Jeremiah
Chase packing a duffel bag says it all:
He decided to stay the night, and I can’t stop smiling about it.
We slide into my Audi, and I start up the engine as I focus on keeping my excitement at bay.
“So, where are we off to, boss?” Chase claps his hands and rubs them together.
I bite my bottom lip, shaking my head as I reach into my back seat and take out my list.
“Well, I was thinking we could—”
“Whoa, whoa, wait,” Chase snatches the paper out of my hand. “Is this an itinerary?” he gasps, looking over my plan for this evening.
“I—I was just thinking, it would be nice to have something to follow—”
Chase grins, showing me the list as though I wasn’t the one who created it. “Jer… this is laminated.”
I clear my throat. “Well, Laura in the photocopy room is really nice. She said she didn’t mind.” I watch him reading every line, his grin getting bigger and bigger. “You know what? Forget it. It’s stupid—” I reach to grab it back, but Chase is quick to pull it right out of my reach.
“Oh, no, no, no—” he chuckles, looking over it again. “Stargazing on the terrace at nine?!” he squeals as I make another grab for it and miss.
I reach for it again, but this time, as I lean in, he grabs the back of my neck, pulling me in for a kiss.
After a moment, he releases me, flickering his gaze between my eyes and lips. “This happens to be… the nicest thing anyone’s ever done for me,” he says softly.
My body relaxes at his words, instantly forgetting why I was embarrassed in the first place.
“And, we’re doing every single one of these. I hope you know,” Chase mutters, looking down at the paper again. “Starting with the ten-minute make-out session.” He points to a line that isn’t there, making me laugh.
“Oh, yeah? I wrote that?” I bite my lip, chucking softly. Cupping his cheeks, I pull him back in.
“Oh, you definitely did. Can’t miss it.” Chase says against my lips, smirking into another kiss.
***
My knee bounces underneath the table. The restaurant is busier than I had hoped it’d be.
When I had made the reservation requesting a private area, I guess the hostess forgot that there’d be a work function happening at the same time.
A few tables over from our booth, a few loud men are chatting in business suits, way louder than any respectable dinner volume.
I thread my fingers through my hair to try to calm my nerves down.
“Mmm, everything looks so good.” Chase smiles, totally oblivious to what’s going on around us.
At least it’s low-lit in here, which is nice. The tall windows cast a golden glow on his face which illuminates the gold in his hazel eyes.
But yet, my eyes are pulled to the door, where new acquaintances of the business group file in, prompting a loud welcome as they all cheer and hug.
Thankfully, our hostess gave us a booth near the back. If it weren’t for those damn guests—
“Have you ever been here before?” Chase cuts in, eyeing me curiously.
“First time,” I say truthfully. “But, I’ve always wanted to try it. The Venison looks great.”
I pull my shirt away from my chest. Did they turn up the temperature?
He gives me a slight smile, setting the menu down. “What made you pick here?”
I clear my throat, shifting in my seat. “I was thinking about where to take you. And…well, I guess your last name is Rutherford, and I know that’s of Scottish origin, so I just thought, maybe you’d want to eat something your family might’ve made when you were growing up?
” I swallow deeply, taking a swig of the Sprite our waiter, a young man named Erik, brought over when we sat down.
His smile falters. “Rutherford is Scottish?”
I shrug, suddenly feeling stupid trying to explain it. My mind flashes to my mother setting bowls on the table when I was a young boy.
Since my father is Korean, my Canadian mother would always try and learn recipes for traditional Korean homemade meals. Coming home to a steaming bowl of Doenjang Jjigae on the dinner table, with the rice still hot from the cooker, was one of the only times when my family actually felt complete.
Looking back at it, I guess it was to impress my unimpressable father. But still, it was some of my favorite memories.
However, when I look over at Chase, his warm smile has faded as his eyes travel around the restaurant.
“I didn’t know I was Scottish…” he mutters under his breath.
I pause, my hand stilling on my glass.
Does he not know much about where he came from? Does that bother him?
The table of business men decide this is the perfect moment to raise their glasses in a loud celebration, making the whole restaurant feel ten times too small. And I can’t stop thinking about how many other places I’d rather be with him than here.
I want to put that bright smile back on his face.
Just when I’m about to voice this out loud, our waiter, Erik, walks over.
“You two ready to order?”
I open my mouth, but my eyes flick over to Chase, still drilling over the menu items.
“Actually, just the check, please.”
Chase’s eyes jump to mine. “What?”
A small smile pulls at my lips. “I have a better idea.”
***
“Now this is not a sunset walk through the park,” Chase shakes his head, snapping his seatbelt shut.
I suck in a breath and twist toward him, resting my hand on the back of his seat. “Sorry about the restaurant. I just… I want to talk to you tonight. Like, really talk.”
His lip twitches. “Jeremiah Blackwood is changing the plans? Can’t say I’m not intrigued.”
Relief washes over me once I see the glistening shine back in his eyes.
We start off on the road. I grip the steering wheel as I glance over at him. He’s happily looking out at the passing streets, tapping his finger on the rolled-down edge of the windowsill, and bobbing his head to the music playing softly through my car stereo.
“How do you feel about staying in tonight?” I ask, holding in my breath. I hope he doesn’t think it’s nothing special. I just—
“I think that’s perfect.” His lips softly curl up into a beaming smile.
Heat warms my chest knowing he thinks the same way I do.
