doesn’t have the same worry. He clasps onto my shoulder and squeezes.
“From now on, I’m picking you up triple the breakfast food. I’ll add an avocado to the mix. Don’t want you to lose all your big strong muscles.” He gives my left bicep a firm grip, chuckling away.
I should feel awkward with him touching me like this but weirdly enough, I don’t.
“Ahem,” The barista awkwardly clears his throat, pushing a tray stocked with two strawberry banana smoothies, toward us.
“Thanks, Kai.” Chase flashes one of his golden smiles and takes the tray from the counter. “See you!” he says, walking towards the door.
I watch him, confusion written all over my face. The barista—Kai—gives me an awkward head nod and a wave.
I return the gesture and follow Chase outside.
“Woah, wait. Aren’t you going to pay?” I ask, pointing back to the shop.
Chase glances over my shoulder. “Pay? Nah, Kai told me that I don’t have to pay for my smoothies as long as I go see a movie with him on Friday.” He turns to walk away, leaving me utterly confused.
And there it is. That uncomfortable stirring in my stomach makes itself known all over again. Add in the flicker of heat in my chest and it’s almost unbearable. I hold on to his shoulder, making him stop in his tracks. “You’re whoring yourself out for smoothies. My smoothies?”
Chase narrows his eyes. “I don’t see it that way. I mean, I get free drinks and a movie. That’s a win win to me—”
Before he finishes his sentence, I’m off. I march right back to the store, pull out my wallet and slam a hundred-dollar bill on the countertop.
“This should cover the past smoothies he’s gotten.” I turn to leave but decide to add one more thing. “And you can forget about the movie on Friday. He won't be joining you. Sorry, Kai.”
Kai’s eyes are wide as he stands there shocked and dismayed. Honestly, I have no clue what’s come over me, either.
Leaving the store, I round the corner to meet back up with Chase who’s still standing there, confused.
“Forget something?” he asks me as I walk up beside him.
I exhale, catching my breath. “You don’t have to worry about going with him on Friday. I took care of it.”
Chase looks over my shoulder and then back at me. “You paid him off?”
“Yeah.”
“But…I was joking,” he mutters under his breath.
I look back at him, shocked. “You were… joking,” I repeat.
Chase holds back a laugh. “I overpaid by accident last Friday. He said not to worry about it and I’d just get my next order free.”
I bite my lower lip, looking back at The Vortex. “Right. That makes sense,” I say quietly, scratching the back of my neck.
“How much did that put you out?” Chase asks, beginning to walk again to his next destination.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” I mumble.
***
We arrive at Chase’s last stop, right down the block from WingMate’s building.
It’s obvious to me now why he’s so passionate about his morning route.
After getting to walk past the glistening waterfront, through the park full of people reading, biking or feeding the pigeons, it’s obviously a nice morning stroll.
Especially in the middle of August, when the sun is bright in the sky and the energy is as high as the summer heat.
Stepping inside the coffee shop, I'm immediately taken by the atmosphere. Dark brown and deep red walls, mismatched chairs clutter the space with towering bookcases overflowing with old books and magazines. Hell, I think they're even playing Hozier softly through the speakers.
“Now, this place is cool,” I whisper out loud.
Chase flashes me a smile as he pushes his sunglasses up into his hair. “You continue to surprise me.”
“Why?”
“I just can’t get a read on you. Are you the flashy, fun, eccentric type that goes to places like The Vortex or the chill, laid-back, let’s play chess over some hot coco, type that comes to places like this? I just don’t know.”
I can’t help but scoff. “You don’t know that much about me, I guess.”
His lips press into a straight line. “Not for lack of trying,” he says quietly.
My brows furrow as our eyes fix on each other.
“Next!” A young woman smiles at us, beneath a handwritten chalkboard menu.
Chase’s eyes avert away from mine and he goes to order our hot drinks and breakfast wraps. I take this second to look him over as he does.
Chase didn’t know me back when we were kids, and he certainly doesn’t know me now. But… I guess maybe I don’t know him either.
He strides back over to stand beside me, hands in his pockets as he leans on the wall next to me.
“I bet the ladies love this place. Chase Rutherford and his soft, sensitive, book reading side,” I sarcastically tease, while I look around the room.
Chase chuckles softly. “I guess I’m an idiot for never trying that.”
I roll my eyes, shaking my head.
“Wait. Why’d you assume I’d bring women here?” he says abruptly, standing up straight.
I pause, considering my words.
“Well, you are straight, aren’t you?” I guess I’ve never even asked. You don’t know until you do.
