Taking Chances

I started to move off the bed, but his voice stopped me.

“Don’t. Give me a minute.”

Four tense minutes later and I stood up anyway, “I’m going to go –”

“I’ll take you to your dorm,” He finally looked at me and shook his head, “never mind I’ll get Derek to take you.”

My stomach dropped. I had been pla

“Uh, will you please take me to a hotel?” I asked Derek after we were in his car.

“Hotel? Don’t you want to go to your dorm?”

“No, Bree’s having Konrad stay there tonight. Just take me to a hotel.”

He pursed his lips but didn’t say anything until we were at the entrance of the closest place. “Don’t be too hard on Brandon, kay? Try to forgive him, he feels really bad for doing this to you.”

What? Doing what to me? Oh my God, is he going to break up with me? I didn’t ask him to get in a fight with Chase, I had been about to take care of it myself. My eyes watered and I couldn’t even thank Derek for the ride, afraid that if I opened my mouth I’d start sobbing.

Derek got out of his car and walked with me up to the front desk. I still couldn’t speak so he told the woman in the business suit behind the counter that I needed a room for the night. When she asked for a card to go on file he pulled out his wallet. Grabbing his arm, I shook my head quickly and the tears started falling.

“I already can’t believe I’m about to leave you here, Princess. Give me some peace of mind knowing that I didn’t make you pay for a room because of what just happened.” He handed his card to the woman who was shooting daggers at Derek. Once I had the keycard in my hand, he hugged me awkwardly and stepped back, “Let someone know if you need anything.”

I heard the woman mutter “Asshole.” under her breath when he walked out the doors. It wasn’t until I was in the elevator I realized how that must have looked to her. With my tears and what he said, that definitely made him look awful. Poor Derek.

As soon as I was in the room, I curled up onto the large bed and let my heart break once again for the man I had a feeling I would always love. He called an hour later, but I was already devastated with what I knew he was going to say, so I ignored the call and turned my phone off. Maybe he would take that as my acknowledgment of what he no longer wanted. Me.

Loud pounding woke me some time later and I had a momentary freak-out when I didn’t realize where I was at first. The pounding started again and I looked at the door, I had no idea what time it was, but Brandon had called right before ten, so I knew it was really late now. Was there some drunk trying to get into what they thought was their room?

“Harper, baby open the door.”

My eyes widened and I scrambled off the bed. God, I should have just answered the phone. Break up over the phone would have been much easier than face to face. Taking a few deep breaths, I unlocked the door and cracked it open.

Brandon stepped in and pulled me into his arms, roughly bringing his mouth to mine. “What the hell are you doing here sweetheart?”

Me? What was he doing, and why was he kissing me?

“I’ve been going out of my mind, why’d you turn your phone off?

“I–I didn’t want to talk to you.”

His face and arms fell.

“I couldn’t, I couldn’t handle you breaking up with me.”

“Whoa, wait…what? Break up with you? Why the hell would I break up with you?”

I floundered for a minute trying to remember everything that he and Derek had said, “Because you…isn’t that…wasn’t that why you wanted me to leave?”

“No!” He hunched down and cupped my face, “I thought I scared you with that fight, I thought you wanted to get away from me.”

A sob escaped my chest and hot tears streamed down my cheeks again as I shook my head.

“Baby,” he crooned and wrapped his arms around me again, “are you insane? How could you think I wouldn’t want to be with you? Seeing your face in the bedroom, you looked terrified and I hated that you saw that. I shouldn’t have lost it like that in front of you.”

“So we’re not breaking up?”

“God no.”

A huge wave of relief washed through me, “I was scared in your room, but it was because I thought you were mad at me. I thought you were mad that you got into another fight because of me. And I hated that everyone had to get in on it.”

“Harper, I would fight anyone, anytime for you.” He kissed me softly and moved back to the door, “I’ll be right back, alright?”

Before I could say anything, he was out the door and jogging down the hall. When he came back a handful of minutes later, he picked me up and without breaking our kiss laid me down on the bed.

“Where’d you go?” I asked breathlessly when his lips moved across my jaw.

“I rented the room until Sunday morning.” He gri

***

“Princess, stop walking and just talk to me.”

“Why? So you can let me know again how much of a slut you think I am?”

“I don’t,” he let out a half-growl, half-sigh, “I don’t think you’re a slut. You just caught me on a bad day.”

“Let me guess Chase, you hurt me because you were just so damn mad…am I right?” I threw his line from a month ago back in his face and he paled.

His hand came up and brushed my hair back, holding it away from my face as he stared into my eyes, “This is why I told you I would never be good enough for you, all I do is hurt you Princess.”

“This isn’t about you being, or not being good enough for me. I just want to be your friend, and you’re making that impossible.”

Friend, he mouthed and scratched his head before grabbing a fistful of hair, “Okay, fine, we’re friends. But I need you to stop approaching me around my house and at school.”

“What? Then that puts us exactly where we’ve been the last three weeks, that doesn’t change anything.”

“It needs to be that way.” He released both his hair and mine at the same time and turned away for a second before facing me again, “Sundays are the only day I get you. Those are the only days when you’re here with me.” I opened my mouth but he stopped me, “No, I know you’re not here for me…but you’re here. And he’s not.” He bent his knees so we were eye to eye, “I need these days with you Harper. But every other day, you’re his and it’s not a good idea for us to be around each other then. So stay away. Please.”

“Chase…”

“If you think acting like you don’t exist isn’t the hardest thing I’ve ever done, you’re wrong. I hate not talking to you, I hate not bickering like we’re an old married couple and I hate not spending every day right next to you. But this is how it has to be, Brandon hates me, and Princess trust me when I say he has every reason to. So if after everything I’ve done to you, you’ll still even consider being my friend, then it has to be Sundays only.”

“Brandon won’t care if we’re friends.” Okay I wasn’t entirely sure that was true.

He smiled and shook his head, “I know you’re not that naïve. Now go have lunch with Mom and Bree, then get your ass back here so I can have my few stolen hours with you.”

I walked toward the entryway but stopped after a few feet, “Chase?”

“Yeah Princess?”

Looking over my shoulder, I held his gaze, “Will you please stop hurting me…in every way?”

Chase closed the distance and pulled me into a tight hug, “Go eat sweetheart.”