Page 14 of F*ck You

“Fine.” I set the mug down in front of me. “So, who exactly is this Chase who breaks into my house and cooks me food?”

“Technically I didn’t break in, I was with you, and the door was already unlocked.”

“I feel like you’ll keep arguing with everything I say, so you tell me yourself. Who are you?”

He walked back and forth, setting everything on the table, and handed me some headache relief pills, which I took gratefully. Despite the headache still pushing the capacity of my skull, I was surprised to find I was actually quite starving. I hadn’t had a real meal in far too long. Even when I was with Todd, he was always working late so I’d gotten used to eating almost nothing but fast food.

My hands tightened around the mug, and I knew the hot porcelain would leave blisters, but I couldn’t seem to unclench my grasp. The face of the man who turned my life upside down and didn’t even give a shit ran through my mind, and I wanted to print out his picture and use it for target practice.

The pain in my heart was complicated. I simultaneously wanted to join a convent and forget all men, and also get under the first one I saw. I wanted him to hurt as much as he hurt me, but that couldn’t be possible unless he cared enough to feel that hurt. Fuck, why did I have to feel so much? Turning off my emotions didn’t seem to be working so well. Instead, I was taking it all out on everyone I encountered. How could one person hold this much contempt? I hoped I wasn’t too fucked up beyond repair.

My fingers started to burn, but I kept them molded to the cup.

“Hey.” Chase placed a hand on my forearm as he frowned at my mug like it had offended him. “Are you alright?”

Sighing, I let go of the mug completely and leaned back in my chair. “I’m fine. Just some things I’d like to forget.”

He studied me for a moment, and I was grateful when he didn’t press the issue. I wasn’t ready to talk about things with a complete stranger, even if he hadn’t been anything other than helpful so far. Hell, I still wasn’t ready to talk about it with people I already knew. Even people I’d always considered friends had been blowing up my phone, and I so easily ignored them. Although, to be fair, their concerns were more about how this was going to affect the wedding. Not a single one of them was concerned about how I was spiraling.

The only sounds in the quiet room were the clinking of utensils as Chase made up a plate and set it in front of me before making a second plate for himself. He sat down in the chair beside me while I remained sitting at the head of the table.

I picked up the fork and began diving in. My plate was filled with pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast. My ravenous stomach let me know it was ready for its tribute. As it turned out, chips and booze weren’t food I could live off of, who knew?

In practically no time, I’d already demolished two of the three pancakes, both pieces of toast, most of the scrambled eggs, and every bite of bacon. I leaned back and rubbed my stomach. The small blisters that were now starting to bubble on my hands interrupted the otherwise smooth motion, and I winced before dropping them to my sides.

Note to self: coffee is really fucking hot.

He sipped from another mug, but the liquid inside was more transparent with a little string hanging out, which he grabbed and set off to the side on a folded paper towel before taking another sip.

“Is that tea?”

“I like to drink it after surfing to keep the calm vibes.” He took another sip without taking his eyes off me. “There’s plenty left if you want more.”

I shook my head. “I’m good.” Ah, fuck it, I could throw the guy a compliment at least once. He’d earned it. “It was really delicious, thank you.”

He beamed as he swallowed his bite of bacon. “You’re welcome.”

“Now,” I started, “I still have the same question. Who the fuck are you?”

“I’m Chase.” I rolled my eyes and opened my mouth to say something, but he continued before I could do so. “I’ve lived here my whole life. I’m only three doors down.”

I waited for him to go on, but he didn’t, choosing to take another sip of his tea instead. “Is that all? What about family?”

“My mother died when I was young, and my dad moved to Colorado for work. I stayed here because I couldn’t leave the ocean. I’ve been out to visit him, but being trapped in the mountains is too restricting for me.”

“Siblings?”

A darkness invaded his eyes, and I immediately regretted asking. I didn’t know what that meant, but for a moment, I could feel pain wafting off of him. Before I could change the subject, he simply shook his head no.

“What about schooling? Are you a chef? Because this food is pretty damn good.”

He chuckled. “No, I’m no chef. After my dad moved away, I had to learn how to cook because I was tired of surviving off of pizza.”

“Do you do anything for work? If you’re on your own, I’m sure you have to make money somehow.”

“I give surfing lessons.”

I blinked. That was a thing here? I’d only ever heard about surfing in places like Hawaii or something, not the eastern coast of the United States. “Surfing?”

---