Chase’s smile fades as his eyes drift down my face, landing on my lips. My body stiffens as something serious washes over us both.
“Order up!” The barista calls, making us both jump.
Chase’s jaw clenches as he looks at me once before walking over to pick up the coffee cups. I insist on holding the paper bag with our food as I hold open the door for him.
“Do you pay out of your own pocket for our food every single day?” I ask, as we begin to walk again.
“Yeah, why?”
I look him over. “You’re not that good with money, are you?”
He scoffs. “Uh, ouch. That’s a little rude.”
This time my laugh slips out. “I’m just saying.
We should be paying for your food, not the other way around.
” I reach into my back pocket with the hand that’s not carrying our food and take out my wallet.
I hand him one of my credit cards and put my wallet away.
“Use that for your business expenses from now on.”
Chase looks down at the card in his hand. “I don’t want your money,” he mutters.
I shrug. “It’s all filed under business expenses that get paid back anyways. Don’t worry about it.”
“Since when do you care about how I spend my money?” Chase bumps me on the shoulder with his own. Heat warms my cheeks as he does it.
“I don’t, I just…I saw your apartment the other night. It’s like you’d rather spend money on others than yourself,” I ramble.
Chase’s eyebrows pinch. Shit. Maybe I’ve said too much.
After a moment, a soft laugh slips out. “You know what? That’s…
exactly right. I’ve never thought about it before, but yeah.
I just feel like…things for myself are temporary.
I’m not going to be in that apartment forever so why put money into it?
People are forever, or at least, they should be. I’d rather put money into that.”
This answer shocks me. Living in my fathers high lifestyle, it’s common to spend on luxury and forget about the rest. As much as there were times I hated it growing up, it’s the only way I knew how to live.
The way Chase looks at it is… different.
“Well, I guess that makes sense.” I nod, simply. We turn the corner and at this point we can see WingMate. “But, I still feel like you should make yourself feel a little more at home.”
“When I move out, which should be soon, I’ll nest. How about that?”
I fake gasp. “And leave your dearest friend, Ryan Lockwood? How will you ever survive?”
Chase throws his head back in laughter. The sound vibrates in my chest, forcing a smile on my face beyond my control.
“I think about it constantly, how much I’ll miss him when I leave his ass,” he chuckles sarcastically.
“Oh, lovebirds are quarreling already? It’s only been…what? Ten years?”
“Feels like an eternity,” Chase groans. “Nah, but, honestly… I guess I'm worried about leaving him.” Chase coughs, looking away, as though this is a surprisingly hard topic for him. “He’s always been there for me…” his voice trails off.
I nod slightly. I don’t have many friends from my younger days so I can’t say I completely understand. But, if Ryan and Chase have hung on to each other all this time, their relationship clearly is deeper than just a roommate surface level.
The lack of an answer from my earlier question hangs heavy in the air.
“Is that why you’re not in a relationship?” I ask. My heart beats harder than I want it to in anticipation for his answer. “Worried it may get between you two?”
Chase glances at me. “Nah. The reason I’m not in a relationship isn’t because of him.” He chuckles, looking down at his feet. “I think I’ve been subconsciously looking for…something more than what I’ve met. Someone… good for me.” He blows out a breath. “Whatever that means.”
“Someone who’ll balance you…but still challenge you,” I complete.
Chase's gaze lingers on me for a beat too long. “Yeah, exactly,” he says in a hushed voice.
Our steps slow as WingMate comes into view sooner than I expected it to. The realization bothers me. I can’t help but feel like I need more time…
For what, exactly? I’m unsure.
All I know is the past week has completely thrown me off with what I thought I knew. We never were supposed to talk this much…yet, now that we have—
“Hungry?” Chase beams at me, cutting through my thoughts.
“Yeah,” I manage to answer.
We say our hello’s to Bailey at the front desk and all the other smiling and waving coworkers. Chase drops off Mia’s coffee at her desk and I watch in awe as he bends down to kiss her on the cheek before walking back over to me.
“You two are really damn close, aren’t you?”
Chase nods, licking some spilled coffee on his thumb.
“And you’ve never–”
His eyes widen. “Don’t you dare finish that sentence. She’s the sister I’ve always wanted.”
“So, no siblings?” I ask, turning towards my office.
He shrugs. “I have Mia.”
This makes me think about the fact that he’s never brought up his family life. That thought is immediately cut short when I see an awaiting Heather leaning back on my desk, arms folded across her chest and a stern look on her face.
“You two, in here, now,” she says curtly.
What the hell did we do?