I look to my left to see a grocery store coming into view. “Let’s stop here for a second.”
Shock and curiosity is written all over his face, but Chase nods anyway.
We dart into the little neighborhood grocery store, the kind that smells like ripe bananas and freshly baked bread.
“First up, fruits and veg. What’s your favorite?” I ask, looking at the colorful aisle.
Chase hums over all the choices, but happily plucks a green grape from one of the bags and pops it into his mouth. “Gotta be grapes,” he says, crunching down on the fresh fruit.
I laugh immediately. “Hey!” I snatch his wrist before he can commit any further crimes.
“It’s not stealing if we’re going to buy it.” He laughs, about to reach in for another one before I wrestle his hand away. This fucking guy.
We tussle back and forth until an older woman passes us in the aisle. She gives us a small laugh and shakes her head as she walks by.
“Okay,” I exhale, straightening up. “You win.”
“That’s right. Quit while you’re ahead.” Chase smirks, giving me a wink while he pops another grape in his mouth.
I pick up strawberries, which are my favorite, and we keep shuffling through. Making a quick trip down each aisle, we continue picking out our favorite snacks. It’s wild how much you can find out about a person by the food choices they keep.
Chase seemingly has a funny story for every addition he adds to our cart. Between fruit, sweets, and savoury meats and cheeses—this will be the most interesting charcuterie board ever created.
“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” I laugh, looking at what he’s holding.
“Come on, Captain Crunch cereal? You’re telling me you didn’t obsess over these when you were a kid?” he gasps.
“No way, my dad would never let me eat such sugary foods.” I shake my head, tilting the box in his hand so I can give a quick scan of the sugar content.
“Well, I remember my mom always had it in the house before I left home. It was awesome,” Chase says, smiling at the box. He pops it into the cart and hops up on the edge to wheel away.
I freeze for just a second.
Mom?
He left home?
The choice of cereal suddenly feels a lot less ridiculous.
It’s the first time he’s mentioned his childhood, and the small piece of information scratches at the back of my mind.
But Chase just keeps moving like it’s nothing. So I do too.
For now.
“You coming or what?” he calls out to me, gliding himself down the aisle, narrowly dodging a man and his kid.
I join him quickly as we continue our little adventure. We end up at the cashier, and I quickly snag a little bundle of flowers before checking out.
“What, why?” Chase questions, looking at the pink, purple, and white assortment of flowers in his hands.
“I’m pretty sure when you like someone, you get them flowers,” I say as I push the cart to the car.
He blinks back at me slowly. “You are a big suck, Jer. The biggest suck there ever was to live on this planet, and I’m so freaking into it.” He buries his face into the petals and gives them a big whiff.
As we load the grocery bags into the car and head off to pick up Honey, it hits me just how good tonight already feels—and we haven't even made it back to the apartment yet.
***
While I set the groceries on the kitchen island, I glance over at Chase as he sets down his duffel bag with a satisfied grunt. He plops himself down on the floor and immediately opens up Honey’s carrier.
“There you go, pretty girl. Time to stretch,” Chase coos, his words soft and loving. Honey purrs loudly in appreciation, and Chase snuggles his face into her fur as she arches her back against his palms, gently coaxing her out.
“How long have you had Honey for?” I ask, putting a box of popsicles into the freezer.
Chase pauses for a moment. “Well, Ryan’s parents got her for me for my sixteenth birthday.
So that’d make her... ohmygod—twelve years old!
” he gasps, swooping her up in his arms. "Holy shit, my cat is ancient!” He looks down at her, affection clear in his eyes, but there’s a little sadness there too.
Ryan’s parents? Wow, well that’s nice of them…
“Cats can live up to twenty, you know,” I reply, trying to reassure him.
He sighs deeply. “I need her to live until I’m old and gray. She’s gotta be with me forever.” The sincerity in his voice catches me off guard, and I feel that same tightness in my chest.
Lying his back on the ground, Honey makes her way over to him and nuzzles her face against his cheeks. I try not to stare at his shirt riding up on his waist, but it’s so hard not to. His little soft patch of dark brown hair peaking out from his belt is making my mouth water.
“How about you move your stuff to the bedroom and I’ll set up the food out here?” I quickly ask, trying to get my focus back on the tasks at hand.
He picks his head up off the ground and smiles over at me. “You think you can just get me into the bedroom that easily?”
I narrow my eyes, trying not to laugh. “Chase. Go.”
“Okay, boss.” He pops up, grabs his duffel bag, and rushes off in the direction of my room.
I chuckle softly, shaking my head.
“Holy shit, it’s so clean in here! Where do you throw your dirty clothes?” I hear his voice from down the hall.
I smile, taking out the rest of the snacks from the grocery bag. “There’s a hamper in the bathroom.”
“Oh, you’re going to hate me being here,” he groans.
Very unlikely.
“I’m going to dirty this place all up!” he continues.
I’m counting on it.
“Holy shit! Your bathroom is huge. You’ve got a shower AND a standalone tub!?” Chase calls out.
I shake my head, the smile still lingering on my face as I move around the apartment, setting up the living room with blankets and snacks.
As I organize the food, I make sure to pile everything I know Chase loves: cheese, crackers, fruit, and—of course—Captain Crunch, which I place proudly in its own little bowl.
Usually, he eats as healthily as I do, but…something about letting loose with my daily regimen and having fun tonight with him really piques my interest.
Excitement rolls through me at the thought of it all.
He’s sleeping over.