Page 50 of Some Kind of Forever
“What’s up?”
“About earlier, I know I called you my girlfriend and we didn’t really talk about it beforehand…or after, for that matter, and—why are you looking at me like that?” His forehead creases in response to the side smirk creeping up my face.
“No reason. Go on…”
“Summer will be over soon, and I know you’ll be busy with school and the internship, and I’ll have a new position at work to figure out but…”
“But…?” I encourage him. He’s rambling, which is adorable because I already know the answer to the question he’s about to ask.
“But… I want this. I want you to be mine, and I want to be yours. So…will you?”
“Will I, what?” I tease, trying to keep a straight face while I watch him squirm. This feels like good payback for all the times he’s flustered me out of speech. Plus, he’s cute when he’s nervous.
He blinks. “…Will you be mine?”
“Oh, um, no, Chase. I can’t,” I say, shrugging while I force an apologetic look on my face.
He opens his mouth and closes it again, confusion settling into every line of his face. “You…can’t?” He knits his brows together as he stares straight at me.
“Nope.”
“…Why?” he asks quietly, rubbing the back of his head like it will help him make sense of this conversation.
“Because…” I whisper, pulling him by his shirt so we’re eye level. “I already have a boyfriend.” I smile, poking my tongue into my cheek while I watch the realization ease the pinching on his face.
“God, Kayla…” He puffs out a deep breath, slapping his hand to his chest and flinging his head back against the headrest.
I lose it with laughter in the passenger seat, and I’m still in a fit of giggles when Chase pulls me out of the car and leans me against the side. He steps in close, grazing my nose with his. “You scared the hell out of me, baby,” he murmurs. “I thought you were serious.”
“Baby?” I ask, feigning shock. I like the way the simple word rolls off his lips, like he handcrafted it just for me. Pet names have never been my thing, but he could call mebabyfor an eternity and I don’t think I’d get sick of hearing it.
“Yep.” He lifts his hand to the crook of my neck. “Baby.”
I tip up on my toes, giving him the apology for my prank in the form of a kiss.
Two kisses.
Okay, three, for good measure.
“Hey, whenever you two are done sucking face, dinner’s ready!” Hunter yells from the porch while looking down at the phone in his hand. He slips back inside the house, and Chase sneaks one more kiss before we head inside.
The smell of something heavenly flows through the air. Avery, Hadley, and Artemis are draped across the couches, watching TV while waiting to be called to the table. Hunter walks down the hallway toward us, finishing up a conversation on his phone.
“Dad said he probably won’t make it back in time. Something about having some business to finish up,” he announces to the room.
“Then we’ll get started,” Christine says, placing a stack of plates on the white marble countertop, next to the cups and silverware. “Hey, Kayla! Glad you could join.” She flashes a friendly grin.
“Oh, thank you for inviting me over again. I had a blast last time.”
“No Ashlie today?” Russell turns to Hunter.
“Naw, not today. She said she couldn’t make it.” He kicks at a scuff on the tiled floor, which I’m learning is one of his tells for when he’s uncomfortable.
“Well, dig in.” Christine motions from the sink toward the food she prepared. Salad, breadsticks, and the heavenly smelling chicken parmesan are spread in the middle of the table. Chase reaches his arm around my waist, grabbing a plate and slipping a little kiss on the top of my shoulder. Looking back to give him a smile, I catch Christine watching, nodding knowingly.
Once we’ve mostly finished eating, I turn to Chase’s parents and say, “I was promised some embarrassing stories.”
“Ugh,” Chase groans playfully, squeezing my knee. The girls get up and head to the loft, and Hunter excuses himself to go back to his rental.
